OSHUN THE AFRICAN GODDESS OF BEAUTY, LOVE, PROSPERTIY, ORDER, AND FERTILITY: A PRAISE TO OUR ORGINAL AFRICAN MATRIARCH – By: JIDE UWECHIA
It is said that “Oshun is beneficient and generous, and very kind. She does, have a malevolent and tempestuous temper, although it is difficult to anger her.”
It is said that “Oshun has excellent cooking skills.”
Oshun is the Mother of the African sweet or fresh waters. In her form as the mother of salt waters, she is known as Yemaya.
Like Egyptian Isis and later Greek Diana, Osun is the goddess of love and is widely beloved. She is known for healing the sick, cheering the sad, bringing music, song and dance, as well as bringing fertility and prosperity.
She is the protector of the poor, the mother of all orphans, she is the one who brings them what they need in this life through periods of weakness or strenght.
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.
Like Isis, She brought the teaching of divinations, mysticism, agriculture and culture to humans. 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 the home or the mother of wealth, due to her business acumen.
She is also known as Laketi, “She who responds”, because of how quickly and effectively she answers prayers.
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.
It has been said that “When She possesses her followers she dances, flirts and then weeps- because no one can love her enough and the world is not as beautiful as she knows it could possibly be.”
The peacock and the vulture are sacred to Her. 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.
Food offerings could include sweet things such as fresh water, honey, mead, white wine, oranges, sweets, or pumpkins, as well as essential oils and incense.
THE MANY DIMENSIONS AND MOODS OF OSUN
In the high Yoruba mystical teachings, Oshun has many roads, or dimensions and some of these include:
Osun the Queen of Witches:
Oshun Ibu Ikole — Oshun the Vulture. This dimension of Oshun is (as was Isis of ancient Kemitic Egypt and the later Greek Diana) associated with Witches (Aje). Her symbols include the vulture, and the mortar and pestle (both of which are symbols of witchcraft).
Witchcraft in Africa is a high science practised by a few who are fortunate enough to have the time and resources to acquire that science of life. The science is so powerful that the adepts are reputed to have powers over life and death and the ability to deliver their will and affect reality as they wish.
It is said today that this power of witchraft is abused in today’s Africa. We cannot comment other than to ask those who make accusations to take a look at their inner most thoughts ensure that those thoughts are sincere.
The craft is a neutral science that can be deployed to serve what ever ends. But a disciplined and well educated practitioner of the craft is a great help to whatever community he or she lives in. For she carries on the beneficience of her chief goddess, Osun, quietly, loyally and annonymously waxing love and judicious judgement in line with the omni-potent and the omni-present will of the beloved lady, blessed Osun.
Oshun the Diviner, Sophia Wisdom
Oshun Ololodi — Oshun, the diviner. Oshun is a particularly sensous goddess and has been associated with many lover and husbands. In her form of the diviner She is the wife or lover of Orunmila, the first prophet of Ifa divination.
It is said that Oshun’s father Obatala the first of the among the Gods (similar to the Amen of New Testament Book of Revelations Chapter 1 verse 18. He bequeathed unto Her the secret of divination and mysticsm just live Kemitic Father Ra(s) bequeathed unto daughter Isis the secret of divination and mysticm.
As such Oshun has the key and the secrets of Ifa, the fount of sacred wisdom. Oshun is then a synonym for Wisdom.
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:
13. Happy is the man that findeth [wisdom/sophia] Osun, and the man that getteth understanding [of her arts and science].
14. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
15. [She] Oshun is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
16. Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
17. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18. She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
See King James Version.
Osun the Beautiful and the Sensual
In the Yoruba/Cuban pantheon of gods and goddess, Oshun is represented as a beautiful, charming and coquettish young woman, often with long flowing dreadlocks. In some tales She is said to be a mermaid, with a fish’s tail, in other more urban legends some claim She is the equivalent of Mami-water.
With Oshun there are no sensual repressions and inhibitions. She is a leader in Her father’s house. She is an independent woman, a matri-focal and androgynous matriarch.
Unlike the Roman catholic neutered and denatured “Virgin Maria”, Osun our mother, the Empress is a passionate and hot-blooded woman. Lover of many accomplished princes and gods, Her symbolism recalls days of strong women principalites who were rich, powerful knowledge enough to have many men dangling by her strings. Oshun has had affairs with Erinle, Orunmila, Oshosi, Orisha Oko, and Aje-Shaluga. She is also the sexual partner of Shango, and Ogun.
She was at one time the wife of Shango, the storm god, as was Oya, the goddess of the winds and tempests. There are many interesting stories about the romantic, passionate inter rivalry that existed between Oshun and 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.
In the Yoruba/Cuban religious view Osun is associated with the color yellow, the important metals gold and copper, peacock feathers, mirrors, and anything of charm, lightness, beauty and sweet taste. Her best day of the week is Saturday and her favourite number is 5.
Jide Uwechia
October 17, 2009
Author: ‘Jesus Worship’ Hurts The Black Community!
— Dr. Christopher Bell Jr. explains why and how in his new book entitled “The Black Clergy’s Misguided Worship Leadership” —
Bookcover
Washington, DC (BlackNews.com) — “‘Jesus worship’ is equivalent to ‘white male worship’ and is detrimental to the mental and emotional health of black people,” argues Dr. Christopher Bell Jr. Dr. Bell cites cogent educational and behavioral reasons to explain why and how the glorification and worship of the ancient, Roman-made, white male, Christian idol, Jesus Christ is not only idolatrous, but how such worship subliminally makes black people complicit in their own psychological oppression. Specifically, Dr. Bell provides information to show that:
a. The Jesus worshipping (white male worshipping) culture of the black community subliminally afflicts many black people with a deleterious white superiority syndrome that lead to low self esteem, self-hate, psychological dissonance, and emotional and spiritual depression resulting in aberrant and self-injuring behavior or self-limiting beliefs such as; low academic achievement motivation among black adolescents, mutual alienation between black men and women, increase feelings of hate toward whites and other blacks, and increased stress and other health related problems in black males;
b. The Jesus worshipping (white male worshipping) culture of the black community reinforces the oppressive racist notion of white male superiority in the same ways as white racial discrimination and racial aggression;
c. The Jesus worshipping (white male worshipping) folkways of the black community are mentally oppressive and emotional emasculating to many young black men who after years of embedment in such a culture feel alienated, demeaned, and angry and react in ways that lead to high rates of recalcitrance, self abuse, crime, violence, and incarceration;
d. The Jesus worship (white male worship) within the black community is a self-administered practice that makes black people complicit in their own psychological oppression and serves as a catalyst for “good” white people to presume that black people have accepted the notion that “whiteness and the white male Christian power structure” is anointed and approved by God.
In his book entitled The Black Clergy’s Misguided Worship Leadership, Dr. Bell argues that to neutralize the above negative effects of “Jesus worship,” the black clergy must stop teaching black people to glorify and worship Jesus Christ and begin teaching them a “new Christianity” that espouses WORSHIPPING ONLY GOD the creator and sustainer of life and recognizes Jesus as a human being and prophet. Why? Because this “new Christianity” would promote Jesus Christ from the status of an unbelievable, make-believe, superstition-based, supernatural, extra-terrestrial god-character to the status of a believable, historically feasible, real life human being and prophet; and young black men will be able to relate to a “Prophet Jesus” and to his teachings with a sense of reality, human commonality, self-respect, and rationality. None of these relationships is now possible between today’s Christianity and young black men.
Dr. Bell explains that the “new Christianity” is a crucial intellectual and cultural transformation that black people must undertake if they are to ever liberate themselves from the damaging psychological effects of their white male worshipping folkways. He explains further how the black community with its renown black community uplift organizations must work together to persuade a reluctant black clergy to stop “Jesus worship” and begin “God worship only. Dr. Bell argues that the “new Christianity” will promote the religious enlightenment and psychological liberation of black people and mediate downward the high rates of recalcitrance, anti-social temperament, and violence in many young black men and thus reduce their plight and plunge toward incarceration.
