In Santería Lukumí, Obí divination is performed using four pieces of coconut meat

One of the most familiar tools for divination in Santeria is the oracle of Obí (sometimes called Biague). Obí divination’s primary use is to answer simply questions with “yes” or “no” answers. It is most typically used to confirm if offerings are accepted by the orishas or egun, if ceremonies may proceed, or to get a simple yes/no answer to questions about a person’s life. Obí is one of the most widely used forms of divination in the orisha religions, yet it is also one of the most widely misunderstood or misused oracles. We hope to clarify some of the misconceptions around the use of Obí as well as give you a newfound appreciation for this simple but effective divination system. In the future we’ll share an article about how Obí divination is performed, but this article is focused around who Obí is.

The Evolution of Obi from Kola to Coconut

Obí divination is performed using four pieces of coconut meat in Santería Lukumí, but this oracle has a much older tradition originating in Africa utilizing four pieces of kola nut meat. The kola nut has a brown rough exterior that naturally breaks open revealing lobes of white nut meat inside. In Africa, they use kola nuts that have naturally divided into four lobes.

When the Lucumí people were abducted to Cuba, they found themselves in a different climate where many of their native plants did not grow. Kola nuts do not grow on the island of Cuba, and yet the Lucumí people needed to perform Obí divinationto begin restoring their religious practices. They decided to innovate and used coconut meat instead of kola nut meat for Obí.

In Africa, kola nuts are used for Obí divination. Kola nuts do not grow in the Caribbean.

Coconut was something familiar to the Lukumí people; they called it agbon. By cracking open a coconut and extracting its meat then dividing it into four pieces, they developed a suitable alternative for Obí divination. Over the years, and with the loss of fluency in the Lukumí dialect, Santeria adherents fell into the habit of referring to coconuts as obí since they were being used in the Obí system of divination. But in the strictest sense, the Lukumí word obí actually refers to kola nuts, and agbon is the proper word for coconut. (although you’ll rarely hear anyone call a coconut agbon these days).

Obí divination is most properly conducted using four pieces of coconut meat (Lukumí style) or four pieces of kola nut meat (for folks who want to try a more African style of divination). It is completely inappropriate to use four coconut shells – that is an oracle from a completely different religion (chamalongo divination from Palo Monte). It is also inappropriate to use four cowrie shells for obí divination. This seems to be a fairly modern introduction into the United States by groups seeking to reconstruct a system that is closer to traditional Yoruba worship – however a cursory understanding of odu and the patakis associated with Obí will quickly teach you that using items like shells, pennies, buttons or coconut husks is not only improper, but does not even consult the orisha Obí. This pataki (legend) explains why.

Pataki: The Birth of Obí (found in the odu Obara’sa 6-9)

Obi was an orisha, created by Olofi, who embodied the best of his blessings he could give the Earth. He was kind, patient, always gave to the poor. His spiritual purity made him radiate the purest of white light. All others who men Obí were in awe of his perfection, kindness and wisdom. Obi was sent to act as a remedy for all of the troubles of the world; he was an agent for blessings and goodness. Obi always wore white robes as his preferred garment for they were the color of Olofi’s cool and giving energy. Obi was handsome, with dark black skin, a youthful face and kind eyes.

As Obi travelled across the lands all would throw themselves at Obi’s feet, seeking a blessing, a word of wisdom, or perhaps getting the opportunity to touch the hem of his robes. With all of this attention, Obi began to grow vain and arrogant. He started thinking of himself as the most perfect thing alive, rivaling Olofi himself! He began dressing in the most lavish of white robes made in celebration of his own perfection. His giving nature faded and he began scoffing at the poor who would approach him. But Obi didn’t care what those “lesser than” him thought. He was living high on life and he was going to let everyone know about it.

Obí is an orisha who was punished for his arrogance. He now only speaks on behalf of the other orishas and has no voice of his own.

One day Olofi threw a party and invited all of the orishas to attend. Obi spent weeks preparing for the party. He felt that physical beauty was a blessing from Olofi and he was the most blessed of all. He wanted to make sure everyone in attendance knew it. He dressed himself with extravagant white robes stitched with silver thread and moisturized his cocoa skin with the finest shea butter he could buy. His radiant robes were only eclipsed by the beauty of his flawless black skin. He knew he would make an impression at the party for sure.

Word spread across the villages that all of the orishas would be visiting Olofi’s palace that day, and many of the poorest people lined up outside to beg for alms. They hoped they would see Obi and perhaps he would give them a coin or two as was his custom. As Obi approached Olofi’s palace he saw the poor and destitute people outside begging for money and he was disgusted. “How dare they approach me with their filthy clothes and their dirty faces!” he said. He went up to Olofi’s palace guards and told them to keep the poor away from the party.

Obi entered the party and saw the orishas arrive one by one. Each orisha wore their finest clothing, but Obi’s sparkling white robes were the most impressive of all. Obi was satisfied with the attention he was receiving, then someone knocked at the door. He answered the door and found a poor, smelly beggar with his hand held out begging for coins. Obí recoiled in horror and shouted “How dare you approach Olofi’s home and stick your filthy hand out at me. You are disgusting and vile! GET OUT OF HERE VERMIN!!!” He shouted so loudly that most of the party’s guests turned to see what was happening. Even Olofi saw what Obi had done. The orishas were horrified at Obi’s conduct. How had an orisha that was once so perfect become so arrogant?

The beggar’s appearance at Olofi’s party was such a great irritation to Obi that he couldn’t stop thinking about it. He decided to hold a party of his own in Olofi’s honor and he was going to make sure his guards kept all vagrants far away. Nothing was going to ruin his party. It would be even grander than the one Olofi threw. He decorated his home with gossamer white silk. He had the finest of white exotic flowers imported to grace the halls of his marble mansion. He had his servants sew him a new set of robes made of iridescent white cloth, silver thread and magical fibers so that they would glow like the sun itself. He invited all of the orishas and Olofi. This was going to be the greatest gift he could ever give Olofi and it would prove to everyone that he was the greatest of the orishas on Earth.

At the party all of the orishas arrived to see the spectacle. They enjoyed the finest refreshments, food and decorations. They were truly stunned at the gala that Obi had put on for Olofi. They were even more amazed at his garments that seemed to rival the very radiance of Olofi himself. Yet Olofi had not arrived yet. Obí assumed he would arrive last as was custom for the guest of honor at any function.

As Obí was mingling with his guests he heard a knock at the door. He opened the door and found a dirty beggar dressed in rags at the door with his leprous hand held out asking for alms. Obí was furious! He had taken every precaution to make sure the poor wouldn’t mar his event like they had the last. He blew up in the face of the beggar. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE YOU FILTHY DISGUSTING VAGRANT!? GET OFF MY DOORSTEP!! YOU ARE THE WORTHLESS SCUM OF THE EARTH!” and he slammed the door in the face of the beggar.

He turned to face the other orishas and they were stunned. Many stood with their mouths wide open in horror. Elegguá spoke up and said, “Obí, how could you address our father Olofi like that?!” Obi was so enraged that Eleggua’s words hadn’t registered in his mind. Another feeble knock came at the door and Obí spun around and flung the door open saying, “DIDN’T I TELL YOU TO GET THE HELL OUT!!?!” When Obí looked at the vagrant on his doorstep, the man’s image dissolved away to reveal the glowing purity of Olofi standing in his place. Realizing what he had done, Obí threw himself on the floor at Olofi’s feet.

Olofi picked him up and said, “You have lost your way Obí. You were once my most beloved and perfect creation. I gave you my ashé, a sweet voice, a beautiful face and the purity of heart to act as my ambassador on the Earth. But you became vain and arrogant with time. Because of your arrogance, I take away your voice. From now on you will not speak for yourself, but you will only speak what the other orishas want you to speak. As you have thrown yourself at my feet, from now on you will only communicate when you are thrown on the floor in deference to your master. I strip away your exterior beauty, but I cannot take away the ashé I have given you. From here forward you will be ugly and your skin will be coarse and dark, but inside you will always be white as a reminder to the world that your original intent was to represent my purity. As your punishment you will always fall to the earth, over and over again, as a symbol of your fall from grace.

Thus was born the coconut (or kola nut). The coconut which is dark and coarse on the outside but white on the inside. Obí only speaks when it is thrown on the floor and even then, he only says what the other orishas say. Yet, in spite of his divine punishment, his nature is still to be pure, and his purpose to take away the evil of the world carries on. As such, obí can soothe osogbo and remove spiritual heat, but his only purpose is as a servant for the orishas.

When is Obí Appropriate to Use

The legend of Obí clearly explains what is and what is not acceptable to use for Obí. First, it must be dark and coarse on the outside, white on the inside, and fall every day to earth (like a seed or nut from a tree). It can only speak for other orishas – it has no voice of its own. In fact its voice was taken away as a punishment from Olofi. It can only speak when it is thrown on the floor – not a table. This is a direct reference to Obí prostrating himself on the earth before Olofi when he realized his shameful actions. Obi can only be used for yes/no questions. Utilizing Obí to answer deeper questions beyond yes/no is a complete misuse of the tool. Attempting to use Obí to conduct an entire reading for a person’s life circumstances is also inappropriate. That person should instead seek a diloggún reading or a reading from Ifá.

Who Can Perform Obí Divination?

This is a bit of a complex question to answer. Obí, by its nature only speaks on behalf of other orishas. In order to communicate with any orisha, a person must be able to recite the Moyuba prayer (also called Mojuba or the Juba prayer). One of the requirements for a Moyuba is the ability to call upon one’s initiatory lineage. Without kariocha, a person has no initiatory lineage, and therefore they cannot Moyuba, and they cannot divine with Obí. In our church lineage we do not allow aborishas to read Obí, we only permit Olorishas to read Obí. There are some lineages who permit those that have received warriors (aborishas) to read Obí to determine if an offering is acceptable, but they should limit their readings to simple things, and they should most certainly NOT use Obí to read for others as they have no lineage or ashe to be solving other people’s problems. This is the role of a priest or priestess, and not a layperson like an Aborisha. We do not recommend the use of alternative methods of reading “Obí” like tossing four cowries or four coins because these methods are not Obí and as such, there is no assurance that the oracle will answer truthfully – it is not a dependable oracle for it is not supported by pataki, nor by the information contained in odu.

An offering of obí and fresh water is given to the orisha Yemaya. One half is filled with honey, the other is filled with cane syrup.

Obi as an Addimú to the Orishas

Obi is energetically cool and has the power to placate osogbo. As such, Obí is a good offering to the orishas in the form of addimú. When offering Obí to the orishas it is common to simply take a coconut (or kola nut) and crack it open into two pieces. I often fill each piece with some of the items that orisha would enjoy. For Elegguá I would fill one half with rum and the other half with honey. For Changó I might fill one half with white wine and the other with honey. It is also a good idea to offer a gourd full of cool fresh water at the same time the opened coconut is offered to the orisha. Leave the offering there for the required number of days as determined through divination, then dispose of it in nature where the divination indicated would be appropriate. This is a great way to soothe and cool any osogbos (misfortunes). It also gives the orisha Obí an opportunity to be of service to the orishas, and to reveal his true nature as a representative of Olofi’s ashe whose original intent was to soothe all that ails the world.

Our founder, Rev. Dr. E. with Changó on the 11th anniversary of his ordination as a priest

On November 4th our church celebrated our founder’s (Rev. Dr. E.) eleventh anniversary of his ordination as a priest of Changó. This event is usually called an “Ocha birthday” as it marks the birth of a person’s life as a priest in Santeria and the birthdate of his or her crowning orisha. In this case, it was Chango’s birthday in our church. (It’s important to note that this is not the same as a “saint’s day” that some people celebrate where an orisha is honored on the feast day of the Catholic saint with whom it is syncretized. While some godfamilies observe this practice, we do not adhere to that practice in our church.)

As part of this celebration, we set up a traditional throne made of draped fabrics to commemorate the throne Rev. Dr. E. lived under for the seven days of his initiation. All of the orishas he received at his ordination were placed under the throne’s canopy and decorated with paños (altar cloths) and mazos (beaded shrine decorations). A plaza of fruits are placed under the throne as offerings, and are then distributed to any visitors who came to pay their respects to Changó on his birthday.

A priest’s ocha birthday is a time for the godfamily to come together and honor the priest’s anniversary as well as pay respect to the orishas with food, fellowship and fun.

SAFE Alert! Palo Mayombe practices are being mixed with Santeria Lukumí practices.

A common problem our SAFE members have been observing online and in botanicas around the country is a blending or superimposing of the religious practices of Santeria with those of a separate religion known as Palo Mayombe. Thus far we have seen examples of “Palo elekes” being given for the mpungos, “orisha signatures” culturally appropriated from Brazilian traditions, people being told to be initiated in Palo through diloggún divination, and people being told they need to receive “Palo warriors“. Additionally, there is a growing trend in the USA of people being told they must be initiated in Palo (scratch in Palo) before they go through the Kariocha initiation, whether or not divination is performed to validate that initiation is needed by that person.

What is Palo Mayombe?

