The Spirit of Death is loose in the year 2023 : Otura Niko

Yes this is a year ruled by Obatala and Oshun (or by Exu and Oxum if you practice Quimbanda). But the sign of the year is what seems to truly be reigning this year. Already, it seems that the Ajogún are on the move bringing with them misfortune and death. Yesterday, my friend got into a car accident. A little while later, I learned that my great uncle had died suddenly. 

Between yesterday and today, some of my magical charms for protection against death, started to become overwhelmed. I had to call on the spirits to reverse whatever it was that was sending death this way. And I had to cleanse, re-bless, and recharge all of my charms. And right now as I am writing this, I found out that my neighbor whom I always talked with, died from a heart attack recently. Either just before or after New Years.

From Fine Art America

 I didn’t want to ask the date because that’s disrespectful and insensitive to his poor wife. But it was recent. So either just before or just after New Years. This year is not a good year. It’s not a year that we should all be cheering for. 

It is the year of Otura Niko, the Foreman of the Dead. 

Friends, things are only going to get worse from here. Before in 2020, COVID was the force used by the Ajogún to spread terror and disharmony. But this year they are mixing the tactics up. Now it’s more like a mix of 2020 with 2019. In 2019 it was more personalized attacks sent to different people. 

Personal problems. And 2020 was a massive problem that struck us all. This seems to be a hybrid of both those years. It has all the force if not more, of 2020. But disseminated in ways that will effect us directly. 

A friend of mine who has mixed white and native ancestry told me something recently. Now his magic is strong. He works with indigenous spirits. And when my ass has been in danger, he’s protected me. But he has this thing. 

He says odd numbered years are bad luck.

Plague of Flies

And he had the feeling before I even knew it, that this year would be bad. And now here we are. But it gets worse. Last month a fellow blogger named Librarian of the Multiverse had also had a conversation with me. That she sensed that death would be coming this year as well. 

In my head I was like, fuck because that’s really what we need now. Maybe it is. Because clearly humanity refuses to awaken from this walking coma we’re all in. I wonder if we have fallen so deeply asleep that the Ajogún have seen us as easy prey. That we’re being targeted now because they see us as dumb sheep that are easy to take out. But now I want to move on to something else.

The Divination (letter of the year) says to stay away from lakes and rivers and even rain water. A friend of mine who is a seer told me something that spooked me. You see, she had no idea what the letter of the year had said. I didn’t have the time to tell her. But she said that something is in the water.

That something is in the water that’s going to kill people this year. No, she’s not a nut job. No, she doesn’t normally say stuff like that. For the very first time in my life, I understood the true meaning of the term “my blood ran cold”. Because I felt ice in my veins hearing her say that.

I feel a rising death wave like in 2020. But this one is worse. Part of me feels like I’m on a roller coaster. I want off of and I am screaming my head off into the void. But no matter what no one is going to save me.

So with that said, I think I am going to give you all a simplified version of the Ebbos or karmic cleansings for this year. Along with some additional advice that may come in handy. 

The Ebbos given for this year include animal sacrifices. Which I am against. But I also understand traditions and what not. 

I am no one to judge my people and how they follow the ways of the ancestors. I just don’t like or agree with all the ways of our ancestors. I don’t always follow those ways. I actually considered saying nothing for fear of being rebuked by other Santeros saying I am “exploiting our religion”. 

Or some other horseshit that the zealots in my faith come up with to silence dissent. 

My spirits and my Orisha do not care about whether or not I kill an animal. They accept fruits and vegetable offerings. But they also accept cooked animals. In other words, instead of giving them an animal that is being sacrificed and discarded I give them food. If the Ebbo asks for a roaster, I go out and find a cooked roaster. 

It’s not impossible to find. There are some animals that are sacrificed in Africa that don’t exist here. So with divination and research I find what they would accept and grant them that dinner. In places that are sacred to them. I also add the fruits and vegetables anyway as an added offering.

If blood is what they want that isn’t a problem either. There are butcher shops that are willing to grant the meat and the blood. As long as they get paid they don’t care. Again, this is how I do it because my Gods and spirits allow me to. Because my Orisha allows me to. 

Do a divination, meditate, and find what works for you. And if any Santeros out there have an issue with how I approach our faith, I don’t care. It has served me well up until now. And until they (the Orishas) or my spirits tell me otherwise I will continue. I am accountable to them, not to you. 

Now the offerings in IFA, you can skip because that’s for the order of IFA. The practitioners of IFA divination and magic under Orula. I am going to give you a simplified version of the regular Santero offering. A medium rooster and seven colored strips. 

The seven colored strips symbolize the Seven African powers. The other ingredients are only for Santeros. So this simplified version is to ask the Seven African Powers for help. Tie them into different parts of the house. Such as door knobs and in windows to ward off death.

In fact consider making a bracelet of these seven strips for yourself. As an amulet. The cooked roaster is the sacrifice that will empower the charms. They will work against death. Which will be very important because there is an article I wrote which is about charms against death. 

In addition to that :

– Honey for Oshun, Brandy for Eshu, Incense or anything holy for Obatala because he’s the King of Heaven. And because Santeria is mixed with Catholicism, Christian things like blessed white candles or incense for him will do.

– And you could get another roasted chicken for Orula, his wife Odu, and the spirits of IFA and ask for their blessings and protections. If you approach them with respect, they won’t care what faith you belong to. 

Leave these offerings at a crossroads with three pennies for Elegua so that he will send the offerings to the Orishas. Also this is very important, to a point even more important than the offerings mentioned before.

Offerings for the dead

Praying before the tile of the dead in Santeria

You need to use any form of protection the dead can give you. Sacrifice to your ancestors. Light candles and incense to them, give them Hades Money, etc… don’t be stingy. And if you don’t already have an ancestor shrine to them, now is the time to make it happen. Because our primary protection comes from the dead.

