The
Seven African powers are the most well-known
and celebrated divinities of the Yoruba
Pantheon, and are common to all Yoruba
faiths, although they are not always
considered to be the same deities. In
Macumba traditions (Candomble, Umbanda),
they are called Orixa; in Vodoun, they
are called Lwas (Lwas); in Palo, Nkisi.
In all of these traditions, the Orishas
have many aspects (Caminos), which are
often quite diverse.
Eleggua
(Legba, Exu, Eshu) is the Orisha of
crossroads, doorways, and gates. He
is the messenger of the gods- no Orisha
can be contacted except through him,
and his dress and conflicting mannerisms
reflect this double-sided nature (he
is sometimes depicted with two faces,
especially in Yoruba art). Eleggua is
also the guardian of the doorway between
the earthly and divine realms. He has
been compared to the Greek God Hermes,
with whom he shares many attributes,
and to the Hindu Ganesha. In Brazil,
he is sometimes equated with Baphomet,
and his symbol is a pitchfork. In Santeria,
his colors are black and red, and he
is associated with St. Martin de Porres.
His favorite offering is candy and tobacco
and coconuts.
He enables
mankind to communicate with the other
orisha and is always honored first.
Legba makes the impossible possible.
He lifts us beyond the limitation we
impose upon ourselves in daily life.
There
are 256 distinct paths of Eleggua, and
these correspond to the 256 odu
in the Ifa Corpus. (Interestingly, the
human eye can distinguish between 256
shades of grey.)
Messenger,
Opener of the Way, Trickster
Saint Simon Peter
San Martin (Caballero)
Saint Anthony (of Padua)
El Nino de Atocha
Saint Expedite
Saint Michael Archangel
Of all
the Orishas, he has the most aspects
(forms), including Pombagira (Candomble),
a wantonly sexual prostitute, and Papa
Legba (Vodoun) an elderly man. He is
considered a trickster, a player of
pranks; in some traditions he is malefic,
bringing harm to those who neglect their
obligations. In Lukumi, he is a guardian
of doorways, and effigies of Eleggua
are used to protect homes.
Obatala
is the creator God, of whom all of the
Orishas are but aspects. His color is
white, containing all the colors of
the rainbow. He rules the mind and intellect,
cosmic equilibrium, male and female.
His counterpart in Vodoun, Damballah,
takes the form of the primeval serpent.
Obatala is considered to be beyond the
sphere of direct communication; however,
Damballah does possess his followers
in Vodou rites. Damballah and his wife
Ayida-Wedo, the rainbow serpent, are
often compared to alchemical and yogic
concepts of kundalini.
Obatala
is the greatest orisha. His name means
“Lord of the White Cloth.”
It is from him that most of the other
orisha take their forms. Obatala has
many roads or caminos. These can be
thought of the archetypes akin to the
Platonic notion of perfect forms. It
is from these primordial essences the
other orisha take their shapes. For
instance, Obatla-Ajaguna provides the
elemental spark which becomes Shango.
Obatala Oshanla can be thought of as
the source for Oshun. And so forth.
(The orisha who do not come from Obatala
are elemental orishas, such as Babalu
Aye and Olokun.) Obatla embodies wisdom,
creativity, and judgment.
He is
generally identified with the crucified
Christ. Obatala is androgynous and sometimes
depicted very old, sometimes quite young.
Obatala taught the people how to do
Ifa, the table divination system.
Father-Mother
of Humanity, Bringer of Peace and Harmony
Our Lady of Mercy
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
Ogun
(Oggun, Ogoun, Ogum) is the chief of
the warriors, the God of War, blood,
and iron. He is the guardian of the
forge, and the patron of civilization
and technology. Not just a martial deity,
Ogun is the archetypal force that drives
technology. He is responsible for tools
of progress like farming implements
and surgeon's knives. He is movement,
impetus, force. Because of this, Ogun
is associated with locomotives, and
offerings are often made to him at railroad
tracks. In Candomble, he is associated
with St. George, the dragon slayer;
in Lukumi, he is syncretized with St.
Peter.
Because
of his association with blood, Ogun
is often petitioned for aid with blood
diseases. However, because Ogun enjoys
blood offerings, it is considered inadvisable
to petition Ogun while menstruating
or with a bleeding wound. Ogoun is a
smith, a soldier, and a politician.
