Oshún the goddess of love and honey, of the rivers and fresh waters of the world, was once the savior of the I guess Orunmila using their sacred handkerchiefs. The story goes that Orula's enemies wished for his death out of envy, so when Oshún found out where he was as a prisoner he presented himself to free him.
How to invoke the energy of yorube goddess Oshun?
What is offered to Oshún to help us in love?
- We choose a quiet place, be it on the river, the sea, or a space in our home.
- We light a yellow, gold or white candle in her name to invoke her.
- We can offer you what we want, for example, 5 sunflowers and we put a little honey on top to sweeten the good ways of love.
How to begin to work with the orisha Oshun?
- This work will be left for 5 days or 7 days, it depends on the duration of the flowers.
- Your offering will be deposited at the mouth of a river and the sea.
- When depositing the offering, he must cross himself with 7 cents that will be left in the river part and with 5 cents for the sea part.
What does Oshun like?
Oshun, an orisha (deity) of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. Oshun is commonly called the river orisha, or goddess, in the Yoruba religion and is typically associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality. She is considered one of the most powerful of all orishas, and, like
Who is the goddess of Love and beauty?
- Hathor was known as the mother and consort of Horus and the daughter, sister, and consort of Ra.
- Throughout ancient Egypt, Hathor was considered symbolic of the ideal feminine and motherhood.
- Hathor held the esteemed role of the Eye of Ra, protecting Ra and doing his bidding against his enemies.
What does it mean when Oshun comes to you?
We can connect with the goddess Oshun to give love with ease, and to help us move on if our love is not being reciprocated. She reminds us that the only love we need is the love for ourselves. We can then act from a place of abundance, from which we can attract and sustain healthy relationships.
Who did Oshun fall in love with?
Mortal Osun While still a mortal, Osun is said to have gone to a drum festival one day and to have fallen in love with Shango.
Who is Oshun in the Bible?
Oshun is the only female deity of the seventeen orisas who came to earth at the dawn of creation (Abiodun 18). Her ability to assert her feminine agency amongst formidable male orisas is frequently attributed to her “power and influence” (18).
Who is the daughter of Oshun?
Oshun is a Nigerian Yoruba Orisha, a spirit or deity that reflects one of the manifestations of God in the Ifá and Yoruba religions. She is one of the most popular Orisha's and the only female irunmole (primordial) sent to set up the world by Olodumare.
How do you know if you are a child of Oshun?
She is one of the most popular and venerated orishas. If you see the number 5 a lot (my two most recent apartments were on the 5th floor), are attracted to the color yellow or gold and enjoy sweets, specifically honey, then you too may be a child of Oshun.
What are Oshun's powers?
When angered, Oshun may flood Earth or destroy crops by withholding her waters, thereby causing massive droughts. In one myth, Oshun is incensed by her devotees and sends down rain, nearly flooding the world. Yet once she has been appeased, Oshun saves Earth from destruction by calling back the waters.
What is Oshun favorite number?
associated with the number five. Oshun often carries a mirror so that she can admire her beauty. She loves honey, sunflowers, oranges, cinnamon, and pumpkin, and her favorite birds are peacocks and vultures. Today the Orisha traditions are practiced in Cuba, Brazil, and parts of Central America and the United States.
How did the Orishas get their powers?
An orisha may be said to arise when a divine power to command and make things happen converges with a natural force, a deified ancestor, and an object that witnesses and supports that convergence and alignment.
Do Orishas believe in God?
There are five levels in the cosmology: Orisha worshipers believe in a creator who is called Olodumare or Olorun (God), the Orishas, human beings, human ancestors, and the lowest group, plants and animals.
What does it mean to be daughter of Oshun?
She is considered one of the most powerful of all orishas, and, like other gods, she possesses human attributes such as vanity, jealousy, and spite.” Encyclopedia Britannica.
How did Osun become a river?
In Yoruba cosmology, Osun was said to have metamorphosed into a river as a result of a misunderstanding between her and “Oba”, a co-wife of Sango. The Osun River takes its source from Igede-Ekiti, flows through Ilesha to Osogbo town and empties itself in the Atlantic Ocean.
Who is Yeye Osun?
“Yeye Osun” as fondly called by her worshippers is known as the goddess of light, of love, of sensuality, of sexuality, of life and fertility. She is said to be a beautiful mermaid with a tail that shines brightly as scales of a fish.