And also our non human spiritual guides such as Angels, Nature Spirits, etc..we need all of their protections. So when you have a chance give offerings at a cemetery to Oya. 

– Nine Purple Grapes

– 9 Red Roses

– Nine Pennies

– A Bottle of Red Wine

For her and for all the dead. You don’t have to enter the cemetery. Oya brings the dead to the front gates. Leave the offerings there and she will share it with the dead. Ask them and her for protection and blessing. 

And for mass purification in all its forms. And dedicate that entire cemetery to her and the Gods of the Dead. You should feel different. As if something negative left your body when you pray to her. When you are done, leave a candy offering to Elegua in his Eshu form. 

And ask him to send these offerings to Oya and the dead. And then leave without looking back. 

Now it’s important to also work within your own religion. If you don’t believe in Santeria but want protection, research these Deities and find someone in your own religion who matches them. For instance, if you’re Christian, the Archangel Gabriel is the Messenger of God (Elegua is the Messenger of the Gods) and he’s one of the Angels of Death. 

So he’s perfect for this. And instead of a crossroads or all these offerings, you make a massive donation to your church for him in Jesus name. And Jesus died and rose again. So any offering to him works. And he’s the intercessor between humanity and God which makes him a messenger as well. 

Any offering you give to him, give with an open heart and perfect love. If you’re Hindu, do this with Ganesha. And look up who the God of the Dead is. One you are comfortable with and work with them instead. If you are Celtic, work with Morrigan. 

She hangs out at the crossroads and she’s associated with the dead. There’s so many options out there. Protect yourself well. But most importantly of all is this.

– Personal offerings to your spirit guides

Whoever your guide is. A God. An Angel. A Faerie. A Ghost. As well as all of your ancestors.

Whoever it is, divine with them and ask what they want and keep giving it to them all year long. By feeding your spirit guide, you are keeping yourself safe. And sacrifice to your loved ones Spirit guides as well. Even do it for your pets. I am.

Finally, I leave you with this. These were special warding rituals I did when the pandemic hit. They kept me and my family safe at the height of the pandemic. We survived 2020 without getting the disease. Even though my Mom is a healthcare worker and she had to enter places that weren’t safe. 

Meanwhile people around us were dropping dead. Even those who were supposed to be safe. This protected us. So please, read this old blog carefully. And adapt the rituals for what’s happening now.

Angry with the Gods – My Blog during the 2020 Pandemic

Just like on that blog I will keep you updated on events with updates here. Do offerings to all those spirits and Gods. And make the same kinds of charms. Do the same things I did back then. Just adapt them to whatever fresh hell we are going to suffer this year.

– M

IFA of the Year 2021-2022

The Orisha Orula, from this article in Spanish on how to prepare his offerings

From the Oyeku Ofun Temple we have the IFA for the rest of this year and halfway to next year. Please check it out, it has good information.

This is their post :

IFA of the Year 2021-2022

Now for those who are new readers and haven’t had the chance to see what this is, IFA is a system of divination and a spiritual order. It’s a priesthood of the Orisha or Yoruba God, Orula. The God of Divination and Magic who was there when the creator Deity Olofi made all things. Fa is the Orisha of Destiny. So IFA is the way of knowing destiny and how to change it via rituals meant to change your fate.

This is the best way to explain it. For instance, there are rituals in IFA that drive away sudden death. And rituals to make a poor person a successful and wealthy person etc.. the IFA of the year is the Prophesy of the Year done by the Babalawos. Orula’s priests. They speak to him and to all the other Yoruba Deities or spirits via the system of divination.

And they tell us what the new year entails and what has to be done to ensure success. These rituals are known as Ebbo. And they range from sacrificial offerings to cleansing rituals. Rituals meant to change our fates. Strict adherence must be given to these rituals.

Screwing them up can have horrible repercussions. And so it’s necessary to go to a good Babalawo and pay him to do the rituals on your behalf the right way. My Babalawo is a Cuban man trained in Nigeria under the Aworenis. Btw this is just me dumbing the explanation down of what IFA is and what the Babalawos are. I am not claiming to be any kind of expert.

This is the best way to explain it. So with that said, happy Yoruba New Year and many blessings for all.

– M

Death on the Horizon

The Virgin of Mount Carmel or simply La Virgin del Carmen in Spanish. Mary as the Queen of the Dead. She has the power to free souls from Hell and Purgatory.

A few days ago, I got a nasty feeling. My land lady is a Romani woman. One of her animals almost died. And the red scarf around her neck that she uses to protect herself from the evil eye was loosening. Some nasty person whom she is already aware of had sent her a curse.

And said animal absorbed it. After the incident, I started getting a warning from my own spirits. And I am now doing special protective rituals for myself.

Leading the lost and angry souls out

Not too long after that, I received a blog post notification from an Orisha Temple in California. And they had a very interesting thing to say. They were warning of sudden death.

IFA To Overcome Death from OTURAOYEKU

In Yoruba religion, we have sacred signs. And they have different stories attached to them. They tell various stories that are sacred texts. But this sign I did not recognize. It’s called Oturaoyeku.

I had to call up an old Santero from Cuba to look it up. Apparently it’s referred to as “the devil’s mark” and a “sign of demonic power”. It means there are people plotting mischief or harm of some sort. Betrayal that could lead to murder. Curses from unethical practitioners.

Strange deaths, bad luck of every sort, the works. I looked it up later for myself and yes. This is a sign of corruption and vice. It symbolizes the “rot of corpses”. It means “even the Devil has a protective Egun” (spirit of the dead, a spirit guide).

This is a metaphor reminding us that everyone, even bad people, have spiritual protectors. And these evil spirits aid them in causing harm to good people. Speaking from past experience, that’s very true. Also we have a Mercury Retrograde headed our way next Saturday (Jan 30th, 2021). Which means Hermes is headed towards his cthonic aspect of Terrestrial Hermes.

