Lyrics via The Online Guide to Salvador da Bahia, Brazil: FAQs.

A few nights ago I was talking to a friend, a new friend. It was wonderful, we talked for two hours about Orisa and how we came to it, our understanding of it, and I felt much better to express my faith in Oludumare and the Orisas, as well as my personal devotion and love for my Mother Osun.

I was telling him about the struggles I’ve been through, and the struggle of the moment to find work.

I told him about the way people around me see me shining, and although I didn’t believe it before, enough people around me have told me that I glow and shine, I have learnt to accept that this is something I do.

I mentioned to him that people see the shininess, and have no idea what I am going through. I shine even when I am heartbroken, freaking out, sad and confused.

He told me a pataki by way of that characteristic in an Omo Osun.

Osun and Orunmilla were married. One day Orunmilla got sick and Oludumare told Osun that the only way to save him was to dance, and to keep dancing until Orunmilla rose from the bed.

So Osun began to dance, and dance. At first, she was been lovely to watch, her movements balanced and beautiful. However, after hours and hours, she began to feel tired and Orunmilla hadn’t yet risen from the bed.

So Osun kept dancing. More and more hours slipped by, and exhaustion gave way to pain; pain in her back, pain in her feet and in her head. Yet, she couldn’t stop dancing, because she had to save her lover.

So she eventually began to cry because of the pain, but she didn’t stop dancing. She was sad and confused, tired and in pain, but she didn’t stop dancing. She danced with tears streaming down her face, and kept on until Orunmilla rose up from the bed.

They say all Omo Osun are like that. On the surface people see happiness, they see the dance, but they don’t know what pain it costs to maintain that, and for the most part they hide it well.

As my friend told me this story, I smiled wrily because I recognised myself in the story. I saw my own way of doing things in the story.

I had to laugh, they say the people who really understand Osun are her daughters. I’ll say my understanding of Osun grows as I begin to understand myself.

Items needed:

1. Orange rind
2. Dried orange leaves
3. Brown sugar
4. An iron pot

Place the ingredients in a pot and burn them.

Smother the fire and leave the smoldering mixture smoking heavily.

Offer the incense to Osun saying:

“oshun oguao mi inle osbun igua iya mio igua iko bo si iya mi

guasi iya mi omo y alorde ogno mi inle ashe oshun.”

Or, respectfully pray to Oshun in your own language for the money and economic prosperity that you need.

Here is another version of the pumpkin for Osun offering, except this one is for love and marriage. Osun Pumpkin For Prosperity is very similar, with only slight variations. I posted this one for oyasdawta last week, and got to thinking about how similar they are.

I fouund versions of both those rituals in a number of online archives, and it had to be edited and reformatted. Here’s the offering below.

Take a pumpkin, cut off top, clean out the insides, it but leave some seeds in it. (Maybe five.)

Write your lovers name on a brown piece of  paper, place in the bottom of the pumpkin with five fish hooks.

Cover the paper and hooks with honey, then sprinkle with cinnamon. Then on top of that carefully place five egg yolks. Over that carefully cover it all with cooking oil. You want to try and keep the layers though some stuff will float.

Once you have filled the pumpkin with the oil (fill it to about 2 inches below the top of the pumpkin.  You now need to get 5 of those floating wicks (you know for floating candles.)

Light the wicks and  let burn for one hour, repeat the lighting and burning for one hour for five days (so make sure you have  enough oil in there.)

After five days go to a river with it (again this is directed to Oshun.)

Offer the pumpkin to Oshun with five cents.

You will need:

2. bees’ honey,
4. five cinnamon sticks,
6. three kinds of perfume,
8. yellow flowers,
10. the powders “Love Me A Lot” and “For Me,”
12. a picture of the loved person with his [or her] name and date of birth.  
14. a bowl of water for making a bath or, better a stream of running water

Pull off the flower petals and toss them into the water, throw in the three perfumes, five cinnamon sticks, a little of the bees’ honey, and the powders “Love Me A Lot” and “For Me.” Take enough of this water for three baths. Beginning on a Saturday, use it in the bath for three consecutive days, with the photo in front of the person bathing. The water can

be strained to clear the flower petals out, and between baths and afterwards, the picture stays in the bedroom.