In modern times he has come to be known
as the patron of truck drivers. He is
the spirit of the frontier, cutting
paths, through the wilderness with his
ever-present machete. Although Ogoun
clears the way for civilization, he
often prefers to dwell alone in the
wilderness.
Lord
of Metals, Minerals, Tools, War, Birds,
and Wild Beasts
Saint John the Baptist
Saint Anthony (of Padua)
Saint George
San Pedro (Saint Simon Peter)
Chango
(Xango, Shango) is a warrior, the Orisha
of lightning, dance, and passion. He
is the epitome of all things masculine,
and the dispenser of vengeance on behalf
of the wronged. Shango was likely once
a Yoruba King. Like Ogun, his colors
are red and white, and his best-known
symbol is the oshe, a double bladed
axe. He is sometimes associated with
Vodoun's Petro Lwa, Erzulie Dantor and
is often syncretized as the female St.
Barbara.
He uses
lightning and thunder to enhance the
fertility of the earth and of his followers.
Myths concerning his death (or rather
the fact that it did not occur) link
him to the European figure of the Hanged
God.
Shango:
The embodiment of virility. Orisha of
thunder, drums, and dance. He has tremendous
passion for life. At the same time,
he is a politician par excellence. Legend
says that the historic Shango, who was
fourth alafin of Oyo, accidentally brought
down lightning on his own castle when
experimenting with magic, thus destroying
many of his wives and children. This
lead to a drama of exile, suicide and
rebirth.
Fourth
King of the Yoruba, immortalized as
Spirit of Thunder
Saint Barbara
Saint Jerome
Chango-St.
Barbara is the most popular god-orisha
of the Santeros and Macumba.
Notice that Chango is
a "male" Character, and St.
Barbara a "female" Christian
Saint, holding the Eucharist.
The behavior of Chango
is absurd when applied to St. Barbara:
- Chango, in the yoruba
legend, is an adulterous male, with
two main lovers: Oshum (Virgin of Charity
of Cuba), and Oya (Virgin of Candelaria)!...
The Christian St. Barbara would be an
impossible lesbian, having sex and children
with two Virgins!... a horrible impossible
sacrilege!.
- But Oya (Virgin of
Candelaria) is the wife of Oggun (St.
Peter), so, St. Peter hates Changó
(St. Barbara)... in fact, in the legend,
Chango and Oggun hate each other to
death!...
For the "Paleros",
Chango is known as "Nsasi".
Many of the stories about
Chango have to do with his relations
with women. Yemaya was his mother. He
had relationships with Ochun, Oya, and
Obba. Obba was his legitimate wife,
but he spent more time with Ochun and
Oya. He was a true womanizer and women
loved him. After he exchanged his divinatioin
tools with Orunla in exchange for Orunla's
ability to dance, there was no stopping
him. Of course all of this caused problems
and Chango often had to spend much time
at war. Chango was a keen diviner and
used his "ache" to come out
victorious on many occasions. The children
of Chango usually are born with good
psychic abilities, also. So, if Chango
is your father, try to develop your
spirituality to the utmost.
Oya
(Yansa) is the Goddess of Storms,
Lightning, and cemeteries. She is a
warrior, the wife of Chango. Her colors
are orange and maroon, and her syncretized
saint is Theresa. She epitomizes female
power and righteous anger. Oya brings
sudden change. She is a whirlwind, an
amazon, a huntress, and a wild buffalo.
Lightning and rainbows are signs of
her presence. She also rules communication
between the living and the dead.
In Vodou,
Oya is called Manman Brigitte, the swaggering,
rum drinking wife of Baron Samedi and
mother of the Guedde, lords of the dead.
She may be directly related to the Greek
warrior goddess Minerva but is also
connected to Hecate, the goddess of
witches and the underworld. She also
possesses an Irish equivalent in Macha,
the crone aspect of the Triple Goddess
Morrigan who is often associated with
battlefields and burial grounds. Oya
the great woman warrior. She watches
over both the cemetary and the marketplace.
Oya and
Oya-types are known for their clairvoyance,
psychic abilities, intuition and the
ability to communicate the dead. She
is the owner of the Marketplace (Mama
Loja). She is a revolutionary and social
crusader who fights for the underdog.