Terrestrial Hermes, the guide of the dead

Hermes as a God of the dead. Their guide and protector. Hermes is a God of many things. From magic to technology, to languages, and business. Not just communication.

So when he enters his reaper aspect, everything he’s in charge of goes in reverse. Marriages break down, businesses go down, friends become enemies, etc.. And of course money problems. So now is not a time to make projects. Now is not a time to argue with anyone or try to prove yourself right. It will all backfire on you.

Now is the time to honor your dead through Hermes. Ask for his guidance. Retrogrades happen for a reason. And that reason is that things need to be corrected. And given the clusterfuck of a year we had in 2020, that’s an understatement.

Meditate, be a hermit. And stay the hell out of trouble. If someone mouths off to you, ignore them. Be polite and move the fuck on. It isn’t worth it.

Because all it takes is one confrontation. Just one, and you could get beat up. Or arrested, cursed, hell even killed. It isn’t worth it.

Leading them to their eternal resting places

So we all need to slow down. Don’t go out as much. Try to avoid dangerous situations. During a normal retrograde, accidents happen. But given that the Babalawos have sensed death in the air this isn’t something you want to tempt. And have a lot of patience because you need it.

They prescribe using Iyerosun. It’s a type of magical powder that comes from a tree named the Iyosun tree. Loosely translated it means Iyosun powder. It’s wood dust normally made by termites. And it’s blessed with ashe (divine grace) by the Babalawos.

The instructions are in their post. However, you should only do this if you are either a Babalawo or have some kind of knowledge on it. For non initiates that will be a lot harder. Unless you can find someone in your area who practices. If not I would suggest doing an offering to Orula and Odudawa for some heavenly protection.

You don’t have to be a Santero for that. I’ve seen Rootworkers pray to Orula and give him offerings. Do a divination and ask for help. Ask them what they want as an offering. Or even look it up.

It won’t have the exact same effect as what is prescribed. But the Orishas always listen to those who wish for help. Same with other divine beings. Just make sure you respect the culture and heritage. If you have questions book a reading with the Babalawos.

I normally offer that myself. But in these matters, these are high priests and have greater knowledge and spiritual authority. Or if you have a God you already feel comfortable with or a Saint or whoever, ask them. This isn’t a contest. Everyone has their own spirituality that works for them.

If you wish to work in your own culture, but need a few tips, book a reading with me. Studying folk magic prepared me for helping others to carve out their own rituals. Make it there’s. Regardless, there’s a few things that the Santero I spoke with gave me as advice during this time.

– He said I should pray to Orula and Odudawa. For protection of myself and family.

– Make offerings to Babalu Aye and Oro.

Babalu Aye handles disease. Oro is a very strange being that didn’t quite make it to Cuba. Essentially he is a God of the dead and necromancy, and he punishes the wicked. When he kills them, their ghosts join his group or entourage and they punish people for him

him.

A Babalawo first told me about him. But good luck getting any real information. His cult in Nigeria is a mystery religion, for men only. It’s a secret society. And when they do their night time rituals, people know to stay in doors.

There was a controversy in Nigeria a few years ago. It was over a Muslim woman at was out on the road at night. The cult was doing a procession in the streets with drums. People are supposed to stay in doors. But she was out at night and had encountered the men doing their rituals.

A taboo that hasn’t been broken in a long time. I can’t remember too much except that I think she got hurt. And it made a huge religious debate. The question was raised about whether or not everyone in a community, should be subject to taboos from religions they don’t practice. Regardless, Oro’s cult and it’s secrets are known only to those who initiate.

What I do know from a Paranormal case where I asked a Babalawo for help, is that Oro and Babalu Aye are often called upon together. They’re given offerings and called upon for protection from evil spirits. From Black Magic. From cursed lands and weird deaths etc.. So it makes sense this old Santero would tell me to call upon them. Apparently we are to ask from protection from them as well.

– Wear a Cross or Protective Charm around your neck.

He says that at this time, the Devil’s power will be at it’s strongest. That in his day, he was told to wear holy items around his neck if something like this came about. It wasn’t always a cross either. Sometimes he would wear some kind of amulet in the form of a small charm bag around his neck. At other times a tiger’s eye stone, or a medal of a Saint.

So no matter the religion, wear something protective around your neck. A crystal, a small bag or ring. He even mentioned having small family heirlooms blessed. You could wear that around your neck and it would work too. He didn’t go too deep into it except that it was a taboo he observed.

In my case I don’t have my necklace because it broke recently. So I am using a red band blessed by by the Romani woman with the medals of St. Benedict around my wrist. The use of charms is a very important taboo to follow now.

– Avoid all forms of negative thinking, action, or speech

What he was told when he was a young man, was that the bad spirits can hear you more clearly under this sign. So if you complain about something, or just say something nasty in general, they’ll make it worse. They’ll take it as an open invitation to come bother you. Even if it’s something nasty about a person who is nasty themselves. Don’t speak on it.

Don’t do curses or just retribution spells. Instead do offerings to your higher powers and let them handle stuff for you. These beings want to give you enough rope to hang yourself with. Don’t give them that satisfaction. And with a retrograde, that is likely to happen almost anywhere.

So don’t just quarantine because of the pandemic. Staying out of the streets is a good thing even if we didn’t have a plague on our hands.

– Beware of betrayal. And beware of gifts from enemies.

You have no idea what they’re really giving you. A special emphasis was made on witches who curse objects they gift you. These objects are supposed to turn your life upside down.

– Beware when divining

He mentioned something about these spirits trying to reach us when we divine. If we must divine it should only be in daylight hours. Never in the night. And only if we know how to block negative spirits from messing with our visions and messages. This is something very prevalent in this sign.

Especially with the use of cards I am told. Which is probably some kind of psychic interference these entities do in this sign. They seem to cause confusion and misinformation. Which leads me to the next taboo.