A prenda or nganga. The focus of Palo Mayombe’s magical work and worship. This is not Santería Lucumí!

In order to understand the differences between Palo and Santeria it is important to understand the different points of origin for these two religions. Palo Mayombe is a religion that evolved in Cuba out of the native religious practices of the Bakongo speaking people of Africa. The Bankongo-speaking people (commonly called Congo) originated from modern-day Congo, Angola and further south on the West African coast. The Bakono-speaking tribes were some of the first slaves taken to the Americas in the slave trade and their religious practices were well-established in Cuba long before the Yoruba people arrived with their Lukumí religion.

To contrast, Santeria Lucumí evolved in Cuba out of the traditional religious practices of the Lukumí/Yoruba people who were from the Yoruba-speaking lands of Africa (centered around modern-day Nigeria and Benin) – further north along the West African coast. In Africa, the Yoruba and Congo people were always warring with one another. They were mortal enemies and their religious systems were in direct opposition from one another.

Palo Mayombe is also called by other names (depending on lineage) including: Palo Monte, Palo Kimbisa, Palo Briyumba, or La Regla del Congo. Palo’s religious function revolves around the prenda or nganga – a magical cauldron composed of different soils, stones, wooden sticks, tools and bones. The prenda is a microcosm of the world, and contains a powerful pact between a spirit of the dead and the mpungo (force of nature) who rules the prenda. The Palo priest – called a Palero or Palera – directs the spirit of the prenda to perform works of magic, to heal, curse, make magical changes happen or to make pacts with new initiates. Palo’s worship is very necromantic and heavily involved with working with spirits of the dead.

Palo’s primary initiation is the Rayamiento (scratching) in which the body of a new initiate is ritually prepared by forming a pact with the nganga for protection and spiritual evolution. The Rayamiento derives its name from the ritual practice of lightly cutting the skin of the initiate. Such cuts are never performed in any Lukumí rituals.

Palo is Not a Precursor to Ocha (Santería)

In modern-day Cuba and in the United States it has become more and more common for people to be initiated into both Palo and Lukumí. Lucumí and Palo often exist in parallel within the lives of many adherents to both faiths. Unfortunately, this has led to the modern innovation that a person MUST be Rayado (scratched or initiated in Palo) before undergoing Kariocha, or that once a person goes through a Rayamiento in Palo that they will naturally make their way to Kariocha in Santeria Lucumí. This is misinformed and is not traditional by any means – though it is a very common practice.

To be perfectly clear, initiation in either religion can only be determined through their respective divination systems. It is not correct to assume that someone will be initiated in both or either religion. If a person’s destiny, as revealed through divination, is one where they will only participate in Palo, that is perfectly acceptable and traditional. Similarly if a person’s destiny, as revealed through divination, only requires them to be made a priest in Santería through the kariocha initiation, then that is perfectly acceptable and traditional. One does not automatically lead to the other.

There is one thing to keep in mind, however. According to the Lucumí religious beliefs, kariocha seals the body’s energy systems and must be the last initiation ever conferred upon a person. To cut a person’s body open and make them open to ritual energies after they receive kariocha is very dangerous. Therefore, it is best to make sure any obligations or requirements in Palo are met and completed prior to going through the kariocha ritual – if it has been divined that it is part of your destiny.  There are some religious lineages who do not think there is any risk in undergoing Palo rayamiento after kariocha, but we at the Santeria Church of the Orishas do not recommend that. If this is your desire then it is best for you to consult your elders and follow their advice, and at least bring your tutelary orisha’s diloggun down to the mat to receive their permission before undergoing any such initiation.

Palo Elekes Do Not Exist

This is the Collar de Bandera used by Palo initiates. It is worn diagonally across the chest and reaches from a person’s shoulder to their opposite hip.

One of the fraudulent initiations that SAFE recently came across was the practice of giving out “Palo Elekes”. Elekes are beaded necklaces given in Santería, not Palo. The word eleke comes from the Yoruba word “bead”; note, YORUBA word, not Bakongo. Elekes are one of the first initiations given to most adherents of Santeria and they are typically given as a set of 5 beaded necklaces (elekes for Eleggua, Obatala, Oshun, Yemaya and Chango) that are worn around the neck and hang down to a person’s mid-torso. A person can also receive a singular eleke if they need that orisha’s protection and cannot afford the complete elekes initiation.

Such elekes are never given out in Palo Mayombe. Palo Mayombe initiates who have been scratched in the Rayamiento ceremony do receive one necklace that is called a Collar de Bandera (banner necklace). This is worn diagonally like a sash across the person’s body from their shoulder on one side down to their hip on the other side. It is a mark of that person’s status as an initiate and confers upon them the protection of the nganga. These are usually beaded in one long strand of multi-colored beads, or with segments of different patterns for each of the nature forces in Palo (red/black for Lucero Mundo, green/black for Sarabanda, white for Tiembla Tierra, etc.) There are variations of this necklace depending on whether an initiate has received a nganga of his own and typically this includes a series of coins linked into the necklace or three cowrie shells on a segment of chain.

The individual giving out “Palo Elekes” is giving necklaces in the Lukumí/Santeria style but claiming that each necklace is for one of the mpungos: Lucero Mundo, Sarabanda, Chola Wenge, etc. This is simply not a traditional practice within Palo and there is certainly no such practice in Santeria as the mpungos are not a part of Santería. It is a pure invention of someone who is trying to cross up or blend the two different religions. (Keep in mind that the Bakongo and Yoruba people in Africa were mortal enemies and would never have done this.)

Palo Trazos and Brazilian Pontos Riscados Being Called “Orisha Signatures”

This is a ponto riscado from the Brazilian tradition of Umbanda. It is NOT anything used in Santería Lukumí!

Another amazing phenomenon we’ve witnessed is the mixing of Palo trazos and pontos riscados from Brazilian Umbanda with Lukumí practice. In Palo, trazos (sometimes called firmas, or patipembas / patimpembas) are ornate drawings usually drawn on the ground with chalk that act as instructions for the nfumbe (spirit) that lives within the palero’s prenda (pot) to go accomplish certain magical acts. These are characterized by their use of arrows, circles and crosses. (You can see an example of a Palo trazo to the right.)

The members of SAFE recently heard of a “babalawo” teaching students that these were “orisha signatures” that were to be used in spell work as a way of calling the orisha. He also culturally appropriated the pontos riscados of Brazilian Umanda for the same purpose. There is one prolific author who is well known for mixing up the practices of Brazilian Umbanda and Kimbanda into Santeria Lucumí and such practice would never be accepted by either Brazilian or Lucumí practitioners.

Within Santeria/Lucumí we do not utilize such “orisha signatures”. The only type of drawn symbol used is the ozun (or Osun) which resembles a bullseye made up of concentric circles painted in the colors white, yellow, red and blue (in an appropriate combination for that orisha’s initiation). These are seldom done outside of an initiation, however.

This is a trazo (also called a patimpemba or firma) from Palo. These are NOT used in Santería Lukumí

There is one instance where people use symbols that may resemble palo trazos, and those are specifically related to working with the orisha Osain in front of his cauldron. The instance we observed regarding “orisha signatures” was not this situation. It was clearly someone who was perpetuating illegitimate practice.

Cross-prescribing Rituals/Ebó Through Divination

This practice is very common to find amongst paleros and olorishas, yet it is not appropriate and not-traditional. Occasionally, paleros will indicate through a Palo divination that a person has to undergo kariocha to be an orisha priest. Similarly, some olorisha diviners will tell people that they have to receive a nganga in Palo. This cross-prescribing of ritual practices across religious lines is not acceptable and is completely inappropriate.

The divinatory tools of Lucumí (diloggún, obí, Ifá) should be the only ones used to determine the religious and initiatory needs of a Lucumí practitioner (not Palo divination nor Spiritist readings). Similarly, the divination tools of Palo (chamalongos, nkobos, vititi mensu) should be the only ones used to determine the religious and initiatory needs of a Palo practitioner (not Lucumí divination nor Spiritist readings).

This is a very common occurrence that we at SAFE have witnessed in both the Santería/Lukumí community as well as in Palo and Espiritismo. The best recommendation we can give to avoid any complications or disrespect of priests, is to receive the information you are being told as a suggestion, then go get divination done in the appropriate religious tradition to confirm that suggestion.

For example, if in a Lucumí diloggún reading you are told that you need to be rayado in Palo (initiated), do not accept this as fact – simply as a suggestion. Then follow up by going to a Palo priest and having him do the appropriate divination to ask whether you need to be rayado in Palo (initiated). If the Palo priest confirms it, then consider it as fact. Similarly, if you go to a Palo priest and he tells you that you have to go to an Olorisha and receive warriors (or undergo some initiation in Ocha), do not accept this as fact – only as a recommendation. Follow up by visiting an Olorisha and having them perform diloggún divination to find out if you do indeed need to receive warriors. If he confirms that you do need warriors then it is marked as fact. If he says no, then you are not required to receive them. This is the best way to make sure you work within the lines of each religion in a multi-cultural world, and respect their traditions without mixing them. Diviners within both traditions would do well to respect the authority and jurisdiction of their counterparts and simply refer the client to a priest of the other religion to let them find out what needs to be done.

Diloggún by Ocha’ni Lele

Ocha’ni Lele, renowned author of many Lucumí books including Diloggún Tales of the Natural World, The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination and Sacrificial Ceremonies of Santería, is now offering his Basic Diloggún Divination Class available to Olorishas online.

This course is one of the best courses available online to learn the basics of diloggún divination including the process of determining odu, its orientation (ire/osogbo), marking ebó and the meanings of the 16 main odu. The course takes place over the span of 33 weeks and costs $400 ($200 deposit). While Ocha’ni Lele is not a member of our ilé we HIGHLY recommend his classes as they are some of the best out there, and his books are some of the best written on the Lucumí faith.

To learn more and sign up for Ocha’ni Lele’s Basic Diloggún Divination Class, visit his site at the following link.

Ocha’ni Lele – Godfather of Scandal

Pantheacon is an interdenominational convention discussing various earth-based religious and spiritual paths held every year in San Jose, CA.

Rev. Dr. E. will be presenting a lecture titled “Destiny and Sacrifice: Initiations of Santeria” at Pantheacon in San Jose on Feb. 16th, 2013. Registration for Pantheacon is required in order to attend.

Destiny and Sacrifice: Initiation of Santeria

• Saturday February 16, 2013
• 9:00AM
• DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel
• San Jose, CA
• San Juan Room

Some people bring good destinies from heaven, others bring bad destinies, but with the intervention of the orishas, and support from the community through rituals of sacrifice we can exchange our destinies for better ones. Join Dr. E, founder of the Santeria Church of the Orishas, as he demystifies the initiations of Santeri­a and explores the function of ritual sacrifice and tribal unity within the Lukumi cosmology.

For more information visit Pantheacon’s website.

A self-proclaimed Obeah woman created this “Hoodoo Bones” reading tray. The tray utilizes a symbol from Brazilian Kimbanda in the center for Exu (who she claims is the same Eshu/Eleggua from Yoruban religion – which he isn’t). The orishas have nothing to do with hoodoo.

A popular phenomenon we’ve witnessed with the incredible amount of information available on the internet about Lucumí religion, is the cultural appropriation of Lucumí and Yoruban ritual elements by online merchants, Neo-Pagans and Eclectic Magical Workers claiming to be practicing hoodoo, voodoo, rootwork or obeah all at once. This phenomenon seems to be very prominent amongst professional workers who are peddling their services online, or more commonly with individuals selling “magical products” like oils, baths, incense, soaps, mojos, pakets, or even statues and sculptures made to look like orishas. This is not only completely out of alignment with traditional Santería Lucumí practice but it is very dangerous for spiritual reasons outlined below.

In this article we hope to demonstrate some of the examples the members of SAFE (Santeros Against Fraud and Exploitation) have seen in the community and online, and empower the reader to effectively distinguish between traditional, real Santería Lucumí practice and illegitimate, non-traditional worship being peddled for money and little more.

Cultural Appropriation – “I’ll Take That!”

Before we can really discuss the examples of cultural appropriation we’ve witnessed online we first need to explore what cultural appropriation really is. Susan Scafidi, author of Who Owns Culture? Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law, when asked to give a succinct definition of cultural appropriation, described it as “Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission.” and further explained “This can include unauthorized use of another culture’s dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It’s most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects.”

In our article we are mainly concerned with the religious symbols and sacred objects. One of the things to keep in mind is that there are two elements to appropriation: lack of permission and symbols being taken from someone else’s culture. In the orisha traditions, permission is granted through initiation, and culture is transmitted and preserved through participation in the tradition, or through cultural immersion in the religion and its practices.

In the examples we cite you’ll see the names of Yoruban/Lucumí orishas being used, symbolism from their shrines, colors, numbers, even magical practices from other areas of Africa all being dumped together to make things “even more African” in an effort to create an illusion of legitimacy (though the people who bear the cultural origins of these different images, symbols and spirits were often warring enemies and never intermingled their religious practices).

Why is Cultural Appropriation So Harmful?