[Note: If you cannot find the Santeria powders named, you can substitute the hoodoo powders Love Me and Come to Me.]

Source: Lucky Mojo Esoteric Archive

Oshun purrs seductively into your life to awaken your sensuality. Oshun signals that it is time to acknowledge and honour the magnificence of your own being, by nurturing the five senses with beauty and art, sensual delights and self-adornment.  Now is the time to unleash your sensual individuality through creative dress and the sensory delights of self indulgence.  Oshun beckons you to emerse yourself within magical aromas; exotic tastes; exquisite sights;  joyous sounds; and the ecstatic sensations of this wondrous existence.

Suggested Ritual. For this ritual gather a full length mirror, feather,  talc, orange scented and floating candles, scented soaps, body scrub, soft towels, colourful scarves (preferably silk) and body lotion.  Play sensuous music and have a brightly coloured outfit ready to wear.

Firstly treat yourself to a luxurious bath or shower surrounded by the seductive light of scented candles.  Indulge your body with the scented soaps and body scrubs.  Towel off until completely dry.

Stand naked in front of the mirror in the candlelight,  view your body and see that you are beautiful, no matter what shape, age or size. Acknowledge the miracle of this amazing vessel that carries your spirit and soul.

Dust your body seductively with talcum powder.  Become aware of the music as you improvise the slow, fluid,  movements of your own sensual dance. Take up the feather and exotically stroke your skin from toe to head building the movements into your dance, relishing the pleasures of touch.  Breathing in the scents of zesty orange take up the scarves and again enjoy the sensual sensations of silk floating against the skin of your arms, legs and torso.  Stay with the dance until all of your senses are heightened and you are transformed into the Goddess of Sensuality herself.

At the end of this exercise dress yourself in your brightly coloured outfit and treat yourself to another sensual experience, e.g. a crepe suzette, a zesty fruit salad, make love or visit the local art gallery.

(Praising the Spirit of the River)

A tun eri eni ti o sunwon se. Alase tun se a kí nla oro bomi.

Witness of a person’s ecstasy renewed. Once again in command of things, she greets the most important matter in the water.

Ipen obinrin a jo eni ma re. Osun ma je mo aiye o jó le li eri.

Most o can burn a person, Spirit of the River don’t let the world dance evil on my head.

Ala agbo ofe a bi omo mu oyin. Otiti li owó adun ba soro po. O ni ra mo ide.

Caring without fee, she gives the healing, honeyed water to the child. Rich as She is, She speaks sweetly to the multitude, She has bought all the secrets of copper.

O ro wanwan jó wa. O jo lubu ola eregede.

Here she comes dancing, making her bracelets tinkle like the forest brook. She is dancing in the depths of underwater riches. My mother has hollowed out something in the sand.

Alade obrinin sowon. Afinju obinrin ti ko a ide.

Crowned woman is very, elegant in the way she handles money.

Osun olu ibú ola, Olo kiki eko.

The Spirit of the River, master of the depths of wealth, Owner of innumerable parrrot feathers.

Ide fi ojú ta iná.

The flash of brass in the fire of her eyes.

Oni ro wanranwanran wanran omi ro. Afi ide si omo li owo. Ase.

Water murmuring over stones is the Spirit of the River dancing with her jewels of brass, dancing with her tinkling rings of brass. Only the children of the Spirit of the River have such copper bracelets on their arms. May it be so.

