#santeria

[theblissfulstars]

The Spirits do not judge you unfairly for your humanity. Your queerness is sacred and divine, your disability is a piece of your holy puzzle and your body is a blessing no matter how it may come.

The Ancestors have lived it, the trees, the hills, the mountains, the sea and the saints have seen it.

The Spirits do not judge you unfairly for your humanity. Imperfection is wholly and entirely perfect.

#spiritualism #polytheism #witchblr #black witch #hoodoo #santeria #vodou #21 divisions #espiritismo

[encontro-ancestral]

A very powerful and intelligent way of representing Yemanja. We learn very early on from the mythology of the Greek gods true "designed" bodies.

I also see it as an anti-fatphobia fight, since, yes, this fat black woman is a beautiful mermaid.

#black art #yemoja #iemanjá #umbanda #orisha #orixás #spirituality #bahia #santeria #brasil #orixa

[jstor]

Invoking the gods, or the apotheosis of the Barbie doll

Should we have a Barbie week? Let's kick it off with this essay by Natalie Göltenboth from the open access book Exploring Materiality and Connectivity in Anthropology and Beyond (2020).

Free for everyone, of course!

#barbie #barbie doll #santeria #academic essay #academic research #research #you gotta check this out #open access books #open access #jstor #barbie week

[karmicstar]

#papa legba #santeria #lwa #knowledge #spirituality #karmicstar #life #orisha #yoruba #ancestors #oshun #love

[magicaguajiro]

Swamp Witch Travels: Finding Sacred Space

Myakka River and Paynes Creek State Parks

As I dive deeper into my practice of bioregional animism, I look to parks for sacred space and places to connect with spirits of all kinds. In Florida we live in cities divided by nature preserves and swamps, and we are also incredibly blessed to have an amazing State Parks system. These parks offer us peaks into ecology and history of the Land that reveal to us some of Its Mysteries. Here are a few things I’ve learned as a Folk Witch.

Make an offering when entering. For ancestral reasons, I use tobacco. Use what you're guided to. Introduce yourself, your intentions, etc. Also, pick up trash and be respectful. Don't wander in places you don't know, or take things you don't have knowledge on. It’s usually best to practice Leave No Trace but when have Witches been known to follow rules… Do as ye will. But always ask and give something in return.

There are different spirits!

Trees, plants, rivers, hills and even entire forests and parks can have their own spirits. At parks like Myakka and Payne’s Creek, there are platforms you can climb for an aerial view of the park. This is a great place to connect with the Genus Loci of a place! (For more on Genus Loci, I recommend Folk Witchcraft by Roger J Horne) Some spirits will want to talk to you, some won’t. Respect their choices and don’t expect anyone to talk for free.

Protection is Key!

Protection is important for witches and animists. Many spirits and natural places are dangerous, for example some Rivers are known for drowning and can be seen as having a harsh and dangerous spirit. When protecting myself day to day I wear spiritual jewelry from my Cuban traditions. Shark and gator teeth serve as great protection from water spirits and in general. My spiral shell ring is protective and I often use it in ritual. Bodies of water are also great places to bless things and hold rituals of cleansing and power! Not only spiritual protection, but physical protection is needed as well. In these swamps, we have gators, sharks, panthers, bobcats, bears, snakes, PEOPLE and even more things that would gladly expedite your role in the food chain. I’m not saying be afraid of animals, rather have respect and recognize you are in their domain. Carry bear spray, don’t wander too far off known trails, and be careful of other people.

I once heard a saying, the Swamp knows everything about death, and doesn’t consider it a tragedy.

Enjoy the Scenery, and Learn!

Take it all in and take your time! If you need to escape heat and mosquitos check out the visitor centers and gift shops! I justify spending a bit too much here on considering it an offering to the Land. Try talking to the people who work here or making friends! This is a great way to learn Folklore and secret places to explore.

On Remembering Ancestors of the Land

In working with the Land, you must honor the Ancestors of the Land. These are the spirits of all the people who lived on the Land before you. For me, this begins with my Ancestors and the other Indigenous groups of the area. In Florida, the tribes who remain today are the Seminole and Mikasuki. We should look to Indigenous tribes for wisdom on how to approach and respect the Land, but that doesn’t mean read online about it and go appropriate it. It means go and actually talk to real life people. You can and certainly should also honor other people, including any folk saints or historical figures who may serve as tutelary spirits or otherwise.

