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UPCOMING EVENTS:
It’s important to get out there and socialize, especially when it comes to the religious community. But not everything has to be about drummings and crownings. Sometimes it’s good just to have fun with other like-minded people. That’s what I’ve got planned for Labor Day weekend. In honor of Oshun, there is a dinner cruise event on September 5th in Orlando called “Honey on the River”. It’s not something I’d normally go to, but I guess it’s good to step out of your comfort-zone every now and then. I don’t think there are very many listeners of this podcast who are in the Orlando area, but if you are, you should come by and say ‘hi.’ If you are interested in getting tickets, there’s a Facebook page for the event. You can find it by searching for “Honey on the River” or just clicking the link in the shownotes. Just be sure to mention that you found out about it through this podcast. I don’t get anything out of it, but a little free publicity never hurt, right?
NEWS:
“Interview with a Santera” was published in the Havana Times on August 14th.
The article was about the religion’s presence in Cuba and centered largely on an interview with a 50-year-old santera who was crowned when she was six-years-old.
I was a little put-off by the writer’s experience during a reading she had. It wasn’t that I felt like she wasn’t telling the truth. I just didn’t like how it came across.
She had a cowry shell reading, with hit-or-miss results. She was advised to come back for ebo and a necklace of either Yemaya or Oshun.
When she had a follow-up reading with the cowry shells, she was told that she needed to expel a spirit of a man who had died a long time ago that was following her around and bothering her.
It’s possible a little more drama was thrown in just to make the story sound more interesting, but who knows. I wasn’t there. Even if I was, I can’t read shells. I don’t know the santera doing the reading or her reputation, so I can only speculate. The stuff about the spirit, especially, makes me think more of something that would come out of a misa rather than a cowry shell reading. But, again, I don’t really have the experience to say one way or the other.
The interview was better. One thing the interviewer asks about, which I think a lot of people might not pay enough attention to, is that santeros should have the intention of restoring the balance of ashe. Getting to and maintaining that balance is crucial.
I also liked that there was a clear distinction made between the santera’s practices and the practices of Ifa.
The last part of the article had something kind of amusing in it. The interviewer mentioned that the pieces of Obi that were thrown by the santera seemed to be lacking coconut meat and had instead been colored in with a white crayon. Say it isn’t so! I wish I could get away with that… As my padrino can attest to, I’m absolutely useless when it comes to opening coconuts and making useful pieces for Obi.
At the end of the article, it mentions the disposal of the ebo, where the woman writing the interview tossed two plastic bags filled with herbs into the ocean. I’m not a big fan of that, but… whatever.
“Package with cow tongue puts kink in morning trains” was published in The Statesman on August 16th
This one wasn’t as sensationalized as it could have been, but it was still a bit overkill.
Basically, someone stumbled upon a cow tongue wrapped in butcher paper that was sitting on some railroad ties.
Generally speaking, that isn’t all that interesting.
People started getting a little curious about it, though, when they realized that the tongue was studded with nails.
The butcher paper had writing on it. It said “Against us stop now close the mouth” and included a dozen or so names.
There is also a mention of a jar with unidentified liquid nearby, but I tend to discredit that kind of thing, since you never know how close “nearby” really is or whether it’s actually related.
Rather than consulting the SPCA or some other similarly-unqualified expert, the article includes commentary from a college professor who is also an author of a book about Santeria.
He points out that it isn’t necessarily an act of someone involved in the religion, but — if it was — it might be an offering made to Ogun, in hopes of silencing someone.
“Grave robberies mystify” was published by Lancaster Online on August 19th.
In this, we learn about an odd discovery made late last year. A short distance from where local workers discover a chicken crate lying abandoned in the woods, they also discover a small clearing, where a 4-foot circle of candles has been left. The candles appeared to have been burned, but their purpose wasn’t clear. No mention is made as to whether any sort of chicken remains were found. Again, I can’t help wondering how close the “short distance” between the two really was.
One of the contractors, who — of course — asked not to be identified, proclaimed that it was a ritual.
Eight months after this so-called ritual and a quarter-mile away, someone dug up the grave of a 9-year-old who had died in 1962.
The question is raised as to whether the people who had burned the candles were connected to the ones who dug up the grave.
It’s worth noting that the grave was robbed on Friday the 13th, which has very little — if any — significance in Santeria or, really, any of the African traditions I can think of.
