Yemayá

In the Lucumi faith, every person is ordained to a certain Orisha, or guardian angel. This is based on the person’s characteristic traits. There are many different Orishas in the religion and are all derived from saints worshipped in Catholicism. In order to know whom your guardian angel is you must visit a Babalawo. Babalawo’s are known as the priests of the Lucumi faith. They are considered the divine messengers of God and practice a similar yet more complex belief system called Ifa. Once an individual has gone through the proper initiation ceremony they become an Aleyo, or a worshiper and practitioner of Santería.

            There are different ranks in Santería. It is a religious hierarchy that was created centuries ago from African American slaves that were sent to Cuba. Cuba is considered to be the birthplace of this religion and is the highest in number of worshipers. Although Santería is widely known throughout the world, many people consider it taboo and chose not to speak of it. It is largely critiqued and very much misunderstood. Practitioners are criticized for being unfaithful to God and are labeled as ‘devil worshipers’ and accused of ‘casting black magic’. The truth is, this is one of the most beautiful religions out there. It focuses on spiritual awareness and helping people find guidance from above.

            On November 8, 2011 I traveled to Cuba with my godmother from Puerto Rico. I had been practicing the Lucumi faith for over four years and decided that it was time to take it to the next level. On November 11, 2011 (11/11/11) I was crowned the Orisha Yemayá. Known as a mother by excellence, this Orisha is female and is considered to be the mother of everything living and breathing in the world. I believe I was placed on this path for a reason. Yemayá has come to fix all that is physically and mentally wrong. I am proud to call myself a Santero!

Links:

http://santeriachurch.org/the-orishas/yemaya/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santer%C3%ADa

Introduction

Santería or the Lucumi faith is an Afro-Cuban religion bought over from Africa by slaves. It consists of Orishas or gods that represent different elements of nature. The 5 main gods are: Eleggúa (crossroads), Obatalá (mountains), Oshun (river), Shangó (fire) and Yemayá (ocean). Santería is considered taboo, but is practiced by millions of people throughout the world. A botanica is a place where a santero can shop for religious artifacts, seek spiritual help or simply enjoy themselves with company of music and other Olorishas. With this blog entry I present to you Iré Ayé, a botanica located in Orlando, FL dedicated to bring the entertainment scene of Santería to the community.

Iré Ayé means “blessings of the world.” With this establishment I want to bring just that, a positive place for people to relax and enjoy themselves. I want customers to plunge themselves in our culture and witness firsthand why this faith is so beautiful and how it can be misunderstood. The botanica will have a spacious setting offering the sales of all your religious needs as well as live traditional music performances from several Yoruba groups within the United States. It will coincide with a lounge where guests can spend quality time together. Our grand opening event will be held in the summer of 2013. All are welcome to attend.

Our website is currently ireaye.blogspot.com. We plan on building from this to create a full length website that will offer the sale of all our products as well as options to rent out facilities for religious uses. We will also have a YouTube channel that we will use to broadcast videos from past events as well as have podcasts announcing future activities. I hope to have ignited your interest with this first entry in Iré Ayé. It is a concept that has taken many years to develop. Thank you for taking time to read this, Ashe’o

-Oggún Fumitó