Oya is a deity who is efficient, strong-willed,
and very indispensable in emergency
situations. Her power sweeps over all
injustice, dishonesty, deceit from her
path. Although unpredictable, Oya understands
everything, but will only accept the
truth. You may not like what is being
said or even HOW it is said, but know
that Oya speaks the truth. She hears
all, sees all and gives of herself selflessly
and places other's needs before her
own.
Oya is the guardian of
the realm between life and death and
she assists those when they make their
final transition. The lungs, bronchial
passages, and mucous membranes are associated
with her. She can either hold back the
spirit of death or call it forth; hence,
she is the last breath taken. Oya also
governs over the cemetery and the dead
and is said to have entered the earth's
crust at Ira, upon hearing that Sango
died. Oya is associated with the buffalo
(Oya Gidigidi); hence, it is good to
have buffalo's horn (rubbed with camwood)
on one's altar for her. She is known
for using charms and magic and is known
as one of the Great Mothers of the "Elders
of the Night (Witches)."
Oya's the mother of disguises
and has many different faces (masks).
Many say that Oya is a great amazon
who is said to have grown a beard when
preparing for war. Legend tells us that
no one wants to face Oya in battle for
she is as fierce, ruthless, and cunning
as any man. She is known to have destroyed
towns, villages, uprooted all that was
once in its'original state. No one wants
to deal with the wrath of Oya or any
other Orisa for that matter. We offer
epo pupo to supplicate her and shea
butter to calm her.
On a windy day, one should
pray to Oya, humbly and sincerely of-course,
for it is her messenger Afefe (the wind)
that carries messages to her. She is
not an Orisa to be taken for granted
or lightly. Ghede Nimbo, is the aspect
of Esu that assists Oya. Upon entering
a cemetery or performing ancestral rituals,
ceremonies, ebos, or any rituals always
appease Ghede Nimbo first. Offer pennies
and/or candy, epo pupo (palm oil), oti
(gin), obi (kola nut), adura (prayers),
and oriki(chants)/orin (songs) to open
the way and ensure of blessings and
protection.
Although she is both feared
and loved. It is said and commonly known
that Oya is very loyal to her children
and dangerous to their enemies. She
can come as smooth and cool as a warm
summer breeze or as violent and vicious
as a tornado and wreak utter havoc in
your world. Oya is about business and
she demands and commands respect!
Oya is associated with
the colors: maroon, purple, deep dark
red, orange, browns, multi-colors, burgundy,
and cooper. Her number is 9 and in astrology
is compared to the planet Pluto and
the sign Scorpio and her metal of choice
is copper.
Some of her foods are:
female goat, eggplant, cooked corn meal,
grape wine, grapes, gin, rum, kola nuts,
plantains, palm oil, rooster, hen, black
beans w/rice, anything spicy, fruit,
okra soup, fish, cornstarch porridge,
and akara.
Icons or effergies associated
with Oya are: buffalo's horns, masks,
swords, iruba (horse tail whisk), pennies,
whips, anything copper, camwood (which
she loves), a broom, pictures of hurricanes,
tornadoes, cyclones, wind instruments,
anything associated with the wind and
she loves cloth
Female
Warrior, Spirit of Wind, Storm, Thunder,
and Magic
Our Lady of Candelaria
Saint Catherine
Saint Theresa
Yemaya
(Yemoja, Iemanja) is associated
with manifestations of the Virgin Mary
and also of Isis; she is the most beloved
female Orisha. She is the Goddess of
the Ocean and the moon, guardian of
women, childbirth, fertility, and witchcraft.
She rules the subconscious and creative
endeavors. Yemaya's counterpart in Vodoun
is called Lasiren, the Mermaid. She
is related to Mami Wata (Mamma Water),
the African water-spirit beloved by
the Dahomey of Benin. Yemaya's symbols
are a mirror and comb, powders and perfumes,
and other items of female beauty. The
holy mother of the world. She rules
over the ocean. She is a special intercessor
for mothers and gay men.
Blue
is her color and those who worship Yemaya
wear a necklace of clear and blue beads.