About the Author:
Christopher C. Bell Jr., Ed.D. is a long time observer and analyst of the motivational and behavioral effects of religious educational programs on black people. He has managed, analyzed, and evaluated educational and motivational programs in the U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of Labor, the District of Columbia Public School System, and the U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Bell earned a Doctor Education (Ed.D.) degree from Boston University Graduate School of Education.
About the Book:
“The Black Clergy’s Misguided Worship Leadership”
By Dr. Christopher C. Bell Jr.
ISBN# 9781-4251-7806-2
To order, go to: http://www.drchrisbell dot com/BlackClergyBook.html or email: orders @trafford.com, or call 888-232-4444. This book is also available at major online book retailers such as Amazon, Borders, and Barnes and Noble.
Renowned nigerian scholar and historian Professor Chinweizu Ibekwe analyses the historical origin of christianity in africa in the following article:
by Chinweizu
Posted to the Web: Thursday, October 06, 2005
Letter from King Leopold II of Belgium to Colonial Missionaries, 1883
The letter which follows is Courtesy of Dr. Vera Nobles and Dr. Chiedozie Okoro.
“Reverends, Fathers and Dear Compatriots: The task that is given to fulfill is very delicate and requires much tact. You will go certainly to evangelize, but your evangelization must inspire above all Belgium interests. Your principal objective in our mission in the Congo is never to teach the niggers to know God, this they know already. They speak and submit to a Mungu, one Nzambi, one Nzakomba, and what else I don’t know. They know that to kill, to sleep with someone else’s wife, to lie and to insult is bad. Have courage to admit it; you are not going to teach them what they know already. Your essential role is to facilitate the task of administrators and industrials, which means you will go to interpret the gospel in the way it will be the best to protect your interests in that part of the world. For these things, you have to keep watch on disinteresting our savages from the richness that is plenty [in their underground. To avoid that, they get interested in it, and make you murderous] competition and dream one day to overthrow you.
Your knowledge of the gospel will allow you to find texts ordering, and encouraging your followers to love poverty, like “Happier are the poor because they will inherit the heaven” and, “It’s very difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.” You have to detach from them and make them disrespect everything which gives courage to affront us. I make reference to their Mystic System and their war fetish-warfare protection-which they pretend not to want to abandon, and you must do everything in your power to make it disappear.
Your action will be directed essentially to the younger ones, for they won’t revolt when the recommendation of the priest is contradictory to their parent’s teachings. The children have to learn to obey what the missionary recommends, who is the father of their soul. You must singularly insist on their total submission and obedience, avoid developing the spirit in the schools, teach students to read and not to reason. There, dear patriots, are some of the principles that you must apply. You will find many other books, which will be given to you at the end of this conference. Evangelize the niggers so that they stay forever in submission to the white colonialists, so they never revolt against the restraints they are undergoing. Recite every day-“Happy are those who are weeping because the kingdom of God is for them.”
Convert always the blacks by using the whip. Keep their women in nine months of submission to work freely for us. Force them to pay you in sign of recognition-goats, chicken or eggs-every time you visit their villages. And make sure that niggers never become rich. Sing every day that it’s impossible for the rich to enter heaven. Make them pay tax each week at Sunday mass. Use the money supposed for the poor, to build flourishing business centres. Institute a confessional system, which allows you to be good detectives denouncing any black that has a different consciousness contrary to that of the decision-maker. Teach the niggers to forget their heroes and to adore only ours. Never present a chair to a black that comes to visit you. Don’t give him more than one cigarette. Never invite him for dinner even if he gives you a chicken every time you arrive at his house.
“The above speech which shows the real intention of the Christian missionary journey in Africa was exposed to the world by Mr. Moukouani Muikwani Bukoko, born in the Congo in 1915, and who in 1935 while working in the Congo, bought a second hand Bible from a Belgian priest who forgot the speech in the Bible. — Dr. Chiedozie Okoro
We should note:
1] that all missionaries carried out, and still carry out, that mandate. We are only lucky to have found King Leopold’s articulation of the aim of all Christian imperialist missionaries to Africa.