What is the Orisha of Osun?
She is the orishá of the fresh water of rivers and waterfalls; of wealth and prosperity; of love; and of beauty. Followers seek help for romantic problems from Osun; the orisha is also responsible for marriage and other relationships. As the orishá of financial life, she is also called the "Lady of Gold".
Where is the shrine of Oshun?
Shrine to Oshun in the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove. Abèbè, the ritual fan of Ọṣun. Ọṣun, is an Orisha, a spirit, a deity, or a goddess that reflects one of the manifestations of the Yorùbá Supreme Being in the Ifá oral tradition and Yoruba -based religions of West Africa. She is one of the most popular and venerated Orishas.
What is the goddess of gold?
As the orishá of financial life, she is also called the "Lady of Gold". This referred to copper at one time for being the most valuable metal of the time. Osun is worshiped at rivers and waterfalls, and more rarely, near mineral water sources. She is a symbol of sensitivity and is identified by weeping.
What is the story of Irunmole?
According to the Ifa Literary Corpus, Ọṣun was the only female Irunmole (primordial spirit) sent to assist Shango to create the world by Olodumare. The other spirits that were sent began the work and ignored Ọṣun. Ọṣun went to her partner Shango for guidance. Two versions of this story exist. One claims that female spirits were tempted to take matters into their own hands, but all of their creative attempts failed because they acted without male spiritual leadership. Another version, and this one more consistent with the beginning of the story, claims that the male spirits attempted to make the world without female influence, and this exclusion is what caused the world to fail. The former version appears to reflect a patriarchal influence on orisha narratives that sprang up with the influence of Abrahamic religions, while the second is more in line with traditional orisha beliefs, which revere feminine power. Both story versions end with Shango forcing the other spirits hand to respect Osun as they would him. Through her sacrifice, Olodumare, God granted her the powers of an Orisha.
What is the plant that grows with Osun?
Plants associated with Osun in Brazil are aromatic, sweet, and often yellow, reflecting the qualities of the Orisha. They include mints ( Lamiacaea ). Osun is associated with the folha-de-dez-réis ( Hydrocotyle cybelleta ), a plant of the pennywort family.
What is the Osun state?
For the state in Nigeria, see Osun State. Ọṣun, is an Orisha, a spirit, a deity, or a goddess that reflects one of the manifestations of the Yorùbá Supreme Being in the Ifá oral tradition and Yoruba -based religions of West Africa. She is one of the most popular and venerated Orishas.
What is the iron chalice of Osun?
Iron chalice of Osun, one of Los Guerreros (the warriors) --) in Santería religion. Ozun is another major Orisha that is distinct from Osun, the latter whom is also called "Oshun" and "Ochún" in the Santería religion of the Caribbean ( Cuba, Puerto Rico and Trinidad) brought over by Yoruba slaves during the transatlantic slave trade.
What is Oshun's significance?
In most Yoruba stories, Oshun is generally depicted as the protector, saviour, or nurturer of humanity.
What is Oshun known for?
With the impact of the transatlantic slave trade and dispersion of Yoruba culture, Oshun is also an important figure outside Africa, where she is known by other names, such as Oxum in Brazil and Ochún in Cuba. Bayyinah S. Jeffries The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Why do Yoruba go to the Oshun River?
Every year Oshun devotees and other people of the Yoruba religious tradition go to the Oshun River to pay homage, make sacrifice, and ask for a variety of things such as wealth, children, and better health. Although other orishas are honoured during the festival, the climax of the festival is centred on Oshun.
Why is Oshun the favorite of all Orishas?
She is commonly described as the favourite of all orishas by Olodumare, because of her beauty and sensuality. In yet another Yoruba story, Oshun is depicted as the goddess who not only gives life but also takes it.
How does Oshun save the Earth?
Yet once she has been appeased, Oshun saves Earth from destruction by calling back the waters. Tradition holds that the first interaction between Oshun and human beings took place in Osogbo ( Oshogbo ), Nigeria. That city is considered sacred, and it is believed to be fiercely protected by the water goddess.
Why is Oshun important?
Oshun is especially important to women in West African cultures. Those who want children and who may suffer from infertility usually call on Oshun for assistance, and she is associated with the concepts of femininity and the power of women. More widely, she is sought after in times of drought or severe poverty.