In addition to a necklace, those who
worship Yemaya wear a blue dress complete
with seven layers to represent the seven
seas. In a Yemaya ceremony everyone
dances in a circle and the altar is
in the form of a circle. A circle represents
the eternal cycle of life. Both the
half moon and a star are symbols of
Yemaya to show that her beauty can't
be represented by just one heavenly
body. Since Yemaya is very vain, she
appreciates jewelry, perfume, and flowers.
Anything that come from the sea is a
symbol of Yemaya. It is said that her
axé, her energy comes through
rocks and shells from the sea.
There
is a common legend about Yemaya choosing
her own students; occasionally someone
will disappear, sometimes for seven
years, and return with tales of having
learned the ways of magick and healing
in her undersea abode. In Lukumi, Yemaya's
colors are blue and white; in Vodou,
blue and green. Her offerings are often
doves, but never fish. Her waves wash
away all sorrow. Her compassion nurtures
her children through any spiritual or
emotional crisis. Her love sustains
life.
The tides
represent Yemaya desires to protect
and nurture all her children, by rocking
the world as if it were a cradle. The
tides demonstrate that Yemaya is "sometimes
still, sometimes violent." Since
Yemaya is considered the greatest mother
there is no surprise that she is very
sexual. The motion of the tides is reflective
of her seductive hips which she moves
side to side. In many cases she is portrayed
as having large buttocks and healthy
hips. This duality of beauty and destructive
power illustrates the widely held view
that Yemaya represents the dynamic play
of opposites. Yemaya is very moody and
protective. Since nothing can resist
water she is also respected for her
strength. Yemaya drowns those who hurt
her children.
She is
one of the great goddesses of Africa
and of the African diaspora. In her
original homeland, she was the Yoruba
goddess of the Ogun river, where she
was said to the be daughter of the sea
into whose waters she empties. Her breasts
are very large, because she was mother
of so many of the Yoruba gods.
She is also the mother of waters--Mama
Watta--who gave birth to all the world's
waters. Even as she slept, she would
create new springs, which gushed forth
each time she turned over. At her main
temple, at Abeokuta in the Ibara district,
she is offered rams, yams and corn.
Spirit
of Motherhood, the Ocean, and the Moon
Our Lady of Regla
Mary, Star of the Sea (Stella Maris)
Oshun
(known as Oxum in Brazil) rules the
'sweet' waters- rivers, brooks, and
streams. Oshun is closely related to
Yemaya, and their aspects sometimes
overlap. She is the goddess of love,
passion, and sensuality, as well as
money and prosperity. Her preferred
offerings are honey, copper jewelry
or coins (usually in multiples of five).
She is most often associated with St.
Cecilia, and in Lukumi, she is Our Lady
of La Caridad del Cobre, the protectress
of Cuba. Her colors are yellow and gold.
Oshun, the Yoruban Goddess of love,
delights in the creation of beauty and
art, sensual delights and self-adornment.
Her symbols are mirrors, jewelry, honey,
golden silks and feather fans. Creativity
in decorating home and temple is a way
of honoring Oshun, who will bless any
beautiful space created in Her honor.
There is no object so common that Oshun
will not appreciate more if it is made
artistic and pleasing to the eye. Creativity
in dress and self-adornment please her
as well, and when Oshun is pleased,
her blessings know no limits.
In Vodoun,
Oshun is known as Erzulie. Erzulie's
colors are shades of pink. While Erzulie
and Oshun are very much alike, Erzulie
has a vengeful, implacable aspect when
angered similar to that of her sister
and rival Erzulie Dantor. In this dark,
vengeful aspect, Dantor is a fierce
protector of women, especially single
mothers, and a powerful avenger of domestic
violence. Dantor is associated with
the Black Madonnas, Our Lady of Prompt
Succor, and Mater Salvatoris, and she
in most pantheons she is a goddess of
storms, rain and floods, which she is
often invoked as protection against.
Her colors are royal blue, red and gold,
and her offerings include spicy fried
pork, cinnamon candies, and libations
of rum mixed with storm water.
Oshun
likes to heal hurt with love, and plants
seeds of change in people. In her African
homeland, Oshun mated with the god Chango,
with whom she had human children. Their
descendents, who still live along her
waters, are forbidden to eat snails
or beans, or to drink beer made from
sorghum.
Oshun is still honored
in Nigeria with an annual ceremony called
Ibo-Osun. A feast of yams begins the
evening, then women dance for the goddess,
hoping to be chosen as one of her favorites.