The article mentions other cases of graves being robbed or desecrated — most of which I’ve already mentioned in earlier podcasts and blog entries.
Much of the article suggests such activities are usually the result of pranksters or disturbed individuals, with only a few mentions here or there about magic, animal remains, and that sort of thing.
If the article is pointing a finger towards anyone in the African Traditional Religious community, it is probably more towards Palo Mayombe than Santeria,. It’s a nice change of pace and shows people are finally learning differences between different traditions. Realistically, I’m sure most of the smart Palo practitioners just buy bones legally these days online or whatever rather than messing around in cemeteries.
“Graveyards report strange goings-on”, a follow-up to the previous article, was published by Lancaster Online on August 25th.
While the article starts out listing a handful of strange and unexplained events at local cemeteries, it mentioned that vandalism is a regular occurrence at city cemeteries.
My favorite part was towards the end of the article. While there is mention of how many botanicas are in the area, the city police chief, Keith Sadler, points out that Home Depot sells shovels, too. I like that. He also points out that regardless of the beliefs or motivations leading up to it, a crime was committed and that’s what’s being pursued.
“Dead birds in the middle of the road” was published by the Chicago Times on August 25th.
It’s a pretty short article. Basically, some roosters are found every now and then in a residential area and seem to be disemboweled. The writer points out that it doesn’t seem to have anything to do with traditional practices of Santeria, yet the only link on the page is one about animal sacrifices in Santeria. Really, the article seems to nothing more than filler and a way for the guy to keep up his word-count quota. I did enjoy the comments, though, especially the one claimed that the dead roosters were a result of “fowl play.” Nice…
BLAH TALK RADIO:
As some of you have probably picked up on a bit by now, I absolutely loathe the Blog Talk Radio service.
When I first started looking for podcasts about Santeria, that was one of the first handful of sites I ran across that seemed to have some content. Quickly, though, I found the quality a bit lacking.
Probably the biggest issue I see with it is that it’s an attempt to take an old-media format like radio and try to make it relevant — in the age of new-media like podcasts, YouTube channels, and other forms of user-generated content.
It’s an issue of quantity over quality, in a lot of these cases. As a listener, I feel like I’m stuck without many options. It’s rare to listen to an episode of any of these shows without noticing the same issues cropping up again and again. One day, I’ll make a drinking game specifically geared towards Blog Talk Radio. Take one shot of liquor when there are “technical difficulties.” Take two shots when the volume suddenly becomes too high or too low. Within about ten minutes of the show, you’ll be smashed.
Everything on Blog Talk Radio just seems to be old, irrelevant, or both.
On iTunes, I don’t really mind so much about a certain podcast episode from 2008 that continually comes up in the top five list when doing a search for the term “Santeria”. I’m fine with that. Even iTunes listeners are allowed to make bad choices now and then. Because, you know, my show should totally be in the number one spot, right?
Especially with shows from Blog Talk Radio, though, it drives me nuts when the podcast should be focused on certain topics, but ends up just wasting time talking about completely unrelated issues. I’m not talking about small rants like this. I’m talking about spending an hour or more simply talking to themselves or about how many people are in their chat room. Look, I won’t name any names, but I was pretty upset the other night when I tried listening to a podcast that claimed to be about ancestor and orisha worship… and it was anything but.
It started out well enough, with some seeming-relevant music. Unfortunately, that was the highlight of the episode — some old and probably unlicensed music. About an hour into the podcast, they finally start talking about the orisha. I don’t care a lot about the way words and names are pronounced. Heck, I struggle with that myself now and then. But the religious talk seemed short-lived and felt like the content was from Wikipedia or something. Next was a reading from Ochani Lele’s new book, which I’ve already probably promoted way too much out of myself, but — hey — at least it’s relevant, I guess. The rest of the two hours was filled with awkward dialog, promotions for “Paranormal” podcasts, and topics such as mountain-top mining, gas-field drilling, and medical marijuana. Is this for real? I thought this was supposed to be about ancestor worship.
Look, I understand that people have their own interests, but it really felt like it should have either been left out or at least kept to a minimum. Listening to the show just felt like a total waste of time. Maybe the other episodes were different, but after skipping through a few others, it didn’t seem like it.
This isn’t just about one specific podcast, either. Countless others that I’ve stumbled across on Blog Talk all suffer from these same issues. I’m not sure if there is some sort of commitment made that forces the person to keep the show running for a certain amount of time, even if they have nothing on-topic to discuss or what, but it just bothers me. A lot.