– Don’t make decisions with a bad mind

The bad spirits will make life more stressful. They will try to spin you every which way. To get you off guard so that you can make a mess out of your life. These are things that sound a lot like a Retrograde. But unlike a retrograde, this is not for your own good.

It’s meant to take you backwards in life.

– Beware of dark spirits

Specifically, beware of Eggun Buruku or “dark dead”. These are the angry ghosts of people who either weren’t good in life. Or they died in horrible ways, were forgotten and lost by their descendants etc.. They’ll be roaming the streets more than usual. Many cultures or faiths have their own version of dark ghosts. The Japanese even had their own books detailing what kinds of Yūrei (angry ghosts) were out there.

So probably brush up on your banishing rituals and recharge your charms. And when walking into your house, walk backwards with your back entering the home. Otherwise, certain spirits can follow you inside. This is something they do in Trinidad to break your tracks so entities can’t follow you in.

– Avoid being out at night if you can. If you have to be out, ward your car and yourself with charms and prayers.

– Treachery from children. Whatever that means.

There’s a bunch of other stuff associated with this sign and all of it is bad. But I think I made my point. Oh and one last thing, cleansing baths. And the use of holy water. To cleanse your soul and mind.

Or if you are good with herbs, cleanse with that. Cleanse daily to avoid dark energy in yourself and your body. Be safe everyone,

– M

IFA of the Year 2020-2021 from Nigeria

Cuban Bablawos do the “Letter of the Year” on the modern new year. But the traditional Yoruba new year happens from June the previous year to June the next year. And like the Cuban Letter of the Year, the IFA of the Year is divination done by the Priests of Orula. The great Orisha (Deity) of divination and magic. The creator of the occult science of IFA.

The way in which we not only understand destiny, but also change it for our own benefit. The following is what the divination for this new year says.

IFA OF THE YEAR 2020/2021

Consultation with the Babalawo

Priests of IFA engaging in Divination

I promised all of you, that I would keep you up to date on what came of the child. I have very good news to share with all of you. Since the banishing of the negative spirits was done, it would seem that her health has greatly improved. She is doing better and for the moment seems stable. However, this also comes with some bad news.

I began receiving visions of a woman, a nasty one. I got the feeling that someone had cursed the child’s mother to cause a miscarriage. That was what I had suspected in my last post near the end. I received confirmation from a medium that I was correct. We combined our powers and I began to perceive two other women. 


The end result is something so horrible that I am not going to post my suspicions here because the family reads my blog. The news was shocking to the medium and the baby’s grandmother. We believe there are three women involved. But who they are we still don’t know 100%. Someone has done a lot of hardwork to cover their tracks and the illusion spells they cast are too strong for us to see through. 


They had formed a coven of three to gain power. And while there is a generational curse, it seems that they had also cast a spell upon the child while she was in the womb. But nothing could prepare me for what the Babalawo I went to informed me of. A Babalawo is a high priest of the Orisha (God) Orula. The God of Divination and Magic. 


One of the highest deities of the pantheon. Babalawo or simply Awo means “father of all things material and spiritual” or “father of the mysteries”. These are the primary diviners of traditional Yoruba faith. We go to them for some of the most complex cases there are. I had decided to go to a special Babalawo that I met less than a month ago.


Tuesday June 11th 2019 Feasts of St. Bartholomew and the Roman Goddess FortunaHour : 3:30pm-4:00pm

The Bablawo who was initiated into IFA faith of Orula in Nigeria, spoke with me and the Grandmother. His master is the head of the Aworeni family, basically the Pope or Dali Lama of the IFA sect. He performed a long series of prayers to the Orishas. After a little under an hour he mentioned a much older generational curse. One that causes strange deaths in the family.


 The Grandmother told us the baby’s grandpa died from a very strange work related accident at a young age. The details are not fully known. I had not seen this. But it made sense. He also mentioned that the state and town the baby’s family has lived in are full of nasty spirits. 


Ghosts of people who have died from horrible diseases and sudden deaths. The Babalawo said that if the child does not leave that area, that it would be good for special idols to be sent. One of Babalu Aye (God of disease and healing) and the other of Orisha Oro to be fed offerings of animal blood. But we explained that the girl’s mother is very stubborn and will not allow such a thing. Oro is a God of Necromancy and the ancestors. 


He is invoked to stop Eggun Buruku (dark ghosts) from harrassing the living. He also punishes criminals. He is served by his cult in Nigeria who have their own woods to meet. This is not an Orisha to call upon for no reason. If he is mentioned by the priest, it means that the spiritual atmosphere of the area must be dark and toxic indeed. 


He also mentioned that the child’s soul does not wish to be on Earth. Her Ori or doppelganger wants to depart to Orun (heaven). This is a common theme in Yoruba faith. There are special magical children called Abiku. They have pacted with friends and family from their previous lives to rejoin them in heaven soon after reincarnating.

That they will only live for a few hours, days, months, or years on Earth and then return quickly to their old family. 
Now, neither he nor I am stating she is abiku. I am just explaining that this is one of the common beliefs about such children. We agreed upon him doing the Ebbo ritual himself here in Miami, Florida. This include one animal sacrifice, food, fruit, and special prayers. 

He will is also sending and preparing a bracelet of IFA and a special soap with herbs inside of it to the child. The herbs will cleanse the child of any and all negativity. The Mano de Orula (Hand of Orula) bracelet will keep her grounded to Earth so she doesn’t pass away. The ritual which was also be video taped so that the family could see the rituals impressed me and them alike. Upon researching the area where the family has lived,  I discovered that there is a history of epidemics.

 Such as typhoid fever, scarlet fever, but most of all cholera. When I told the Medium this, she decided to have a closer look with the angel Uriel. Uriel began sending her visions. She said she saw men and children working in factories with long pipes and black smoke. She also saw people sick in beds. She thinks the two are related. 