Those who are selected are granted new
names which include that of the goddess:
Osun Leye, "gift of Oshun,"
or Osun Tola, "treasure of Oshun."
Once selected in this way, the woman
serves her community as advisor, particularly
assisting with family problems and illnesses.
Oshun is especially consulted by those
who wish to have children, for she encourages
this womanly activity.
Oshun is the primary divinity
of Oshogbo, an African orisha religion,
where she is honored with brass objects,
as well as jewels and yellow copper.
Her chief festival there celebrates
the arrival of the ancestral family
on the banks of Oshun's river. While
bathing, one of the princesses apparently
drowned, but reappeared soon after attired
in gorgeous garments which, she said,
Oshun had given her. The alliance with
the river goddess has continued to this
day.
In the African diaspora,
Oshun gained new names and titles: Oxum
in Brazil; Ochun in Cuba; Erzulie-Freda-Dahomey
in Haiti. When she possesses dancers,
their movements are those of a woman
who loves to swim, who makes her arm
braclets jangle, and who admires herself
in a mirror. Her appearance is greeted
with welcoming shouts of "Ore Yeye
o!" In Brazilian Macumba, Oshun
is goddess of waters; she is depicted
wearing jewels, holding a mirror, and
wafting a fan. Altars to her hold copper
braceelts and fans, as well as dishes
of Omuluku (onions, beans and salt).
She rules love, beauty and flirtation.
In Santeria, Oshun is revered as "Our
Lady of La Caridad," patron of
the island of Cuba.
Lady
of Love, Beauty, and Sexuality, Spirit
of Fresh Water
Our Lady of Caridad del Cobre (Our Mother
of Charity)
The religion
of the West African Yoruba people was
forced underground by centuries of slavery
in the Americas. Several hybrid forms
of worship, of which the best known
is Santeria, were created by deliberate
conflation of Yoruba spiritual entities
with Catholic ones.
The Yoruba people of West
Africa recognize three levels of spiritual
force: one creator god called Olodumare;
numerous nature or messenger spirits
(similar to Christian angels) called
the orishas, and the revered spirits
of the dead, called the eggun. Under
the yoke of Catholicism, Olodumare was
identified with Jehovah, and the orishas
were identified with various Catholic
saints or angels. In the United States,
Mexico, and the Caribbean, seven of
the many orishas were combined into
a commonly seen image called "The
Seven African Powers;" however,
there are more than seven orishas, and
most of them are identified with more
than one saint.
The Seven African Powers
image most often seen on Voodoo hoodoo
soaps and anointing oils consists of
seven saints (sometimes given orisha
names and sometimes saint names) surrounding
a central circle in which is shown the
crucifixion of Jesus, watched by a rooster
on a pedestal. Inside the circle of
saints the word "Olofi" sometimes
appears. The full image is found on
a common Mexican package amulet that
combines three coins, an image of the
Holy Trinity and a print of The Seven
African Powers The inner Crucifixion
image, without the outer ring of saints,
appears on candles and other articles
marked "Just Judge" or "Faithful
Judge" in English or "Justo
Juez" in Spanish.
"The Seven African
Powers" is misleading. These seven
deities are only seven out of a large
pantheon of Orishas. These are worshipped
in several different religions brought
to the New World including Santeria
(in Cuba), Candomble (in Brazil), Arara
(in Cuba) as well as many others. The
phrase "Seven African Powers"
is mostly predominant in African-American
hoodoo; in Spanish-speaking nations,
they are the Siete Potencias (Seven
Powers).
CHANGO: Top Center
OYA: Top Right
OGOUN: Middle Right
PAPA LEGBA: Bottom Right
OBATALA: Bottom Left
YEMAYA: Middle Left
OSHUN: Top Left
CENTRAL FIGURE: Just Judge,
crucifixion of Jesus. Watched over by
a
rooster on a pedestal. Inside the circle
the word "Olofi" sometimes
appears.
The rooster is thought to signify betrayal
as in Mark 14:30: And Jesus said
to him, "Truly I say to you, That
this day, this very night, before the
cock
crows twice, you shall deny me three
times."
The prayer on the back
of the Seven African Powers Holy card
reads as follows in translation:
