Common Assumptions and Mistakes In Religion

• • Although most people think of Santeria as a religion, they would be incorrect in thinking so. Santeria is the ignorant term for a more complex and unique religion which has managed to survive and withstand the test of time.
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• Santeria is the incorrect term for the heritage and religion. The correct and proper name of the religion is unknown, and one that dates back to Lucumi, the people of one part of the west region of Africa. The word 'santeria' refers to its Latin root, sant, which stands for saint, and it's a word given after the result of slavery, when the Spanish conquistadors enslaved the people of Africa, and exported them to the Americas and parts of the Carribean.
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• The slaves, in order to continue worshipping their gods and stay loyal and faithful to their native land's deities, would "charge" the statues and artifacts that the Spanish slave traders forced them to worship, with elements from their own religion.
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• In other words, when they would pray to the Saints dating back to the Catholic Spanish faiths, they were really praying to their owns gods, unbeknown to the Spanish slave traders and masters.


In this transitional phase of the religion, is where the simple term "santeria" came to be the most commonly used word to reference the heritage, and unfortunately, it stuck.
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• The Yoruba Culture is derived of tribes (families), Ifa (the book of Odus and the Way of Life), the Lucumi language, and its influences from surrounding cultures.

PRODUCTS

Ideses Personales

Collar de Awo para Trabajar

Un Eshu

Ogun

Ifa Divination

Divination Process

Tray and palm nuts

Special instruments are used to assist in the divination to transcribe Orumila's wisdom through the diviner. The items used for divination include:

• a group of sixteen Ikin, commonly known as palm nuts, which are used to create binary-type data
• Dust from the Irosun tree (Iyerosun)
• a vessel for the seeds (Ajere Ifa)
• a divination tray (opon Ifa).
• a tapper instrument (iroke Ifa)
• a fly whisk (Irukere Ifa)
• beaded belts for the babalawo to wear (this is not required)
  • another form of divination is with the Opele, though Ikin is considered superior

The (opon Ifa) or tray and (iroke Ifa) or tapper are used in Ifa divination, a central ritual within Ifa tradition. This tray, adorned with carved images and dusted with powder, serves as the template on which sacred signs (odu) related to the personal concerns of a diviner's client are traced as the point of departure for analysis.

To initiate the ritual, the babalawo places the tray in front of him and taps rhythmically on it with the pointed end of the tapper, invoking the presence of Orunmila, past diviners, and other Orisa.

ODU, which are the foundation of the binary data, can only be marked with either one or two palm nuts, remaining in the diviner's original hand. As this process goes on, the diviner marks single or double marks in wood powder spread on his divination tray until he or she has created one of the 256 odus that are available.

After obtaining the Odu that governs a situation or event, the diviner then determines whether the Odu comes with Ire (which is poorly translated to mean good luck) or Osorbo (which could be viewed as obstacles or impediments to success). After this process the diviner now determines appropriate offerings, spiritual disclipines and/or behavioral changes necessary to bring, keep or compel success for the person receiving divinatory counsel.

How Odu Ifa Works

There are sixteen major Odu ('books') in the Odù Ifá literary corpus. When combined there are total of 256 Odu believed to reference all situations, circumstances, actions and consequences in life. These form the basis of traditional Yoruba spiritual knowledge and are the foundation of all Yoruba divination systems.