I believe these individuals may have died from the smoke inhalation. I personally recieved something about coal factories or coal miners in the 1800’s. After making some inquiries online I found images that seem to coincide with what she saw. It seems to have happened all over that state. Not just the family’s town.


 This took place during the Industrial Revolution. I provided the Grandmother with links showing the historical research. I have asked my Shaman friend Michael Robishaw of Alexandria Paranormal Investigations if his researcher can look up odd deaths in the area. But so far everything the priest mentioned is backed and verified. Including strange deaths even in the baby’s family.


 Michael also did Shamanic healing for the child while all of this occurs. I continued my banishing now to include a Pagan Christian funeral mass for the Angels of Death to cross over as many lost souls there as possible. Finally, today the grandmother showed me a video of Penny and she is becoming a normal baby. Growing fast. You wouldn’t have known that she was ever a premature baby. 


The doctors still have no idea what caused her disease or even why she is suddenly getting better. But it worked. That’s what’s important. The banishing ritual and the funeral mass will continue until the spirits are fully removed. If anything changes, I will keep you posted.


– M

IFA Calender as well as the Astrology Report

This will be a short blog post because I am posting links to other blogs.

This is a professional photo. I included the actual Blog it comes from at the bottom of the image.

Astrology https://mauldinfamily1.wordpress.com/2019/03/31/wemoon-lunar-news-27/

The IFA Calendar

I’ll do my Soothsaying report soon.

  • M

Who rule the Months in IFA Calenders?

For those who don’t know, the IFA Calender is created by IFA Priests who divine who will rule each day of the Month. So the calender is not set. The Gods who rule each day are always different. My perceptions of these days are mine alone. Perhaps someone else with a different personality would view Sango/Oya days as prosperous all the time.

Or an O/O/O day as warlike. These are the following Orishas :

Sango or Shango

God of lightning and fire, masculine sexuality, and magic. He’s also a seer God. His Wife Oya, is the Goddess of the marketplace, storms, winds, change, and she’s the guide to the dead. She leads them to the front door of the Cemetery. So these are both powerful Deities.

And as both King and Queen they personify wealth.

Shango & Oya

So a day ruled by them may be prosperous or disastrous. Or both, it all depends on the nature of the day. Or how you choose to see it.

Ogun, Orisha Oko, Ochossi

Ex husband of Oya, and brother of Shango. The blacksmith of the Yoruba Orishas. A master of metal and weaponry, every blade made is usually owned by him. Unless he makes it for another God who is then gifted the blade. He also has a powerful responsibility as protector of nature.

Lord Ogun & his Altar of metal work

After losing his wife to Shango and the drunkenness which caused him to disrespect his family, he exiled himself into the jungles. There he grew to understand nature, appreciate, and love the animals. So, similar to Leshi (Ukrainian Green Man) he is a defender of nature. In Haitian Vodoun he is worshipped as a God of Revolution and Freedom. He is the Loa (Vodoun Deity) who inspired the Slaves and Free people of color to wage Rebellion.

He is acompanied by Orisha Oko and Ochossi. Orisha Oko or the God Oko, is the God of agricultural Prosperity. His altars are always outside of a house near grass or plants. He brings prosperity in the form of crops, food, and other necessary things. Ochossi is a master magician and shaman of the Gods as well as a hunter and enforcer of justice.

Ochossi, the Divine Hunter. Founder & owner of all prisons. Dispenser of justice. Mage & Shaman
Orisha Oko in the field. Often synchronized with St. Isidore


The thing all three have in common is nature and prosperity. I personally view a day ruled by them as prosperous. Because Ogun makes things, Orisha Oko grows crops, and Ochossi is a Shamanic Healer. An O/O/O day for me, is always good and actually chill. It’s a day to do whatever you want or to focus on nature and spirituality.

For me an S/O day is usually for major projects, visits to the cemetery, or breaking curses and bad luck (or casting curses).  There is prosperity in these days too but becareful.

Obatala, Egungun, Iyami, and Sanpanna

Obatala is the white robed king. Ruler of Heaven, second only to the Supreme Creator Deities. He’s the King of the Gods. Egungun is a child of Oya, Orisha of all the Dead. The collective dead.

This Deity is every dead person who has ever died or will ever die.

A man dressed as Egungun

The Iyami or “divine and mysterious mothers” are Goddesses of Ashe or divine energy. They are the guides of Olodumare (Mother Goddess) to all of us. They are the pure incarnation of the Aje or first energy. No one can directly make offerings to them. All offerings are done via Elegua.

One of the Iyami Priestesses

And Sanpanna or Sakpata is the Lame footed Deity. The God who heals or causes disease. To me, Obatala and Egungun symbolize tranquillity. And the Iyami Goddesses symbolize knowledge. Sanpanna is a Deity who is normally relaxed with me.

Sanpanna, Sakpata, or in Santeria Babalu Aye

I am not afraid of him. Nor does his presence make me feel uncomfortable. So while others would find this to be a turbulent day, for me it is a day of blessings and wisdom. Comfort and an energy toward action of some sort.

IFA, Esu, Osun, Aje, Yemoja, and Olokun

IFA is the spiritual order created by the God Orula. Orula is the Orisha of magic and divination. A powerful sorcerer deity, he created IFA as a science and religion. The science of understanding Fa, Orisha of Destiny. Through sacrifices or Ebbos, it is possible to alter the course of someone’s destiny.

Blessings of IFA

Babalawos or “fathers of mysteries” are the high priests. They even remove Generational or Karmic Curses. And they have been called upon for the removal of evil spirits. They act as intermediaries with the Gods. Esu is also known as Elegua in Santeria and Yoruba practice.

Esu or by whatever name you call him by, is the God of the Crossroads. Messenger and Gatekeeper of the Gods. Protector of the home. Much like like Hestia or any other home protecting Deity, first and last offerings go to him in any ritual. So Esu is the opener of roads.

