by Karen E. Quinones-Miller Today it is not unusual to find African-Americans who know about Orisa, know someone who practices Orisa, or have at least heard of the tradition. But there was a time – just a few generations ago – when this was far from the case. In the 1950s and 1960s there were Continue Reading
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Maintaining Mental Health
by Akanke Washington As we settle into 2011 many of us are seeking to stay committed to our resolutions. Many of those resolutions are going to include promises to drop pounds and improve diets. We also tend to include resolutions that address our financial health, like saving money and developing a budget. As we focus Continue Reading
Orisa Communities Around the World: Ile Orunmila Ogunike, Houston, TX
Ile Orunmila Ogunike, is a love filled ile in the Houston, TX metro area, run by computer scientist and jazz pianist Babalawo Rony Perry (omo Yemoja) and his wife Dr. Faizah Perry, a priestess of Ogun, who both hail from the twin island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Baba and Iya are assisted by their Continue Reading
OMO ASE
By Amma Ayapon Whether you are an elder in life humbling oneself to begin a path in the Orisa tradition, or you are a hip-hop generation Orisa worshipper, there are new experiences and concerns ahead as the tradition and its Diaspora move further into the new millennium. Keeping Iwa Pele at the forefront, this column Continue Reading
Art as Worship
By Iyalorisa Amma Oloriwaa! My good friend, artist kwenci jones, recently exclaimed “The Orisa tradition is a religion for artists!” The idea of art as an expression of worship is not at all far fetched when thought of in the context of African Traditional Religions or ATR’s (an acronym using the letters A,R,T!) The universe Continue Reading
Our Esteemed Eldership
By Nana Kwame Osunwole Irosun F3 Awo Salako – Sixteen Cowries “Head, push me into wealth”… Evening got all the fruit of Morning’s labor Evening got it Morning was working To serve Evening When people pray, They say, “May Olorun “Let your evening be good, oh”; And we reply, “Amen, oh.” And Evening was good, Continue Reading
The Reading of the Year: A Ceremony of Knowledge, Praise, and Communion
by Karen E. Quinones Miller (Osun Lade) “Now, we have to find out who’s leading the year.” Silence filled the large but crowded room, and all eyes were on the babalawo as he threw the ikin once, then twice, then smoothed his fingers over the palm nuts. He nodded his head, then looked over at Continue Reading