Calling all Babas and Iyas: Remember When You Were an Iyawo?

I have recently been thinking a lot about my iyawo year.  For those not familiar with the term, in the Lucumi tradition, after one is initiated, one lives the following year and a week as an “iyawo;” a bride to the orisa.  You are like a newborn baby and must observe a number of rules [...]

No, I am not an Iyawo. Yes, I am still wearing white.

I have found myself answering questions about my appearance a lot lately.  These questions come from different sources.  From the orisa community, those who don’t know me become exuberant when they think they are meeting an iyawo.  Of course, for someone who has had ocha for a gazillion years (okay, about 20) I am still [...]

Reflections on the Iyawo Year

I can’t believe I haven’t blogged in almost a month!  I missed blogging about the full moon and the Sun’s entrance in Leo!  Well, it’s a bit late but I will definitely share what we should expect with the Sun in Leo in my next post. There’s been much going on, not necessarily in activities [...]

Iyawo Lesson #36: People are People

I am almost 8 months old!  I cannot believe that I am already near the 8th month mark — more than half way through my iyawo year. The year has definitely been a journey, not entirely free of ups and downs and with sufficient bumps in the road to provide me with a new perspective [...]