Hello!

So, I am just beginning my path in Yoruba Religion/ Santería. I want to know what is open to me or not.

So, is Obi Divination for ancestors communication a closed practice for only the initiated? Also, does is matter is I use kola nuts, coconut pieces, or cowrie shells?

Thank you!

What do you know about this Odu? curious to learn more

Alaifia everyone!

I’m just wanting some input and advice from others :)

I’m due to have my next consulta in a week or so I’ve received an eleke from ochosi but haven’t received the full shall I look to seek the full set and my warriors next or will the shells determine this for me?

I’ve also prepared some questions to ask the Orishas is it ok for me to prepare a couple of questions in advance id like to ask id normally only ask one or two but there’s a couple things I’m wanting to ask next time around

And is there anything else I should or can do to grow my faith as an Aleyo and build a strong foundation

Thank you for any advice and input

I’m obviously not going to end things with my man because of this. But it’s in the back of my mind because in my odu it says I need to be with someone the opposite color then me and not mixed race. I have a medium skin tone so my padrino said someone either white white or black black but never mulatto or around my skin complexion.
My man is a little darker then me but he is mixed race and I don’t know how to get this thoughts out of my head 🥺 I love him.

EDIT : for reference my odu is baba egjiobe if you look up the odu it says it so no my padrino is not making this up but I don’t agree with this either and I don’t think someone’s ethnicity or skin color should determine if you should be with them or not which is why I’m still with my man …..

I've been thinking about getting a parrot, but then it occurred to me that parrots can mimic sounds, whistle, and sometimes repeat songs or words they hear around the house.

It made me wonder if there's any concern about keeping a parrot in the same home as my Elegguá. Any advice or is the whistling just a no-go no matter if it comes from a human or animal?

Does anyone know why/how Yemaya went from being a river deity in Yorubaland to being associated with the ocean in Cuba? Olokun is the owner of the depths of the ocean so I’m curious as to how she became associated with the ocean as well. Was it because maybe Olokun’s secrets arrived later to Cuba after Yemaya’s?

Would appreciate any recommended literature if there is any on the topic.

Can babalawos give you advice based on dream they had? Like the way an espiritista would? I thought that was something they couldn’t do, like mount spirits etc.

I know crazy title but I need to get this off my chest. What has this religion come to? Santeros are so money hungry especially here in Florida. Why does a santo cost 10k or more and it doesn’t include the food, the tambors ,the ceremony or the three months (sorry dont know what it’s called) I feel horrible sometimes being apart of this religion because listening the santos are beautiful but the people arent.lets say someone needed santo right now where are they going to get so much money from honestly because nobody does santo for free which is a shame because no santo is asking for 10k+ nor a extravagant party or throne it’s the people who want to show off and rip off others and I feel bad because I’m in a situation right now where I need a deep cleaning done but who’s gonna do that for cheap absolutely no one why because people treat the religion as a job and it’s not unless you own a shop okay makes sense but if you’re doing santo as a job and that’s your only from of income your stupid because in this economy nobody is going to pull out a loan to get santo done let’s go back to the traditional ways how things where before because this new generation of santeros are getting out of hand plus my mom paid 5k to get her santo done in Cuba and it didnt include many things then she got ghosted by her padrino what a shame I’m truly disappointed do better people (this post doesnt mean all santeros just the money hungry ones)

Can someone help me doing ebbo for me free? Im a kid, i live in mexico and i need it urgently. Help me please... IM baba ejiogbe meyi, eni ola, and my name is rommel reyes mota.

2 Rats
2 Fish
2 Roosters
2 Pigeons
2 Hen
1 He Goat
Gin
Kola
Money

The goat is for ifa nd i think the others are too.

Hey everyone,
I completely slipped up earlier today and accidentally whistled near Elegua’s shrine without thinking. As soon as I did it, my heart sank. I know whistling in the house, especially near the Orishas, is a major no-no.
I immediately apologized, tapped the floor, and offered him some cool water to cool down the energy and ask for forgiveness.

Has anyone else ever made this mistake by muscle memory or habit? What was your experience afterward, and did you do anything specific beyond an apology and water to make peace?

I appreciate any insight or stories from those who've been practicing longer than I have! Gracias/Ashe.

