Coming to Santeria
Coming to Santeria has been the strangest of things for me. It is not something I have chosen - it is something, I feel, that has chosen me.
I was first taken to the spirit world over twenty years ago now at a very dramatic stage in my life, and through shamanic and magickal practice have learnt over the years to traverse the inner causeways.
I have worked with shamans, medicine men, witches, warlocks, druids, healers, spiritualists etc, from many different countries and have been very blessed to have lived an exceedingly magical life.
The many lessons I have learned - and am still learning - are always hard won and have never come easily, but through the extremes of many intense moments I have been continually forced into the fabric of creation to dismantle many negative energetic bundles - from mental, emotional imbalance to physical illness and disease. It truly is a miracle I am still alive. Yet through all of these hard won trials I have constantly observed the inner making and unmaking of things, finding direction and pathways, remedies and medicines to cure my various ills and, in turn, have used this wisdom with the greatest of humility to help others.
Through all of these spiritual adventures and quests, I have been able to articulate into ideas and language an understanding of the fundamentals of my own being, and am finally at a point now to begin the process of writing down these many adventures and insights - something people have advised me to do for many years.
It is funny then that I should start by writing about something that to me is unknowable and at this point of my life unwritable, and that is Santeria and the Orishas.
I was first taken to the spirit world over twenty years ago now at a very dramatic stage in my life, and through shamanic and magickal practice have learnt over the years to traverse the inner causeways.
I have worked with shamans, medicine men, witches, warlocks, druids, healers, spiritualists etc, from many different countries and have been very blessed to have lived an exceedingly magical life.
The many lessons I have learned - and am still learning - are always hard won and have never come easily, but through the extremes of many intense moments I have been continually forced into the fabric of creation to dismantle many negative energetic bundles - from mental, emotional imbalance to physical illness and disease. It truly is a miracle I am still alive. Yet through all of these hard won trials I have constantly observed the inner making and unmaking of things, finding direction and pathways, remedies and medicines to cure my various ills and, in turn, have used this wisdom with the greatest of humility to help others.
Through all of these spiritual adventures and quests, I have been able to articulate into ideas and language an understanding of the fundamentals of my own being, and am finally at a point now to begin the process of writing down these many adventures and insights - something people have advised me to do for many years.
It is funny then that I should start by writing about something that to me is unknowable and at this point of my life unwritable, and that is Santeria and the Orishas.
First let me say that nothing, and I mean nothing, written in any book or online article etc, has ever (and I doubt will ever) come close to my actual experience of this religion.
There is an influx of African and Latin magic now entering into the Western magickal scene - much of it misappropriated - and a heated debate has started between true practitioners of these various religions such as Santeria and vodou, and those from more eclectic modern magical traditions, including wicca and neo-paganism.
All I personally can share on these issues is my own personal experience, formulate my own opinions and leave everyone else the responsibility of doing the same.
What I can share though, from my very limited experience of Santeria is:
'DO NOT MESS WITH THE ORISHAS'.
From someone who has had many years magickal practice, I can honestly say these are not energies to be toyed with and would HIGHLY advice anyone to find a reputable Padrino {Godfather} Madrina {Godmother} in this tradition if they feel genuinely called to Santeria.
I have had my own fair share of mind altering and consciousness changing experiences (whether this has been in the sweat lodges in Arizona, the sun-dance of south Dakota, in witches' groves in Wales, or magicians' ceremonial circles in Italy, from the hill of Tara in Ireland, to bear butte in the Dakota's, from Glastonbury tor, to multiple neolithic sites, from personal to collective ceremonies all over the world). I have seen the most mundane of things being transformed into heightened, synchronistic, meaningful movements of circumstance - where things occur that simply should not, and do so over and over again at an escalating rate.
Yet, even after all of this my coming to Santeria has been something extraordinary, something I find practically impossible to explain. It is so immediate, so profound, so invisible, yet all pervasive. I truly have the feeling I have finally come home - to what, I could not exactly say, but it is home none the less.
There is an influx of African and Latin magic now entering into the Western magickal scene - much of it misappropriated - and a heated debate has started between true practitioners of these various religions such as Santeria and vodou, and those from more eclectic modern magical traditions, including wicca and neo-paganism.
All I personally can share on these issues is my own personal experience, formulate my own opinions and leave everyone else the responsibility of doing the same.
What I can share though, from my very limited experience of Santeria is:
'DO NOT MESS WITH THE ORISHAS'.