At some point, I’d like to work with you guys to come up with a decent list of other sites and podcasts worth checking out and, just as importantly, those to avoid.
I’ll do my best to keep things on-topic here, at least. With that in mind….
ASK AN ABORISHA:
cursed by the orishas for leaving santeria: This is such BS! Do people seriously believe this stuff? Here’s my take on it, for what it’s worth. When you come to this religion, sometimes there are perks. You might not find true love, live forever, or win the lottery, but it lifts you up a little bit from where you were. By performing ebos, attending your warriors, and working with the orisha, they help remove obstacles from your way or at least help lessen their effects. When you leave the religion and the orisha, there is no Cursing, Smiting, or other overly-dramatic-sounding stuff. If you’re running into more issues than you had before, it’s more likely because you no longer have the orisha there to guide you around them. A lot of it is probably in your mind, as well. If you are afraid of retribution from the orisha for leaving the religion, you’re more prone to finding examples of a curse in normal occurrences throughout your day. Get over it.
found ritual remains of a curse against me what do i do: I think I might have covered a question like this already, but in case I haven’t… here goes… It depends on what you found and what, most likely, the curse was about. Maybe I’m just naïve, but I feel like a lot of the time, people just get it into their head that they are the victim of a curse when they really aren’t or — if they are — it’s a self-fulfilling one that they’ve brought onto themselves. But if you do feel like you’ve been affected by someone with ill-intent, the first step is to remain calm. Anger, fear, and frustration will only compound your issues. Start by disposing of what you found. How you do that is, again, up to you. Seal it away in a box, burn it, toss it in the garbage, whatever. Now that it’s gone, you can focus on yourself. Clear your mind and take a bath (or shower, if you don’t have a bath). An herbal bath or one using omiero probably wouldn’t hurt, either. Now that you’ve begun to cleanse yourself, you can also begin cleansing your house. Burning sage or just normal incense are pretty popular methods for this. Walk the perimeter of your home and let the smoke begin to cancel out the bad energy being worked on you Some also use floor washes that have herbs, Florida Water, or other ingredients in them. Lighting a candle or two could help, as well Next, if you are a spiritualist, you may want to go to your boveda, consult your muertos, and do what you need to in order to give them extra strength. Finally, consider going to a misa or divination session. The misa can help you work towards strengthening your defenses spiritually, while the divination session can help you work towards clearing away what’s already been done.
i found chicken feet hanging from a tree: Nice. I have no clue what it’s from or why it would be there, but — if it was me — I’d keep them. Maybe they’ll be of use someday.
snake curse sensitivity to light: I’ve never heard of this one. Some snakes hunt at night, but I’ve never really heard of any that are sensitive to light. With that in mind, I’m not sure how a snake curse would be related to light-sensitivity. The closest thing I could come up with is that people who have been exposed to the venom of a Brown snake may develop a sensitivity to light. But that’s probably quite a stretch, since there are other more noticeable symptoms such as paralysis and convulsions that would probably be noticed first. Hopefully, it’s just a migraine or something, but if it continues, I’d suggest seeing a physician.
how to smuggle animal bones through airport customs: I’m assuming you’re talking about something illegal, since you mentioned the term “smuggle”. If you buy something legitimately as a curio or medical specimen, you shouldn’t have much issue. For anything else, my advise is to not even try. It’s probably easier to just ship what you need instead of trying to deal with transporting that stuff with you. There are certainly going to be things that are going to raise flags anywhere, though, so don’t get upset if you run into problems while trying to pass off a box of rhino-horns to the local FedEx guy.
orisha raccoon: I’m not sure what orisha is tied most with raccoons. Consider the traits that raccoons are most often said to possess. They are amorous, get into all sorts of mischief, and they are happy to take their share of everything. With that in mind, I’d have to guess that they’d be associated with Elegua. I’m not sure, though, to be honest.
candle glass broke santeria: The majority of the time, I think this has less to do with spiritual omens and more to do with cheaply-made candles. Sometimes, even if the candle’s wick seems to be in the center when you first light it, it angles off to one side the closer it gets to the bottom. When it’s closer to the glass, the heat of the flame might cause the glass to crack or break — especially if the area where the candle is located is especially cool or damp. Try switching to a better brand of candle and see if it’s still a problem.
