Sun in Gemini: Celebrating Duality

We’re in the third month of the astrological year already! Gemini, the sign of the twins, came in with a bang on May 20, bringing along a Solar Eclipse. Gemini is a sign of duality, showing us that there is more than one side to everything. Hermetic teachings tells us that everything exists on a pole. What is light without darkness? What is up without down? What is heat without cold? So everything exists on this pole, with everything having an opposite. Action and reaction. Expansion and contraction. Gemini the Twins reminds us of this great mystery.

Birthing Stories

I am currently taking a doula course and I feel so blessed to finally be in a place to fulfill my dream of being a birth worker. For our last assignment, we had to describe our own birthing experiences. Since I have never given birth, I interviewed my mother and my sister. Their birthing stories are below. Enjoy!

Aquarius: Claim Your Freedom!

Though it is the beginning of the calendar year, astrologically we are moving quickly towards the end of the year. Today, January 20th, marks the beginning of the Aquarian solar month, the 11th month of the year.

Learning Yoruba

Many of our great Afrikan scholars like Dr. Marimba Ani and Dr. Amos Wilson have taught us that language has the ability to both limit and shift our consciousness. This is why it so important for Afrikan people to learn Afrikan languages. I am currently learning Yoruba and will begin to feature Yoruba language lessons. Below is a beginners video that was very helpful for me. Enjoy!

Ori: Your Personal Orisa

This morning, before I left the house, I was reflecting on some recent life lessons. I have realized how much I don’t rely on my ori. The ori, in Yoruba cosmology, is one’s own personal orisa. Some people have likened the ori to the conscience, that small voice in your head that tells you right from wrong. And while that is true, the ori is much more than that. The ori is your guiding consciousness. In Yoruba cosmology, before we incarnate, we make an agreement before Olodumare (God) about our destiny, about what we will accomplish on this earth. Though we do not hold the information regarding this agreement in our conscious mind it is the ori that houses this information and it is through ritual that this information is unlocked and accessed.

Yes, I Know…It’s Been Quite Awhile!

From the many lessons I have been learning from egun (ancestors), the orisas, and the knowledgeable teachers in my life, I see that NOTHING is random; everything has a cause and an effect and I have to be wise and thoughtful when making a decision. Even the smallest, minutest, and seemingly insignificant decision can alter the rest of my life, either positively or negatively. And I am so thankful for that lesson/reminder! Ase!

Halloween is the Devil’s Birthday?

It’s Halloween!  Halloween has many different meanings for different people.  For some, it’s just a holiday for children (and sometimes adults) to dress up and and have fun.  For others, namely many Christians, it’s the devil’s birthday.  Who in the world made this up?  Oh, I know…people who desire to cut off all forms of [...]

Religious Conditioning

Up until a few days ago, my ancestral shrine had been sorely neglected. No candles, no flowers, no rum, no new water for them…just no attention at all! Changes in my schedule and a lack of time management was the cause, added to the apprehension I had to every day that went by without intentionally acknowledging my egun…how disappointed and angry they must be! Even though I knew I needed to at least go and say thanks, I kept putting it off because I felt like they’d be pissed which, of course, just makes things worse.

I’m Two Already?

I realized yesterday that I my two year birthday as a priestess of Oshun came and went and I didn’t even write about it! I honestly cannot believe it’s been two years.  Sometimes it seems longer; my godfather, while throwing obi to my orisas, accidentally said I was four years old!  But on other days, [...]

New Moon in Scorpio: Transforming Sensuality

The new lunar month begins tomorrow with the New Moon coming moving into Scorpio.  As mentioned in an earlier posting, Scorpio is all about transformation – out with the old and end with the new.  This lunar month allows us to utilize this transforming energy towards the goal of increasing our own sensuality, as the [...]