4 - The Orixás
A little of history
At the dawn of their civilization, the African people later known by the name Yoruba, called Nagô in Brazil and Lucumi in Cuba, believed that impersonal supernatural forces, spirits, or entities were present or embodied in objects and forces of nature. Fearful of the dangers of nature that constantly endangered human life, dangers that they could not control, these ancient Africans offered sacrifices to appease the fury of these forces, donating their own food as a tribute that sealed a pact of submission and protection and that sediments the relationships of loyalty and filiation between men and the spirits of nature.
Many of these nature spirits came to be worshiped as deities, later designated orixás, holders of the power to govern aspects of the natural world, such as thunder, lightning and the fertility of the earth, while others were worshiped as guardians of mountains, courses of 'water, trees and forests. Each river, therefore, had its own spirit, with which it was confused, and places of worship were built on its banks, nothing more than the place where offerings were left. A river can flow calmly through the plains or rush into falls and rapids, offer a calm crossing at the ford, but it also shows itself full of treacherous traps, be a beneficial source of fish food, but also drown in its waters those who find themselves in them. bathe. These attributes of the river, which make it both provider and destroyer, also became that of its guardian deity. As each river is different, its spirit, its soul, also has specific characteristics. Many of the river spirits are still honored today, both in Africa, in Yoruba territory, and in the Americas, where the cult was brought by blacks during slavery and in a short period after abolition, although they have, over time, become independent of their original base in nature.
The contact between African peoples, both because of commercial exchange and because of wars and dominion of some over others, led to the incorporation by the Yorubas of deities from neighboring peoples, such as the voduns of the Fon peoples, called jejes in Brazil, among the which stands out Nanã, ancient deity of the earth, and Oxumarê, deity of the rainbow. The plague god, which is named after Omulu, Olu Odo, Obaluaê, Ainon, Sakpatá and Xamponã or Xapanã, resulted from the fusion of devotion to countless gods worshiped in Yoruba, Fon and Nupe territories. The transformations suffered by the smallpox god, until his incorporation into the contemporary pantheon of orixás, shows the importance of migrations and wars of domination in the lives of these African peoples and their role in the constitution of cults and the conformation of deities.
Within the Candomblé culture, the Orixá is considered the existence of a “past life on Earth”, in which the Orixás would have come into direct contact with human beings, to whom they passed direct teachings and showed themselves in human form. This would have been a very distant time in which the human being needed the physical presence of the Orixás, because the human being was still in a very primitive stage, both materially and spiritually.
After passing on their teachings, they returned to Aruanda, but left their essence and representation in the forces of nature on Earth.
What is Orisha?
The planet we live on and all the worlds of the material planes are kept alive through the balance between the energies of nature. Planetary harmony is only possible due to an intricate and immense energetic game between the chemical elements that constitute these worlds and between each of the living beings that inhabit these planets.
A characteristic feature of the Umbanda religion is the use of these energies as a source of work. Living on planet Earth, man has lived with Laws since his origin and evolution, Laws that maintain vitality, creation and transformation, essential data for life as we see it developing every second. Without this energetic harmony the planet would fall into chaos.
Fire, air, earth and water are the primordial elements that, combined, give rise to everything that our physical bodies feel, as well as being constituents of these bodies.
We believe that these elements and their ramifications are commanded and worked by Spiritual Entities ranging from the Elementals (spirits in transition working in the great planetary laboratory), to the Superior Spirits who inspect, command and provide the vital fluid for the constant work of CREATE, MAINTAINING and TRANSFORMING the evolutionary dynamics of life on Planet Earth.
We call these spirits of high vibratory force ORIXAS, using a word of Yoruba origin. In Umbanda, they are considered the most responsible for the balance of nature. They are known in other parts of the world as "Ministers" or "Devas", spirits of high evolutionary vibration who cooperate directly with God, ensuring that His Laws are constantly fulfilled.
The use of a word that means “owner of the head” (ORI-SHÁ) shows the relationship between the world and the individual, between the environment and the beings that inhabit it. Our bodies have, in their constitution, all the natural elements in different proportions. In addition to friendly spirits who are committed to our moral vigilance and assistance, we have a spirit of nature, a personal Orisha who takes care of the energetic, physical and emotional balance of our physical bodies.