And always remember to say Fuck the Colonizers!

Happy Witching Friends, May the Dry Season bring us all Renewal!

#witchcraft #florida #bruja #brujeria #witch #bioregional animism #florida witch #santeria #swamp witch #traditional witchcraft #espiritismo #taino #taino spirituality #atabey #folk magic #folkloric witch #folk witchcraft #folk witch

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

#skull #brujeria #art #candles #memento mori #ritual #Illustration #pulp art #artwork #illustrations #80's aesthetic #80 #80's #skeletonization #santeria

[yearningforunity]

Cigars are used in ceremonies as a way to communicate with the Orishas, or deities.

#Santeria #Ceremony #Cigar #Orisha #Deities #History #Culture

[cooki3face]

Community does not need this!! But they’re loud in the comments about how harmful this could be for the community and divination and other spiritual practices and traditions! Thankfully!! I was just talking about spiritual psychosis on my close friends on Instagram yesterday and then I see things like this and post just went viral of some woman absolutely losing it, snot running out her nose and everything over the eclipse.

The fear mongering and demonization of spiritual teachings, astrology, tarot and spiritual practices and traditions is about to start becoming very big. It was already a really prominent thing oppressors have used for ages especially against poc who practice forms of witchcraft or deity worship they brought with them from home. I was just watching a docu-series yesterday that highlighted how the native population on mt. Shasta were forced to leave and practiced ritual and held ceremonies in the caves of mount Shasta and those who colonized would go into those caves after they left and preform mockeries of their ceremonies and rituals as entertainment.

We’re about to step into a reality and time where spiritual people, practitioners and others within the community will be replacing celebrities and individuals of high rank or people who hold a lot of power in this world and I said before that the oppressor has a very specific recipe for oppression and trying to keep people (especially in the west) as unaware and as stuck in perpetual karmic cycles and systems as much as possible. And this is just yet another technique they use to discredit individuals with gifts. They use psychics and astrologers and others themselves to help them predict and interpret what’s coming.

They use these types of stories or ideas to fuel radical religious beliefs and ideas that are built upon fear mongering and hatred, they use religious institutions and manipulated versions of their Bible and beliefs and create division within the west. Vast majority of republicans are statistically uneducated and are conservative who hold onto heavy religious beliefs and views to back up, support and justify their actions and beliefs. Heavily similar to antebellum America and the justification of slavery and the mistreatment of African American people.

To add onto that, this movie about tarot does not accurately portray what tarot really is and how it works whatsoever but guess who’ll believe it and perpetuate it. Half the negative ideas that are swirling around about metaphysical, Wiccan or spiritual practices are due to pop culture and horror movies and the individuals who sit at their desks in the dark scribbling away these plots and releasing these movies.

#tarot movie #tarot community #divination #demonization of intuitives #demonization of spiritual practices #Youtube #santeria #bruja #hoodoo #voodoo #poc #poc in the United States #history of witchcraft #spiritual community #psychic intuitive #astrologers #fear mongering #the western world #oppression #colonization #project 2025 #making America fucking shitty again #Biden #trump #conservatives #social media #movies #censorship #new earth #tarot cards

[encontroancestral]

Iemanjá (also spelled Yemayá. Yemoja, Iemoja, or Yemaya) is one of the most powerful orishas. She is the mother of all living things, rules over motherhood and owns all the waters of the Earth. She gave birth to the stars, the moon, the sun and most of the orishas. Yemaya makes her residence in life-giving portion of the ocean (although some of her roads can be found in lagoons or lakes in the forest). Yemaya’s aché is nurturing, protective and fruitful. Yemaya is just as much a loving mother orisha as she is a fierce warrior that kills anyone who threatens her children.

Yemaya can be found in all the waters of the world, and because of this she has many aspects of “caminos” (roads), each reflecting the nature of different bodies of water. She, like Oshún, carries all of the experiences of womanhood within her caminos. Contrary to popular belief she is not just a loving mother. Some of Yemaya’s caminos are fierce warriors who fight with sabers or machetes and bathe in the blood of fallen enemies. Other roads are masterful diviners that have been through marriage, divorce and back again. Some roads of Yemaya have been rape survivors, while other roads betrayed her sisters out of jealousy and spite. No matter what camino of Yemaya, all are powerful female orishas and fiercely protective mothers.