——

Osun Owner-of-sweet-waters

Osun Queen worthy to be praised

To make a crown of water in the womb

Is the gift of the compassionate mother

To waft breezes from the splendour of brass fans

The way to cool and make calm weeping Water

As golden-amber honey flows from bees

So love flows sweetly from Owner-of-streams

Osun whose tears make plea

That love is not enough in the world

It is said Water once set out to seduce Iron

To leave the exile of a dense forest home

That day covering a love-stricken face Ogun returned to

Clearing fields cutting pathways opening roads

In faded blue cloth water-washed white

Osun steps subtly from the stream to dance

Illustrious-Queen modest-woman in one

Osun makes playful music with bangles of brass

Without Water

My life is aimless blown-dust on the road

Without Water

Mourning-eyes lacking recompense of tears

Osun worthy to be Queen

Osun worthy to be praised

So I’ve just come from having my last bath. This is the third and final bath. I am pleased to report, I feel a physical, palpable difference in my emotional, mental, spiritual state. I feel good. After I started to bathe, I was just singing and humming, and I’ve been in a singing kind of mood.

By comparison, this bath was a quick and neat affair. When I got down to the palais, I was an hour late, but there was only one other woman there, and after I got there, the only other guy scheduled got there, within another half hour.

In fifteen or twenty minutes tops, I was bathed and settled up, and smelling sweet and marvellous, feeling light and airy. I prayed very hard tonight, prayed right through the whole experience, concentrated on visualising my aims, and formed the words, whispering them over and over. Shooting my good wishes and good intentions into the act. Again, I prayed to learn how to love my enemies, even as I prayed for protection against them.

Today was a productive day, I really worked very hard, and I’m already ahead of the game for next week. I’m still worried about money, and yet, not worried. I am going to continue to pray and make my offerings, and from somewhere, some way, the money to do the things I need to do will come. This month, I put everything but the rent and the phone bill on pause, because I had to spend so much money paying for the baths, and seeing about getting this spiritual work done. Even without much money, I haven’t been starving.

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One week into my vacation, I am well…. dey.

I have been exceedingly dull. I have called a few friends, but for the most part have satyed in the house.

On Saturday afternoon, DivaGirl and I went into Bridgetown to just knock about a bit. See the two of us, one big thick red girl, one dark pixie-ish black girl, both short, walking up the road in pure white and brilliant yellow, with two huge fans, fanning, fanning, fanning all the way. Yes chile, it flicking hot no ass in BIM!

Anyhoo, I had planned to go to see Osun the next day, so there were a few things I had planned to buy before heading up to see her. So it was little yellow fruits to buy, cinnamon and pure honey to find.

DivaGirl  is embarking a new enterprise, so part of the day was spent scoping the market and looking for raw materials. Judging from the response we got from everyone, I think it is going to be a disgustingly profitable effort for Ms. Thing…. and I mean, she does really very beautiful work.

So after knocking around town for hours, we finally made it home in time for my mother to bustle both of us in the car to go to the Geriatric Hospital to see my Great Aunt. That was a semi-depressing experience. I mean, it’s one thing to say we are all going to get old, helpless and such before we die, but it was hard to see her in that place. She has also been going a bit senile. At 93 odd years old, it was to be expected, but on Saturday she wasn’t too bad. She had most of her wits about her; when I was leaving I played the sticking-out tongue game we’ve been playing for years and she remembered enough to play along.

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I’ve been meaning to tell you, there are some bees building a hive just above and outside my bedroom window.

Now, from a spiritual perspective, I see Osun in it. I mean, Osun works with honey. She heals and cleanses with honey, and honey is a metaphor for all of Osun’s good works and qualities. So in strictly metaphorical terms, I see Osun there in my life, building and producing these good works.

However, I am seriously allergic to bee stings, so I am also in a bit of a quandary. The bees have not once flown into my window, although I sleep with the window open from time to time. The only reason I know they are there, is because one day about a month ago, I looked out and there it was. They have been busy for real too, because it’s almost twice the size it was then. They sure are working for their Queen.

So, although part of me wants to remind the landlord to move it, a big part of me is just so happy to have Osun’s workers there to remind me that it takes hard work and discipline to make beautiful things happen.

I remain undecided about what to do. I mean, if they don’t bother me, I shouldn’t bother them, ent?