Inspired.Empowered (NOWinSA Exclusive): SA actor turned healer gets candid about his not-so pleasant journey into spiritual awakening

Spiritual practice, in its many forms, has undergone a dramatic modern resurgence as more and more people seek guidance from the ‘higher powers’ given the complexities of our world today.

What with the dramatic turn of events, and life as we thought we knew it as Covid-19 continues to wreck everywhere. Without a doubt, this new normal has forced us to take stock of both our physical and spiritual well-being like never before.

Join us as we chat to the much-loved South African actor, MC and rising TIKTOK star Gift Sebiloane as he shares some of the unpleasant life encounters he had to endure before accepting his ancestral calling.

Q&A with actor turned spiritual healer Gift Sebiloane

Q: Take us through your spiritual journey, how you discovered your ancestral calling?

A: I was 16 when it all started. I was not sure of the visions I was having in my dreams at the time,  but I knew that I was different from other kids in the family because of these ‘strange’ things I was seeing were only happening to me. Like I said, the dreams I was having were not making sense to me, more likely because I wasn’t paying much more attention to them anyway.

I remember when my cousin sister passed on from the Free State, I kind of knew just as was it was happening. I had an epiphany at that very moment, and by the time the phone rang and my mom had to answer it, I somewhat knew the reason for the call. And when I told my mother what that was, that my cousin was no more, she couldn’t believe it. So yes …  that was just one of the early many strange stories I can tell you about. There’re many others of this nature and more. 

Fast forward to my early 20s, this thing inside me – the calling – was starting to intensify. I knew that I was indeed different, that I was called for something totally different from what I could have imagined. Interestingly, a lot of traditional healers / prophets were starting to approach me to tell me I’ve got a calling. When it first happened, I took it light and did not pay much attention to it, until it started happening frequently, especially as I was approaching my 30s. This was the time when a lot of strange things were starting to happen to me, more precisely in my professional life, until I decided to quit my job at the time. And if you were to ask me why I decided to leave my well paying job with one of the country’s leading casinos, I wouldn’t know what to say to you to be honest.

Thereafter, a trail of misfortunes started happening. I started loosing a lot of valuable stuff I owned, I even got scammed R130k (my pension fund) which I had invested in what looked at first like a promising business idea. Banks were threatening to repossess my cars, until they eventually did. One my cars got involved an accident, the business I had with my friends, which was my only source of income at the time, got liquidated. All the people I called friends were gone, no one was there for me.

I was all on my own, until one day when this one guy came to me while waiting for my takeaway at a fastfood outlet three year ago (2018), and he told me that the message he was about to give me was my last warning. He said if I’m not going to accept my calling, I may even die. That really got to me, and it finally got me to act.

I then began the acknowledgement process he advised me to follow. From there on, I started ti ‘phahla’ (communicating with ancestors) consistently and things were now starting to make sense, my life was starting to fall into place.

Looking back at my life now, I regret that it took me so long to get my acts together, do the right thing and accept my ancestral calling … little did I know I how much peace I was depriving myself of.

It’s overwhelming when I think of how my life was then, and how it is now as a full-time spiritual healer, I can proudly say I’ve never been happier. I really don’t see myself working for anyone full-time ever again. I am thankful firstly to the Almighty (God) and my ancestors for opening my eyes to see, and eventually got me to accept my spiritual gift and see it for the beauty that it is.

  
 Q: Seeing that we’re heading into the New Year, what spiritual goals do you recommend for people to set for themselves?

A: There’re different types of spirituality, which differs from one person to the other, according to their individual calling . However, I would advise people to meditate more on a daily basis, so they can be in tune with their inner person. Once you do that, you’d be amazed how much wisdom you will discover about your true yourself.

Q: How do you tie this mammoth (spiritual) gift with your professional life – in your case as an actor, MC and entertainer?

A: Spirituality comes first before everything else for me. If I had to choose between giving counsel to anyone that comes to me seeking guidance and clarity about their lives, and a mcying a gig, I would obviously choose the former because I know my ancestors are there for me every time I prioritise their work. They are bound to bless me with more, whether it’s with gigs or assisting me in my quest to bring enlightenment to more people that seek my help.   

Q: Being a spiritual healer is meant to be an inherent gift – it comes naturally. No (external) rules but yours. When you are used to that, it can be difficult to have to navigate a space where you now have to take instructions from others, as it’s the case in more formal professional settings? How do you navigate the two worlds?

A: As I mentioned earlier, spiritual healing is what I do for a living now. It’s what I put my energies into first and foremost, the rest will follow. I do get to book acting and mcying gigs from time to time, but I look at it with a different eye altogether now. Since my life’s calling is to serve others, it should be something (a role) that will positively impact others, my surroundings and me as a person. That said, I don’t have problems with taking instructions from others, as long they’re well meaning and not against my spiritual sanity. 

Q: Like in most informal professional settings, there’s always unscrupulous people taking advantage of people’s vulnerability in their journey of self discovery, by claiming to be some healers of sort when they are not. How can people guard against this?

You know when your are in a situation of seeking spiritual guidance, before approaching any healer, you need to ask for guidance from your ancestors to lead you to the right person – known as gobela in Zulu – to help you. You also need to obey your instincts. If you feel that you are being mislead and feel that the process is not working for you, then quit. But also make sure you pray more, meditate and seek guidance from your ancestors.

Q: Signs that you are a spiritual healer and you don’t know. Take us through some of the obvious signs, and what should be the next step one must take to answer their calling?

A: Spiritual calling hits each person differently. I wouldn’t say there’s a specific formula in how to best approach the situation. But in most instances, you would have vivid dreams that a naked eye may not be able explain – as you may have heard, ancestors come through dreams and visions, that’s why is important to pay attentions to them.

Furthermore, if you mostly dream about animals which are an embodiment of spiritual guidance or ancestors, that could be a sign. Sometimes you may dream of spiritual cloths and beads. However, I would advise people to consult with their prospective spiritual teachers, who are often revealed to them by their ancestors, so they can dig deeper, especially when there’s a lot of complications in their lives and nothing seems to make sense.

Q: How do people seeking spiritual guidance, those looking to consult with you reach you?

A: They can contact me directly on whatsapp at +27 74 682 2370 and request / book a consultation. They can also follow me on TIKTOK, I have a spiritual show from 22h00 – 03h00 on weekdays. My handle is @Giftious.

• Watch; an indepth sitdown interview of the ‘Inspired.Empowered (NOWinSA Exclusive)‘ podcast series with Gift Sebiloane.