what do eggs signify in santeria: They symbolize more or less the same thing as in other religions and practices — life and fertility. Sometimes they are used in cleanings, as a way of letting the negativity and bad stuff grow inside of the egg rather than in you and your life.
santeria what happens to body sprayed with rum: Aside from being sticky later, you mean? When rum is sprayed on someone, I think it depends on the context. Is the person being sprayed someone that is being mounted or looks like they might be getting close? If so, that might be to coax the orisha into coming down fully and is sort of an offering. Otherwise, it might be as part of a cleansing. I’m not sure.
spiritual bad eggun removed: You can’t really remove eggun — good or bad. They are your ancestors. They are part of you and where you come from. Yes, there are bad people. But that doesn’t mean that they are bad once they are eggun. As cheesy at it sounds, thinking of it as a caterpillar and a butterfly is probably the easiest way to explain this. While alive, our ancestors were like caterpillars. Some do more noticeable damage in their life than others, but all eventually will leave us. Within the cocoon, it is the death of the caterpillar as we know it. It is the death of our ancestor as a person. Eventually, a butterfly emerges. That’s eggun, our ancestor as a spirit. The things that might have made you remember that person as “bad” died with them and now only the empty shell of that person remains. Maybe you believe that bad things happen for a reason. Maybe you believe that it made you strong. Heck, you might just think that some people are jerks. I don’t know which is right or wrong. I just know that what we honor are the spirits of the ancestors. If there’s one you have in mind that you feel like you have lingering issues with, offer a candle specifically for them and talk to them. Working with eggun isn’t just about elevating their spirit. It’s also about elevating your own.
the purpose of getting a rock from a cemetery when making eshu laroye: Uh-oh, everyone. It’s time for me to divulge some top-secret information. Are you ready? …. Just kidding. I’m not sure what the purpose is. In fact, I wasn’t even aware the otane could come from there. Since Laroye works with Oshun, I guess I always assumed the stone came from the river or at least near one. This is probably one of those things you’ll want to ask your godparent about rather than looking online.
i want olokun: Good for you. Olokun is pretty awesome. For starters, it’s one of the few orisha I know of that one can receive without being crowned. Olokun is especially good for helping you develop spiritually. Olokun is also associated with money, which is a good thing, since I’m going to need all the help I can get in order to save up to make Ocha. Usually, Olokun is given due to the results of a reading. My advice is to talk with your godparent, explain what you hope to achieve by receiving it, and go from there.
orisha names different spellings: Most of this probably comes from translations between different languages and cultures. Beyond that, though, when it’s written, I think a lot of the variations comes from an attempt to avoid confusion with others with the same spelling but different pronunciation. In a tonal language, like with Yoruba, the accent marks definitely matter. A good example is with Oshun. Traditionally, it’s spelled O-S-U-N. Once in Latin America, it shifted to O-C-H-U-N. In America, it’s often common to see the name spelled O-S-H-U-N. Both of these variations help distinguish between Oshun, the orisha associated with the river, and a completely different orisha, received with the Warriors, whose name is also spelled O-S-U-N. It can get kind of confusing sometimes. A slight change in emphasis might have a completely different meaning. Another example of this is ‘Oba’ versus ‘Obba’. Traditionally, they are both spelled O-B-A, but depending on the emphasis, one is a general title meaning “King” while the other is the name of a specific orisha. To avoid this confusion when writing about the orisha, the name is typically spelled O-B-B-A. This is also partly why it’s important to actually talk with and listen to others in person. When writing, it’s best just to stick with existing standards. When I write “eggun”, for instance, I use two G’s. I could just use one and there are plenty of people who spell it that way. When I was first learning about the religion, I remember sometimes getting the word confused with Ogun. Looking back, it seems a silly and I’m not sure why I had an issue with it. I made a mental note that eggun has two G’s and that Ogun has one. After that, I was fine. Doing it now is more just out of habit than anything else. Thankfully, the way I learned to spell it seems a bit more common, which is helpful when people are doing internet searches, since it makes them more likely to find me.
