Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Pagan
The Game of the Warrior Goddesses of Voodoo and Santeria

The Game of the Warrior Goddesses of Voodoo and Santeria

Last updated on: April 14, 2014 at 9:50 am by Lilith Dorsey

The Game of the Warrior Goddesses of Voodoo and Santeria 2014-04-14T09:50:55-05:00 Lilith Dorsey

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Santeria Catholics, Havana, Cuba photo by Bruce Tuten. Text added. Licensed under CC 2.0

Life is a game, you can buy it at the toy store. (No, I’m only kidding!) But sometimes life is a series of clues, stories and signs to be interpreted and nurtured. Goddesses can help us do that. They can help us roll the dice and move forward in the right direction. In the Afro-Diasporan traditions of Vodou, Voodoo, and Santeria (La Regla Lucumi,) there is an entire legion of goddesses, or divine energies called Loa or Orisha, that have their own strong and intense feminine power. In many spiritual houses people are believed to have guardian spirits, both a mother and a father Orisha to guide them in this divine game of life. Which Orisha rules, guides, and protects a person can be determined in a variety of ways. In Santeria, which is more properly known as La Regla Lucumi, divination is performed by a number of Babalawos until the information is revealed. In Haitian Vodou, sometimes the first Lwa that comes to a person in trance possession is said to be their guardian spirit. In certain Caribbean countries a person’s ruling Orisha or Lwa is determined by their birth family and they grow up with that information to identify and shape themselves. I remember hearing an amazing tale about a teacher asking a group of school children in her creative writing class to write a story about their life. Each one proceeded to write a story about a Loa or Orisha. For these Caribbean children the story of their lives was seen through the divine lens of the instructional religious stories they had been told. Not everyone has these methods at their disposal, a simple way to start discovering which energies are surrounding you at this moment can begin in your garden.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Festa de Iemanja 2013 by Clarissa Pacheco licensed under CC 2.0

One very popular tactic in Santeria/Lucumi, Hoodoo, and New Orleans Voodoo is to use whatever plants are growing around you in your own herbal spells and preparations. I have even heard some Babalawos suggest to take note of which Orisha is providing you plants to use and “grow” with in your spiritual life. A very extensive list of herb correspondences can be found in Carlos Montenegro’s very informative Santeria Formulary. As always check with your godparents to see your own personalized recommendations for your house, but if that’s not possible or you want some suggestions here are some to get you started:

Oya: Orisha of the Cemetery. She is the Ashe or energy of Change. (Oya is always addressed seperately from Oshun and Yemaya)

Cypress, Dill, Eucalyptus, Violet, Rue, Rosemary, Mugwort

Yemaya: The Orisha of the Sea

Spearmint, Lemon Balm, Indigo

Oshun: The Orisha of the River

Honeysuckle, rose, chamomile, sunflower, plantain

Maman Brigitte: Haitian Loa of the Dead

Chili peppers, chives, lavender

Storytime: The Words for all Time

African-American history is founded in the culture of storytelling. The oral tradition was all displaced slaves had to remember and share their culture. Master Storyteller Valerie Tutson explains ”stories are the way that we figure out who we are.”

In the Afro-Cuban tradition of La Regla Lucumi, or Santeria, the stories are called patakis and they contain extremely valuable lessons about how the world works. Familiarizing yourself with these stories is a great way to better understand these Orisha. You can learn how the goddess of change begins to shapeshift, or how Oshun saves the world with her sweet hips. All these Afro-Diasporan goddesses are warrior goddesses because they fight with whatever they have to emerge triumphant. Many Santeria patakis can be found in Santero Luis Manuel Nunez’s book Santeria.

They Walk, They Talk

In addition to folktales and patakis there are several great pieces of fiction that talk about the magickal world of the spirits. One of the most entertaining in Brazilian writer Jorge Amado’s War of the Saints, where the statues of the Orixas come to life and start walking around. For those of you who might like to see me walk, and talk more about this subject in person, I will be offering the

Warrior Goddesses of Africa and Beyond Workshop at

Brid’s Closet 296 Main St., Cornwall, NY this Saturday, April 19th 2014

We will be discussing movement and trance techniques associated with these goddesses, other sacred plants and foods, and many more ways to connect with these ancient divine energies.

Previous Post

April 11, 2014

More Suggestions for Finding Godparents in Voodoo and Santeria

Next Post

April 15, 2014 Pomba Gira and Mary Magdalene: Sacred Sex for the Holiday!

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Ancestors astrology Candomble Crystals Divination Entertainment Goddess Herbs Hoodoo Ifa Pagan Ritual Recipes Santeria Spells Uncategorized Vodou Voodoo Witchcraft

Select a Month May 2025 January 2025 September 2024 August 2024 April 2024 March 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 September 2023 June 2023 March 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 January 2022 November 2021 October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was thrown into a pit by his jealous brothers?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Moses David Peter Joseph