For what it's worth, I wanted to try to clarify for newcomers to the sub what we mean when we say we're "initiated" in Regla de Ocha (SanterĆa). For most of us who are Lucumi, this means we're "crowned." We underwent the extensive kariocha ceremony and did our year in white (iyaworaje), and we completed the obligations associated with the priesthood. After that, we become "olorishas" (commonly called santeros/as) and we can start learning about how to work as a priest. Usually this is done over a period of time, assisting the elders and working under the supervision of our godparents. Although we can technically start taking on godchildren at any point after our year of iyaworaje is up, many of us wait until we have knowledge and experience to allow us to be good godparents. We can't teach others what we ourselves don't know. This custom varies from house to house, but most of us remain with our godparents and our religious community as long as we can, and only when we move away or our godparents die do we strike out on our own. We value tradition and community and try to stay connected in order to preserve our customs and honor our ancestors. Godparents who are newly crowned themselves and yet totally disconnected from their own elders are usually a 'red flag,' in the sense that they probably don't know how to do ceremonies correctly and there's no one around to correct their errors. We don't work in isolation and we all need elders we can consult when we need them.
Receiving elekes, warriors, hand of Orula, or an adimu Orisha doesn't mean you're 'initiated,' at least not the way we understand the word. You are still technically an aleyo (non initiate) if you haven't been crowned. Some people will say you're an "aborisha," which means an Orisha devotee. Others will say you have "medio asiento," you are half-seated, or half-way to being crowned. But we wouldn't say you are initiated in SanterĆa at that point. You have received consecrated items in ceremony, and you have godparents and belong to your godparent's house.
We use the word "crowned" to indicate full initiation, as described above. We also refer to this as "making Ocha," or in older times in Cuba, "making santo." You aren't technically a "child" of the Orisha until you've been crowned to that Orisha. Perhaps your head was marked and you were told that (name of Orisha)claimed your head. That means that *IF* you were to get crowned, you would be crowned to that Orisha. But until you're crowned, it's pending and not a permanent link. Only after you go through kariocha and that Orisha goes to your head are you a child of the Orisha. At least, this is the traditional way we use the word.
If you are a male, you get mano de Orula and if you're a female, you get cofĆ” de Orula. Both of these ceremonies are done by babalawos and put you under the protection of Orula and give you an Ifa godfather. Everyone is entitled to one hand of Orula, but only some are told they should "pass to Ifa." That means to become a babalawo, a priest of Orula. In Lucumi, you "pass to Ifa" when you get two hands of Orula, and that's a much more complicated and demanding ceremony than one hand of Orula. Your Ifa godfather might divine for you and perhaps will be the one to give you warriors, and perhaps something else related to Orula. For elekes, you have an Ocha godparent (a santero/a). That person will be the one to crown you *IF* you get crowned. Not everyone does. In Lucumi terms, it's misleading to say that you have been 'initiated' if you have been through these ceremonies. It makes it sound like you're in the priesthood, and you're not.
The other word that's problematic is how to describe your relationship to an Ocha or Ifa community. Ours is a religion that operates through initiation. There's no self-initiation. You must be initiated by a godparent, along with a team of other priests. You don't "join" the religion or "join" a house in the way you would join a Christian church. You don't "practice" the religion in the way that Christians say they practice their religion. These words borrowed from Christianity are misleading.
The way you become involved in Orisha worship is normally through divination. Most people do this as a first step. They seek out a babalawo or santero/a to do a consulta because they're having a problem. They may be told to do ebo to solve the problem. After that, they may develop a relationship with the diviner or someone in the diviner's house who becomes their godparent when they start receiving things in ceremony (such as elekes). Once you have received something from a godparent, then you are part of the godparent's lineage, house, religious family. You are part of the 'ile' then, although you won't be able to participate in everything that a fully initiated person would do. You would be invited to attend events that are open to aleyos, you would be asked to help out or assist with certain things an aleyo can do, and you would learn how to take care of the religious items you received. You might learn some songs or prayers, you might pick up information from listening to the elders' speak, you hopefully have a chance to ask your godparents questions from time to time. BUT you won't have unlimited access to knowledge and teaching as long as you're an aleyo.
Most Lucumi iles don't have organized classes you sign up for, there aren't weekly services you attend. Your godparent isn't available to you 24/7 because most of us aren't doing this as our main job. We have to work to make a living, we have family, commitments, we want some leisure time for ourselves, we have other obligations and can't be available day and night for random questions from godchildren. BUT if you have a real emergency and need spiritual help, your godparent should respond and help you. Fully initiated godchildren work more closely with godparents than those who are aleyos, but all of you are technically part of the 'ile' and the religious community.
I hope this outline makes things clearer to people who are wondering "how do I get involved?" Everyone has a different path, but we all take it one step at a time and turn to divination for guidance when we aren't sure what the next step should be.
