2006-08-06

Who Do Voodoo?

Oshun

Years ago, I used to dance in a Brazilian troupe. We performed all over the city and local events among the "College Circuit" If you were a performer during that time, you would have seen me dancing the traditional African Yoruba Religious dances.

Interestingly enough, most people think that anything outside of Christianity is evil and Voudoun is one of them. Whereas it actually is the basis of aspects of the Christianity paganism. But long ago that information was mumbo jumbo'ed up with Celtic, Jewish, Oriental and Ethiopian traditions. Almost everyone that I know challenges this information until I give them the history of mankind and what kind of religious practices we all held since the beginning of time.

This is one of the reasons why I became a Mahayana Buddhist Priest. As it is the closest that I've been able to find in my research of the original teachings that we all practices together in harmony. It was preserved with the monks in isolated mountain tops who without communication from modern man and outside influence.

Yesterday, I went to an Oshun Celebration.

Oshun is the Orisha of Beauty. She wears gold and white and symbolizes great communication and enlightenment. In later Greek/Roman times, she was known as Venus. Some attribute her to an aspect of Isis Sothis or Ishtar. And in the Buddhist Teaching that I am practicing, she is an aspect of the Eleven Faced Kannon Bodhisattva or Quan Yin or Avalokiteshvara.

Getting back to yesterday.

The African Dance Instructor at City College is a Priestess of Oshun. She studied the traditional lineage and celebrated her festival yesterday.

The Food

I went along with one of my friends who dances in the performing group at the college. At the celebration they cooked many of the traditional foods including: pounded yam, spicy chicken, spinich with seafood and tomatoes, ham, rice, black eyed peas, corn on the cob and a lovely assortment of desserts and drinks.

The Spiritual Reading

After we ate, we went downstairs where the Priestess was performing traditional Obi readings for all attendees. The Obi is some kind of fruit thats the size of a walnut but spilts down the middle into quarters. Kind of like a banana does into threes. But the taste is very pundgent, and a little bit sour and crunchy like an unripened pear.

She does some ritual prayers then throws the quarters onto a plate and divines the meaning by the way they lay. My first throw meant that Oshun is listening. Meaning She listens to my prayers. And the second throw, meant Victory! This is a good sign, as the interpretation meant that obstacles will be cleared, enemies destroyed and that I will be able to overcome any adversities. Then she handed me a class of gin to drink. Yes, gin! Of course it was just a sip in a small glass and I asked for thirds... hehehe

The Room

Apparently she had been there doing this for people since the early afternoon until about 10 o'clock at night. We left after a few more people were read and prayers said. Her husband is also a priest and another lady who was an attendant or priest kneeled to the right of the shrine ringing a bell that resembled a cow bell. It was quite loud and never stopped, but somehow I was able to overcome the insistant noise.

In the room with us were about 6 or 7 other people who were either waiting their turns or watching after they were read. One of the ladies is a mural artist who paints in the mission district walls. Another a tap dance and modern dance instructor also from the college. Some other people whom I did not know, but that was ok.

My Prayers

I must say that I feel wonderful, I prayed for world peace, the end of suffering of all peoples, the promise to continue on this path of being a bodhisatta, and my grateful thanks and praises to the ancestors, my lineage, and all those that came before us to give us life in carrying on a purpose.

August 6th

I will go to the temple as it is the founders wife's day. And we will offer flowers to the spiritual source and thank her for her guidance. As she is the traditional link to the Bodhisatta Kannon, I promise to her to become a temple medium even one day sooner.

Hugz n Lub, Bebe da FairyGodMum