2] Even the African converts who today manage the older churches in Africa (the priests, bishops, Archbishops, Cardinals etc of the Roman and Protestant sects), and especially also those who evangelize Born-Again Christianity, still serve the same mandate. Which is why they demonize African gods and Anglicize African names, and drop the names of African deities which form part of African names; and still attack and demolish the African shrines that have managed to survive, e.g. Okija.
3] Those Africans who voluntarily converted to Christianity before the colonial conquest such as Affonso I of the BaKongo in the 15th century probably did not discern the purpose of the brand of Christianity that was supplied to them. Which was probably why they fell easy prey to the missionaries and the white traders and pirates who followed them.
But their Japanese counterparts probably did discern the game, even without access to some version of Leopold’s letter. But even if the Japanese Shoguns did not intuit what Leopold makes explicit, they clearly realized the danger of Japanese converts to Christianity forming a fifth column within Japanese society and state, a fifth column loyal to their co-religionists in Europe. To rid Japan of that danger, in the late 16th century, the Shoguns began their expulsion of Portuguese and Spanish missionaries on the grounds that they were forcing Japanese to become Christian, teaching their disciples to wreck temples, taking and trading slaves, etc. Then, in 1596, it became clear to the Japanese authorities that Christianization had been a prelude to Spanish conquest of other lands; and it quickly dawned on them that a fifth column loyal to Rome and controlled by the priests of a foreign religion was a clear and present danger to the sovereignty of a newly unified Japan. Soon after, the persecution and suppression of Japanese Christians began. Early in the 17th century, sensing the danger from a creed that taught obedience to foreign priests rather than the Japanese authorities, all missionaries were ordered to leave and all Japanese were ordered to register at the Buddhist temples. When Japanese Christians took part in a rebellion, foreign priests were executed, the Spanish were expelled and Japanese Christians were forbidden to travel abroad. After another rebellion, largely by Christians, was put down, the Japanese Christians were suppressed and their descendants were put under close state surveillance for centuries thereafter. In the 1640s all Japanese suspected of being Christians were ruthlessly exterminated. Thus did Japan, by 1650, save itself from the first European attempt to mentally subvert, conquer and colonize it.
4] The African captives who were taken abroad and enslaved, and the Africans at home after the European conquest, having already been forcibly deprived of their autonomy, were in no political position to resist Christianization. Thus the Christianity still practised in all of the African American diaspora, just as that in the African homeland since the start of the 20th century, continues to carry out the Leopoldian mandate.
Hence, for example, whereas the White Born-Agains of the USA, when in the US Navy ships in WWII, sang:
“Praise the Lord,
And pass the ammunition,” the attitude of African Born-Again converts today is best summed up as :
“Praise the Lord,
And lie down for the manna.”
Thanks to a century or more of this Leopold-mandated missionary mind control, African Christians are not an activist, self-helping, economically engaged, politically resolute, let alone militant bunch. Hence their putting up with all manner of mistreatment and exploitation by their misrulers, white and black. The most they are disposed to do to their misrulers is to admonish them to “Fear God!”—as one protester’s miserable placard read in last week’s Lagos demonstration against the latest of the murderous fuel price hikes by the OBJ Misgovernment. The idea of an uprising to tame their misrulers is alien to the religiously opiated frame of mind of the Nigerians.
5] The lesson in the contrast between an Africa that the Christian missionaries brainwashed and subverted, and a Japan where this brainwashing and subversion was forcibly prevented, is stark and clear. What then must Africans of today begin to do to save themselves from brainwashing by their White World enemies here on earth?—That is the question.