What is the meaning of Osun?
See Article History. Alternative Title: Osun. Oshun, also spelled Osun, an orisha (deity) of the Yoruba people of southwestern Nigeria. Oshun is commonly called the river orisha, or goddess, in the Yoruba religion and is typically associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality. She is considered one of the most powerful ...
Who is the goddess of love and honey?
Oshún the goddess of love and honey, of the rivers and fresh waters of the world, was once the savior of the I guess Orunmila using their sacred handkerchiefs.
What is the name of the honey that Osha owns?
The one in charge of the fortune-telling's imprisonment he got drunk with Otí (brandy) and sweetened it with his oñí (bee honey), the powerful honey that he owns in Osha.
Who did the goddess of honey take out of the forest?
The goddess of honey never lived with Oggún but she takes him out of the forest using her charms as a weapon, with her body full of honey, her dances and songs she falls in love with him and thus on the fifth day she manages to get him out.
Who is Orunmila's wife?
One day Orunmila upon seeing Oshún falls in love with her and ends up conquering her. Yemayá the goddess of the sea one day surprises them in a gourd making love and thus becomes the wife of Orunmila, his beloved appetite.
What is the name of the vulture that arrives in front of Olofin?
There comes a day when life on earth had to be saved and nobody could do anything and that is how Oshún becomes a vulture and arrives in front of the creator Olofin to ask him to save humanity.
Who is the queen of Yoruba?
In the Yoruba pantheon the Orisha Oshún She is queen among queens, majestic, sensual, flirtatious, graceful, a feminine beauty. She is the owner of rivers, waterfalls and fresh water. In Oddun Iroso Odí (4-7) love is born and says: "In the kingdom of love, some love and others are loved, happiness is being able to be both.".
What does Olofin listen to?
Olofin listens to the pleas of Oshún, his favorite orisha, that he bring his beloved back to life and forgive his mistakes.
Where in the Bible is Oshun mentioned?
In the Old Testament Book of Proverbs Chapter 3 Verse 13 to 18, this beautiful praise of Oshun is embedded in the Bible under her Holy name Wisdom, or Sophia (the Greek goddess name used in the original Septuagint Greek New Testament Bible), which is of the same roots and essence as the Yoruba Ifa. It goes as follows:
Who taught Oshun the art of divination?
Like Queen Isis of the Ancient Egyptian Kemitic Pantheon, Oshun was taught the art of divination with the cowrie shells, cards, tarots, visions, possessions, songs, chants and meditations by her father Obatala, the first of the created gods.
Why is Osun named after Oya?
In fact a certain confluence of two rivers at a rapid in one of the wetern state of Nigeria is named after Osun and Oya due to the intimidating turbulence that marks the point of intersetion.
What are Oshun's offerings?
Offerings to Oshun could be in form of songs, chantings, meditating on her name, devotion to her love, and/or adherence with her compassionate laws. Her manifestations of love include being the source of all fresh waters, all warmth, all knowledge, all culture, all society, all motherhood, prosperity, fertility of the land and the water.
What is the mother of the fishes of the seas?
She is known as the mother of the fishes of the seas and the birds of the forest. Isis used to be represented as the mother of the fishes and the Queen of the seas. Oshun is the essence of love, sweetness and good cheer, beauty and flowing joy. Among the Yorubas of West Africa, She is also known as Yalode- the mother of things outside ...
Why is Yalode called Laketi?
She is also known as Laketi, “She who responds”, because of how quickly and effectively she answers prayers.
What is the possession of the devotees?
Possession of her devotees is one of her principal manifestation and in such states, devotees are filled with clarity, confidence, joy, love, bliss and laugher. Yet, they are filled at the same times with the terrible aspects of her power which activates to fight injustice against humanity and irreverence against the gods.
What is the Oshun Goddess?
Public Domain. In many Yoruba myths and stories, Oshun is described as the savior, protector, mother and nurturer of sweet things and humanity, and the keeper of spiritual balance.
What is the significance of Oshun?
In West African cultures, Oshun is associated with the power of women and femininity and is particularly significant to women who want children. Those who may fight with fertility challenges call upon the goddess and pray for her help.
What is the role of Oshun in the Yoruba mythology?
