#odofemi

[coldlobbiesofmarble]

· · · (2013) from a decade ago, btw

[magicaguajiro]

Resources for Cuban and Caribbean Folk Magic 🇨🇺

Disclaimer: Cubans are not a monolith so when we say ‘Cuban Folk Magic’ its like saying ‘American Folk Magic’ in the sense that it is a BROAD term that includes multiple different cultural threads and traditions. Start by researching your ancestors and where they were from as a jumping off point.

Also, many of these resources are not Cuban themselves, but they either share the same practices or are academic or general sources. I have made it clear when a source isn’t Cuban. For this reason, I have expanded it to be the Cuban AND Caribbean Folk Magic List.

The List

Creators:

Irka Mateo - Taino - Insta 🇩🇴

Religion.Ancestral.Taino - Insta 🇵🇷

Sancista Brujo Luis - Espiritismo/Taino-Youtube | Blog 🇵🇷

OkaniLuna - Brujería/Taino - Youtube🇩🇴

Juliet Diaz - Brujería/Taino/Author - Instagram 🇨🇺

Sancista 7 Espadas - Espiritismo - Insta 🇵🇷

Odofemi - Regla de Ocha - Tumblr 🇺🇸

Eve the Medium - ATR/Espiritismo - Youtube 🇩🇴

Yeyeo Botanica - ATR/Espiritismo- youtube 🇺🇸

Botanica Candles & More - Great Podcast!! - youtube 🇨🇺 🇺🇸

Connecting w/ Guides and Goals by Adunola - youtube 🇺🇸

Hatuey Museum of Archaeology, Baracoa, Cuba - Taíno archaeologists photos and blog - Link

Florida Memory - Photos and Articles on Folk History of Florida and surrounding areas - Link

Articles

San Lazaro - Wikipedia - Novena - Yeyeo Botanica

Caridad del Cobre - Wikipedia

Orisha and Palo Herbs Directory- Website

Ewe (Herbs) Photo Guide - Website

Pueblo Originario Taino Section - Website

Taino and Agua Dulce essay by Jorge Estevez - Link

Memoir of Florida’s Indigenous People by Hernando Escalante de Fontaneda - Link

Tacachale: Essays on Indigenous Floridians by Milanich and Proctor - Link

Huellas Indigenas en Cuba - Taino Spirituality in Cuban Folk Magic Article - Link

Juracán: The Sacred Meteorology of Swamp and Storm by Jazmin Calderon Torres

Books:

Taino Library* - Amazing resource for books of all kinds, many books about Taino and Caribbean Spiritualities, Folklores and Songs! Multiple books on Cuban Myths and Folktales! Highly recommend - Website 🇵🇷

Espiritismo by Hector Silva🇩🇴

A Year in White by C Lynn Carr

The Modern Art of Brujería by Lou Florez(VERY BASIC just as a general introduction to what alot of modern Folk Practices look like)

American Brujeria by J. Allen Cross 🇲🇽🇺🇸

El Monte by Lydia Carbera 🇨🇺

Palmetto Country by Stetson Kennedy - Link

Movies and Videos:

Cecilia (1982) - Youtube

Las Profecias de Amanda - Youtube

Susie Jim Billie, Medicine Woman Interview - Link

Proyecto Cuba Indigena - Link

Miguel Sague, Taíno Spirituality - Link

**This list will grow as I find more resources that are reliable enough to share. If you have recommendations or would like to be added, please reach out.

Luz y Progreso 🕯️

(I also have included a Research Guide below the Cut!)

Guide to researching based on your ancestry:

If your family has African roots, you can seek Ocha/Lukumi, Palo, Arara, Cuban Vodou and other African Traditional Religions and Practices. Please approach elders within these respective practices to further your connection to them, rather than using books to create a practice for yourself. These are ancient, community based and are lifelong commitments, not just trendy powerful spells for you to get what you want.