May the Supernatural ,non Christian, non Biblical Theological, Magical Force That can eminate from the Black African Goddess’s Oshun’s Mind dominate the Global activity in every human Society. Black People , Have you noticed that no African languages can be learned in colleges, there’s no curriculum for any of them. Lets see, there’s French, Spanish, and maybe some Russian. The Big Why? Don’t you believe that if Kiswahili was offered on the curriculum just about every Black African American ( such as myself ) would take that class? Where’s the NAACP about such Issues? That’s certainly an issue for the Psychological Advancement of Colored People. Just take the Dues and Mildew.” Hum, let’s see” say they the other people,” Kiswahili , no way, their Culture might begin to shine Beautifully”. “Our Caucasion , English language empire might begin to drindle somewhat”
Hey I just want to say than for explaining about our Gods ,one thing I can say they are alive like it or not ,they do answer prayers Right away.Thank you
Wow this is an amazing article on Oshun..my mistake was reading the comments. Thanks for letting me taste her essence the this article. The good news is soon and very soon. Thru the wisdom if Oshun- soon and very soon. I apologize if my Christian roots are offensive. Thanks for the article and the introduction. Soon and very soon!????
Yolanda, my exact same thoughts! I truly
enjoyed the Oshun article. Beautiful teaching, very informative. My mistake too was reading the comments. Although I do respect everyone’s own belief. What you choose to believe is your belief. My background is Christianity and i don’t belive in contradiction which causes confusion and which i do see often in the christian as well as the catholic world (“european” spiritual teachings) and who i am today in this life; learned of my ancestral lineage being torn away from their heritage and spiritual practice to be forced into Christianity, only compelled me to search for my original tribe and rightful spiritual practice. Apparently someone (with other members) chose to abuse the African religious practice in such a way which brought us all to where we are today. All religion are of spiritual practice which involve rituals of light or darkness. Its how you choose to perform the practice. I chose to search on my path to reconnect with my lineage and closer to the righteous higher spirits. I choose Not to settle into a religion that was made up from Europe by stripping the original owners of there African teachings then to manipulate hundreds of pages to fit their needs in order to deprogram and regrogram those that they forced away from The Mother Land. Our creator gave us Will of choice. Its either you use your ritual in a helpful manner or in an abusive manner (for self and/your community)!! Me, I choose light with abundance of love for myself and for my community. Big up with Highest Praises to the Almighty…. Oludamare, creator of heaven and earth, Orunmila, witness to creation, My Ori, Esu the Messenger, Egun my Ancestral lineage, My Ori, the beautiful and strong Orisha, Osun/Yemojah and all other Orishas. Peace and Love!
Hello it has been long time of me trying connect or get contact to oshun{queen of the sea}
I want to know how I can get connect with oshum and how to worship and how to give offering to her so that I can get contact to her.
I love to meet her and see her.
What offering can I give her to reveal her self to me because her to be my God and let my generation to worship her.
I would never worship a goddess of witches. Or any goddess who practices witchcraft. I’m sorry, but that makes no sense to me. I am a spiritual person, but I refuse to believe in any deity that ordains witchcraft. IMO God is in us. I believe God dwells in me, and that’s who is guiding me, and teaching me spiritual things, and I don’t have to resort to ritualistic behavior to hear from her or be close to her. I feel closest to my goddess when I am out in nature, feeling her presence and experiencing her love. There is nothing like knowing the god or goddess within, and being in tune with that inner voice. We all have god or goddess in us, but some of us would rather make one up, than believe in the one who is already with us; if we knew the God in us, we wouldn’t be running around trying to find ourselves through all these different religions that brainwash us into believing in their god. You can’t miss her/his voice, it’s the one you acknowledge when you say things like, “something told me not to do that, or “something told me not to go there, but I didn’t listen.” That, to me is God. Christians call it the Holy spirit, other’s call it something else, but to me it’s my God/Goddess dwelling in me leading me and guiding me through this journey called life. And I can’t tell you how fulfilled I am knowing and experiencing that God within, or the euphoria I feel because I know the God in me loves me and has been with me since I was born. I hope one day everybody wakes up and finally acknowledges in the God within them.
So true. Blessings.
Exactly!I have heard the god/godess within from my earliest memories.Always guiding and comforting.This is before I was taught ANYTHING about “religion”.I still feel that presence even as I am purging myself of all that I have been taught.
Why are all of these people who don’t believe in African spirituality or all things Osun even on this page. Either it’s boredom or a conflict in what they believe. Go somewhere else with like minded people and converse about what you believe.