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Eleggua gives an order tomorrow so that it can be heard yesterday. He inhabits the crossroads, the threshold of all possibilities and decisions. He is the first orisha to honor. He is a divine messenger and trickster. His colors are red and black. He enjoys candies, rum and cigar. His nature is both childish and wise, it through him we come to recognize our own inner children and wise men... |
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Oya means, "she tore." In ancient Nupe, her ancestral home, she tore a piece of black cloth that became the mighty Niger River to protect her kingdom. She is both an awesome warrior and a most exquisite dancer. She is mistress of both the cemetery gate and market place. She is represented through nine colors. She favors eggplant, star apples and black-eyed pea fritters. The Mother of Nine, she changes form at will, and gives
us the means to turn around any situation.
To learn more about Oya, click here. |
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Yemaya is the holy mother of the world. She is the first woman of the world crowned king. Her dominion is the ocean. She loves all children as a mother. Her colors are blue and white. She favors watermelons, molasses, fried plantains and pork rinds. She gives us life everlasting through motherhood.
For a bonus story about Yemaya, click here.
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Obatala is a first among equals in the orisha pantheon. Lord of the White Cloth, it is thought that most of the orisha emanate from him. He is the creator as well as source of laughter. His color is white, with different accent colors according to his various manifestations. He receives white foods, such as white yams, rice and meringues. There is no consciousness or creative will without Obatala.
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Shango is King, and a King does not lie. He is the virile force of dance and drums. His colors red and white embody both the fury of the storm and its cooling, life-sustaining gift of rain. He is given apples, bananas, and red wine. Shango has the courage to realize his will, and we realize him when we speak effectively.
To learn about the Oba Ko So story of Shango and its esoteric application to tarot, click here.
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Ogun embodies life force. He opens the path through vital energy and determination. His name Ogun is a multidimensional word. Depending on where the accent is placed, it may mean medicine, war or poetry...His colors are green and black. He receives offerings of gin, palm oil and roasted yam. We cannot embrace progress without realizing Ogun. |
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Ajaguna means "the road that leads to war." The youngest manifestation of Obatala, he is both fearsome warrior and master diviner. One of his myths relates that he gained mastery of gunpowder during his travels through Asia. He brought this secret back to Afrika to resist Islamic slave traders. As a wise man, the other Obatalas turn to him for guidance because of his mastery of cowry shell divination. His colors are white and red. He eats Obatala’s foods. Ajaguna reveals that wisdom sometimes
necessitates that we must fight for justice. |
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Ochosi is the forest magician. A hunter, he realizes will and possibility instantly,just as his arrow inevitably finds its mark. He fulfills divine justice, even when we cannot understand it ourselves. His colors are green and blue. He is often fed with Ogun. As one of the fundamental warriors, he shares Ogun’s cauldron, and may be offered anisette and fruits. We reach our ends through Ochosi.
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Oshun represents beauty, love and wealth. The youngest of the orisha, she is one of the most dearly loved and powerful due to the divine forces she imparts. Things that make life pleasurable are her special gifts to us. Her color is yellow. She enjoys honey, champagne, and fine pastries. Her generosity is immediate and can flow through us like the clear water of a stream if we are willing not to block it.
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Babaluaye is the orisha of pestilence. It is said that he cuts you, he heals you. He is petititoned for good health and prosperity. He gives his followers strength to deal with affliction. He may be offered sesame seeds, a loaf of bread and a bowl of milk for his companion dogs.
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"Nobody knows what lies at the bottom of the ocean except for God and Olokun." Olokun is a mysterious deity, at once each male, female and a true hermaphrodite. Owner of all rivers and seas, King who relieves barren women and the Wife of Destiny, Olokun embodies many essential mysteries. Olokun’s colors are white and blue. Olokun receives cane sugar syrup, roasted pork, saltless bean paste with palm oil. We realize Olokun
when we recognize blessings that have mysteriously come into being. |
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During the kariocha initiation, the initiate's identity becomes eternally linked with his orisha's. The mysteries of the orisha are contained in soup tureens or pots. |
