Sisters
of the Burning Branch Presents...
Odudua/Odua
The Goddess
Level II Final by Aurora Moon
BACKGROUND
With
skin the color of Ebony, she may be a great goddess often overlooked.
She is discussed in hushed corners with little understanding and much
confusion surrounding her. She is often mistaken for god Oduduwa, the
ancestral King of the Yoruba people of Benin. But, knowledge of this
Goddess brings us back to before the patriarchy. A time of the Black
Goddess of Earth, Odua (Odudua) or at times presenting herself as Gaia.
The
Chief Orisha Goddess Odudua is the primordial sister of Olorun (the sky
god, also known as Olodumare) and her daughter Yemaya, the queen of the
Orishas. This early Goddess is a patroness of love and life, and
watches over women and children. Her primary temple is in Ado, and it
is said that anyone that travels to her temple will receive her
protection.
While she can be gentle, you do not want to anger this Goddess as she can become the wrathful Goddess of War.
Because
the patriarchy has often substituted this goddess Odudua with once King
Oduduwa, there is very little information written in regard to her.
There is also little acknowledgement of this goddess and her power as
an equal and original. Instead this information is passed down from
generation to generation through the Priestesses of Odua.
Patroness of: Love, Passion, Fertility, Devotion, Protection, Community, Kinship, Unity, Creativity.
Representation: Woman sitting while nursing a child. Yoni, sometimes carved with a phallus (Obatala) on doors.
Attributes: Harmony, Determination, Community Responsibility, Purpose, Creativity, and Spirituality.
Element: Earth and (Fire/Warrior)
Direction: South
Sacred Color: Black
Stone: Obsidian
Feast Days: Gelede (an annual celebration held to honor goddesses)
Action on Feast Days: Women celebrate by offering themselves with abandon to male worshippers.
Link for picture is below, art is not my original work
Spells and Prayers of “The Mother Who Receives” (Iya Agbe)
Manifesting Odudua’s Attributes
4 Black Candles (Protection, Anything)
1 Red Candle (Fertility, Love, Devotion)
1 Green Candle (Abundance)
You
may choose attributes that you would like to have, focus, or develop.
You should choose a candle that corresponds most to your goal.
Clear space with Sage or incense, as well as yourself. If you
wish to cast a circle and invite Odua with the South into your circle,
you may also do that. Anoint yourself and the corresponding candles
with a sent or essential oil that may also correspond with your goal
(ex. love or passion = rose or jasmine/musk). Inscribe or write the
attribute or goal you would most like to attain while focusing on that
manifestation. Light the 4 black candles and say a and chant to Odudua
below:
Light
each of your attribute candles and chant tour attribute at least 3
times before or after the lighting of each candle (wherever the magick
takes you). Sit and meditate on these manifestations with Odudua for 14
minutes. You can either snuff out the candles or let them burn out. You
can then thank Odudua for coming and open your circle if you wish.
Art is not my original work, link is below
Honoring the Goddess (Original Work by Aurora Moon)
You
can use this spell to heal Odua or Mother Earth. This spell may also
include a change that you want to make in your life from this point
forward to be a better steward for Odua. This change can be small or
large, but intent is what is most important. Think of a way to reduce
your carbon footprint from this point forward, and this change can be
either large or small.
Items Needed
Earth Mother Anointing Oil (listed below)
1 Green Candle
1 Brown Candle
1 White Candle
1 Light Blue Candle
1 Dark Blue Candle
1 Black Candle
1 Black Stone (Obsidian)
Earth Mother Anointing Oil
Patchouli Oil
Rose or Jasmine Oil
Musk (Frankincense or Myrrh)
Rue Oil (optional)
There
is not specific way to set up the candles specifically, but just make
sure that the black candle is placed in the center. As you progress
through the spell, please anoint each candle while picking it up and
focusing thoughts on intent. You may light each candle before you
recite the verse, during, or after. This spell will also go in order
from the earth to the sky, if you would like to proceed from the sky to
the earth, please reverse the order of the verses.
Spell (by Aurora Moon)
Cleanse your space and yourself
Cast a Circle
Call or Invite elements, gods, goddesses, angels, etc.