In one of the myths, Oshun has a key role in the creation of life on Earth and humanity. Olodumare, the Yoruba supreme god, sent seventeen Orishas down to Earth to try and populate it. They were all male deities except Oshun and failed to complete the task. They needed the female deity to help them revive the Earth. She agreed to assist them, and by delivering her powerful, sweet, and fertile waters, she brought life back to our planet, including human beings and other species. Therefore, she’s considered the goddess of fertility and life, and without her actions, life on Earth wouldn’t exist.
What is the meaning of Oshun?
Myths About the Oshun Goddess. Significance of the Yoruba Water Goddess. Oshun’s Portrayal and Symbolism. To Wrap It Up. Oshun, also known as Oxum and Ochún, is a supreme being or Orisha of the Yoruba people – the largest ethnic group of southwestern Nigeria. In the Yoruba religion, she’s also called the river goddess and is commonly associated ...
Why did the Yoruba people come to the Osun River?
This is how the Oshun festival came to be. The Yoruba people still celebrate it today. Each year, the Oshun followers come to the river to pay tribute to the goddess, offer sacrifice, and pray for better health, children, and wealth.
Why do Yoruba people celebrate Oshun?
Each year, the Oshun followers come to the river to pay tribute to the goddess, offer sacrifice, and pray for better health, children, and wealth.
What does Oshun represent?
As the Orisha or goddess of love, she represents beauty, marriage, harmony, ecstasy, romance, and pregnancy. Appearance: Oshun is often portrayed as a beautiful young woman that is playful, charming, and coquettish.
What is Oshun's significance?
In most Yoruba stories, Oshun is generally depicted as the protector, savior, or nurturer of humanity.
Why is Oshun the favorite of all Orishas?
She is commonly described as the favorite of all Orishas by Olodumare, because of her beauty and sensuality. In yet another Yoruba story, Oshun is depicted as the Goddess who not only gives life but also takes it. When angered, Oshun may flood Earth or destroy crops by withholding her waters, thereby causing massive droughts.
Why is Oshun important to Yoruba?
According to the Yoruba elders, Oshun is the “unseen mother present at every gathering”, because, in Yoruba, Oshun is the cosmological forces of water, and attraction. Oshun represents the intensity of the feelings and the spirituality, the human sensuality, the gentleness, the refinement, the love and all related to women. She protects the pregnant; she is a beautiful Woman, cheering and smiling but inside she’s very severe, suffered and sometimes sad. Therefore She is omnipresent and omnipotent. Yoruba scribes reminds us that “no one is an enemy to water” and therefore everyone has need of and should respect and revere Oshun , as well as Her followers.
Why do Yoruba go to the Oshun River?
Every year Oshun devotees and other people of the Yoruba religious tradition go to the Oshun River to pay homage, make sacrifice, and ask for a variety of things such as wealth, children, and better health. Although other orishas are honored during the festival, the climax of the festival is centered on Oshun. Video Player.
What is the meaning of Osun?
Agba O! Oore Yèyẹ́ Osun ooooooo !!! Osun – Oshun, an Orisha (Deity) of the Yoruba people. Oshun is commonly called the river Orisha, or Goddess, in the Yoruba religion and is typically associated with water, purity, fertility, love, and sensuality.
What did Oshun bring to the Earth?
Oshun agreed and brought forth her sweet and powerful waters, bringing life back to Earth and humanity and other species into existence. As that Yoruba myth suggests, humanity would not exist if Oshun, the Goddess of life and fertility, had not acted.
How does Oshun save the Earth?
Yet once she has been appeased, Oshun saves Earth from destruction by calling back the waters. Tradition holds that the first interaction between Oshun and human beings took place in Osogbo, Yoruba land. That city is considered sacred, and it is believed to be fiercely protected by the water goddess.
How does Oshun help you?
How Oshun will help you. Oshun will help you clear and cleanse your energy, helping you to be more balanced and happy. She will help you go with the flow, help your emotions flow and help you move forward and not stay still. Call on her when you need to rebalance and clear your energy.
What does Oshun say to you?
The river isn’t that deep, it comes up to your knees, maybe a bit higher. Oshun wants to give you a cleansing. She says ‘Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Feel the air in your lungs, smell the beautiful fresh air and the scent all around you.’.
What is the name of the goddess of life?