orisha elekes how to care for: I need to start looking back at my notes. I’m pretty sure I answered something along these lines already. A lot of stuff online talks about prohibitions involving not wearing the elekes in the shower, when sleeping, during sex, and that sort of thing. As for actually caring for them, though, they are pretty easy. Basically you just want to avoid being too rough with them or doing anything that would show disrespect. When they aren’t being worn, you never want to have them hanging on something like a doorknob, rack, or whatever. The easiest way I can describe how to store them is to hold one of the necklaces with one hand at each side so that it looks more or less like a circle. Now twist it once to turn the circle into a figure-eight. Rearrange it in your hands now so that your hands are holding opposite ends of a single circle again — only this time made of two smaller circles. I know it sounds a bit weird at first, but just try it. Keep twisting and combining to make smaller and smaller circles. Repeat this process until you can’t easily continue. Over time, this becomes something you do quickly and without much thought. When you’re done, set the necklace down so the small circles are more or less on top of one another. You’ll do this same process one necklace at a time. Elekes are always put on and taken off one at a time. I usually say a praise for each orisha as I put on the necklace, but that’s more of just a personal thing I do.
making a oshun wooden eleke: I’ve always like the idea of wooden elekes. Something tells me that the Yoruba back-in-the-day didn’t have access to mass-produced bright-colored plastic beads. As far as how to make one, I would assume it would be similar to making one with plastic beads. You would just need to find a fairly durable paint for the wooden beads. Not only are the beads likely to rub against one another, clothes, and skin during normal use, but you want something that isn’t going to lose its color when it’s fed and then washed. Even though I like the idea of using wood, plastic is probably more practical.
what do you clean the santeria beads with: If the beads are new and are causing skin irritation, they might have something on them still from when they were fed. A light amount of water is probably alright for that situation. A quick rinse and a bit of rubbing with your fingers should be enough for most situations. If in doubt, ask the person you got them from.
lukumi receiving your beads and hiding them: Why the heck would you want to hide them? I can somewhat understand if you need to be discreet at your place of employment or whatever. At my job, I don’t wear my elekes every day. When I do wear them, I usually only wear one at a time… maybe two. The elekes themselves aren’t meant to be fashion-statements. You probably shouldn’t wear them just because they happen to match an outfit you want to wear. On the other hand, I don’t see any issue with adjusting your outfit so it matches well with — and draws less attention to — your elekes. If there are certain people who you don’t feel comfortable wearing the beads around, either don’t wear them or avoid those people. If it’s an issue where you are living in a household where the religion is frowned upon, I’m not sure what to tell you. Kids have been hiding stuff from their parents for generations. It can’t be that difficult. Just try to be respectful to the orisha. If all else fails, maybe you can work something out with your godparent, so they can be kept somewhere else until you are able to either resolve the conflicts at home or are old enough to move out.
how to get closer to african roots: This is somewhat of a personal thing and depends on the individual, so all I can speak of is my own experiences. I’m not too big into genealogy, but I think it’s a safe guess to say that I am quite a few generations removed from Africa. Still, I’ve always had a fondness for African culture and, especially, food. The only decent African restaurant within a few hours of me closed down a handful of months ago. It sucks, too, because lately I’ve been craving Egusi stew. Luckily, I found an African grocery not too far from where I work and was able to stop there on the way home the other day. Like when I have to go to Latin or Asian markets for something, it was a bit daunting at first. Thankfully, though, it was a relatively small place and the owner was quite helpful. Not only did I get the ground egusi seeds and bitter leaf that I wanted, but they had palm oil, goat meat, and just about anything else I could want for making traditional African food. Egusi stew is a personal favorite of mine, though. It was the first Nigerian food I had ever tried and will now be the first Nigerian food I will try to make. It’s a high-protein dish that’s not very filling, so it’s usually paired up with pounded yam, which gives a lot of the carbohydrates and “fullness” to the dish. It’s a regional dish that’s unique to Nigeria, so it isn’t something I can even get at the Ethiopian restaurant I found about an hour from me. Such a shame. If I want it, I’m going to have to make it myself. I have a decent book of recipes for West African cooking, but I’ll be trying something I found online instead. I don’t want to use pumpkin seeds or any other substitutions, if possible. I’m trying to make it as traditional as I can, so I’m going off of a recipe I found on Naira Land, a Nigerian discussion forum. The only substitution I’ll probably make is to use rice instead of pounded yam, since it’s a little less daunting. I’m not much of a cook. I’m more of an eater… But, yeah, that’s how I feel closer to my African roots. I’m not sure if that helped you any, but it kind of made me a little hungry…
aborisha/aleyo initiation: This is another one that I think has been covered plenty, so I won’t get into it here. Look back at earlier podcast episodes and blog posts. Finding a godparent that you can learn from and trust is crucial. After that, receiving elekes and warriors is really simple stuff. A lot of sites and books mention that you will want to bring a change of clothes with you for your initiation and that your old ones are destroyed. I had read online about initiates having to essentially be stripped of the old clothes. It’s not anything perverse, but that’s also part of why you want to only work with people you know and trust. It’s a symbol of being stripped of one’s old life. For my initiation, pretty much all I was told was to bring a change of clothes that I didn’t mind being thrown away. I don’t want to give away too much, for those yet to be initiated, but take my advice… Wear something nice and thin. I wore thick jeans for my initiation and I don’t think my madrina will ever let me forget that choice.