An “Orisha Box” sold by a vendor claiming it to be a portable altar to the orisha Oshun. Appropriation of orisha colors, symbols and numbers with no cultural context is another way vendors make money through cultural appropriation. Oshun is not worshipped in this manner in Lukumí nor Yoruba practice.

Cultural Appropriation is harmful for several reasons. First, it harms people because it is a colonialist objectification of ancient traditions. A minority people who have suffered the scourge of colonialism have a damaged sense of ancestry, have had their lands and power stripped away from them and have often been ripped away from their traditional religious practices. Their traditions are the last thing they can truly own when their land is gone, their families destroyed and their power stripped away. When a dominant culture comes along and objectifies indigenous practices so that they become a costume, a fad, a decorating motif or the flavor of the month, the culture of the oppressed minority is ridiculed and seen as a simple object that can be shuffled about, traded or purchased for money. It is the final blow to a minority oppressed people’s soul.

Secondly, these religious traditions were preserved for centuries by disciplined adherents to the faith, through hurdles to participation like intensive study and initiatory requirements, as well as keeping inner secrets guarded by the priesthood. Many ancestors died to preserve these traditions even in the face of slavery and persecution. For an outsider to come along and start wearing the false vestments of religious authority because they think an orisha is “pretty” or because “they love her” is insulting to the ancestors and reduces the ancient religious secret practices of that people to a mockery.

Third, cultural appropriation can lead to people of the dominant culture assuming they have privilege and the right to practice minority indigenous religious practices in which they have not been trained or duly initiated. This can result in them tampering with energies, deities, spiritualities, entities, spirits and forces they are not ready to deal with. Simply put, when a person dresses a fierce indigenous spirit in a warm-fuzzy, culturally objectified, “rounded-corners for your protection” colonialist attitude, she’ll find herself tampering with a force that will unbalance her life in no time.

Often those in the majority mindset will apply their cultural values to the situation to justify their attitude. Sayings like “The gods are love and they understand I am coming from the right place”, “She chose me to worship her” or “If we didn’t worship these Gods they’d probably disappear” are a perfect example of a privileged approach to indigenous culture and are hallmarks of cultural appropriation. (If you truly appreciated that orisha or those traditions you’d go to a culture bearer who worships in the manner that preserved that spirit’s practice and learn they way the orisha likes to be worshipped instead of assuming your way is right.)

Blending Hoodoo, Voodoo (Vodou), Santería, Palo, Obeah and Other African-Diasporic Traditions

An “orisha spirit doll” sold by a vendor claiming it will allow the owner to petition the orisha Oya and gain blessings of prosperity. Oya is not worshiped in this manner, only spirits of the dead are housed in dolls in Lukumí practice.

A common red flag warning you that a practitioner is culturally appropriating without formal training or without respect for the individual traditions he or she is borrowing, is when you see someone blending multiple spiritual paths into one practice. These are each separate and distinct spiritual paths that have nothing to do with one another. (Read our article on the difference between Hoodoo, Voodoo and Santeria.) As was previously mentioned the tribes from where these practices originate were often mortal enemies and at war with one another in Africa and would not blend their traditions nor cross their practices. Even Vodou which does include elements from Fon, Ewe, Yoruba and Congo people (who often warred with one another) has a fixed “reglement” or traditional order that is followed in their religious practices, and it is not a free-for-all religion. Simply put, these are distinct practices and religious traditions. Someone can certainly be initiated in multiple traditions but is rare to find anyone who is initiated in more than two of them.

We’ve witnessed hoodoo spiritual supply shops selling “La Sirene/Yemaya” Oil, when these are two distinct and different spiritual forces from different tribes in Africa that never saw eye to eye.

We’ve seen “orisha spirit dolls” which are essentially rag dolls like the doll babies made in hoodoo, but in the colors of various orishas. The vendors claim they can be used to help the owner obtain blessings, money, protection, etc. There is no way to know what these dolls contain, neither in terms of physical components, nor in the spirits that might decide to reside therein. Without proper consecration, a doll is just a house for some spirit … any spirit … certainly not the orishas. And any spirit would be happy to receive the worship and attention the owner of this doll would give it.

We’ve seen online merchants selling a “Pomba Gira paquet (paket)” when pakets come from Haitian Vodou (where Pomba Gira is NOT worshipped) and Pomba Gira comes from Brazilian Kimbanda where pakets are not constructed nor used in her worship (not to mention that Pomba Gira is a CLASS of spirits and you need to specify which Pomba Gira you are working with). Pomba Gira would not be amused, nor would any initiated Vodowizan.

A “Pomba Gira” spirit paket sold by a vendor with no training in Brazilian Kimbanda. Pakets come from Haitian Vodou not Kimbanda, and Pomba Gira is a class of spirits, not one specific spirit. This is typical of fraudulent tradition crossing.

We’ve seen Etsy shops selling Palo trazos/firmas (sacred symbols of Palo Mayombe) when they are not initiated into Palo. We’ve even seen people selling Palo Trazos/Firmas drawn on cardboard like some kind of amulet to bring you money, protection or luck (even though trazos are drawn in the moment with chalk on the floor and are unique each time they are drawn and used . They are an instruction set to a spirit and without a nganga (pot) or a lucero they mean nothing.) Any palero would laugh at the illogic of this practice.

We even saw a YouTube video of an invented divination system called “hoodoo bone reading” that utilized orisha color symbolism and names from Santería practices but had Kimbanda pontos riscados dawn on a dish along with various random tokens representing different forces in a person’s life, and then tried to pass it off as Obeah divination. Which is it, Hoodoo, Santería, Kimbanda or Obeah? The answer is that it’s none of the above.

This mish-mosh of practices is a sad attempt to lend legitimacy to a fraudulent practice by adding more “mystically foreign” elements to the mix. It’s the attitude of “OH! Add that in there too … it will seem more spooky and exotic, thus POWERFUL!” Not only is this shoddy spiritual craftsmanship but it also causes those who may be sincerely interested in learning these traditions great confusion.

In the short time we’ve been online our church has received messages and questions from many people. We’ve had to explain to people that buying a catholic saint statue of Our Lady of Charity of Cobre does not mean you have received the orisha Oshun. That there is no such thing as palo “elekes”. That a hoodoo spell does not call upon the orisha Eleggua. That Yemaya cannot be contained in a mojo bag. And that you can’t buy a Fimo clay head made to LOOK like Eleggua online and think you actually have received anything of Eleggua.

This kind of fraud has to stop, and it is important that we call it out when we see it. People are scammed out of thousands of dollars falling for these tricks. We at SAFE are doing our part to inform the public about non-traditional practice but also about what IS traditional. Knowledge of how things are traditionally done is more important than anything, and will help the public stay away from these snake oil vendors.

Emulating Orisha Imagery in Statuary

An “Eleggua” head made of red clay sold by an online vendor. Only an ordained Olorisha or Babalawo can construct such an item, and it would never be made of clay. This vendor has no initiations in Lukumí or Ifá.

Another common example of cultural appropriation with online vendors is the proliferation of “Eleggua” statues being sold online. Elegguá’s shrine traditionally takes the form either of a single stone, or a cement head-shaped shrine into which have been placed cowries. Each Eleggua should be unique to the individual, containing items as divined through diloggún or Ifá, and proper to the camino (road) for that individual. Eleggua is always made of durable construction (like cement or a rock) not clay, nor polymer clay (Fimo or Sculpey) . Elegguá’s shrine must then be washed and consecrated in a long ceremony by initiated olorishas or a babalawo, and then fed animal sacrifice or it isn’t anything. Remember – no blood, no orisha.

We have witnessed red and black polymer clay sculpted heads being sold online with keys, feathers and cowries being jammed into the sculture. We’ve seen Eleggua-like heads sculpted out of play-doh, or red clay (claimed to have been hand-harvested from the great lakes region). We’ve even seen spirit bottles and mojo bags being made “for Eleggua” and sold as if they have anything at all to do with Eleggua. At best these are pretty crafts or art items, but they are most certainly NOT legitimate nor authentic Lucumí nor Yoruban shrines for the orisha Eleggua/Elegba.

(Please note, the image that was originally in this article depicting the Fimo clay Eleggua heads with keys, duck feathers, beads and crystals stuck in them has been removed because the online merchant who made them claimed ownership of the image. Per the request of Denise Alvarado – proprietor of PlanetVoodoo.com –  and out of respect for her copyright ownership of the images of her Eleggua heads, we have removed the images but hold to our article’s point that this is an example of cultural appropriation since she is not an initiated orisha priestess in Lucumi, Ifá, Brazilian Candomblé nor any of the traditions that worships Eleggua in a clay head form, and has no right to make nor sell these things and claim they are Eleggua. While this artist has added a caveat to her website stating these are not made by a babalawo and are not presented as ritual items, her product descriptions and powers she ascribes to the articles clearly indicates that she is selling these sculptures as if they were sacred and ritually prepared including item descriptions saying they were “created within sacred space”. This is misleading at best.)

Non-Ordained, Non-Initiated People Acting as Priesthood

The other example we’ve seen are people acting as priesthood by working with clients, offering readings, leading public rituals, performing spells, selling items and shrines dedicated to Lucumí/Yoruban orishas when they have no ordination or initiation within the Lucumi or Yoruban traditions. To be very clear, before a person can work for clients on the behalf of the orishas, offer readings where the orishas speak, lead public rituals for the orishas, perform ebó or spells that petition the orishas, or construct/consecrate shrines for the orishas within the Lucumí or Yoruba traditions, you MUST BE AN ORDAINED PRIEST (Olorisha or Babalawo). Even within these traditions there are further limitations. (You cannot give a shrine or item of an orisha away if you have not received it first, etc.)

An online vendor sold these Palo Firmas drawn on cardboard as magical charms. The vendor has no initiation in Palo and these firmas are worthless without a nganga and palo initiation.

This problem is becoming a quite rampant within the neo-pagan community. Neo-paganism is a valid and distinct religion but it is not Lukumi nor Yoruban religious practice. While they may feel they have the right to worship our orishas, our orishas have made it very clear the manner in which they want to be propitiated and worshipped. This is contained within Odu (the signs of our divination system), preserved by ancestors who gave their lives through slavery and persecution to retain their native practices, and perpetuated into modern-day by contemporary practitioners who continue and carry on the manner of worship taught by our elders. It is incredibly insensitive and offensive for someone outside of our religion to think they have the authority to run a ritual to one of our orishas when they have not been properly initiated in our manners. It is a huge example of cultural appropriation.

Neo-Pagan priests and priestess are running amok claiming to be a “Priestsess of Oshun and Yemaya” or “a daughter of Oya and Ogun” when they have never been through kariocha nor been initiated into Ifá. Even in our religious practice we do not know who are spiritual parentage is until itá (the life reading performed three days after initiation). This creates a shadow culture to our traditional Lucumí/Yoruban practice where people think they can go to a pagan priest to work with the orishas or that they can go give offerings to any orisha in nature while singing pagan songs. While I am sure they have good intentions and are coming from a place of genuine interest and heart, I ask them a very poignant and important question. “If you love the orishas so much, why don’t you learn the way that orisha wants to be worshipped, from the people who preserved that tradition for centuries?”

Typically when these folks are challenged they’ll take one of two roads. The first direction are the folks who claim that “this is how I was taught by my family / mom / grandmother, etc.” (It’s interesting to note that no one ever claims their father or their grandfather taught them these things.) They claim to have been taught to make Haitian-Brazilian-Hoodoo items by family, or that they were taught that the orishas were part of Voodoo, or that “this is they way I was shown it was done”. No one in the USA even knew (or cared) about Pomba Gira until the 21st century and suddenly people are claiming they had family traditions that worked with her (although they have no ancestry in Brazil). Or some even claim to come from a family lineage of Chalcedonian witches – from ancient Chacedon in Turkey, who never worked with the orishas, pomba gira, the lwa, etc. Anyone who has a real root in these traditions would never condone that these practices be mingled.

“Crowned Eleggua” statues made of polymer clay (Fimo) with keys and random items added in. Eleggua must be made of a durable material like stone or concrete and customized through divination. These were sold online by PlanetVoodoo.com – image has been removed by the request of Denise Alvarado as she holds the copyright for the photo.

The second road people usually take is to claim these practices as “their own private spirituality” and “how dare you question me or make me have to explain myself” for doing what they do. Well simply put, we as actual initiated priests and priestesses who entered igbodú (the sacred room), who wen through initiation, who paid our dues and sacrificed our lives for the orishas, are the culture bearers of this religion. We practice it as the priests who initiated us practiced it. We have verifiable lineages that are a testament to our initiation, to the preservation of our culture and to the perseverance of our ancestors in the face of adversity. We honor their sacrifice by practicing our religions the way they did – not by inventing stuff because “we feel we have the right to”.

To those who are appropriating our religions, If someone steps up to call you out on your own “inventions” then don’t be offended when they call you exactly what you are… an inventor. Fly your inventor flag with pride and let people know “Hey this is my own mish-mosh I invented and it’s pretty and I like it”. That’s fine. But don’t try to pass yourself off like some kind of authority … neither by family lineage nor by self-rigteousness.