From someone who has had many years magickal practice, I can honestly say these are not energies to be toyed with and would HIGHLY advice anyone to find a reputable Padrino {Godfather} Madrina {Godmother} in this tradition if they feel genuinely called to Santeria.
I have had my own fair share of mind altering and consciousness changing experiences (whether this has been in the sweat lodges in Arizona, the sun-dance of south Dakota, in witches' groves in Wales, or magicians' ceremonial circles in Italy, from the hill of Tara in Ireland, to bear butte in the Dakota's, from Glastonbury tor, to multiple neolithic sites, from personal to collective ceremonies all over the world). I have seen the most mundane of things being transformed into heightened, synchronistic, meaningful movements of circumstance - where things occur that simply should not, and do so over and over again at an escalating rate.
Yet, even after all of this my coming to Santeria has been something extraordinary, something I find practically impossible to explain. It is so immediate, so profound, so invisible, yet all pervasive. I truly have the feeling I have finally come home - to what, I could not exactly say, but it is home none the less.
The Orisha Eleggua has lead me to its door and here I stand, dumbfounded and in awe of its opening. So far I have only received my elekes, the necklaces that mark me as an aborisha. It is only the first initiation on this long road to being crowned and what is called in the tradition, ' to make Ocha '. For a long time now I have been advised to receive the warriors, an initiation whereby the Orishas Eleggua, Ogun, Ochosi and Osun are literally birthed and bought into my life and home to help fight and protect me. Luckily my Padrino has been very patient, as I have purposefully postponed this next initiation.
Firstly because I have been deeply building and stabilising my spiritual framework with my Eggun {ancestors} and various spirit guides, working with them to balance and harmonise my life; and secondly because the ramifications of the first initiation had such a profound effect on me, that I only want to receive these Orishas when I feel I can truly honour their presence in my life and home.
From what I have seen personally, many people come to this tradition, at least nowadays, wanting something, thinking that somehow if they enter the religion they will gain power from the Orisha and in turn learn to manipulate them, much in the same way as a hoodoo practitioner would petition a saint or a magickian a spirit, to do their bidding in an act of purposeful creation. I have been in my Padrinos shop, LaBotanica in Amsterdam and seen people practically demand that he be their Padrino, with that look of magical glamor in their eyes, as if somehow these initiations will give them even greater power.
Now don't get me wrong, in a truly spiritual sense the Orisha do transmit some thing known as Ase {spiritual force} but this is not power in the sense I have previously mentioned and it is definitely not something to be manipulated or demanded from the Orisha.
My Padrino says, 'Santeria demands sacrifice and service' and I feel much the same way. My enquiry has always been how can I serve, rather than what can I get, and when I am sure I am up to the responsibility of this - with Eleggua's blessings - I will then take the next step in initiation.
Firstly because I have been deeply building and stabilising my spiritual framework with my Eggun {ancestors} and various spirit guides, working with them to balance and harmonise my life; and secondly because the ramifications of the first initiation had such a profound effect on me, that I only want to receive these Orishas when I feel I can truly honour their presence in my life and home.
From what I have seen personally, many people come to this tradition, at least nowadays, wanting something, thinking that somehow if they enter the religion they will gain power from the Orisha and in turn learn to manipulate them, much in the same way as a hoodoo practitioner would petition a saint or a magickian a spirit, to do their bidding in an act of purposeful creation. I have been in my Padrinos shop, LaBotanica in Amsterdam and seen people practically demand that he be their Padrino, with that look of magical glamor in their eyes, as if somehow these initiations will give them even greater power.
Now don't get me wrong, in a truly spiritual sense the Orisha do transmit some thing known as Ase {spiritual force} but this is not power in the sense I have previously mentioned and it is definitely not something to be manipulated or demanded from the Orisha.
My Padrino says, 'Santeria demands sacrifice and service' and I feel much the same way. My enquiry has always been how can I serve, rather than what can I get, and when I am sure I am up to the responsibility of this - with Eleggua's blessings - I will then take the next step in initiation.
All I can say for now, is that when I have been at various Santeria ceremonies something inexplicable happens. Whatever the event has been, unlike with Eggun work, the effect for me is never immediate, in fact it's all rather formal and highly ritualistic. Everyone in our Ile {House} Is busy at work doing something to fullfill their duties as the ceremony occurs. Offerings are made, songs are sung, ritualistic acts are performed by both the santeros and new initiates, very formulated divinations are made, ebos {offerings} and taboos are passed on. Afterwards there is always food, laughter, celebration and plenty of storytelling, yet while the ceremonial aspect is happening, it all feels rather formal and, dare I say it, mundane. It is always intense and highly concentrated ritualistically, but there is not the same immediate hit of spiritual force that often happens when working with Eggun.
