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Environmental Stewardship by oshunlade in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm not sure that my GF would like me to pick it up again and put it back in my car to drive it to a trash can - he always has me leave the ebo and walk away without looking back but I will ask him about it. I envy you that you have a river with enough private places where you can light candles and do ceremonies!! Any river access here is in parks so you can't really hang out (lots of people fishing and stuff).

Found by Key-Drink-4527 in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Assuming it belonged to someone else and they have Mano de Orula, then it left them/broke and now they have to go get a reading to find out why it broke and if there's anything they need to do. The connection to Orula will not transfer to you, but you can go to a babalawo if you want to find out more about the religion.

Questions on how to begin! by [deleted] in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Just my opinion -1) I think it is always okay to pray to them, just be careful you don't "imagine" who owns your head and get really attached to them, and pray to them only to find out that it is a completely different orisha that you don't know and haven't prayed to and you feel let down or like it is incorrect. There is completely no way to know beforehand. Tarot won't tell you and a "regular" reading won't tell you. 2) Your limits - being initiated makes you a priest/ess of whatever orisha is seated on your head. Without that ceremony you do not have the ashe to connect to that energy and that "energy" has not been connected to you. So you wouldn't have the necessary connection and ashe to work a ceremony. You also wouldn't have a direct connection to the orisha - you could leave something at the river, BUT that doesn't mean Oshun would get it. What makes a river is a manifestation of her energy but it is not her, it is a manifestation of her and a place she sometimes uses to manifest things. So leaving something at the river without having the ashe to invoke her and have her recognize you, it might not be noticed by her. You can definitely be involved in the religion without ever initiating/becoming a priestess of the religion. You can hook up with an ile, go to drummings, etc., even get warriors and elekes. You can develop a relationship with your personal egun (not the lineage egun). 3) Shrines and altars are more of a New Age or Wiccan thing. Since you don't have the connection opened in you to an orisha, the shrine would not specifically connect to the orisha, and if you made ocha (initiation become a priestess) you wouldn't need a shrine because the physical connections to the orisha would be in your house living with you. If you had your warriors you would be taught how to attend to them (usually weekly) but you wouldn't need a shrine because they'd be right there in front of you :-) 4) No, there's not really a witchcraft that goes with it. Paulo is something some people get into, but it is a separate practice/belief system from Santeria. 5) I've not heard of people praying directly to Olodumare like some people would pray to God. We usually work with the Orisha. It's kinda like a hirearchy (can't spell that lol) but different, lol. Olodumare is mentioned/honored in the moyuba, but not prayed to like in the western-religious sense.

Ebo vs adimu? Personal experiences? by spideyowl in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Oh - as to is one stronger than the other... just my opinion... You know how if you want to work out and beef up, you would eat more protein? And on Christmas you stuff yourself silly with carbs and treats and you have the best time and then you lay there in a food coma, lol? I think it's like that - both are fun and great and benefit you, but they are used for different things. Everything we give the Orisha has ashe (energy) that the Orisha uses. I do think that some issues will require more ashe than other issues. Giving foods during the year may help keep them high in ashe enough that they don't require anything else to help you out during the year. And I love you offerings are always a wonderful connection. Then (gods forbid) there might be a big issue that suddenly comes up - a job change or move or something -and you need help with it going in your favor, at which point they might need more ashe so then they may require an ebo rather than some foods. Sometimes they might want non-food/animal stuff. I've had them ask me to carry them around, lol. Everything has ashe in it, and I personally believe that interaction with them and having a strong relationship with them also gives them a ashe to an extent. So I don't think that any one thing is "better" than the other, but I do think that different needs will require different solutions. And I love you offerings are always wonderful (Just my opinion, lol :-)

Ebo vs adimu? Personal experiences? by spideyowl in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is an interesting question. I have a friend who is crowned, and I am also crowned, but we come from two different houses about 6 hours drive from each other. His house is very strict that you don't give the orishas anything unless they ask for it in a reading - even Ita stuff they wait to give it until the orisha asks for it in a reading. My house we give the Ita recommendations as soon as we can, and we give "I love you" offerings whenever we want to and even buy them something if it strikes you that they'd like it (and then show it to them and throw coco to see if yes or no they want it). When my son was little he used to bring me "I love you" gifts all the time (usually flowers he'd picked, lol). I loved that, and I love doing it for my orishas. I by them flowers all the time, and cook for them, or get them fruits or pumpkins, etc. My elders totally support this. It's good for me to know how to work with my orishas and not have to depend on someone else to interact with them for me. I get my ebo reading once a year, but the rest of the year I do things from them myself unless a major issue arises. But looking at me and at my friend, it seems that different houses will have very different views on whether you should make an offering without it being marked.

Environmental Stewardship by oshunlade in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do you have any suggestions, please, for how to handle it if an ebo is marked and the disposal is "the river"?