The one who makes the way clear. He’s also a master magician who has learned the secrets of every single Orisha. The Patakis or religious stories, tell us of how in his child form (he can be a young boy or a grown man) he cleansed the Creation Goddess Olodumare. When she asked him how he came to have this knowledge, the divine child simply answered that he followed the Orishas and learned their knowledge. From that day forward, the mighty Goddess made him the Keeper of the Crossroads.

Giving him a key necklace as a sign of his Kingship over the crossroads. That’s also how he became the messenger of the Gods. So Elegua is one of the most important Deities.


Osun or Oshun is Oya’s mother and one of Shango’s other wives. She is the Goddess of Love, Nature, Rivers, Prosperity, and a Witch Goddess as well. She actually has an incarnation named “Oshun Queen of Witches”. Some have likened her to Aphrodite. And she does have similar qualities.

Lady Oshun

 
But, she also carries deep associations with nature that liken her more unto Demeter. As a queen of nature, without Oshun, there could be no life on Earth. When the male Orishas laughed at her and told her she was “too girly” to help build the Earth, she fled. The result was that the Earth started falling apart under their too agressive influence. When they panicked, they went before Olodumare and Olofi (The Supreme Father God and Mother Goddess).

Olodumare quickly figured out why creation was falling apart : Oshun wasn’t there to bring balance. When the Goddess of creation ordered them to find her, they were surprised to see that she actually turned her small corner of the world into a paradise. And that it was functioning without any of them. With Oshun alone, her Ashe or cosmic life energy kept everything working smoothly. The power of the Gods manifest in everyone.

It’s the same energy as the Hebrew Ruach or the Egyptian Ekat.

Yemaya is the Queen Mother of the Ocean. Santeros often call her “the mother of the world”. Because without water, there can be no life. She is also a powerful Witch Deity.

Yemaya, worshipped as La Virgin De Regla (The Virgin of the Rule) in Cuban Catholicism

But more than that, she is a Mother Goddess. She watches over Mothers and Catholicism.

Olokun is the Priest (or Priestess) of Yemaya. Some have argued that Olokun is just another Camino (Path) or Avatar of Yemaya. Others say Olokun is a seperate Orisha.

Olokun Altar

And no one knows what gender Olokun is. Because Olokun no longer appears on land. When Olokun had, dogs chased him/her back into the sea. That legend states Olokun was a woman. But other legends describe Olokun as male.

We’ll never know. Though another school of thought states Olokun is transgender. No that isn’t meant to be a political statement. All Gods and spirits are shape shifters. And Gods in every culture have taken a male or female form. Even Shango has a female Camino/Avatar.

Same with every male and female Deity. Oya can shape shift into a man to ride into battle beside her husband. That’s why she’s called “The Woman who puts on pants to go to War”. An I/E/O/A/Y/O day is a day that feels semi peaceful and semi conflictive. I say this because Yemaya and Oshun have a rivalry going on.

These are simply my impressions of the energy of those days. Tomorrow I will post my divinations on this month. 

The Orishas of the Yoruba Nation of Nigeria
  • M

The Letra del Año (IFA letter of the year) for 2019

First my apologies, I have written this all on my phone. And wordpress doesn’t seem to like that.
The Yoruba people of Nigeria have a very interesting and complex religion. Among the many wonderful cultural gems they have, are the Priesthood of Babalawos (Fathers of the Mysteries). The Babalwos are members of the IFA order. Fa is the Orisha (Deity) of destiny. So IFA is the way that we understand our destinies and our place in the Universe.
IFA specializes in every aspect of destiny. I have seen them help to break generation and karmic curses. I have seen them correct people’s life paths. They have done wonders with their magics. They gain their powers from Orula, the Orisha of Divination and Magic amongst other things.
Every year Cuban Babalwos in Santeria engage in the the Letra del Año or letter of the year. They do special divinatory rites in which certain letters of IFA come out. Each letter has it’s own significance. The letters are tied to ancient stories known as a Pataki, which is our version of Biblical accounts. Our Legends. Our sacred texts.
The Babalawos will then interpret these stories in order to tell us the will of the Gods or sometimes the spirits around us. They do a letter of the year to tell us what we can expect to happen in the New Year. This begins with the name of the Reigning Orishas of the year (sometimes they can reign for two years). The colors of the Orishas put together in a flag. And of course the Ebbo or cleansing of the Year.
 This is a cleansing to ensure prosperity and good energy. Or to protect from negative energy and bad influences. Usually I see them in English posted on New Year’s Day. But from what I can see they’re only in Spanish now. So, I’ve taken it upon myself to translate them in English for all of you.
Some words translated aren’t Spanish at all. Because they’re in the language of the Yoruba people.
Here’s a small glossary of terms :
1) Otan
An idol made up of sacred stones in Santeria and in the older Yoruba faith. Essentially the stones are part of the representation of the Orisha being honored. They are ceremonially charged with magico-religious rituals and then become a living embodiment of the Deity. In other words, the Divine Spirit of that Deity dwells in the Otan and lives with the worshipper inside their home by means of the idol. This is not idolatry.
We know very well these are idols. We do not worship them. We venerate or respect them because they carry a spark of the Divine embued by the rituals.
2) Ebbos and Adimmus
A special set of offerings for an Orisha. Usually to achieve specific goals. There is a very good article on what these things are is or at least the various definitions given here:
3) Sarayeye
A ceremonial cleansing either with herbs or by rubbing a living animal like a chicken over your body to remove negative influences.
4) Paraldo
This is a very complex ritual that can only be done by a Babalawo or high priest of Orula. It’s too complex to start talking about here. But needless to say it is more than just an herbal bath. It is transferring a dark spirit of the dead who causes harm, to an animal. There are other ingredients and things that must be observed.
I don’t think that there are any English sources on this. So I will translate as soon as I have the chance. And the animal, a chicken, has to have it’s face covered because if not, looking into it’s eyes will allow the entity to return to a person to cause harm. Do NOT attempt this on yourself because you need a high priest of Orula. And don’t go to just anyone because you’ll mess yourself up.
5) Palo Rompe Hueso (Bone Breaker Stick)
In Yoruba practice, the use of magic sticks is very common. This stick is called Bone Breaker because it causes Spiritists to enter such a trance, that sometimes in their hysteria they will hit walls or tables so hard that they break their own bones. The scientific name is Casearia sylvestris.
The original in Spanish version of this year’s Letra can be found here:
“The IFA Oracle leaves us the following,
Recommendations and warnings that should be followed throughout this year to manage to protect us from all obstacles. Babalawos of different religious branches of Cuba have returned to meet led by the Yoruba Cultural Society. And the Council of Senior priests of IFA, to make known their predictions for the year beginning this Tuesday January 1: The letter of the year 2019. The ceremony began this last December 31 and has been extended until this January 1. From the IFA Oracle the following recommendations and warnings come out that should be followed throughout this year to manage to save from all the obstacles.
The enlargement of the document will be released on Wednesday 2 January at one o’clock in the headquarters of the Yoruba Cultural Society of Cuba.
 Regent Sign: Oche Ogunda 1st.
Witness: Ika Ogunda
Second Witness: Osa Kuleya
Prophetic Prayer: Osorbo Iku intori Ogu.
Orula Onire: An Adimu (offering) of a yam, a coconut split into 2 halves, everything must be muddied or splashed with Coconut oil, his Coconut and his candles.