To the public… ask questions about everything! If it’s boasts a lot and claims to be something authentic, do some research before you buy it. Ask around and see what others think of their practice. Ask outside of their sphere of influence so you can get an honest, unbiased opinion before hiring one of these individuals and always ask for credentials. A true santero or babalawo can tell you where they come from with specific names, dates and places, not veiled mysterious stories about family traditions, grandmothers or divine intercession.

This is not “spiritual art” nor is it a “fetish”. This is a real Eleggua prepared by an Olorisha received in an initiation

Recently, I posted an article calling out various cultural appropriators on their practices. One of the examples given in the article was of “Crowned Elegguas” being sold by PlanetVoodoo.com by Denise Alvarado. After writing a blog article blasting me and claiming that SAFE is nothing more than a spiritual police that’s attempting to silence her voice as an artist, I wrote her a reply on her blog. I am cross-posting it here for you all to read, refuting her claims of copyright infringement, and also explaining that her practices are insensitive and offensive to traditional Santeria Lucumí practitioners.

Response To Denise Alvarado Regarding Her Post at Planetvoodoo.tumblr.com

In response to your emotionally charged article against me I will address each of the points you bring up. I encourge you, and any other reader of your blog, to read the original article which pointed out why your wares you are selling and claiming are just art, are still cultural appropriation and wholy offensive to the traditional orisha community. The original article titled “SAFE Alert – Cultural Appropriation of Lucumí Religion by Non-Initiates” can be found at the URL: http://santeriachurch.org/safe-alert-cultural-appropriation-of-lucumi-religion-by-non-initiates/

First, no one labeled you as a fraud. In fact, your name was not associated with the article until you raised a fuss about the use of a photo from your website (which was used under fair use rights according to copyright law – see below). Once I actually heard from you (instead of second-hand from your friends and your passive-aggressive online posting about me) I removed the image immediately as you requested. Even though I was within my rights to use the image for product reviews and criticism, I opted to take it down and let everyone know who wanted it down and why.

To reiterate, you were not labeled as a fraud, you were accused RIGHTLY of cultural appropriation. If you actually read the article and researched the information contained therein, you would see that you are clearly “Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission … includ(ing) unauthorized use of another culture’s dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It’s most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects.” I was referring to your creation of “Eleggua Statues” that wholly appropriate the visual, religious and cultural symbolism of my culture as a Cuban Santero. How do you attain the “permission” to make such objects – through initiation as a priest (Olorisha or Babalawo) in the orisha faith.

You ask what gives me the authority to criticize you and call you out on this. Two things:

1) I belong to the culture, folklore and people from which Eleggua’s worship in the form of a head-like sculpture originates, namely from Cuban Santeria Lucumí. You claim to practice Voodoo/Hoodoo, yet Eleggua is not worshipped in Voodoo nor in Hoodoo. Voodoo works with Legba not Eleggua, and Hoodoo workers are Christians. Legba is not depicted in Voodoo as a clay or cement head, he is more typically depicted as St. Lazarus or in the form of his veve. The construction of an Eleggua that is packed with aches and proper items is not even DONE in Voodoo for which you claim authority.

2) I am an initiated priest in the Santeria Lucumí faith of over 11 years, initiated by a priest who had over 30 years of initiation when he died, and work with Cuban priests who have been raised in the religion since birth. I – by initiation – have authority to speak on these matters. I actually have received Eleggua, gone through kariocha, received igbodú, washed, birthed, and given Eleggua in my life. You do not have that authority. It’s like asking how a Catholic priest has the right to call someone out on things written in the bible… by definition they do. It is their area of expertise.

Next you bring up the idea that you are creating sacred art. You claim they are only fetishes. Let’s start with definitions. Mirriam Webster’s dictionary defines a fetish as “an object (as a small stone carving of an animal) believed to have magical power to protect or aid its owner”. You attribute magical powers to your objects. They are not just art. Your product descriptions for said “Crowned Elleguas” states: “Handcrafted from a unique blend of clay and traditional herbs, Ellegua can remove obstacles, improve communication, provide spiritual protection and bring luck and good fortune.” You are making spiritual claims of power for these objects, calling them Ellegua, saying they can remove obstacles, improve communication, provide spiritual protection, etc. You are not presenting this as art, you are ascribing them identity and magical powers. Your own product descriptions are misleading at best.

Regarding your claims of copyright infringement by utilizing a thumbnail of your product. I am well within the Fair Use of copyrighted materials according to copyright law. Section 107 of the Copyright Act states:

“the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.”

I was utilizing your image for the purpose of “criticism and comment” as well as “teaching and scholarship” to educate the public about what is traditional Santeria Lucumí and what is Culturally Appropriated.

Your legal claims of libel hold no ground either as I have not called you a fraud, I have called you a cultural appropriator, and anyone who crafts “artwork” or “spirtual fetishes” as you call them that draw upon the culture of Brazilian Kimbanda/Umbanda and Cuban Lucumí when they have no initiations in said traditions and does not come from those places, is still appropriating cultural elements – in this case, religious symbolism which is a very delicate topic.

Not all cultures are the same when it comes to someone outside of their culture making artwork for members of their culture. For example, the Catholic Church has hired Jewish goldsmiths to craft their religious objects and they didn’t really have a problem that the artisans weren’t part of their culture. The same goes with Jewish houses of worship employing non-Jewish experts to craft sculptures or art for their holy places. But not all cultures are amenable to this practice. In particular, African traditional religions including Lucumí, Ifá, Palo Mayombe, Vodou, Candomblé, and Kimbanda just to name a few, are not ok with non-initiated people making objects that emulate their religious or spiritual items. Making objects that draw upon these cultures’ symbols and divinities is insulting to them especially when they had ancestors who died trying to preserve traditional practice through generations. As a culture bearer of two of these religions (Palo and Lucumí) I can certainly tell you that this is highly offensive to those that died preserving our cultural practices. You wouldn’t even know what an Elegguá head looked like had slaves not given their lives to worship in the face of oppressive colonialism.

Here’s another good example. As you well know, there are laws in place throughout our country that require you to identify Native-looking artwork as clearly “not made by Native Americans” before they are sold. The state of New Mexico even requires Native artisans and jewelry crafters to stamp their artwork as a sign of authenticity because cultural appropriators came in and started making cheap squash blossom necklaces and fake turquoise jewelry in China then swamping the US markets with these items putting them out of business. You should be particularly sensitive to this as someone who has Native American ancestry, no? How would you feel if someone started making peace pipes and claiming they had the right to create them because “their spirits moved them to do it”? It’s cultural appropriation and it is damaging to minority cultures as my article clearly explained.

Now another point you bring up is about why I didn’t contact you personally about this. Frankly it’s because others have brought this up with you before and you didn’t make any changes to your practices. You feel entitled to do this. You claim it is your right as an artist. Indeed this is America and you can do whatever you want, but when someone comes along and calls you out on exactly what you’re doing, you can’t get upset at the end of the day. I’ll also point out that you didn’t contact me personally but instead went through friends and professional associates who were uninvolved in the issue when there was a clearly marked “Contact Us” page on both my church website and my professional conjure site – neither of which you used until my associates pointed them out to you, and only then after you blasted me in a passive-aggressive manner on your blog.

My church’s action committee, SAFE, is an educational foundation whose purpose is to educate the public about non-traditional and illegitimate practices. We educate the public, and since the article has gone up I’ve received dozens of emails and messages, as well as in-person thanks from people all congratulating me on finally taking a stand and calling people out on their cultural appropriation. Members of Haitian Vodou, Santeria Lucumi, Brazilian Kimbanda, Palo Mayombe, Traditonal Ifá, Brazilian Umbanda, and practitioners of Hoodoo all have come forward and lauded the article. Only two people have scoffed at it; you being one of them. You call my organization a “spiritual police” and in a sense you are correct. It’s about time that we police our own or point out those who are acting outside of what is spiritually traditional.

You have also attempted to sully the name of the association to which I personally belong: The Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers (AIRR), by throwing their code of conduct in my face and accusing me of breaking their rules regarding copyright infringement. I have already refuted your claim as baseless and cited law to back my stance. As a long-term member of AIRR I have always conducted myself according to the code of conduct and I hold that up as a bastion of ethics and transparency in my work. Where is your code of conduct? I can’t seem to find it on your website, perhaps you could point it out for me?

You have the right to spiritually express yourself through art, but if someone is offended by it they will speak out. Freedom of your speech doesn’t mean requirement of my silence in return. My church and it’s SAFE committee also have the right to express ourselves against your “artwork” as non-traditional and examples of cultural appropriation. What’s good for Mama D. is also good for Dr. E.

Finally, I will not only post this in reply on your Tumblr blog and hope you’ll keep it up as a testament to freedom of speech, but I will also copy it on my Santeria Church of the Orishas website and if needed I’ll also include it on my Google+ feed. This dialogue is important as cultural appropriation is damaging to minority cultures. I hope you’ll reconsider the way in which you present these objects on your site and perhaps learn a valuable lesson through this interaction.

One of Rev. Dr. E.’s lottery luck rustic oil lamps! Learn to make one like this at his workshop this year.

The Missionary Independent Spiritual Church Hoodoo Workshop Weekend is coming up May 4-5, 2013 in Forestville, California. This wonderful weekend is filled with presentations and hands-on workshops by some of the most prominent rootworkers and spirit workers out there. Learn the ways of traditional conjure in the beautiful green landscape of Forestville, California with prominent rootworkers like Rev. Dr. E., Catherine Yronwode, ConjureMan Ali, Miss Bri, Momma Hen, Sister Robin and many others.

This year, Rev. Dr. E. will be teaching a hands-on workshop on the construction and use of hoodoo oil lamps for love, money, luck, protection, cursing and wisdom! These fantastic rustic oil lamps are filled with powerful roots, curios and herbs then topped off with natural vegetable oils and burned for long-term spiritual and magical work. This workshop will be a great opportunity to learn from Rev. Dr. E. himself! Rev. Dr. E. will also be offering Tarot, Diloggún and Bone readings throughout the weekend.

To learn more and to register for classes, visit the Missionary Independent Spiritual Church Hoodoo Workshop Weekend page!

An artist’s depiction of Eleggua as a young child.

There seems to be a big misconception in online communities about who Eleggua is, how he’s related to Papa Legba, or Eshu, or even Exu. All too often, our western minds see similarities and draw equivalences between these entities but doing so is a big mistake. After a friend asked me what the difference was between these spirits, I decided to contact my friends in two other African Diasporic religions: Hougan Matt (Bozanfe Bon Ougan) a Hougan Asogwe of Haitian Vodou and ConjureMan Ali (Tata Alufa Mavambo Ngobodi Nzila) a Tata of Brazilian Quimbanda, and asked them to share their scholarly expertise to the following questions. Answers are listed side by side and color coded with Houngan Matt’s answers in blue, ConjureMan Ali’s answers in red and Rev. Dr. E.’s answers in green.

Just to clarify, Legba is from Haitian Vodou, Eleggua/Eshu is from Santería Lucumi (and consequently Yoruba religion) and Exu is from Brazilian Quimbanda (and Umbanda). These are three different classes of spirits and he offer this information here for you to understand the difference between them.

Who are you and in which tradition do you participate?

Houngan Matt: Im Matt Deos, known either as Houngan Matt or by my ritual name Bozanfe Bon Oungan, and Im a Houngan Asogwe (senior ranking clergy initiate) of a traditionalist Haitian Vodou house known as Sosyete Nago (based in Boston, MA and Jacmel, Haiti, and run by my spiritual mother Manbo Maude/Antiola Bo Manbo)

ConjureMan Ali: I am ConjureMan Ali, a conjure doctor, djinn conjurer, and a Tata in the Afro-Brazilian tradition of Quimbanda

Rev. Dr. E.: I am Rev. Dr. E. or known by my initiatory name of Ekun Dayo. I am an olorisha (priest) crowned with Changó in the Afro-Cuban religion of Santería (La Regla Lukumí). I am founder of the Santeria Church of the Orishas and a full time conjure doctor.

Who is Legba, Eleggua, Eshu, Exu?

Houngan Matt: (Regarding Legba) The Legba spirits, in Vodou, are a family of lwa who each are responsible for “opening the door” or initiating access to each section, or ritual division, of spirits that are served in our rites. Each nancion, or nation (a term used to distinguish groupings of lwa by their home culture or the people whose spirits they were before those people were brought to Haiti as slaves) has its own door-opening spirit referred to as a Legba. There are many such corresponding divisions of lwa, and each has their own Legba tasked with opening the door and allowing those spirits to pass. The Legbas are spirits of communication and contact, removers of barriers and openers of doors, who speak all languages and know all forms of communication.

