How To Connect With Yemaya – On the full moon we gather by the sea. It was a bit chilly on a South Florida winter night and the ocean had almost no waves, making it look more like a lake than an ocean. The men lived further up the coast and played drums for us, while all the women sat with watermelons between our legs and places carved into the watermelons to insert candles. One of the ladies was Princess Yemaya (Mother of Orisha and the Sea) and she taught us proper preparation. We blew prayers and blessings into the watermelon, sprinkled it with molasses and lit candles. Crossing the sea with our watermelons we chant “Yemaya Asesu, Yemaya Asesu, Yemaya Olodo, Olodo Yemaya”. When the water reached chest level, we released our offerings to Yemaya and watched them drift away. We came out of the water and wrapped our arms around each other and continued to sing. It is a profound and powerful moment that unites us all in the primordial energy of the Goddess and the rituals of the feminine.
Orisha is the common Yoruba word for “God”. Many Orissa were regional African deities who traveled to the Caribbean with slaves and created variations of Afro-Caribbean worship, such as Santeria and Lucumi. Yoruba tradition says that before a soul is born, they choose Orissa as the guardian of their human life. Some of the cosmic essence of Orissa resides in the human head and hence the term “having a head”. Some Orissa sons and daughters also tend to embody some Orissa traits.
How To Connect With Yemaya
Yemaya is the all-mother Orissa who gave birth to all other Orissas, as well as the Sun and the Moon. She is a nurturing mother who listens to our problems and erases our sorrows, and she is a mother who puts her hands on her hips and guides us to the right course of action.
Attuning To The Mother Of Oceans
“He is judgmental and logical, but he can also be flexible when he punishes. Queen of the great ocean, she is proud and haughty. She protects her children with her skirt, feeds them and raises them with absolute motherhood.” (Caribbean Creole Religion)
In Africa, the name comes from the Yoruba expression “ye omo iza” meaning “mother whose child is like a fish”. Yemaya owns the Ogun River and a lake named after him. In its “hidden” aspect, Olokun is considered the owner of the ocean (and in some traditions, Olokun is an Orissa separate from Yemaya). When African settlers took over and Yemaya traveled west with her children to the Americas and the Caribbean, Mother of the Waters became known as Mother of the Ocean. Olokun lives in the deepest depths of the ocean, guarding the source of life and a sacred place for the ancestors. I have always felt Olokun as the sister of Yemaya to Isis and Nephthys, but understand that this is my personal opinion and there are many stories, although as an Aborisha in Lukumi I accept the Orisha Olokun.
Yemaya is the ultimate feminine energy – overseeing women and their birth cycles. He is an Odisha who is popular with many children, one book says that it is possible that 25% of children are from Yemaya. It speaks of her extraordinary capacity for fertility and motherhood, and her love and affection for her children. She is wary of the needy and applies her maternal instincts to all who cross her path. Yemaya is strong-willed and independent and so is her daughter.
Non-initiates are always welcome to approach Orissa with devotion. I worked and dedicated myself in Odisha for 18 years before taking formal initiation. For those interested in approaching the Orishas and/or African Yoruba practices, I encourage you to do some research. We all carry within us a bond to the realm of the world and a connection to a deity that transcends our present space, time, genetic roots and external causes. These spiritual urges, “wonders,” or connection instincts don’t always seem to be explained by outsiders, but they may be the missing piece of your spiritual puzzle.
Call Mom: How To Connect With Yemaya, Goddess Of The Ocean And
Orishas have very specific likes (and in some cases dislikes) and Yemaya is no exception. Her favorite colors are blue and white and she is often depicted as a mermaid. In Santeria, she is aligned with Our Lady of Regla and in that form is the guardian of the Cuban Bay. Saturday is the day of the week and the number is 7. If you live near the ocean, bring 7 copper cents to go to Yemaya as an offering, especially if you pick up something like rocks or shells from the beach. Any kind of rock or shell you find on the beach is a great addition to the Sea Mother altar. For the uninitiated, they would place a glass bowl for Yemaya with all of her favorite things, including water and rubber ducks. Add seven cents to this bowl, change the water frequently, and Yemaya will bring blessings to your home.
Yemaya loves watermelon, as well as other tropical fruits and molasses. Her feast day is September 7 and there are massive ceremonies and celebrations around the world in her honor. Her favorite herbs and plants are marjoram, coriander, watercress, parsley, lettuce, aloe vera, ferns, lotus, violets and vervain. Bathing with watercress brings blessings of health from Yemaya, and bathing with parsley invites blessings of money.
His tools and symbols include a sword, fan, crescent moon, anchor, and a silver or white metal sun.
Yemaya is the powerful mother goddess of all and is available to those in need of nurturing, blessing, healing and cleansing.
Dance, Water And Prayers: Celebrating The Goddess Yemoja
(The word “ash” is pronounced “ashay” and is the life force of the universe – the force to make things happen)
***Louisah Tesh’s Jambalaya (This is not only great information about Orissa but also a great place to start with women’s spirituality)
© 2020 – 2021 Kimberly F. Moore – Mother Goddess. All rights reserved. No part of this course may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical means, except in the case of brief, citations, without the prior written permission of the author. Includes critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please contact us.
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