Oshun is an African River Goddess. The Goddess of life, fertility, love, sensuality, prosperity, water and purity. She is a Mother and gives life through the waters, the life blood that flows through our veins and the rivers that flow through the Earth. Associated with Yemaya, she is the fresh water Mother, while Yemaya is the salt water Mother ...
What does Oshun say in the song "Hello Child"?
You sit and listen to the water, breathing in the fresh air and feeling peaceful. You close your eyes and feel the energy of the place and call to Oshun to be with you. She appears immediately and says ‘Hello Child.’.
How does the Goddess of Life help you?
Always helping you to move forward and not stay still. As a Goddess of life, fertility and prosperity, she will help you in your pre gnancy and birth, supporting and protecting you. She will also help you create and manifest your desires.
How to connect with Oshun?
Meditation to connect with Oshun. Find a quiet spot or maybe a river to sit by. If in doors, put on some incense or an oil diffuser, light a candle and close your eyes. Take three deep breaths and relax. Hold your intention in connecting to Oshun.
What does the Goddess of Love do?
As a Goddess of love and sensuality, she will remind you of the power of pleasure and self love. Helping you to let go of your inhibitions and let your hormones and desires flow. Helping you to get in touch with your cycle and your womb and using its power and wisdom to guide you.
Overview
Ọṣun, is an Orisha, a spirit, a deity, or a goddess that reflects one of the manifestations of the Yorùbá Supreme Being in the Ifá oral tradition and Yoruba-based religions of West Africa. She is one of the most popular and venerated Orishas. Oshun is an important river deity among the Yorùbá people. She is the goddess of divinity, femininity, fertility, beauty and love. She is connected to destiny and divination.
Primordial Osun
According to the Ifa Literary Corpus, Ọṣun was the only female Irunmole (primordial spirit) sent to assist Shango to create the world by Olodumare. The other spirits that were sent began the work and ignored Ọṣun. Ọṣun went to her partner Shango for guidance. Two versions of this story exist. One claims that female spirits were tempted to take matters into their own hands, but all of their creative attempts failed because they acted without male spiritual leadership. Another version, and this one more consistent with the beginning of the story, claims that th…
Mortal Osun
While still a mortal, Osun is said to have gone to a drum festival one day and to have fallen in love with Shango. Since that day, Shango has been married to Oba, Oya, and Osun, though the last mentioned is said to be his favourite. Other stanzas in the Ifa Literary Corpus say that she was also married to Orunmila, who later became the Orisha of Wisdom and Divination.
It is also said that Osun was the first woman to be referred to as an Iyalode.
Ceremonies and Ritual Colors
Osun is the orisha of the river. Her devotees leave her offerings and perform ceremonies at bodies of fresh water such as rivers, streams and canals. She is associated with the colors white, yellow, gold, and sometimes coral.
Abẹ̀bẹ̀
The Abẹ̀bẹ̀ is the ritual object most associated with Ọṣun. The Abẹ̀bẹ̀ is a fan in circular form.
Brazil
Ọṣun is a female orishá adopted and worshiped in all Afro-Brazilian religions. She is the orishá of the fresh water of rivers and waterfalls; of wealth and prosperity; of love; and of beauty. Followers seek help for romantic problems from Osun; the orisha is also responsible for marriage and other relationships. As the orishá of financial life, she is also called the "Lady of Gold". This referred to copper at one time for being the most valuable metal of the time. Osun is worshiped at rivers and waterfalls, and more rarely, near mineral water sources. She is a symb…
Santeria
Ozun is another major Orisha that is distinct from Osun, the latter whom is also called "Oshun" and "Ochún" in the Santería religion of the Caribbean (Cuba, Puerto Rico and Trinidad) brought over by Yoruba people during the transatlantic slave trade. While Ozun is a masculine Orisha associated with John the Baptist, Ochún is syncretized with Our Lady of Charity.
Further reading
• Ajiabde, G. Olusola. Negotiating Performance: Osun in the Verbal and Visual Metaphors, Bayreuth, Working Papers, 2005.
• Afolabi, Kayode. Osun Osogbo - Sacred People and Sacred Places, Charleston 2006.
• Badejo, Diedre, Oshun Seegesi: The Elegant Deity of Wealth, Power, and Femininity, Asmara 1996.