In a fete, one of the Legba spirits is always among the first spirits sung for and invited to come to the party with us… but there’s a good deal of misconception out there about what this means. Contrary to internet-misinformation, when the priye ginen (our litany of prayer and song that blesses and begins all services) is complete, the first spirit we sing to is Hountor, the lwa of the drums, who translates our modern speech and song into the tonal language of the drums, the ancient spirit-speak us Creoles no longer shape with our mouths. Then, we sing into being Grand Chemin, the Great Road that bridges our place of ceremony and the land where the spirits reside… a great and golden road the lwa proceed down to come to our temple (and, often, also the poto mitan, the central axis of the temple which our spirits can ride).

Legba nan Rada, or Legba in the Rada Rite, is the first of the Legba spirits we serve, and his task is to open the gate on the Great Road, the doorway that allows the other spirits to come to our celebrations and rites. Without him, there wouldnt be a gap or a coming-together-place where our world and the world of the spirits could touch.

In Vodou’s language of visual symbols that convey meaning, the imagery used to represent the various Legba spirits always features the symbol of the Poto Mitan in some way or form as it is the doorway on the Great Road that Legba controls. For my lineage, the Rada Legba wears a saint known as Saint Anthony the Abbot (a jovial and well-fed man in brown robes, holding a staff, the poto mitan, and standing at a cave door, surrounded by animals such as pigs and chickens). Legba nan Petro, the Legba who opens to doorway for the hotter and rougher spirits of the Petro rite, wears the image of Saint Lazarus (typically an emaciated and sometimes bruised man walking by means of crutches, another symbolic stand-in for the Poto Mitan).

Even the nations that make up the components of the larger Rada and Petro rites also have their Legba figures (who may or may not be members of the Legba family of spirits… often times, Ogou Ossange, a wonded healer who is also always shown with crutches, can serve as the Legba nan Nago, or the Legba figure who opens the door for the Nago nation spirits, or the division that holds the spirits of the Nago people, who are now more widely known by the name of their language, Yoruba.)

The Ghede family, the spirits that are called at the end of every Vodou celebration, also have their own door keepers/Legbas of their group… and are also known for carrying a Baton Ghede, a walking stick that can alternately be a gentlemen’s cane or be placed between the spirit’s legs as the source of many embarrassing jokes… but which is also, in its way, the Poto Mitan and the road by which the spirits in the Ghede’s purview travel.

In Haitian Vodou, the Legbas are not Crossroads spirits; the way our rites work, the road by which the fiery Petro spirits are brought into the rites is conceptualized as being at a 90 degree angle to the cooler road by which the Rada lwa enter. When the Petro rites have begun, songs are sung for Dan (or Don) Petro (mythologized as the creater of the Petro system, but basically the Grand Chemin figure of the new cosmological angle of approach), then comes the Petro Legba, and after a few more spirits the rite reaches Kalfou, the lwa who is the crossroads made manifest (Kalfou is a creolization of the French Carrefour, literally crossroads). To us, the Legba figures are the keepers of gates and doors, languages and communication… not the crossroads, which we have as a different being entirely.

An artist’s depiction of Exu Veludo, one of the Exus of Brazilian Quimbanda

ConjureMan Ali: (Regarding Exu) Exu, pronounced “Eshoo” in Quimbanda is not a singular entity, but a class of spirits that are connected to the Congo and Angolan cults of sorcery and necromancy that took root in Brazil after slaves were brought over by the Portuguese. It would be more accurate to view Exu as a title referring to a class of fiery spirits called upon in the Afro-Brazilian cults for matters of guidance and to work magic. Each Exu is unique and the personalities can vary drastically from one Exu to another. Regardless of the differences what is common is that Exu is a highly dangerous, fiery, and tricky spirit to work with. Exu is not an Orisha, or Lwa, but  are earthly guardians of the liminal who are both a force of nature as well as spirits of the dead.

Rev. Dr. E.: (Regarding Eleggua/Eshu) First we must distinguish between Eshu and Eleggua. Eshu (spelled Esu in traditional Yoruba with a little dot under the “s”) are a family of orishas more like natural forces. Eshus are found everywhere in the wild and each is different from the others. Eshus are wild and uncontrollable by nature. Messing with one without the proper respect will get you in big trouble quickly as it is the nature of Eshu to cause problems, test humanity and upset the balance of things. Babalawos are experts at working with an controlling Eshu for the betterment of humanity. They have the spiritual technology to tame Eshu.

Eleggua (or Elegba) – to contrast – is an orisha that can be considered to be the king of the Eshus. He is refined; civilized if you will. Eleggua is an orisha that has many roads each of which is called “Eshu” (to further confuse the issue). There is an Eleggua that wanders in the wilderness. There is an Eleggua that lives in the river. There is an Eleggua that lives on the road. There is an Eleggua that lives in the house. There are over a hundred different roads of Eleggua and each is different from the others, with different temperaments and different likes. There is one thing in common with all Elegguas – they are always honored first amongst the orishas whenever we have a ceremony.

Eleggua knows everything, witnesses everything and has the key to changing our destinies as humans: ebó (sacrifice). He is the one that can speak for all of the other orishas because he knows everything that’s going on. Eleggua is considered one of the warriors in our religion along with Ogun, Ochosi and Osun (as well as Erinle and Abata). He opens the road to all things and makes the spiritual connection of ache happen between humans, Olodumare, the orishas and the ancestors. Without Eleggua nothing would get where it is intended to go. Because of this we say you must always be in his graces or he’ll shut you down in no time.

Where does the worship of Legba/Eleggua/Exu originate?

Hougan Matt: (Regarding Legba) The Legba spirits are an intrinsic piece of the religion of the Fon people of Dahomey (and modern day Benin) whose cosmology forms the majority of Vodou’s metaphysical foundation. (Even the word Vodou comes from the Fon word meaning “spirit”; Lwa in turn is the Fon/Gbwe word for “lord”) Their religion continues in its homeland, now usually known as Beninois Vodou.

Among the Fon people, Legba is featured as being both the favorite and youngest son of Mawu/Lisa (the Creators/high gods), responsible for the writing (Fa, or destiny) of each man’s life. Within Dahomey, however, Fa is also a vodun (that word for “spirit”), to whom one goes in order to divine, and Legba is his servant. Legba plays a central role in Dahomean society, where it was necessary to divine, or consult Fa (through Legba) before one did anything and about all things. The Dahomean Legba is a young man, youngest son of the Creator deities, and combines ideas that when they reached Haiti would divide into the Legba family of spirits (as well as provide the foundation for the Ghede spirits as the Dahomean Legba changed from a younger man to an older grouping of men, and as the boundary between life and death was divided into multiple spirits instead of being held by their original gatekeeper. Fusing with Taino spirituality in Haiti, the trickster/healer/death aspects of Legba in Dahomey gave birth to the Ghede spirits who maintain the boundary between the living and the cemetery…. itself a crossroads where the living and the dead intersect, with their own crossroads keeper Met Cimitiere, sometimes seen as Petro and sometimes seen as within the Ghede family)

MANY pieces of the Dahomean Legba (the Root legba, if you will) changed with the combination of many different Kingdoms’ religions that happened in Haiti, on its plantations and as a result of the Revolution that made a single united Nation out of the many slaves who rebelled and forced their French overlords off the island in bloody revolt. Knowing there was no way “home” to their ancestral Africa, the new Haitians blended their religions together to keep them from being lost, and the many different manifestations/individual traditions of Haitian Vodou were born… but, in the process, many spirits took new aspects to their personalities and many new needs were filled by spirits who emerged. New Legba figures emerged to open the doors to spirits of new and different populations that took their place among the other spirits of the newly emergent and uniquely Haitian Vodou.

ConjureMan Ali: (Regarding Exu) Exu’s roots are found in the Angolan and Congo cults of Kalunga, Kadiempembe, and Pambujila. He emerges from a fusion of death, fire, and the crossroads. The descendent of these forces is then Exu who finds his home in the Afro-Brazilian religion of Quimbanda. It is important to note, that Exu exists only in South America, starting in Brazil and slowly expanding to neighboring countries, he is not found in any of the North American African Traditional Religions and has nothing to do with Lukumi, Vodou, Palo etc.

Eleggua in the traditional hand-molded cement head form in Santeria Lukumí (This is Eshu Alawana)

Rev. Dr. E.: (Regarding Eleggua/Eshu) Eleggua and Eshu’s roots are in the west african Yoruba people who lived in the area currently associated with southwestern Nigeria and Benin. They were universally revered throughout all of the tribes that spoke the Yoruban language. The slaves that were taken from the Yoruba lands and brought to Cuba brought the veneration of Eleggua/Eshu with them. The understanding of Eleggua as separate from Eshu evolved in Cuba within the Santeria religion. Eleggua and Eshu are seen as pretty much one and the same back in Africa and this may be due to the prominence of the Ifá sect of Babalawos in the motherland versus their late arrival in large numbers in Cuba. To be very clear, Eleggua is not found in Vodou (although the Lwa from the Nago Lwa are technically the same as the orishas, he isn’t worshipped in the same manner as we do), he is not found in New Orleans Voodoo although some modern-day practitioners are attempting to culturally appropriate him for their benefits, and he is not part of Palo Mayombe. He is an orisha, not a lwa, not a mpungo, and not a spirit of the dead.

Is there any ritual or initiatory requirement to work with Legba/Eleggua/Exu?

Houngan Matt (Bozanfe Bon Ougan) is a Houngan Asogwe of Haitian Vodou

Houngan Matt: (Regarding Legba) Nope.  Well, almost. In terms of initiatory requirement, no… as the Legba spirits govern communication with the rest of the spirits, ALL people are seen as inherently having a connection with these Lwa (unlike the others, which may or may not be “with” a person and whose presence “with” a person must be determined by divination).

As all of us are born with an ability to serve those spirits we inherit or who seek to build relationships with us (those that pop up in that aforementioned divination) ALL of us have access to the Legba spirits, either for opening those doors and forging roads of communication and respect, or for working with the way we would any spirit we serve.

In terms of ritual requirements, yes… to work within Haitian Vodou requires keeping to Haitian Vodou’s ceremonial protocols, rules, and heirarchies. We are not a freeform religion, but one that has a very solid cosmological core and an associated body of traditional rites, songs, and methods of ritual. Not everyone needs to become an initiate to work with their spirits in our religion, but our religion is guided by its priests to maintain its lore and the integrity of its tradition and systems; in a similar vein, not all Catholics need to be priests, and certainly one does not need to be a priest to say the Rosary in home prayer… but for transmission of the faith, the services of the priesthood, and the offering of Mass, the clergy is required. Vodou is much the same in how it works and functions, and the faithful, while they are capable of small acts of service to their spirits at home, also understand that the faith is a community religion that requires the community of priests and laypeople alike in community celebrations to function at anything beyond its most basic level.

ConjureMan Ali is a Tata of Brazilian Quimbanda and founder of the House of Quimbanda church.

ConjureMan Ali: (Regarding Exu) Yes! Exu has a strong sense of respect and honor. In order to call upon Exu, there are set ways that they demand you approach them. It is also the safest way to work with them, for without the context of protection provided by following these well-worn roads, you risk burning yourself. It is like playing with fire. In Quimbanda, there are levels of involvement that one can participate it. Initiation is for those who are called to be priests and priestesses. Not everyone is called to that path. One can also be a licensed medium through a baptism ceremony, or licensa. In this case you can then safely work with your personal Exu and Pomba Gira. Finally, anyone can benefit from finding out which Exu or Pomba Gira form the spiritual court of your life through divination. This latter is only to find out about them and does not require any obligation nor do you need to get involved further. It is basically taking a look behind the curtain. For further involvement, you will need to look at licensa or initiation.

With licensa you take your personal Exu and Pomba Gira as your patron and work with them in a spiritualist or devotional context. You work with those spirits that walk with you and develop a relationship with them which has many benefits. Initiation however is a more intense path with much obligation and so is not meant for everyone. The initiated Tata or Yaya is granted the Keys to the Kingdom of Quimbanda and while the core of their spiritual court is their personal Exu and Pomba Gira, they will become a priest to the entire Kingdom with many spirits working with them. It is also the initiated Tata and Yaya who work as the sorcerers and sorceresses of the cult.

Without either licensa or initiation, calling upon Exu can be quite dangerous. There is a unique format to their rituals that is only taught through the guidance of a House or terreiro of Quimbanda. Without this format you aren’t calling Exu, you are simply opening yourself up to any spirit walking by to come into your life.

Rev. Dr. E. (Ekun Dayo Oní Changó) is an Olorisha in Santería (La Regla Lukumí) and founder of the Santería Church of the Orishas.

Rev. Dr. E.: (Regarding Eleggua and Eshu) Yes and no. Anyone can give offerings of the heart or veneration to the orishas in nature. For Eleggua or Eshu this would be the places where he can be found: the side of the road, the wilderness, the cemetery, the edge of the river, the ocean, the crossroad, almost anywhere – but keep in mind that different Eshus and Elegguas are found in different places. But this is a personal offering made for yourself and you must act carefully as to not offer Eleggua or Eshu something that they wouldn’t like. Guidance of a godparent is probably the best idea in this situation.

It is highly improper and offensive to the orishas to act in the office of a priest or priestess doing work for others without being an Olorisha or a Babalawo. You don’t have the lineage to call upon if you aren’t initiated and as such do not have the support of the ancestors and even they come before Eleggua!