Otan Onishe Ara:

Sarayeye with a chicken which is then given to Oggun, with the other ingredients and a bath with herbs of Paraldo.

Otan governing Deity: Oshun

Accompanying Deity: Oggun Otan

Flag: Yellow with green edgings

Ebbo: 1 goat (for Elegba) 5 Güiritos, to which they are given indigo, honey, Palm oil butter, Palo Rompe Hueso, and blood of goat and hanged on the door, and the other ingredients. (1)

(Note : Güiro is a type of plant. Güiritos or “little Güiros” are the fruit of the plant which is super hard. Almost like a rock.)

Sayings of the Letter
“The Knife itself does not achieve,”
(Sort of a rough translation)
“One does not receive the arrow without first going to the Battleground,”
“What is left behind is not picked up again,”
Diseases that shall increase this year:
* Stomach and Intestine Diseases
* An increase in STD’s
* Men becoming impotent early in life due to Prostate Issues
*  Malignant conditions of the colon and rectum
Events of social interest:
* Continued problems in agricultural production due to issues with the fertilization of the soil. This will of course effect production and sales in these areas.
* The Sea will enter the land which will lead to flooding and collapse of buildings or infustrature.
* Rise in the conflict over immigration
*  The dangers of natural catastrophes in all it’s forms will continue.
Recommendations (as well as warnings):
* Be aware of the dangers of wasting money or resources. Needless wasting in other words.
* Avoid of the ill uses of chemical products in agricultural production.
* Be careful of epidemics and disease
* Beware of confrontations and brawls
* Maintain an appropriate religious ethic
* We must find resources and help between all of us to achieve a common goal.
* Respect the Elders and find a religious orientation.
* Avoid troubles with the law
* Venereal diseases due to sexual debauchery
* Better use the Agricultural resources we have
* Equality in all orders
* It is recommended to reinforce your Oggun (go to your Godfathers for this)
(Note: Oggun is a Warrior Orisha who is also a master of magic and protector of nature. This means any idol of Oggun would need a reinforcement ritual done by a Santero’s Godfather for extra protection. If you follow another tradition and you have any protective idols or charms, going to your own religious authority for a reinforcement of protection would be a good idea for this year.)
* Parents must beware of spoiling their children or giving them too much
* Parents must give careful attention to the care of their children’s education
* It is prohibited to self medicate oneself.
We thank these outlets of mass communication which make it possible for these predictions to reach all the corners of the world and wish everyone a Happy and Prosperous 2019!”
When I have time, I’m doing to do some serious reflections on this Letra. And I will point out the common patterns as well as things that seem to align. Although if we’re going to be honest, this has been the most straight forward and simple divination in a while. The common themes seem to be with balance and curtailing our more destructive qualities which seem to be coming out in mass this year. It seems the darker side of our natures is going to be coming out this year.
This makes sense since Oggun is one of the reigning Deities. However,  Oshun is the main Deity and she helps to bring balance to his warlike energies. Oshun is the Goddess of Love, Nature, Witchcraft, Prosperity, and many other things. So it goes down to how we react to adversity this year. Yin and Yang can fight each other, or one can learn to work with both.
You can read similar things in the Umbanda religion from Brazil. Ogum (Ogun) rules this year in their faith. Here is the report on that
It’s up to us. Until next time,
– M
(1) Now, No I do not engage in Ceremonial sacrifices. I try to get creative with my offerings to the Gods. They know I love animals very much. So they normally allow me to use replacement offerings instead. I check with my Godparents in Santeria for this.
There are times when my Godparents insist due to tradition. They however do it for me. I have the Eleke of Inle, the Orisha of Medicine. Because both Inle and my guides prevent me from the use of blood shed. It’s hypocritical to love animals and yet have sacrfices done.
My sacrifice is only for my Elegua and my Godfather will cook the poor Chicken to at least be dinner instead of just killed. I also intend to bury the bones in order to honor his spirit. But after that I don’t intend to do such things again. I’m going to ask my Godparents what offerings I am to give in replacement of some of these.

Interesting mesh of magical influences this Month

Sharing the IFA calender for this Month. And I have noticed some interesting things while reviewing it. Now, my observations have nothing to do with IFA. At least not all the way. These are things that I noticed based on my readings, divination (that I do for myself) every time that I update my calender, and Cuban and Greek folk ways.