Call
or invite Odua while lighting the black candle and holding the black
stone, imagine her healing energy, abundance, and love.
Hearth (brown candle)
Pick
up the brown candle and focus on earth, while anointing it. You can
also inscribe the word “hearth” on it. Think of the soil, rock, mud,
and magma. Imagine fertile soils and arid desserts, imagine earth free
from disease and pollution, one that supports a bountiful harvest year
after year. Please recite the following:
Odua, Mother Earth, I hear your call,
For in total humanity has dropped the ball,
I take now this brown candle to represent hearth,
Sending healing energy to you Odua, Mother Earth.
Vegetation (green candle)
Pick
up the green candle and focus on vegetation while anointing it. You can
inscribe the word “vegetation” on it. Think of green grasses, healthy
fruits and vegetables. An abundance of healthy foods for all nations to
grow, harvest, and sustain so that no one will suffer from starvation.
A world with an abundance of herbs so that no one suffers from
sickness. Please recite the following:
Odua, Mother Earth, I hear your call,
For in total humanity has dropped the ball,
I take now this green candle to represent vegetation,
Abundance and growth for all our nations.
Dark Blue Candle (Water, Seas, Oceans)
Pick
up the dark blue candle and focus on water while anointing and
inscribing the word “water” on the candle. Focus healing energy on our
lakes, seas, oceans. Focus on all water that supports life, from
seaweed to whales, algae to eel. Please recite the following:
Odua, Mother Earth, I hear your call,
For in total humanity has dropped the ball,
I take now this blue candle to represent our waters,
Free of pollution, pristine for our sons and daughters.
White Candle (Air)
Pick
up the white candle and focus healing energy on air while anointing and
inscribing the word “air” on the candle. Focus on air free from
pollution, emissions, deadly gases. Please recite the following:
Odua, Mother Earth, I hear your call,
For in total humanity has dropped the ball,
I take now this white candle to signify air,
Unspoiled and pure, I do declare!
Light Blue Candle (Sky and Space)
Pick
up the light blue candle and focus healing energy on the sky while
anointing and inscribing the word “sky” on the candle. Focus on the sky
and beyond. Focus on how the sky protects us and how we can heal the
ozone layer and minimize global warming. Please recite the following:
Odua, Mother Earth, I hear your call,
For in total humanity has dropped the ball,
I take now this blue candle to represent Sky
Uncontaminated and Angelic, for which we rely.
Please take however long is needed to meditate and focus the healing energy on the repair and healing of earth and her people.
After completing this spell and meditation you may snub out candles, or let them burn through.
Thank Odua for her presence, gods, goddesses, angles, elements, directions, and etc. And close your circle.
Take
the remainder of the day to actively be aware of your actions and how
they affect Odua. If possible, make intentional adjustments to help
heal her as often as possible.
Picture above by Drew Flaherty
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Saunders, Chas, and Peter J. Allen, eds. "ODUDUA (Yoruba mythology)" Godchecker. Godchecker.com, May 19, 2019. Web. March 30, 2020.
Patricia Telesco, “365 Goddess: a daily guide to the magic and inspiration of the goddess”
https://journeyingtothegoddess.wordpress.com/tag/odua/
https://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/yor/yor03.htm
https://www.godchecker.com/yoruba-mythology/ODUDUA/
https://likelyyasmine012.wixsite.com/website/single-post/2018/04/20/ODUDUA
https://books.google.com/books?id=Io7i9VhQ6wEC&pg=PT80&lpg=PT80&dq=Odua+the+Goddess&source=bl&ots=RQQG06tYO3&sig=ACfU3U3NOekq_FvlpKpfBqWQK3IgOv1raA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiK1dyq8YroAhXJlXIEHSr2CXwQ6AEwBXoECAoQAQ#v=onepage&q=Odua%20the%20Goddess&f=false
http://www.awonifa.com/orishas/50-odudua
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/history-in-africa/article/how-truly-traditional-is-our-traditional-history-the-case-of-samuel-johnson-and-the-recording-of-yoruba-oral-tradition/FF3A1FC340F1C90F1D2885FC34C61981