how do you crown someone in santeria: How the heck should I know? There are two ways to learn that stuff, as far as I know. The first is through the direct experience of being crowned. That gives you a basic idea of some of the things that happen, but definitely wouldn’t teach you enough to be able to do it on your own. The second part, available to you only once you’ve been crowned and have some experience under your belt, is to actually work behind-the-scenes during a crowning ceremony. Like with many other aspects of the religion, the more you participate, the more you learn. At least that’s how I understand it.
how to prepare to make ocha: Unlike the rest of these question, this came from the Facebook page. One of the first steps is to talk with your godparents to find out what you need. They should be able to give you a nice big list of stuff, especially when it comes to white things — sheets, socks, shirts, undergarments, pants, and that sort of thing. You’ll also want to start picking out tinajas and soperas to hold the orisha that you receive and their tools. Starting early on this stuff really helps out. If you just buy a little bit every now and then, you shouldn’t notice as big of a financial hit than if you had waited until the last moment and bought everything at once. You’ll also need to save up for the actual ceremony, too. The cost will depend largely on which orisha you are crowning. You’ll also want to try to work out the details of when it’ll happen. That way, the people that need to be there for the ceremony can work out scheduling issues ahead of time. Also, you’ll probably want to schedule some time off after the ceremony, so you have time to unwind and appreciate all the things you’ve gone through. Those are all things that I think you should do. I only have one piece of advice about what not to do. Don’t try to learn too much about the ceremony ahead of time. Not only will it make things more enjoyable, but you won’t run into issues if things go different than you read about online or in a book. There will be a lot going on during those first couple days and the last thing you want to do is worry about whether things are being done correctly or not. Other than that, just enjoy yourself and have fun. That’s my plan, at least.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
The Facebook Page has been a great success. Tim Brown was the first person to become a fan of the page after the previous podcast was released. Thanks, Tim, for your support. Enough people followed suit that, as of the time of this recording, the page has thirty fans now. That’s awesome! The Discussions board got used a little bit and helped me learn a bit more about the listeners. Chris Velasco and Matt Scott were the first people brave enough to post a little about themselves and their experiences in the religion. Thank you both.
I also had a request from Nilaja Montgomery, who is now following both on Twitter and Facebook. She requested I do a podcast where on focus on a specific orisha. She’d like to learn more about Oya. I love that idea. What I’m going to try and do, though, is find someone who is crowned Oya. If I can get them to talk a little bit about her for the podcast, great. Otherwise, at least it will give me somewhere to start. Stay tuned.
I’d also like to take a moment to mention a pretty good book I’ve been reading. It’s called “Who Fears Death” It’s by Nnendi Okorafor. It takes place in Africa, but an Africa far different from ours today — at least in most ways. There are a few references to Santeria, but they are few and far between. Think of it as an African version of Harry Potter — except the hero is a girl. There’s even an evil and incredibly-strong sorcerer in it. Together, the hero and her friends go off to defeat evil. Blah, blah, blah. Sounds pretty standard, right? But there are things that make it a far different story, too… like genocide, brutal rapes and murders, female circumcision, and all sorts of nasty real-life stuff. It’s definitely worth a read. It brings attention to some of what currently goes on in Africa, but it’s also just a really interesting story.
Lastly, I’ve been thinking of how I’m going to help raise money to make ocha. I haven’t quite worked out the details yet, but I’d like to sell the little stuff I know how to make, things I’ve acquired, and things I have found. While I can’t always guarantee that it’ll be as inexpensive as the mass-produced stuff on eBay, I can promise to put all of the profits into my Ocha Fund. Besides, the sooner I’m crowned, the sooner I can share my experiences as a iyawo rather than just an aborisha…. and I’m sure you guys would rather hear that.
Well, until next time….
Maferefún eggun
Maferefún orisha
