Secrets of Santeria

In Santería, ashe is a life force of the world, an omnipresent cosmic energy. Ashe is the way the power of the spiritual world manifests itself in the material, human world. Ashe is the power behind Santería, and the members of the religion strive to increase their ashe. Ashe is available to humans through remembrance and ritualization of ancestors, the orisha spirits, and the ceremonies of Santería.

The idea of gleaning ashe from ancestors is not specific to Santería- vast numbers of religions and cultures place a strong importance on remembrance of ancestors. Members of Santería, like so many other people, believe that we benefit from the accumulation of tradition, moral values, and wisdom that our ancestors have left behind. In Santería, Yoruba chiefs and kings all stand as strong symbols of ancestral wisdom. Santería's Egungun festival emphasizes and ritualizes the importance of the ancestors. Additionally, and on a more specific level, an individual's physical, mental, or spiritual resemblance to an ancestor is accentuated. A simple physical resemblance to an ancestor is signified as an important source of ashe; members of Santería give names such as Babab Tundunde, or "father returns," and Yotunde or "mother returns." An individual's ori, a word for head, is a reference to the person's personality and spiritual characteristics; the ori can be said to resemble an ancestor. This weight held on the ancestors suggests the idea of reincarnation, but more importantly, reveals the extreme importance of ancestors in Santería as channels of ashe.

Orishas are spiritual personifications of elements of human life. In Yoruba, there were at least 700 orisha, but only a few of those were personally invoked. Similarly, today in Cuba there are seven main orisha that people pay attention to, known as the "seven African powers." They are Obtala, Oshun, Eleggua, Yemaya, Shango, Ogun, and Oya. Obtala is known as the creator orisha, and is considered the parent of all orishas and humans. The spirit is represented by wisdom, peace, compassion, and the color white, because white incorporates all colors. Oshun symbolizes love, abundance, desire, and passion. She is represented by sweet waters such as streams or rivers. Eleggua is called a gatekeeper spirit because he is an intermediary between the spiritual and human world. Yemaya is the guardian of women, childbirth, and fertility. She is associated with the Virgin Mary of Christianity. Shango represents fire, thunder, lightning, power, virility, justice, and masculinity. Ogun is a highly masculine spirit, too; he is symbolized by iron, machines, effort, hard work, violence, force, and energy. Oya is the wife of Shango, she is also a forceful spirit. Represented by storms, lightning, and cemeteries, Oya helps with communication between the living and the dead and is a very important factor of ancestor worship. Ashe is available through orishas because they are the most direct links to the immaterial spirit world. Their connective power is symbolized by the juxtaposition of their status as spirits and their human-like qualities and idiosyncrasies.

Ceremonies are considered the most direct way to tap into ashe. In Santería, there are divination, initiation, and celebration ceremonies. Divination is the ceremony in which the orisha speaks and communicates to humans through several different systems of divination: ifa, practiced only by Babalwos, and used to diagnose personal problems, dillogun, which is practiced by any trained Santero or Santera, and obi, which is practiced by Babalwas or Santeros, and not used to solve the personal problems of individuals, but instead is used in the context of a ceremony to determine the will of the orishas. Within the initiation ceremonies, there are the fundamentos ceremonies- the first two sets of initiations. The first is called Los Guerreros, or Warriors, which protects the initiate against harm and aids the initiate in acquiring his or her needs and desires. The second set is called Elekes, or Collores, or in English, necklaces. Initiates are awarded necklaces as blessings of the orisha and protection from the orisha, as well as symbols of a conscious relationship with the orisha. After the fundamentos ceremonies, the Asiento, or Kariocha ceremony occurs. The Asiento is a complex ceremony that occurs over 8 days, and includes the crowning of the orisha onto the intiate's shaven head. The Asiento is essentially a symbolism of full rebirth into the Santería religion, and simultaneously, a marriage to a specific orisha. Finally, celebration ceremonies are called bembe, toque de Santo, Tambour, Batata, or Fiesta de Santo. Reasons for celebration ceremonies include gratitude for the orishas, birthdays of the orishas, or the ritual birthday of a santero or santera.

Ceremonies, in addition to a strong connection to the ancestors and the orishas themselves, provide a channel of ashe because they function as ladders for people to slowly climb and gradually become closer to the spiritual world. These opportunities to gain wisdom and earn proximity to the spirits results in a fountain of ashe.