We spiritual beings manifesting in physical bodies are influenced by the action of these energies from the moment of birth. When our personality (the character of this existence) begins to be defined, one of the elemental energies predominates - and it is what will define, in some way, our "archetype".
The Regent of this predominant energy, defined at our birth, we call our personal Orisha, "Head Chief", "Head Father or Mother", or the esoteric name "ELEDÁ". The way our body reacts to different situations during this incarnation, both physically and emotionally, is linked to the “archetype”, or to the personality and emotional characteristics that we know through African legends about the Orixás. Along with this predominant energy, two others are secondary, which in Umbanda we call "Juntós", a corruption of "Adjuntó", a Latin word that means to help, or still, we call "OSSI" and "OTUM", respectively in their influence order.
When a spirit is about to incarnate, the future parents are consulted, during sleep, regarding the agreement to generate a child, obeying the law of free will. Once they have agreed, the work begins to shape the form that this spirit will use in the physical vehicle. This task is given to the powerful Spirits of Nature, and one of them assumes the responsibility of this task, providing this form with the necessary energies for the fetus to develop, so that there is life. From this process, the new incarnate being will be directly linked to that original vibration. Thus arises the ELEDÁ of this new incarnate being, which is the primary and active energy force of birth.
In this period, the Elementals work incessantly, each one in their respective area, starting from the embryo until they form all the material layers of the human body, which are molded until the new being is born with its etheric double and dense body.
After birth, this energetic force promotes the gradual mastery of the soul's consciousness and the spirit's force over the material form until its personality is acquired through the Law of Free Will. From then on, this energy starts to act in a more discreet way, obeying this Law, sustaining, however, its form and material energy through continuous maintenance and transformation, in the sense of maintaining its existence.
At each reincarnation, according to our evolutionary needs and karma to be fulfilled, we are responsible for different bodies, and for each of our bodies, we can count on the help of a Spirit of Nature, a protective Orisha. It is normally the one who approaches the medium when they invoke their Eledá. In all Umbanda rituals, especially in Initiations, the invocation of this force is made for all mediums when they perform their Settlements, a means of attraction, close to them, of the pure energy of their energetic ELEDÁ and auxiliary energies, or "OSSI" and "OTUM.
Eledá, Ossi and Otum form the medium's Coronary Triad in Umbanda
Affinities
Children of faith do not receive influences from just one or two orixás. In the same way that we are not tied to the education and guidance of a spiritual father, we are not under the tutelage of our orixá in front or adjunct.
We often receive influences from other orixás (as if they were teachers, grandparents, uncles, closest friends in material life). The fact that we receive these influences does not mean that we are children or godchildren of these orixás; it is just a spiritual affinity.
Doesn't a person sometimes get along better with an aunt than with a mother? So it is with the orishas. We can be children of Ogun or Oxum and receive more influences from Xangô or Iansã. I can be the son of Obaluaiê and not like working with entities that concern him the most (line of souls), preferring to work with waterfall entities.
The important thing is that in the most decisive moments of our lives, its beneficial influences are present, almost always a sum of values and not just and individually, the characteristic of a single orixá.
Orixás - Primordial Elements and Their Ramifications
Orixás Element Branch Color Salutation
I hope Air Air White hey nanny
Yemanja Water Salted White blue Odo Ya
nanã Water Rain Purple Saluba Nanã
Oshun Water sweet, waterfalls Blue Oh Yeyê-ô
Oxumare water Evaporation Green and yellow Arrobobot
Ogun Fire Fiery Red Ogun Ye
Ibeji Fire Purifier Pink and blue Omni Ibejada
Xango Fire Electric Brown Kaô Cabecile
Iansã Fire emotions Yellow Eparrei Oya
Oxossi Earth Fauna Green Oke Aro
Ossãe Earth Flora Green and white Me and
obaluaiê Earth Transformation Black and white atotôThe Elementals
Among these spirits of action within the vibratory field of the Orixás of command, we find those who work closer to our reality, relating closely to the elements: they are the ELEMENTALS. It is the great craftsmen and alchemists who offer us the stones, the leaves, the flowers, the water, the forces of nature. They are very close to us, also working in the work of the Guides and Umbanda itself as a whole.