Yemaya has a very special relationship with two orishas in particular: Oshún and Chango. Oshún is often depicted as Yemaya’s sister, and Yemaya allows Oshún to take residence in her rivers. Yemaya and Oshun relate to one another like typical sisters; they love each other and also have a bit of sibling rivalry. Chango and Yemaya are inseparable. Some followers of Santeria say Yemaya is Chango’s mother. The two of them eat together and Chango shares his wealth with Yemaya. Yemaya helped mold Chango into the wise leader he was meant to be from birth (although he initially lacked the skill to rule with grace).

You can find me at: Instagram / Pinterest / Marketplace

#Iemanjá #iemanja #yemayá #yemanjá #umbanda #candomblé #santeria #artists on tumblr #black art #black tumblr #orishas #orixás #shango #xangô #oxum #osun #osùn #support black creators #support black business #support black people #odoyá #encontro ancestral

[lonelyspelltoconjureyou]

Orisha Oxum by Kypris Aquarelas

Prints available here at society6!

#paganism #pagan #polytheism #orisha #orixá #umbanda #candomblé #goddess #brasil #brazil #watercolor #watercolour #santeria #voodoo #occultism #dandalunda #oshun #oxum #watercolours

[long-sleeved-sandwich]

i think my friend’s 3 year old son is a naturally born witch:

—he is obsessed with the moon. he watches for it every night and keeps up with it’s cycle. one time he said, “i wish we could build a rocket ship to the moon.” i asked why we couldn’t. he said, “cause we might get hurt and get blood.” he talks to the moon every night and tells us what the moon says to him.

—he has a black cat that guards him fiercely and sits under his chair when he eats.

—he loves flowers, grass, and rocks, and likes to give them to people. he likes to plant seeds too.

—one time a hummingbird landed on his shoulder and just sat there.

—i showed him my tarot cards(the cat tarot) and he went through all of them and pulled out the Wheel of Fortune and said “this one is you.”

—he sees things. i was once standing too close to some dead bushes and he said “get back. there’s a ghost in those bushes. he needs to tell you sorry” a few weeks passed and no one mentioned the ghost in the bushes, and then on a list of people he knows, he included the ghost. not bluey or bingo. not jack skellington or any other fictional character. just the ghost.

#witchcraft #witchblr #spooky #halloween #witch community #witch #hoodoo #voodoo #santeria #santero #sanse #wicca #paganism #pagan #pagan witch

[spiritualityloves247]

#orixa #orixas #Iansã #oyà #Oià #yoruba #santeria #candomblé #Brazil #Cuban #Hati #our lady of Candlemas #our lady of the Annunciation #Saint Theresa #patron of madness

[encontro-ancestral]

Com Exú aprendi que até o "não" é livramento. 🖤❤️ Laroyê! Exú é mojubá!

#exu #laroye #laroyê #esù #orish #orishas #orixá #umbanda #candomble #santeria #orisha #spirituality #bahia #brasil #orixa #yemoja #iemanjá #oshun #oxum #ogum #ewá

[jeneka]

"Les vents d'Oya", acrylic on paper, 21 X 29,7 cm

#Oya #art #acrylicpainting #illustration #characterdesign #my art #painting #hoodoo #santeria #ifa #yoruba #orishas #afro art #melaninartist #black goddess #black spirituality #ancestors

[karmicstar]

If Oshun were sitting next to you, her message might be one of love, beauty, and sensuality. She could encourage you to embrace your inner beauty, find joy in creativity, and celebrate the pleasures of life. Oshun is often associated with sweetness and abundance, so her message might be about attracting positivity and prosperity into your life. Remember, these messages are symbolic and depend on your personal beliefs and circumstances.

#knowledge #love #spirituality #karmicstar #yoruba #orisha #santeria #ancestors #oshunenergy #oshun #osun

[magicaguajiro]

Caribbean Folk Saints and Mighty Dead: A Precursor

We all have family members who take on an almost Mythic quality after they pass on. They may have been a character in life, or a perhaps a spiritual practitioner. Maybe they were known for their generosity, or lack of it, or their strength or brilliance. Nonetheless, it is someone who, even in death, still makes an impact. In personal practices, we may work with these ancestors for guidance and healing, but what happens when their influence spreads past your family, into the local community or even entire country? This and many other strange circumstances often explain the origin and powers of Folk Saints and Elevated Dead. I will be going into the various Folk Saints and Deified Ancestors of the Caribbean, (including Florida), but before I can do that I need to explain where these spirits come from, and why they are so potent in our everyday lives.

