Santeria

34 Pages 8386 Words

It is the “growth, the force toward completeness and divinity…the absolute ground of reality.” (Murphy 1993: 130) It can also be described as a current or flow. When ashe is channelled, awakened, and liberated, this flow brings one closer to Oloddumare along their road in life. Ashe is destiny (Murphy 1993: 130 -131). “Reality is ashe, and all the objects of the world are in reality forces of ashe in relation to each other.” (Murphy 1993: 133) the deeper one is involved in Santeria, the clearer the vision of ashe becomes and the greater one sees the world of unfiltered ashe (Murphy 1993: 130-131). The orishas are the major types of ashe. By telling the stories of the orishas and by honouring and celebrating the saints, one becomes closer and more aligned with the real world of ashe (Murphy 1993: 133-134).
GOD, ORISHAS, AND CREATION
God is known as Oloddumare. He is omnipotent and omniscient (Gonzalez-Wippler 1989: 24). He has always existed. He resides and owns the heavens. He is also sometimes called Olofi or Olorun. Oloddumare, Olorun, and Olofi are three parts of the same deity. Oloddumare is the creative will, Olorun is the creative act, and Olofi is the creation (Gonzalez-Wippler 1989: 25). Like other Santeria devotees, santeros (Santeria priests) do not deal with Oloddumare directly. Santeros work with Olofi through the orishas (Gonzalez-Wippler 1989: 26). Santeria followers believe that orishas were borne from smooth stones into which Olofi deposited his ashe. The first orishas lived in heaven and at the time, earth was only a marshy ground filled mostly with water. Olofi sent Obatala, an orisha, to create dry ground. In order to achieve this, he needed loose earth in a snail shell, a five-toed hen, a cat, a palm nut, and a long gold chain. He used the gold chain to descend from heaven to the earth. While hanging onto the chain, he spilled the loose earth from the snail shell on top of the mars...