The Elementals present themselves in a human-like form. According to the variation of consciousness and emotion, they produce changes in their coloring and even in their shape. They use their astral body and, when necessary, even materialize their etheric vehicle. The astral form, according to revelation and testimony from seers, consists of an energetic multicolored spherical aura. The etheric vehicle of these entities is what allows them a sense of individuality. In times of growth, germination and development of plants, the vitality and activity of these beings increases due to greater contact with the physical world, making them more visible to psychic mediums, when they do not materialize temporarily, dancing and playing like human beings.
In the Earth element:
- In the forests, for example, we have the Dryads, linked to the vibrating field of Oxossi, they have long and luminous hair, they are of rare beauty and work directly in the trees.
- Gnomes work within their etheric double .
- Fairies manipulate the chlorophyll of plants, establishing the multiplicity of hues and fragrance of flowers, forming petals and buds. They are associated with the life of grass cells and other plants.
- The Elves who take care of your fecundity, precious and semi-precious stones and metals.
In the Water element:
- We find the Mermaids that are close to the Oceans, rivers and lakes, in a graceful and energetic way.
- In the waterfalls are the Ondinas , who help a lot in the purification works carried out by Umbanda in the waterfalls.
In the Air Element:
- The Sylphs who are under the regency of Oxalá. Like the Fairies, they present themselves with wings, moving extremely quickly.
In the Fire Element:
- Salamanders are FIRE elementals. They present themselves as streams of fiery energy, which rush forward, without appearing to be human beings. They act on the igneous energies of the sun and fire in general.
The 7 Rays of the Orixás
Lightning Orixás Regency
1st I hope ruler of the air element.
2nd Yemanja regent of salt water
nanã ruler of rainwater
3rd Ogun ruler of fire in intrinsic form
Ibeji fire ruler as magical energy
4th Oxossi regent of the forests (fauna and flora)
Ossãe regent of medicinal leaves (herbs)
5th Xango regent of electric and energetic fire
Iansã regent of psychic fire
6th Oshun regent of fresh waters
Oxumare ruler of the evaporating waters
7th obaluaiê ruler of the earth elementThese are the Rays of the Orixás of Umbanda, commanders of the creative, sustaining and transforming energies of the elements of nature, having under their command legions of spirits of various evolutionary vibrations within their Ray. They perform the miracle of life and distribute this energy in the body of magic, to the places that need it, to help and strengthen incarnate and disembodied spirits.
The 07 Lines of Umbanda Spiritual Workers should not be confused with the Seven Rays we are dealing with, as these Lines are from the planetary Regents of the energies of nature.
Classification of Orixás in Umbanda
- Orix as Virgins = Receive from the Supreme Spirit Virgin Kingdom
- Orisha ás Causas = Aferem causal karma
- Orix as Reflectors = Coordinates Energy - Mass
- Orixá Originals = Receive from the three the universal vibrations
- Orix as Supervisors = Oversees universal laws
- Orix ace Intermediates = Lords of the solar courts of the Astral Universe
- Orix as Ancestors = Lords of the entire planetary hierarchy
- All Ancestral Orixás are subordinate to Christ Jesus who is the ultimate tutor on Earth.
- The Ancestral Orixás are the ones we know in Umbanda.
The Orixás, within the Umbanda cult are not incorporated. What can be seen inside the various terreiros, centers, tents, etc., are the phalangeiros of the Orixás, spirits of great light who come to work under the Orders of an Orixá. The Falangeiros incorporate into their “horses” and show their presence and strength in the name of an Orisha.
Orixás worshiped in Umbanda:
Oxalá, Ibeiji, Obaluayê, Ogun, Oxossi, Xangô, Iansã, Yemanjá, Nanã, Oxum.
Other Orixás:
Exu, Obá, Ewa, Logun-edé, Iroko, Ossãe, Oxumarê, Time, Orumilá, Ifá.
The orishas: Exu, Obá, Ewa, Logun-edé, Iroko, Ossãe, Oxumarê, Tempo, Orumilá, Ifá and Ibeiji do not form the Crown Triad of mediums in Umbanda.