You need to be an Olorisha or a Babalawo to have received the ritual items and shrines of Eleggua or Eshu. This is a highly involved ritual and requires divination before going through it. It’s not something you receive because you want it. It’s something you do because divination says it’s part of your destiny and you need it. Once you have been ordained as an Olorisha or a Babalawo you can then divine with Eleggua’s shells, make ebó (sacrifice and rituals) to Eleggua and act as an intermediary between the general public and Eleggua or Eshu.

How can a person revere Legba/Eleggua/Exu and pay homage to him?

Saint Anthony the Abbot – an image used to depict Legba in Houngan Matt’s lineage

Houngan Matt: (Regarding Legba) Easily! If a person is interested in establishing working relationships with their spirits through Vodou’s traditions and paradigm, the Legba spirits are going to be some of the lwa they’ll be speaking to most!

I recommend starting by reaching out to qualified initiate clergy for advice, or seeing if there is a House (initiate family of priests who offer community celebration of the lwa to the public in their area) that can help guide the new person (as well as make sure there are folks nearby who can help the new person if things go wrong or become unbalanced), but while that’s happening, the Rada Legba is immediately approachable (ESPECIALLY as a fantastic spirit too ask to help convey the new person to a reputable house!)

I recommend seeking out the image I spoke of before, of Saint Anthony the Abbot (this is not Saint Anthony of Padua, who holds the infant Jesus. Instead this is the staff holding monk standing before a cave, surrounded by happy animals, and the image can be found through a google image search and printed out) and possibly creating a small working altar (in a clean place outside one’s bedroom, or able to be screened from view if the bedroom is the only possibility) decorated in cloths of white, red, and brown (white for all Rada spirits, and Red and Brown are the colors of the Rada Legba in my lineage). The altar should also have a glass of cool, clean water, white candles, a crucifix (a strand of rosary beads works in a pinch) and a space for simple offerings such as flowers, fruits, florida water, or specific foods.

Catholic prayers are recited first, to give thanks and recognition to God and to ask him to bless the service, making sure only His clean spirits are allowed to enter. Typically these prayers are an Our Father, three Hail Mary’s, the Apostle’s Creed, the Confiteor, the Act of Contrition, and a Glory Be. Once those are said, offerings can be made and you can talk to Legba about your needs and check in with him; preferably once a week on either a Saturday or a Monday. Ideally you’d take some time to learn the saluting protocols and motions/choreography to salute a Rada lwa (instructions for a basic Rada style salute are available in an indepth article on my teaching blog, found herehttp://blog.vodouboston.com/2011/07/jete-dlo-basic-salute/)

Favoured offerings of the Rada Legba are red and white flowers, roasted root vegetables such as potato, yam, and sweet potato, cassava bread, and a mixture of pan toasted (but not popped) corn kernels and peanuts. The Rada Legba in my lineage takes poured offerings of white rum as his favoured beverage, and also likes material gifts of straw hats, pipes, and plain pipe tobacco.

Clergy guidance is strongly encouraged.

ConjureMan Ali: (Regarding Exu) We honor Exu, but we do not worship Exu. This is a very important distinction to make as God, or Nzambi, is the only figure that worship is given to. In Quimbanda, one does not give homage to Exu randomly, but has to find out which Exu specifically walks with you. Because there are countless Exu, you cannot simply decide to light a candle to one, or pray to him. This invites a great deal of trouble as it opens the door to all sorts of trickster and parasitic spirits. It is essential to first find out which Exu walks with you through the divination provided by an initiated medium or priest who can then instruct on how a proper relationship can be formed.

Rev. Dr. E.: (Regarding Eleggua and Eshu) No matter what you do it is important to understand that we do not worship Eleggua, we pay homage to him and work with him. We only worship God – Olodumare/Olorun/Olofi. One of the most effective ways to honor Eleggua in your day is to always ask for his blessing when passing his location in nature that you associate with him. So if you work with the Eleggua or Eshu that’s by the side of the river then make sure to say “Agbe mi Eleggua!” or “Bendición Elegguá!” when you pass the river’s edge. That way you show him continual gratitude and make sure he keeps your road open for you. Before you go making fruit offerings or such to Eleggua or Eshu it is imperative that you work with a godparent so that you can be sure you’re offering him the right things in the right ways and in the right places. It is more traditional to work through a diviner (an Olorisha or a Babalawo) to ascertain whether an offering or sacrifice is needed and specifically what kind (as determined in the reading). Only an Olorisha or Babalawo can do this for you.

Some of the safest offerings you can give Eleggua or Eshu are toasted corn, smoked fish, rum and cigars. These are his favorite items no matter what road you happen to be working with. Keep in mind, however, that Eleggua (as with all the orishas) becomes accustomed to the way you treat him. If you break your pattern or change the way you’ve been treating him he will become upset and block up your paths. Many people work with Eleggua every monday by pouring out a tiny libation of cool water and praying to him, but the first monday you miss that routine will be the day that Eleggua really trips you up. So keep that in mind before you start setting up a steady pattern of veneration. Again, work with a godparent for optimal results.

What advice or feedback to you have for people who mistakenly try to draw parallels between or equate Legba with Eleggua, Eshu, or Exu?

Houngan Matt: DONT! The Legba spirits all stem from the Fon people, who are not the same as the nations who carry those other spirits in their own distinct religions. Legba is NOT Eshu any more than the Virgin Mary is Quan Yin; the powers come from separate religions that maintain very separate and distinct cosmological and metaphysical functions.

Even where there may be SOME passing similarity between the spirits (much like the Virgin Mary and Quan Yin are both known in their respective religions as Merciful) the differences in the religions are vast… attempting to blend the systems or cherry pick between them is a deep insult to the spirits who are accustomed to being carried within their traditions (which, over the centuries, THEY have created and guided in their evolutions). Just as Quan Yin would probably herself be horrified to be invoked in a service featuring a divine son’s blood and flesh being offered to a congregation in the form of Catholic Communion, the different spirits known as Legba, Exu, Eshu, and Ellegua would be deeply unhappy at the resulting dissonance of forcing them into boxes where they do not belong.

Im often asked why they seem to serve similar function (which I gotta say after all of my reading they really DONT) but why us priests involved in the different traditions have little heart attacks when people cherrypick and mix… and my best example is modern math and Physics.

We’ve all heard about Quantum Physics, a series of mathematical equations and theories that seek to explain how the world works at its smallest possible level.

We’ve also all heard about Newtonian and Einsteinian systems of Physics, which are mathematical equations and theories that seek to explain how the universe functions on a grand scale of light, distance, speed, and gravity.

Both systems work…. until they’re mixed. The equations are incompatible, the math cannot be justified, and instead of any answers that make sense the equations produce nothing but meaningless garbage.

With our religions, I recommend keeping the same separateness and approaching each as *what it is* instead of trying to shove them into places where they do not belong. Just as in physics, attempting to place Exu in a Vodou paradigm or lifting a Legba spirit out of his home (or worse, calling Ellegua Legba and insisting Legba works through a concrete head that may or may not have been made by it’s own system’s priests) is bound to fail and practically guaranteed to make very unhappy spirits.

When it comes to the spirits that govern not only our communication skills but out ability to maintain relationships with ALL the other spirits of their respective systems, upsetting these guys or trying to make them work as something they’re not is just a UNIVERSALLY bad idea.

A person CAN work multiple systems when properly guided by initiates, but just like our example of Quantum versus Einsteinian physics, those systems need to be kept separate and worked on their own time, NEVER blended.

ConjureMan Ali: Simply put; don’t. Exu is not an orisha, he is not a lwa, he is not a mpungo, he is a being all himself. Furthermore, Exu is from Brazil and he has nothing to do with the African Traditional Religions more commonly known here in North America. Exu is a very territorial spirit who is HUGE on respect, trying to force-fit him into your own preconceived notions, or misconceptions will only anger him and cause trouble.

If you truly are interested in Exu and feel called, then don’t approach with the arrogance that you are entitled to his power. Instead learn about him properly from an initiated Tata or Yaya and house/terreiro and follow the proper paths of working with him. To give an analogy, if you were traveling to a foreign country that spoke a different language and you approached a very important official and demanded that they serve you and they better speak English, how do you think they’d respond? You’d be lucky if you got away with a crossed look. Just as you’d try to learn a bit of the local language, learn the proper customs and protocol, so too must you with Exu. Don’t think you can buy some “Exu poppet” or “Pomba Gira Oil” and you’ll be able to work with them.

Rev. Dr. E.: Just don’t! To people who try to draw parallels between Legba, Eleggua/Eshu and Exu I say “Please remove your European lenses!” Just because things may have similar traits does not mean they are the same being. Chango throws lightning and so, too, does Zeus but they are not the same spirit/god/entity. When you try to draw parallels and create false equivalencies between spirits of different cultures and religions what you’re really doing is simplifying for your convenience (and laziness). Take the time to understand the differences between the cultures. Follow the proper channels and protocols of each culture and religion to honor the spirits therein, and to respect the sacrifice the ancestors made to preserve these traditions in the face of slavery.

If you’re going to work with the orishas, then do so through the religion THEY passed down to us, not in an invention you created out of European traditions and techniques. Keep things separate because they ARE different and they ARE separate from one another. If we painted everything in the same light the whole world would be a boring shade of grey. 

Learn More About The Contributing Authors

A special thanks to Houngan Matt and ConjureMan Ali for contributing to this article. We have all agreed to share this article across our three blogs in the spirit of sharing and education. If you are interested in learning more about Haitian Vodou or Afro-Brazilian Quimbanda visit their respective web sites listed below:

Houngan Matt’s Vodou Blog

ConjureMan Ali’s House of Quimbanda

Pumpkins are a very important ebó when someone receives the odu Obara Meji. They are a gift for Oshún and Changó to bring prosperity.

Obara meji (6-6) is a powerful and complex odu within diloggún and Ifá divination that can teach us much about our power as olorishas. This beautiful odu teaches us about the power of our words, the importance of our legacy that we leave behind and our own purpose in life. Whether you have this odu in your itá, or if you receive this in a reading, or if you are just a student of odu, this sign can show you how to cultivate your power as a priest.

The King Does Not Lie

In the odu Obara Meji we say “The King Does Not Lie”. This is an odu of royalty, and this sign indicates that the person being read with the shells is of a regal nature. But being a king does not mean you get to boss everyone around – as tempting as that may be. Royalty is not just about ancestry, it is about cultivating the proper manner of conduct and recognizing what it takes to lead people.

A simple trek through any history book teaches us about good monarchs and corrupt ones. Kings, being given a divine right to rule, are often unchecked, untrained leaders who run amok. If they are a malevolent, ill-tempered and volatile king who lashes out at anyone who challenges his rule, they are hated by their people and become the focus of bloody revolutions. However, if they are benevolent, even tempered, receptive and responsive to the needs of their people, they will stay firmly seated on their throne of power for their entire lives (as will their descendants).

This sign teaches us that to be a good leader, one must be honest, forthright and have integrity. To live up to the royal inheritance this sign promises we must learn that honesty is the cornerstone of power; and the more one lives an honest life the more power one’s words have in the ears of those around them.

But just as power can cut both ways, so too can honesty be a knife that cuts the wielder and the victim. Honesty must be delivered with tact. Tact is the sheath that keeps honesty from hurting everyone around you. Delivering truth in gentle and non-offensive ways is the mark of a good leader. Hiding truth behind lies or a resentful holding of the truth to avoid confrontation, however, is the mark of weakness. The king does not lie, and so we must learn to deliver the truth as a loving parent would to his children, without anger and without vengeful bitterness.

He Who Knows Doesn’t Die Like He Who Doesn’t Know

Lying is forbidden in the odu Obara Meji. It kills the power of a person’s word and those very lies can manifest into reality.

This famous saying is well-known by olorishas, aborishas and aleyos in Santeria. Many times it is said as an adage to remind us all that knowledge is power and to be forewarned is to be forearmed. Obara Meji teaches us that in order to survive we must know the ways of the world, the nature of our true self, and the path to destiny.

Divination gives us a glimpse of our path toward destiny. It is Eleggua orienting us and letting us know where we are in our path, what lies immediately ahead, and how to prevent any calamities through ebó. In ebó there is a solution to bring us back into the graces of iré, but most people forget that ebó had two parts to it: sacrifice and behavior modification. While sacrifice does give us a spiritual technology to dramatically alter the flow of ashé in our lives and give us the lift we need to overcome obstacles and osogbo, it is behavioral modification that prevents us from falling back into the patterns that caused that osogbo in the first place.

As a diviner, I’ve found that clients are too focused on things they have to do, versus on the kind of a person they need to be. There is more power and positivity to be found in following the behavioral restrictions, the taboos and the advise that odu gives us than just in the act of offering fruit to the orishas or taking a ritual bath. Yes, the offerings and rituals are important too, but they are in vain if you are unwilling to make the change within yourself after your consultation with diloggún.