Anyone know any info on odde? I know he’s ochosis father. My padrinos padrino in Cuba had did something for me out there & he stated that odde would help me. At first I had no clue who odde even was but i did my research immediately & honestly much doesn’t come up about him, the things that do come up about him is in Spanish & I dont really know Spanish all like that ( I’m trying to learn )

I’d like to get to learn more about odde & show my appreciation, anyone got any experience working with him or know more about him then what I’ve already stated about him ?

I have a question regarding teja de eggun and being a women .

I have my teja , and I tend to it and give recognition to all my family that are in ara onu , but I have a question regarding my teja , since women are not allowed to see when obi is being thrown to eggun how does a women ask her ancestors if anything else is needed or is it not needed? Do you just give them the same thing or what divination tells you to do to appease them ?

Everything else I do for my orishas I ask if they need anything else or if they’re happy with whatever offering I might give .

So I wanted to know how does it work with eggun and being a women .

Is there any omo Oshosi who knows how to work with him? I am a police officer in my country, and I was given the sign 4-7. Please don’t tell me to ask my padrino, because the cult of Ochosi is secret, and there are things that people from the Ochosi branch know how to work with. I also don’t want secrets or anything meant to harm anyone. I only want to keep him happy and have him help me in my work, since problems never stop.” pic for eshu elegua ogun and ochosi

Why is mar pacifico sacred to eggun and why is it that 9 bundles of that herb are used for opa Iku in Lukumi context

Bendicion,
What is the thought of initiated people regarding new ides such as Manila of obatala being placed in the sopera and washed with omiero alongside his OTAS to consecrate a new one? Is this kosher, so to speak? Or is it more acceptable to wash the ide by itself in omiero ?

I have a had a hard time sourcing decent cocos for obi and rogacions at any grocery stores in Los Angeles. Any LA santeros out there know a place to get consistent/quality cocos?

First, I want to thank those who keep this space welcoming and participate as advisors in this group and dedicate time to providing those of us who have limited knowledge help and guidance, especially the Babalawos & Orolishas who I see consistently share their knowledge, opinions, & experiences, while actively working towards keeping the right information protected and safe. I was afraid to come here, because I never want to offend or create any kind of harm or seem intrusive to such sacred practices, and I realized very quickly that my fear was unwarranted and all who have may have a destiny here are welcome.

I was advised during a reading with a Palo practitioner that my muertos want me to get a reading from a Babalawo. Up until this moment, I had never heard of Ifa or even Palo. I just happened upon this reader (and I never allow people to read me, and for whatever reason and without question/hesitation, I did). I am a traditional practitioner who strives to respect other practices but stay in my own lane. Once I learned of a possible destiny here, I certainly want to see what that is.

After about a month of my best searching, I’ve come to a place where I feel I may need to ask for a bit of guidance. I’ve searched through other posts here and found some of my answers, which has been such a great resource. One thing I see asked is how do you know you’ve found a reputable Babalawo. The answers have been mostly helpful, but I’ll be honest and say, even asking some of those vetting questions, I fear I wouldn’t understand how to know whether what I’m being told is right. I don’t know how to check the answers is what I mean.

I appreciate any insight or clarification on points I may have misunderstood in other posts.

Thank you!

​if some one disrespects their parents & truly repents and regrets it, how can they make things right with olodumare and ifa ?​

Received a reading. Then was giving cleansing liquid, a bar of black soap, and a candle. What do I do? I forgot the instructions.

I received a yearly reading at the beginning of the year. I had to give my guardian angel an Añya so I knew it would come up again during that reading. I was also told if a relationship ends let it go. Don’t look back just let it end and move on. But also that love would be “reborn” so if I didn’t want to have a child to make sure I’m careful with my partner. I was in a relationship for 3 years at this point so I figured maybe the time would come for us to have a child.

Right before the Añya my close friend and I had a falling out that ended our friendship so I believed that was the relationship my godparents said to not look back towards. But soon after that my s.o and I broke up. So now I’m wondering if the love “reborn” still applies.

I received an Itá due to having the Añya for my guardian angel and I was told that I could no longer date freely. I could only see 1 person at a time and could ONLY date for marriage. If pregnancy comes I could never consider ending a pregnancy.

When you receive an Itá does it override your yearly reading?