For me it is always afterwards that the Ase comes, it is after I have left my Padrino's house and am on the way home that I realise that I am in an incredible state of altered consciousness - sometimes to such a great degree that I've been known to spend a few days so spiritually high, for use of a better term, that I have been incapable of doing much else other than take time to assimilate the experience back into my 'normal life'.
And it is these experiences that are truly unspeakable, unwritable. It is why I am growing more and more to love this tradition. It is a religion of initiation, where the unutterable transmission of Ase and spiritual force is received through the ritualistic acts performed and not through intellectual understanding.
Of course there is also much to learn and memorise if one wishes to go further in the religion, such as the patakis { Holy stories } themselves attached to specific odu, which are the letters or signs that appear during divination with the dilogún (cowrie shells) representing the will of the the Orisha invoked; but the actual transmission of Ase does not come from this knowledge, it comes from highly ritualistic acts through initiation with the Orisha themselves.
There are more books in English slowly becoming available, such as the writings of Ocha ni Lele, and the online website Santeria Church of the Orishas etc, that many people are now going to for information. However, if you think for a second that these writings should be viewed as you would most neo-pagan, witchcraft or modern magickal books - where you can simply read them, gain insight and then do a few home made spells by yourself - you are highly mistaken. Equally, an Eleggua bought for 20 dollars from an online botanica will not hold the spiritual force of a true Eleggua in any similar fashion as to that of an initiate. As a word of advice: I would steer clear of it. The Orisha are not Eggun, they are not spirits or spirit guides in the sense that they can be simply invoked in that way.
I only say this because now I have personal experience through my Ile, I understand why the elders think of all this other stuff as nothing more than religious role play.
For me it is always afterwards that the Ase comes, it is after I have left my Padrino's house and am on the way home that I realise that I am in an incredible state of altered consciousness - sometimes to such a great degree that I've been known to spend a few days so spiritually high, for use of a better term, that I have been incapable of doing much else other than take time to assimilate the experience back into my 'normal life'.
And it is these experiences that are truly unspeakable, unwritable. It is why I am growing more and more to love this tradition. It is a religion of initiation, where the unutterable transmission of Ase and spiritual force is received through the ritualistic acts performed and not through intellectual understanding.
Of course there is also much to learn and memorise if one wishes to go further in the religion, such as the patakis { Holy stories } themselves attached to specific odu, which are the letters or signs that appear during divination with the dilogún (cowrie shells) representing the will of the the Orisha invoked; but the actual transmission of Ase does not come from this knowledge, it comes from highly ritualistic acts through initiation with the Orisha themselves.
There are more books in English slowly becoming available, such as the writings of Ocha ni Lele, and the online website Santeria Church of the Orishas etc, that many people are now going to for information. However, if you think for a second that these writings should be viewed as you would most neo-pagan, witchcraft or modern magickal books - where you can simply read them, gain insight and then do a few home made spells by yourself - you are highly mistaken. Equally, an Eleggua bought for 20 dollars from an online botanica will not hold the spiritual force of a true Eleggua in any similar fashion as to that of an initiate. As a word of advice: I would steer clear of it. The Orisha are not Eggun, they are not spirits or spirit guides in the sense that they can be simply invoked in that way.
I only say this because now I have personal experience through my Ile, I understand why the elders think of all this other stuff as nothing more than religious role play.
Of course there are small tricks that can be turned - offering honey to Ochun at the river; a candle and a cocunut to Obatala and one's Ori {head, consciousness}; a few coins or some candy at the crossroads for Eleggua - but as for true magickal workings I would highly advise seeking guidance from a reputable santera/santero in the faith and follow their well earned guidance.
As for me, I will be writing many more articles on this subject because I know that there is growing interest in Santeria, and I could literally write for hours about the unwritable. All I know is this religion is one of initiation not misappropriation and if you to wish to know the unknowable, to meet and work in service with the Orisha, then may Eleggua truly open the roads for you, and may you to be blessed in finding a spiritual family in this most beautiful of religions. Ase!
As for me, I will be writing many more articles on this subject because I know that there is growing interest in Santeria, and I could literally write for hours about the unwritable. All I know is this religion is one of initiation not misappropriation and if you to wish to know the unknowable, to meet and work in service with the Orisha, then may Eleggua truly open the roads for you, and may you to be blessed in finding a spiritual family in this most beautiful of religions. Ase!