What are Folk Saints and Mighty Dead?

Folk Saints and Mighty Dead are spirits of dead people who were either elevated in life, or became elevated after death. Their elevation often is then connected to their ability to grant various petitions made to them. Some of the Folk Saints I will be talking about were used to disguise other figures who were outlawed by the Colonial government at the time, while others are various figures of marginalized communities who gained sorcerous or otherworldly reputations after death.

Cuba and Florida are Lands of diaspora and syncretism. Many different traditions abound and each tradition has multiple lineages, so the classification of spirits differs depending on the worldview of the person explaining. Some practitioners work within a framework of Catholicism, some use elements and some flat-out reject Catholicism completely for decolonization purposes. For this reason, I have differentiated Folk Saints from the Mighty Dead.

Folk Saints will include those spirits who are worked with in a Catholic context, but are usually not canonized or not at first. On the other hand, the Mighty Dead will include spirits who are venerated amongst Indigenous and African traditions in Cuba as well as the surrounding areas, as to not group them under a title created by Colonizers. If you are Cuban or Caribbean, these Folk Saints and Mighty Dead offer power at a closer degree because they are more proximal to your Spirit Court, and may even already have bonds with them.

It is important to note, spirits like Orisha and Cemí have very specific protocols, manners and taboos when approaching them, so this is best done with the help of a priest, such as Oloricha or Babalawo, or a Taíno Behike. These are not energies you simply feel drawn to and work with. Orisha and Cemi are in some cases Deified Ancestors and others Personified Forces of Nature, among other things. This varies from the Ancestors and Spirits I will be discussing in this series.

Benefits of Working with The Mighty Dead

Folk Saints and Ancestors give us a closer connection to the divine through their proximity to the Divine and their individual virtues and personalities. As with all spirit relationships, you will get out what you put in.

Folk Saints who are related to the Land you live on, such as Uncle Monday or Bessie Graham for us Floridians, can help to deepen your connection with the local community. They can help you to further your relationship with the Earth and introduce you to other Land spirits.

Spirits related to your Ancestry can help to work through generational issues. Some ancestral spirits, like José Martí or Guamá for us Cubans, are related to ideas of War, Rebellion, and overcoming oppression. These spirits can be worked with for the same pursuits of defeating oppressors in the modern day. Each spirit has a story and is multi-faceted, so it really depends on what your connection is to the Spirit and what you are capable of offering them.

How to Work with Deified Dead

Working with these spirits is individual to each spirit, based on what their heritage is, as well as their personal tastes. When starting out, it’s best to keep things simple. Instead of going and creating an entire altar dedicated to a spirit, begin by praying about it at your Bóveda or ancestral altar. Here, you may find that a spirit is not compatible with your current situation, or doesn’t want to work with you ever! Should the omens be good, however, and you may begin establishing a connection to that spirit Research and talking to other devotees can give you great insight into what a relationship with that Spirit can look like.

My formula for reaching out to these spirits is always different, but I follow basic principles. I always begin with a representation of the spirit, a small offering and a candle. The representation can be anything, from a statue to a printed picture or even just their name on some paper. The offering is in most cases water until the spirit makes other wants known to me, but when a spirit doesn’t take water I offer food or tobacco instead. The candle is something I was taught helps to enhance spirit communication, carrying messages between the worlds. It is helpful to research about whoever you are attempting to communicate with, and if possible you should speak to other practitioners who work with the same Spirit. Often times, this is someone-you-know’s father or grandmother. From here, you should sit with whatever entity you are contacting, allowing yourself to experience a personal relationship with them. I will share individual experiences of what each spirit has been like in practice for me, or people I know, but for beginning this is a good basic way to start out.

I look forward to sharing more about these incredible figures who influence my favorite corner of the world to this day.

Paz y Progreso 🕯️

#witchcraft #florida #bioregional animism #bruja #brujeria #florida witch #santeria #swamp witch #witch #traditional witchcraft #cubanfolkmagic #cuban #cuba #taino spirituality #taino #folk magic #folk witch #espiritismo #atr #folkloric witch #animism