LAWS ATTRACTION

Santeria is a mix of African pantheistic, Roman Catholic and Native American religious elements based primarily in Cuba with roots in Yoruba culture of West Africa. Known also as Lukumi, it celebrates eight gods who are called the Orisha. Latinstar9 can help explain it’s origins in more detail.

The Orishas number eight and they cover all aspects of human life. Elegua is the god of the crossroads and the first Orisha that must be contacted before the others are asked for help. Obatala is the supreme deity because he has created man. Oshun is the female deity of oceans and rivers as well as the goddess of love and pleasure. Oggun represents the working man, iron and mountains. Chango symbolizes storms, lightning and thunder, and is the god of passion, medicine and war. Orula gives advice to men and fortune telling. Yemaya protects pregnant women and represent Mother Nature.

Santeria was born when African slaves, brought to Cuba to work on the sugar plantations, wanted to keep their religion while not angering their masters. Over time, Catholic observance of saints was added as well as some Native American religious traditions. It includes animal sacrifices to appease the Orisha, trances to communicate with ancestors, use of herbs and sacred drumming.

In order to be able to continue with their own religion, the slaves adopted many Catholic rituals, including observances of the various saints. Santeria was an insult used by the European slave owners who were under the mistaken belief that Santeria was a degraded form of Christianity. Today the terms Orisha and saint are used frequently to describe each other in Cuba.

Today the Lukumi faith has followers all over the West Indies, Mexico, Central America, Western Europe, Canada and America. There are whites, Hispanics and blacks who practice Santeria and every social class and profession is represented in this faith. As of 2001, there were 22,000 adherents in the US.

In Lukumi, the faithful acknowledge a balance of life while Christianity places importance on the afterlife. A follower is called a santero or saint worshipper. For a person to become a santero, he or she must be vouched for by a current member in good standing of the religion.

A novice goes through three stages of initiation to become a santero. Santeria is shrouded in secrecy and knowledge about these rites are not easily shared by santeros because they have attracted controversy in the past. The Orisha decides if the novice is worthy, communicating through the babalawo or priest.

Once initiated into the family of the Orisha, the person must abstain or enjoy certain foods associated with that Orisha. Obatala, the supreme deity, prefers all white foods, including milk, eggs, and female goat meat but he does not drink any alcohol so the new santero must abstain too.

Other rites such as the study of shells for divining, and the casting of spells require more extensive training under more experienced santeros. If you are interested about learning more about Santeria, go to www.santeriaspells.com.

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