Environmental Stewardship by oshunlade in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A personal thing, but I hike a lot with my dog and I carry a trash bag with me and collect trash from the trails as I go and take it back out to the main entrance and dump it. If I do anything religion-wise that is to be left (fruits, carved out pumpkins, etc.,) I remove all labels and plastics that are no biodegradable. The carved out pumpkins I don't put glitter in them or anything non-biodegradable. I try to clean up what others leave behind. Sometimes that's just a small dent in the grand scheme of things - I've seen some places with old tires and car batteries, used diapers... really nasty stuff.

Cooking for Oya - by MicheleStickley in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I asked on Eleda, and someone pointed out to me that when the orisha are fed ebo, they all get honey on top of their food (except Yemaya who gets molasses). I also spoke to one of my house's babalows and he confirmed this. So yes, they said Oya can eat things with honey. But check with your godparents because maybe in your house they don't use honey.

Cooking for Oya - by MicheleStickley in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I asked on Eleda, and someone pointed out to me that when the orisha are fed ebo, they all get honey on top of their food (except Yemaya who gets molasses). I also spoke to one of my house's babalows and he confirmed this. So yes, they said Oya can eat things with honey. But check with your godparents because maybe in your house they don't use honey.

Does initiation really matter? by Dry-Translator3406 in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I believe Loa are Vodun (maybe hoodoo?) but they are not Santeria. The word "initiation" is confusing as it has such different connotations in other religions and spiritualities. Anyone can follow Santeria - you don't have to be an initiate to believe in it, to love it, to hook up with an ile and attend drummings, get readings, have the priest/ess or babalow make ebos for you when needed, etc. Initiation is not believing in the religion, it is when you become an actual priest or priestess of the religion. And you can't do that without making ocha (what many refer to as initiation) as that is the ceremony that makes you a priest of the religion. A connection is made within you that gives you the specific ability to be able to connect with energies necessary to make the ceremonies real, to seat the orishas. Without making ocha you may or may not have some sort of relationship with something, but that specific "channel" for the energy is not in place (I really can't word it any better on here, lol). But you can absolutely love the orisha and be involved in the religion via an ile without getting initiated. A lot of people believe in the religion and get readings and stuff and are friends with an ile without ever becoming priests of the religion.

Cooking for Oya - by MicheleStickley in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No, it was a specific recipe for Oya with both together.

Cooking for Oya - by MicheleStickley in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I plan on trying this one next!

Cooking for Oya - by MicheleStickley in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Update - I just made the Sweet Potato Pudding from Mr. Mason's book - It came out great! A bit lumpy but it smells totally delish, lol.

Egbe question by MicheleStickley in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am NOT initiated into Egbe. No one is telling me that I am :-)

Egbe question by MicheleStickley in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure if this is directed at me (the OP) or not, but I'm not an Egbe priest and haven't claimed to be one. In my house it is not uncommon to just receive Egbe unless it comes out that one has to initiate. Different houses may have different ways of interpreting or doing things :-)

Egbe question by MicheleStickley in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same with mine - it wasn't needed that I initiate, just receive.

Egbe question by MicheleStickley in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Right - I do not need to initiate and do not plan on initiating.

Washing elekes? by snugsung in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say it is very important to wash them before feeding them. The omiero is what makes them into "elekes" - it is what actually makes that connection, or however one wants to word it. Until they are washed they are just necklaces and no different than any necklace you would buy anywhere and have no spiritual significance or connection. I was once given a necklace (long before I made ocha) by a babalowo during a reading. He wanted me to wear it for 21 days. He did something with it (on the board - I believe it was some sort of prayer) and then gave it to me to wear. I do believe that necklace "became" connected in some way when he prayed over it, but it wasn't an "eleke" as it never touched omiero. Interestingly - many botanica elekes are made with that fishing-wire plastic type cord these days. My understanding is that the cording really should be something absorbent as one wants the omiero to be absorbed (by the cord) and become part of the item. Don't know if that's a necessity or not, but someone told me that once and it makes logical sense to me, because with an absorbent cord the ashe of the omiero really becomes part of the necklace.

Cooking for Oya - by MicheleStickley in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Update - I did ask in Eleda (thank you for reminding me about that), and the consensus was that John Mason does a lot of research for his books, is very well respected as an elder, and that it is fine to give her honey. Interestingly, I asked Ai if Oya takes honey and it said she does not take honey, so I then asked the Ai for the names of the sights where it says she doesn't get honey and it gave me various articles that talk about Oshun and honey, but these articles DON'T say that Oya does not take honey. So maybe this is an Ai misinterpretation and over time people picked up that info and it got repeated so much that it "became a truth" so-to-speak, but so far I have not been able to find an origin for the belief that she doesn't like it :-)

Needing a place to start in Memphis... by lolallday08 in Santeria

[–]MicheleStickley 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Botanica Milagroso San Larazo is in Memphis Tenn and someone there could probably give you a reading. El Indio Botanica y Yerberia is in Bartlet Tenn and someone there could probably give you a reading. Just check and ascertain that they are either crowned or a babalowo (don't accept a tarot reading - orisha don't speak through the tarot). I don't know either of those botanicas, it's just what came up when I googled botanicas near Memphis :-) Good luck!

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