Thirteen years ago I woke up on a thin straw mat on a hard concrete floor. It was one of the most transformative days of my life; I was initiated that day as a priest of Obatala, the santeria orisha of creation and wisdom. The ceremony went off and on for a week; the initiation lasted a year: a year of wearing white, of changing my life's patterns. But the initiation has lasted a lifetime. While I'm not very active in the religion, every day I feel my connection to the world of spirit, to the presence of the ancestors, to the mysterious blessings and grace of the orishas, and give thanks to Olodumare--to God--for this life, with all its good and its hardship; for my creative abilities which earn my paycheck and keep me sane; for health, for love and friendship, for the sun shining on gold and green leaves outside my window, for the warmth of my cat, for the amazing joys of words and music, for the tastes of chocolate and hot sauce.
Maferefun babami Obatala! Maferefun iyami Ochun!
(Obatala doll art from this site)
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