He who knows doesn’t die, like he who doesn’t know. Obara Meji teaches us that knowledge is the key to our survival. Not only does divination forewarn us against our pitfalls that lead to osogbo, but so too does knowledge of self. In this sign, understanding one’s own weaknesses and strengths is critical. Weaknesses should be something we actively work on overcoming, healing and cultivating into strengths. Yet it is often our strengths, perverted by neurotic behavior that manifest as our weaknesses. For example, if you are incredibly well spoken (and Obara Meji does signal someone with a fast tongue) that may be a strength, until those fast-flung insults and quips start flying in a moment of anger. Now your strength of being a good speaker has become a weakness of being a rude and insulting jerk. Understanding the nature of your weaknesses is half the battle, and Obara Meji teaches us that it can save our very lives.

With Your Tongue You Can Save Or Destroy The Village

In Obara Meji we say that the client’s tongue (or speech) has lots of power. We say that the tongue can save or destroy a village, and we would be well served to remember this when we are under this odu’s influence. We often forget the power and influence that our words have over others. An innocent, but poorly-timed quip can utterly destroy a person’s self-esteem or ruin an event. Similarly, a well-timed and crafted word of encouragement can lift up a person’s spirit or even save a village. This is the power of Obara Meji.

We are well served to remember the power of the tongue when we are under the influence of Obara Meji. We can utilize this power to our advantage if we are crafty, intelligent and strategic. Our powers will manifest into reality, and as such anything we speak WILL BE! We can speak affirmations and positive goals when under the influence of Obara Meji knowing that this odu’s power will manifest them. We should avoid speaking negative comments, insults, curses and lies because our tongue’s ashé under this sign will make them be so. Remember that controlling the tongue is the key to succeeding under this sign. Use the tongue’s power for constructive ends and you will ride Obara Meji’s power to the benefit of all.

This is just a cursory exploration of Obara Meji but it is something every priest needs to keep in mind. Our ashé is seated on our heads, but manifests through our words and actions. Remember it is our actions that become the legacy we leave behind. We should all work to leave behind a legacy of constructive deeds, good character  and positive memories that our descendants would recall us with fond memories and praise our names for generations.

Two candles offered to the Ibeji at the Santeria Church of the Orishas.

One of the most common questions I receive through our church’s Facebook page and through our Contact Us page is some variation of “How do I learn Santería?” Indeed it seems to be one of the most challenging questions to get a straight answer on, but I am going to give you the answer I would give a godchild. Hopefully each of you who are interested in learning the religion of Santeria will find your own way to the right person. Before I go into my answer, however, I must preface everything I write here with one bit of information. The Santería Church of the Orishas does NOT give out any referrals to priests outside of our local area (Los Angeles, CA) and we cannot refer you to anyone outside of our lineage. Please do not reply to this article seeking a godparent. That is not the intent of this article. The intent is to educate the public on the right way to learn; it is then up to you to find the right godparent.

Santeria Lukumi is a Communal Religion

In order to understand the way you learn Santeria, you must understand the history of our faith and our culture – for the two are largely indivisible. Santería Lukumí came together on the island of Cuba as the aggregate worship of the various Yoruba-speaking people from different tribes, along with elements of Arará worship, Catholicism and Spiritism. For many generations it was protected and kept secret – as something solely for African people. But over time, African people and European people began to have children of mixed ancestries and as such, the doors to Lucumí slowly (and reluctantly for many people) opened to non-African participants. But even then, the practice of Lucumí was something you did because your family did it. It was tribal – and in many families it continues to be tribal. At its core, Santería Lucumí is NOT an individual practice, is not a personal path, and is something you inherit and pass on to others as elements of a culture that survived the tragedy of slavery in Cuba. You learned Santería because it was what your people did. You practice Santería with others in the community, because it serves the greater whole.

Learning Santería Lucumí in the Information Age

Even our church’s website isn’t a replacement for training in-person with your godparent.

With the advent of the internet and mass social media, communication has become easier than ever. More and more people have discovered Santería Lucumí and are attracted to the orishas. But sadly, many people bring with them an American, fast-paced culture of instant results and quick fixes. This clashes with the traditional Lucumí way of learning. This has resulted in many people gobbling up information on websites and through books that are poorly-informed at best, or damagingly misleading at worst. Some have taken to “worshipping” in their own invented manner, often grafting the Orishas onto neo-pagan traditions like Wicca, or utilizing the orishas like a table of correspondences when performing candle spells or folk magic spells. Still others approach the religion thinking “I WANT TO BE INITIATED!” Not realizing that initiation into Santeria is something that is marked through divination because you need it, not because you want it. There are many scoundrels and charlatans who have taken advantage of this generation of American-cultured people by offering sham initiations through the internet, or mail-order orishas, or a multitude of culturally appropriated products that steal the imagery, symbolism and religious elements of Santeria Lucumí outside of a cultural or traditional religious context. That is why our church founded SAFE – Santeros Against Fraud and Exploitation – in order to educated the public about what is traditional, legitimate practice and what isn’t. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. In spite of the wave of cyber-fraud and poorly educated priests touting themselves as experts behind an internet-devised persona, there are still many lineages and houses that practice the proper way, training people in true apprenticeship, with the utmost of ethical integrity.

So How Do You Learn Santería Lucumí?

Learning Santeria is a process that requires true apprenticeship. That means learning side-by-side from your godparent, following what they say, and doing what they do. If you talk to a multitude of Santeros each godfamily will have minor variations on how things are done and you will simply confuse yourself and get frustrated. Stick to one spiritual lineage and one godparent and take things slowly. Here are a few things you’ll need in your process of learning Santería Lucumi:

Select a Godparent

The first thing you must do to learn Santería Lucumí is that you must find a godparent. This can be a man or woman who is initiated as an Olorisha in the religion. A Babalawo may be able to help you with life problems, but he will not be able to give you the required elements to proceed in the religion beyond the limited few that a Babalawo can give (Hand of Orunla, Idé of Orunla and Ifá warriors – he cannot crown you with an orisha like Chango, Eleggua, etc. He can only initiate others to Ifá as babalawos.). I highly recommend that you take your time before you dedicate yourself to one priest or priestess as your godparent. Take a few months and get to know that person – the longer the better – before you jump into receiving any initiations from him or her. I also recommend you work with ONE PERSON AT A TIME. Do not “shop” several olorishas at a time. That is highly disrespectful and insulting. Our religion is a practice of discipline and respect, not one where you select a godparent based on the lowest bidder. Learn from one olorisha, and if you find they are not a good match, formally end the relationship with them before going to find another one.  You can’t have your feet in two different camps at the same time.

Divination with diloggún is one of the best ways to learn where you are on your path to destiny.

Get Readings With Your Godparent

One of the first things you should do is to get a diloggún reading (or an Ifá reading if you are part of an Ifá house) from your godparent, or a diviner that they trust. The reason I recommend a diloggún reading is that you will be communicating with the orishas themselves – not with spirits of the dead or someone’s intuition. A spiritist mass (misa espiritual) is not a suitable alternative to a diloggún reading! The orisha Elegguá will tell you what your destiny is and where your path in the religion lies. The religion – as much as you may love it – might not be the right place for you, and a diloggún reading will tell you as much. It will also tell you if you need to be initiated or not (for those folks who come wanting to know if they can be initiated). Not everyone has a destiny that includes initiation! But the reading will give you a clear understanding of our working relationship with the orishas in our faith, and also expose you to our divination systems, and the technology of ebó. Additionally, I’ve found that watching an olorisha’s divining style says a lot about how they function as a godparent. Are they taking time to give you guidance on how to make the most of the sign that comes out in the reading? Are they giving you positive and negative elements to the sign or are they simply giving a “doom and gloom reading?” Are they trying to find simple ebós to do to remedy your situation or are they immediately jumping to sacrificing the entire barnyard of animals? Are they pushing you into doing an initiation you don’t want to do, or are they simply prescribing the initiation and telling you that it would be in your best interest – then letting you decide in good time? These are all things to watch out for in a divination.

Ask Your Godparent Questions

Do you have a question about something you don’t understand in our religion? Ask your godparent! As tempting as it might be, don’t go looking for answers on internet discussion boards and websites (yes I see the irony of that statement). We have a saying for those places: “In the town of the blind, the one-eyed man is king!” Most people on internet discussion boards are half-educated or think they know a lot because they have 5 years of initiation. There are masters in our religion with over 40 years of initiation and actual experience in an igbodú (sacred ocha room) that you could be asking who will have your answer and the history behind it! But you have to ask them in-person. A website is no replacement for in-person learning. Always ask the person to whom you have entrusted your training – your godparent! Always verify things you read online by confirming them through your godparent, as there are variations from lineage to lineage within our religion. Save up a list of questions and their answers in a notebook. I used to do that, and while it did drive my godparent crazy, in the end I was glad for it. Those answers proved to be precious jewels of information that so few others actually had access to. Ask your godparent’s elders (if they are around) to see if they can elaborate on the situation – just ask your godparent first so you don’t seem to be jumping over his/her head.

Remember the most important question of all: “Why do we do that?” All too often priests and priestesses in our religion learn by copying what others do, and never learn why we perform ritual actions in a certain manner. All of our ceremonies, our songs, our rituals, our offerings, our prayers and our traditions are encapsulated in odu (the signs of the diloggún divination system). There is a reason for why we do things, and often times, once you understand the reasons for our actions, the ritual actions are even easier to remember. You can also weed out an Olorisha’s personal superstitions and style from the actual practice of Santería by doing this. Also remember there is a time and place for everything. Stopping your godparent in the middle of a ceremony to ask why they are doing something is not usually a good idea. It is best to wait until there is a break in the ceremony or until the ceremony is done and quietly pull your godparent aside and ask them why ritual actions were done. That way your godparent can focus on completing the ebó or ritual and not get sidetracked with questions. Also, some godparents do not like to be questioned in front of their peers, and this method preserves the respect between godchild and godparent. Questions are best asked in private to avoid problems.

Apprenticeship is How You Truly Learn Santería

Santería Lucumí is traditionally learned through true apprenticeship, not in sit-down classes. This means that as a newcomer to the religion, you learn the most menial of tasks first: taking out the trash, plucking chickens, sweeping, washing dishes, mopping the floor, etc. What you should be focusing on is the sanctity found in service toward others. If no one takes out the trash the ritual won’t be able to proceed. Your role as the trash guy is just as critical as the Oriaté’s role in singing the songs of the ritual. Take pride in a job well done even if you’re just plucking chickens, for it is in humbling ourselves to serve that we learn what communal religion really is about. It’s not about titles and ego, it’s about love, community and service. While you are performing chores, listen attentively to the conversations taking place around you. You will absorb information about past rituals, information about odu, historical accounts of old Santeros and Santeras and how they used to do things, and THAT is how you start to learn in the religion. Gossip less, and learn more by listening while doing chores! Offer to do the things no one likes to do, or by watching. Stand next to the butcher and watch how he or she opens the animals so that you can learn how to do it. Offer to crack open coconuts and remove the meat from them, and you’ll learn a few tricks from older olorishas. Offer to clean up the area outside dedicated to feeding the dead, and set it up with its offerings of drinks and food. You’ll learn a lot about how to propitiate the ancestors in the process. Sit side-by-side in readings (if your godparent permits it) so that you can begin to understand the mechanics of a diloggún reading, and if you have questions ask your godparent after the reading is done to better understand how it works. This is the meaning of true apprenticeship and it is how we learn to practice Santería Lucumí.

Keep a Professional Relationship With Your Godparent

One of the common mistakes of newcomers to the religion is that they want to create a personal and friendly relationship with their godparent. I do not recommend this. I find that this crosses certain lines and can actually cause friction between godchild and godparent. I’ve found in my own life as a godchild and as a godparent that the best way to keep the relationship between godparent and godchild healthy is to keep a healthy professional distance between the two of you. Offer to help your godparent, reach out to them regularly so that you can know when events are taking place and see if you can attend them, but do not spend personal and casual time together like buddies. This can actually cause there to be resentment, spreading of gossip and misunderstandings about expectations. This also helps prevent unethical behavior from happening on either side of the fence.

“You Can’t Know That Until You Are Initiated!”

Santería Lucumí is an initiatory religion and many of its aspects are secret. The contents of our ceremonies and some of the deeper rituals we perform are secrets that are not given to those who are uninitiated. It is normal to be told by your godparent that they cannot answer your question until you’ve been initiated as an Olorisha and been presented to the Igbodú (sacred room). Do not despair, there are still plenty of things you can learn before initiation. If you have not yet received any initiations, it is best to focus your learning on understanding the structure of the godfamily, getting to know people in your godfamily and learning general information about the religion. Learn the best ways to do all of the chores in the religion: trash, washing dishes, opening coconuts, plucking chickens, etc. Also learn about the orishas: their likes and dislikes, what forces of nature they have dominion over, their colors, numbers, patakís (legends), etc. Start to build relationships with the orishas through offerings of addimús, fulfilling ebós with your godparent’s guidance, and learning their songs and dances. Going to drum ceremonies are a good way to learn the songs and dances too.

