Teachings of the Santería Gods: The Spirit of the Odu

SHAMANISM / INDIGENOUS CULTURES "There is no more magical way to feel close to the orishas than through the patakis. It is there that one is transported to one's imagination. ocha'ni Lele has a very spiritual manner in elevating my imagination through his writing, which reveals a special touch. Maferefun orichas! What is seen is not questioned! This is a special book for those of us who go forth from the heart, without malice. ocha'ni Lele, my dear, I congratulate you!" --Ivy Queen, vocalist, musician, and Queen of Reggaeton "This book is a page turner. ocha'ni Lele relates these sacred stories with the ease of a knowledgeable narrator while drawing clarity and meaning out of the religion's complex chorus of voices. This book moves the deep spirituality of the religion away from ethnography and connects the sacred to religious studies where it is well overdue." --Oba Ernesto Pichardo, Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye At the core of the diloggun--the sacred divination system of Santeria--are the sacred stories known as the patakis, narratives whose themes are as powerful and relevant today as they were in the minds of the ancient Yoruba who safeguarded them. Each pataki is connected to one or more of the 16 odu, the principal creative forces of Santeria. Some recount the lives of orishas on Earth, others the lives of individuals in Heaven, and some tell of the odu themselves, for even they once walked the earth as mortals. The first book to explore these ancient African stories in English, Teachings of the Santeria Gods recounts more than 100 of these sacred parables, including many stories reassembled from the oral tradition of the African diaspora. Ranging from creation myths to what happens when a love potion works far too well, these stories share the wisdom and spirituality of the Yoruba people of ancient Africa and form the living, oral bible of one of the world's fastest-growing faiths. oCHA'NI LELE has been immersed in the underground culture of orisha worship since 1989. He made Ocha in 2000 and was crowned a priest of Oya. His other books include The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination, Obi Oracle of Cuban Santeria, and The Diloggun: The Orishas, Proverbs, Sacrifices, and Prohibitions of Cuban Santeria. He lives in Winter Park, Florida.