 

I am not intending to misconstrue various traditions. Nor am I intending to offend anyone. This is my personal, mixed, theology and how I view things. Today I looked at the calender on my wall and remembered that I haven’t updated anything. As soon as I get astrological reports or the Monthly IFA calender from this site, I update my wall calender.

Off the bat, I realized that today is Thursday the 8th. Thursdays and the number 8 are sacred to Poseidon. So I did my offerings for him at a tree I designated for male Gods of Prosperity and I gave the offering in his name. Once I realized how important today was, and remembered that Thursday is a good ritually charged day, I decided to sit down and update my calender. In doing so, I discovered some powerful days with numerology.

 

Tomorrow for example is ruled by Sango and Oya and it is the 9th day (sacred to Oya). Oya and Sango are both warriors. And days they rule carry both prosperity and aggressive energy. So depending on how you look at it, you can either have a really good day or a really bad day. Moving on, Tuesday is the 13th.

 

Which carries power in Cuban and Italian tradition as Friday 13th. And guess what? Sango and Oya again. So, I added 4 (number of Sango) with Oya’s number 9 and got 13. So it’s a double 13 day. A day of great Mysticism and power.

 

On the 16th, the Planet Venus goes direct which resembles great prosperity. Since Venus/Aphrodite is not just a Goddess of love but of abundance. But, the same day Venus goes direct, Mercury goes into Retrograde which means everything goes wrong. In the IFA calender, the 16th of this Month will be ruled by Ochossi, Orisha Oko, and Ogun. While in my personal experiences with them, they bring forth prosperity, they are also warriors.

 

Well, Ochossi and Ogun are. Orisha Oko is seen as a Farmer who brings forth prosperity. Still the symbolism is clear : on one side, renewed abundance, on the other, conflict. Saturday 17th is ruled by Sango and Oya again. Saturday is normally a day for the dead and Oya is a Guide for the dead. The 21st (21 is often a number of destruction or dominance like 9) is again ruled by Sango and Oya. I did the numerology calculations of 13 (Sango and Oya) and the number 21, broke down the final number to a single digit : 7.

 

The number of Mysticism. To me this symbolizes that out of percieved destruction comes creation. The next day which is the 22nd is the day before the full moon when I do my first lunar rituals. The next day is the 23rd. The 22nd is ruled by Obatala the King of Heaven, Egungun (the collective dead), Iyaami (Divine Priestesses), and Sanpanna the Lame Footed God of Healing and Disease.

 

The next day is ruled by IFA order, Esu (Crossroads God), Osun (Goddess of love and Prosperity and this is on a Friday like Aphrodite), Aje (the Grace of the Gods, their primal energy), Yemaya (Ocean Goddess), and Olokun the Orisha or Deity also of water who serves Yemaya (or is an aspect of her depending on your theology). Two very powerful days ruled by the Moon. Lunar magic in my experience works well both with the dead (Egungun) and with Water. A combination of several powers and wisdom. When I added the number 22 and 23 and reduced it to a single digit I received the number 9.

 

A number of destruction or creation based on your personal thoughts. Sacred to Aphrodite and to Oya. And with Egungun on the day before and Osun on Friday which is the day of Aphrodite, there is a lot of power to be had here. These are the days which caught my attention. I believe that this means a lot of reaping and rebirth are set to happen this month.

 

So watch out and prepare. November is looking to be a magnificent month indeed.

– M

Oyeku Ofun Temple

IFA AND ORISA CALENDAR
NOVEMBER 2018 – OSU BELU
 
1 Sango/Oya
2 Obatala/Egungun/Iyaami/Sanpanna
3 Ifa/Esu/Osun/Aje/Yemoja/Olokun ***
4 Ogun/Osoosi/Orisa Oko
5 Sango/Oya
6 Obatala/Egungun/Iyaami/Sanpanna
7 Ifa/Esu/Osun/Aje/Yemoja/Olokun…
8 Ogun/Osoosi/Orisa Oko
9 Sango/Oya
10 Obatala/Egungun/Iyaami/Sanpanna
11 Ifa/Esu/Osun/Aje/Yemoja/Olokun
12 Ogun/Osoosi/Orisa Oko
13 Sango/Oya
14 Obatala/Egungun/Iyaami/Sanpanna
15 Ifa/Esu/Osun/Aje/Yemoja/Olokun
16 Ogun/Osoosi/Orisa Oko
17 Sango/Oya
18 Obatala/Egungun/Iyaami/Sanpanna
19 Ifa/Esu/Osun/Aje/Yemoja/Olokun ***
20 Ogun/Osoosi/Orisa Oko
21 Sango/Oya
22 Obatala/Egungun/Iyaami/Sanpanna
23 Ifa/Esu/Osun/Aje/Yemoja/Olokun X
24 Ogun/Osoosi/Orisa Oko
25 Sango/Oya
26 Obatala/Egungun/Iyaami/Sanpanna
27 Ifa/Esu/Osun/Aje/Yemoja/Olokun
28 Ogun/Osoosi/Orisa Oko
29 Sango/Oya
30 Obatala/Egungun/Iyaami/Sanpanna
 
*** = Itadogun
X = Full Moon
0 = New Moon

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Who is Dependable Enough to Sleep On?

The wisdom of IFA

Oyeku Ofun Temple

IFA teaches us who is dependable enough to sleep upon:
Orunmila declares that it is time for rest
I respond that it is time to sleep on top of someone
Ifa says that who is dependable enough to sleep upon?
I respond that our parents are dependable enough to sleep upon
I never knew that our parents are not worthy of sleeping upon at all
Orunmila declares that it is time for rest
I respond that it is time to sleep on top of someone
Ifa says that who is dependable enough to sleep upon?
I respond that our spouses are dependable enough for us to sleep upon
I never knew that our spouses are not worthy of sleeping upon at all
Orunmila declares that it is time to take a rest
I respond that it is time to sleep on top of someone
Ifa says that who is dependable…

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