The Orisha are the Messengers of Oludumare, the God/dess of the Yoruba Traditional Spiritual Tradition known as Ifa. The Yoruba Spiritual Tradition is centered in West Africa in what is now called Nigeria. During the time of the enslavement of African people in the New World, known as the Maafa ( Kiswahilli for Great Disaster), Ifa came to the Americas and the Caribbean. Anyone caught practicing the religion was put to death.
Since Christianity was the only religion allowed to the enslaved Africans, the Orisha of Ifa were hidden behind the Catholic saints wherever similarities were seen between the two. For example, Shango, Orisha of Thunder and Transformation, carrier of the double headed ax, was served through Saint Barbara since she too was portrayed with the double headed ax. This assured that the Orisha would survive the transatlantic passage and live on.
Centuries later the Orisha are still being worshipped behind the masks of Saints...and openly by their original African names and images. People of all colors, genders, and nationalities now celebrate the Orisha in the privacy of their own home and along with their spiritual families, commonly called Houses or Iles.
Here are five suggestions to help you to connect with the beauty and harmony of the Orisha.
1. Attend lectures about traditional West African Spiritual Practice. Check with your local universities to learn of lectures in the Comparative Religions, Anthropology, and African Studies Departments.
2. Subscribe to reputable lists about Orisha and African Traditional Spirituality on the internet. You can find Orisha focused discussion listed by doing a search at Yahoogroups.com and at Google.com. Be prepared to state your intentions and to show respect to the guidelines of the list.
3. Attend lectures and view exhibits of West African Art at your local museums. Call them and ask to be added to their mailing lists for to learn of upcoming events
4. Check your local holistic newspaper for workshops, seminars, and lectures in your area given by initiates in the Ifa tradition or one of its adaptations in the New World, such as Santeria, Candomble, Shango Baptist, or Lucumi.
5. Attend conferences and workshops that are centered around Orisha practice. Check with local metaphysical bookstores and botanicas for a list of upcoming events.
Supplementing your reading about Ifa with hands-on contact with people who are involved in the Ifa tradition will give you a different perspective and enhance your experience of the Orisha immensely.
Meri Tahset is a rootworker, aborisha, spiritual counselor, and sistaservant of the spirits dedicated to helping people to heal themselves and to maintain their connection to spirit in their daily lives. Meri can be reached at http://www.sistahealer.com
family-safe home cleaners Lincolnshire ..Unconditional love means unconditional freedom. Love and freedom are two... Read More
Healing is a special gift that any human being can... Read More
Who among us really understands the chakras? For all that... Read More
MOST PEOPLE NEVER REALLY CHANGESad, but true.Some people never even... Read More
"What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is... Read More
I believe in the source we refer to as 'God'.... Read More
For it is written in Bible in chapter 2 Peter... Read More
The Bible tells us that we must be led by... Read More
'O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom... Read More
Vanity - it's easy to mask, easy to forget, and... Read More
Many of us have been taught that it is wrong... Read More
1. Identify a woman who is "like minded," who has... Read More
The more we worry about money, and who's asking for... Read More
What is Enlightenment?What do we really mean when we talk... Read More
Your mind-body team is made up of your mind and... Read More
Before Donna was born she took with her a dollar,... Read More
AN ARISTOCRATIC UPBRINGING:There are many people who write about sex... Read More
I want to share with you something that happened to... Read More
I have held numerous teleconference workshops where I help individuals... Read More
Religion is "absolute truth of life" of the physical manifested... Read More
We've all heard the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as... Read More
"Let me take you down to a town called Paradise."Van... Read More
In one forum, one participant posted this query:I think quite... Read More
One does not have to live long to realize that... Read More
Before we dwell on the subject of Self Realization we... Read More
maide service in Buffalo Grove ..I can see the cops coming! They're a good thousand... Read More
Even Pandora and her box come in two versions. In... Read More
The Many Waters explores the universe and sifts through the... Read More
When the Bible makes reference to a "yoke" it is... Read More
There was a time in my life when I seriously... Read More
No, I have never seen a fairy, an angel, nor... Read More
Years ago, my minister spoke to us about how you... Read More
The junk I'm talking about is the stuff that we... Read More
"No man is a prophet in his own country."That line... Read More
Some of my greatest teachers have taught me that faith... Read More
The expression "Spiritual Enlightenment" has been used often in reference... Read More
One of the most touching stories in New Testament scripture... Read More
A lot of times when I am reading people on... Read More
Jack Nicholson (Col. Jessup) (marine cornel) YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE... Read More
It's not always easy to stand in the midst of... Read More
Matthew 2:16-18Herod Kills the Children16 Then Herod, when he saw... Read More
The time has come for the mass population on Earth... Read More
There is so much going on in the world around... Read More
Talking about your "soul" and the deeper things in life... Read More
Life, no matter how we choose to look at it,... Read More
Walls as a blockade seem to be an integral part... Read More
It is my personal view that the reason we call... Read More
"Self-Actualization" is the process of making our self "actual." Our... Read More
When my dad was nearing the end of his life... Read More
It's an almost unbelievable thought, but could you be getting... Read More
Spirituality |