A traditional Lucumi Egun shrine with offerings to the ancestors.

Work With Your Ancestors

The first place most newcomers to Santería begin their devotions is with their personal ancestors. Everyone has access to their ancestors, whether it is through the traditional Lucumí shrine that is placed on the ground, or through Espiritismo and the bóveda. The best thing a new aleyo can do is to start by developing a relationship with their ancestors, guides and spirits as well as learning how to listen to their guidance. This is where having a godparent is important, as they can guide you and show you how to communicate with the ancestors and how to make proper offerings to them. Most newcomers will participate in spiritist masses (misas espirituales) as a way to develop their mediumship skills and build relationships with their guides, under the tutelage of their godparent as well.

Keep An Open Mind

As you learn and grow in Santeria you’ll run across other adherents of the faith and invariably you’re going to learn about varying practices and seeming contradictions in the way people follow our faith. It’s important to keep an open mind and not judge others in the process of learning. It’s easy to paint things in black and white but until you’ve been fully initiated in the religion and know the inner workings of our ceremonies, it’s going to be hard to discern what is legitimate variances in practices versus what is misinformation or fraudulent practices. One of the best things you can do is take any information you gather back to your godparent for verification and explanation. Then stick to the way things are done in your god-family. You’ll grow in your community, learn and form respectful bonds with your god-family. As you make your way in Santeria you’ll see just how best to function as a tribe, how to honor the ancestors, the orishas and your family through your actions and in how you conduct yourself in life.

Changó on his birthday throne at the Santería Chuch of the Orishas 2013.

For many elders in the Lucumí religion, feast days of the Catholic saints associated with the orishas were honored as days for that orisha in the year. Today is December 4th, the feast of Saint Barbara. As Saint Barbara is syncretized with the orisha Changó, many elders in Lucumí will honor today as “Chango’s Day”. It’s important to understand that in the strictest sense it isn’t Chango’s day, but some of the older folk in the religion hold on to their Catholic elements. (As do many Spiritists!)

So for today I say “Kawo Kabiosile Changó, babá mi. Modupue fun gbogbo iré!” as he rules our church, and I salute all children of Changó. May our father defend us always and bless us forever!

The Lucumí Ancestral Shrine at our church with offerings of food, drinks and cigar.

Honoring the Ancestors is of primary importance in all Lucumí rituals and practices. The Ancestors come before the orishas and must be given their due attention and offerings before proceeding with any initiation, ritual or festival. Ancestors are typically honored with food offerings, drinks, flowers, prayers, cigar smoke, libations of water (omí tutu) and coconut as well as other offerings they might like.

Who are the Ancestors?

The Ancestors are known collectively as Egun. Egun includes your ancestors of blood lineage but also ancestors of initiatory lineage. This includes the priests and priestesses who initiated you, your godparents, their godparents and back to the very start of the Lucumí faith. Egun does not include spirit guides like your gypsy spirit. Egun does not include the Seven African Powers. Egun does not include elevated masters like Buddha and Jesus nor does it include saints like St. Michael. These other spirits that are not of your blood or initiatory lineage are called Ará Orún (sometimes mispronounced Ará Onú) – citizens of heaven. They are not propitiated at the Lucumí Ancestral Shrine. They can be propitiated at the bóveda (altar of Espiritismo).

For those who were adopted, Egun include the people you never knew that gave birth to you and to whom you are related by blood. In my opinion they also include the family that raised you as they are the ones who supported you and got you to where you are today.

The Traditional Lucumí Ancestral Shrine

The traditional Lucumí Ancestral Shrine, sometimes called “el rinconcito del muerto”, is typically set up on the ground in the corner of a room like the kitchen or bathroom, or placed outdoors against a wall. The Lukumí Ancestral Shrine should be located away from where the orishas are kept, and should be on the ground level of a building to connect it to the earth – where the ancestors are buried. The odd tradition of placing this shrine in the bathroom or kitchen seems to originate from the fact that the pipes in these rooms bury themselves down into the earth, providing a direct connection to the ancestors buried within the land.

The traditional Lukumí Ancestral Shrine is typically set up by drawing a circle with chalk or cascarilla (efun) half on the wall and half on the ground. This represents the sun setting in our world but rising in the world of the dead. Typically nine “rays” are drawn on the half of the circle that is drawn on the ground. Within this circle are placed cooked food offerings, drinks, candles and other offerings for the dead. Additionally, the opá ikú (staff of the dead) is leaned against the wall next to this shrine and is used to call upon the dead by tapping it on the ground as prayers are recited in their honor. Some houses also include a terra-cotta tile specially prepared by babalawos with odu painted on it that represent and invoke the spirits of Egun. It is also traditional to include a bundle of nine sticks of the plant mar pacífico (hibiscus) in this shrine, due to the plants connection with spirits of the dead (although some houses use rasca barriga or other plants associated with egun). Some lineages consecrate an otán (stone) as the seat of Egun to place at the shrine but we do not follow this tradition at the Santería Church of the Orishas.

Making Offerings to Egun at the Lukumí Ancestral Shrine

A small Lucumí ancestral shrine with drinks and a candle.

Making offerings at the Lukumí Ancestral Shrine is simple. Just prepare any special foods your ancestors might like and place them on plates around the shrine. It is common to use chipped or cracked plates for the ancestors as this hearkens to the practice of smashing plates on the ground at the death of a Lucumí priest. It is common to offer 9 different types of beverages. You can include coffee, tea, rum or other kinds of spirits. I even offer some soda to my spirits because I know they enjoyed their coca-cola when they were alive. After you’ve placed all of your foods and drinks around the shrine, light a white candle for Egun to give them light. It is also nice to light up a cigar and offer them some of the tobacco smoke as well. (If you have Native American ancestry it might not be a good idea to include booze without divining first to see if this is ok with your ancestors considering how devastating alcohol has been to the Native population.)

It is also nice to place a bouquet of fresh flowers in a vase near the shrine as an offering to the spirits. Flowers are a traditional way of honoring the dead. Some people make the mistake of offering flowers to the orishas, but this is not proper. The odu Osa-Irosun (9-4) clearly indicates that flowers are for the dead, not the orishas.

When offerings are left at the Lucumí Ancestral Shrine is is traditional to tap the opá ikú (staff of the dead) on the ground as you recite the Yuba (or Moyuba) to awaken and honor your Egun, and to call them to the meal. Your godparent can give you a Yuba to pray that is associated with your lineage. Calling out the names of your ancestors and offering them praise will let them know you’ve prepared the meal for them.

If offerings are being given prior to a ceremony, an Olorisha or Oriaté will then divine with Obí (coconut oracle) to see if Egun gives their permission to proceed with the ceremony. If Egun does not give permission to proceed then the priest will use Obí to determine what is lacking and what Egun needs to give the green light to proceed.

Throughout the day, It is traditional to offer the first serving of every dish cooked to Egun by placing a little piece on a plate and setting it out by the Lucumí Ancestral Shrine. When you place offerings at the shrine, they are left until they start to go bad at which point they can be removed and disposed of. It is not uncommon for food or drinks left at the Lucumí Ancestral Shrine to be moldy. It’s the nature of death and most priests will shrug it off and clean it when they get a chance. It’s a good idea to attend to your Egun at the Lucumí Ancestral Shrine about once a week or once a month minimum.

Our bóveda at the Santeria Church of the Orishas where we work with our Ancestors through Espiritismo Cruzado.

There are several ways of working with your ancestors within Santería Lucumí. In a previous article we discussed how to work with Ancestors (Egun) through the Traditional Lucumí Ancestral Shrine (opá ikú). In this article we’ll present another common way of working with your Ancestors – through the practices of Espiritismo. Espiritismo is a separate spiritual and religious practice that has was incorporated into Santería in the mid 1900′s. The type of Espiritismo practiced in Santería Lucumí is called Espiritismo Cruzado (Blended Spiritism) because it has been blended or hybridized with African elements from the Congo people.

Espiritismo’s Concept of Ancestors

Espiritismo Cruzado focuses its spiritual practices on working with the dead. The dead include both Ancestors of blood and initiation, as well as spirit guides, guardian spirits and elevated masters. Within a Lucumí cosmology, blood and initiatory Ancestors would be called Egun, while the rest would be called Ará Orún, or “citizens of heaven”. While traditional Lucumí ancestral work is pretty limited to working with Egun, Espiritismo Cruzado has a system in place to work with Ará Orún and other non-related spirits.

One of the primary goals of Espiritismo Cruzado is spiritual evolution. This includes working toward your own personal spiritual evolution and enlightenment as well as assisting other spirits with their evolution and enlightenment. Espiritistas often work to help spirits that are trapped, addicted, obsessed or dark in vibration to evolve, release their attachments to the physical world and move on to the next stage of their spiritual growth. This work is done by offering prayers, light and service to the spirits. To be clear, ANYONE can work with Espiritismo Cruzado regardless of initiatory status.

When working with your Ancestors within Espiritismo Cruzado, you focus on offering prayers, exercising your mediumship skills and communicating with them to tend to their needs, heed their guidance and offer them spiritual energy, that they may return it to you in the form of spiritual assistance, support, enlightenment, spiritual advancement and personal empowerment. You can also pray for your spirits to support you in spiritual work you accomplish like cleansings, blessings, healings, laying on of hands, etc. Your spirits will work through you to facilitate your spiritual goals.

Each person has a Spiritual Court  - a group of spirits who surround him and work to assist him in life. Some of the spirits are of blood ancestry, but some are not. Some have opted to work with that person, guiding and protecting them through live. Others work with that person specifically on a particular issue and nothing else. Some spirits work through that person for the benefit of others. Every person has a Spirit Guardian that protects their spiritual well being and guards their back. This is why anyone can work through Espiritismo.

The Bóveda – the Altar of Espiritismo

The central altar and focus of Espiritismo’s practice is called the bóveda (BO-vay-dah – accent on the first syllable). The bóveda is typically a table, shelf or top of a dresser that has been covered with a white sheet or cloth, upon which have been placed 7 stemmed glasses of water. Some lineages use 9 glasses of water, but we utilize 7 in the Santeria Church of the Orishas. One of those seven glasses is larger and taller than the rest and represents the person’s spiritual consciousness as well as the connection to his Spirit Guardian. Some people assign individual glasses specifically to a spirit in their spiritual court. The bóveda typically has a crucifix on it, or inside the central large glass. It is also common to have images of saints, statues, candles, flowers or even doll representing a person’s spirits on it. Anyone can set up a bóveda and begin working with their spirits regardless of initiatory status. You do not have to be a priest to set one up. A person’s work with their spirits is personal and does not require the intervention of a priest or priestess.

Working With Your Ancestors at the Bóveda

Statues depicting Indian and Congo spirits, along with fans for Gypsy spirits grace this simple bóveda along with a glass of water, crystal ball and a white candle.

A common way of working with your Ancestors at the bóveda is to begin by approaching the altar and lighting a white candle for them. Then put a few dashes of a perfume of your choice, in your hands. Typically Espiritistas will use Florida Water, Colonia 1800, Siete Machos or Colonia Pompeia. Rub your hands together and pass them over their body to pick up any negativity or errant energy, then flick the energy at your bóveda so that your spirits can cleanse you and take it away. The perfumes work not only as an offering of fragrance to your spirits, but the alcohol in them works to feed and nourish your dead spirits so that they can better manifest their energies around you.

Once you’ve cleansed your aura begin by praying. There is a heavy Catholic element to Espiritismo Cruzado. The most common prayers are the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father), Hail Mary and Glory Be. Some Espiritistas like to pray from Allan Kardec’s Book of Selected Prayers. It is also nice to burn some incense for your spirits, like Frankincense and Myrrh or Three Kings. Knock on your bóveda three times to greet the spirits. Then take a moment and talk to your spirits. Discuss things that are troubling you or things with which you seek guidance. Then sit in silence and allow your mediumship skills to perceive whatever information your spirits give you.

Many Espiritistas report receiving messages in the form of ideas that pop in your head, or imagery that comes to your mind. Others have feelings in their body, or perceives scents. Allow the information to come to you in whatever way it will. You can ask your spirits for clarification. For example if they offer you an image of a car, you can say “I perceive an image of a car. How does this relate to my situation?” and see what your spirits give you. Take as much time as you can, and feel free to repeat any prayers especially after they’ve given you some guidance. Offering a prayer in response to their guidance is akin to offering them spiritual light in compensation for their help.

When you are done with your prayers and work, close with another praying of The Lord’s Prayer, Hail Mary and the Glory Be. Knock on the bóveda three times and your work is complete. While some people do offer drinks at the bóveda, strictly speaking this is not proper. Work at the bóveda should be kept spiritual in nature, not physical. Focus on offerings of prayers, candles, light and fragrance. The most physical offering you can do is to blow some cigar smoke on your bóveda, but I personally do not do this. It is always appropriate to offer flowers to the spirits at your bóveda.

Coupling your work at the bóveda with your work at the Traditional Lucumí Ancestral Shrine will give you a well-rounded practice for working with your ancestors, keeping your relationship with them strong, and maintaining their support and assistance at all times.