If your family has indigenous roots, research Taino spirituality and modern practices , but also know that there were other tribes in the western and centeral parts of Cuba, with their own languages and traditions you can still learn about like the Guanahatabey. You may also consider joining a Yukayeke, but this isn’t required. Reconnecting and decolonizing is a separate and important topic that is not inherently witchcraft or folk magick-y… HOWEVER, researching and informing yourself with these practices can help you to see their influence within modern folk practices.

If your family has Asian roots, research the buddhist cults and folk practices throughout Cuba! Believe it or not, we also have people of Middle Eastern descent in Cuba who brought with them their own Hindu and Arabic Folk Traditions, which can be found throughout Cuba and the Caribbean as a whole.

If your family has Spanish roots, research some open practices like Espiritismo and Folk Catholicism! Look into the Patron Saints of Cuba, La Virgen de La Caridad del Cobre and San Lazaro. These also tie in to many of the other cultures who were forced to adopt certain elements to ensure survival of their traditions! You can also look into Brujería. Much like modern witchcraft, modern brujería has been commodified to hell and back, but there is still some great knowledge and power to be found there.

The fact of the matter is, that most of us can fit ourselves into two or more of these categories, and this crossover is where Folk Magic is often born. Its also important to note, in alot of these traditions you shouldn’t learn or share certain things at certain times, so some sources who share too much about Ocha and other ATRs should be avoided. Also, I can’t stress how important it is to talk to your family! Ask them about folklore or legends and stories! Also research history and folkore of the specific areas in Cuba your family is from. A-lot of folk magic is incorporated into stories.

Bendiciones, good luck on your Journey!🦎🐊

[barberwitch]

Anon Ask Re: Countering Appropriation as a non-POC

Hey there!

Yes you should say something. Let’s be real, it’s appropriation if it’s from non native people. Native people can’t appropriate their own culture.

It can be uncomfortable going against the general flow, but if it’s something right, I feel you should say something.

I’m not saying start drama, but consider your options for interacting:

Direct message the person asking the question instead of throwing the comment into the deluge of notes.

This opens a path to having a non judgmental conversation.

If you want to comment, it helps if you have resources!

Comment with something like “hey, I think this is a question that a native practitioner would be better at answering! Check out **insert blog**, they’re really knowledgeable about **insert practice/culture**

Another option would be tagging directly (both the OP, and the source) “Hi *original querant* I think *insert actual practitioner* could really clear things up!

These are some options, but especially as a white person, you should say something. Obviously the native practitioners aren’t having their views and practices respected, or it wouldn’t be a question.

Now, one last word of caution: I’m suggesting redirecting to actual sources and practitioners because we don’t get to say what is and isn’t appropriation from cultures that aren’t our own. But I’m really glad you’re asking :)

Now, the bonus round! Here is a list of authentic practitioners, people of the culture etc.* some post regularly, and others may be able to answer questions. Please, add more in the notes but make sure to add what culture/practice they are from!

Brujeria

@witch-yy (also Jewish)

@witch-vomit

@glamour-and-roses

Hoodoo/Rootwork/African Practices

@hoodooyousee

@spiritroots (Ífa, hoodoo, rootwork)

@getthiswitchwork

@witches-ofcolor

@visibilityofcolor

Asian Traditions/Practices

@asianwitchcraft (Asian witchcraft)

@trueriptide (Korean Shamanism)

Other traditions and native practices:

@rrojasandribbons (Romani)

@odofemi (Santeria)

@sunkissedsorgin (Basque)

@queerkeitcoven (Jewish mysticism)

@gardenofakiva (Judaism and Jewish Witchcraft)

*Now, this isn’t an exhaustive list by any means. I went through discord’s and a few bloggers to find their suggestions of native practices and respected sources. Also, I didn’t individually message those blogs I listed, the opinions I post don’t necessarily reflect the views of those I mentioned here.

Again, thank you for even asking, and it really is nice to see an ally who isn’t necessarily part of these communities willing to speak up. It’s an uphill battle, but if no one says anything, then nothing gets better.

🦇Cheers, Barberwitch

P.S. I will probably update and add members to this post down the road to keep it a running list, so please add the blog and their practice.

[sherbetbutterfly]

I don't think I will forget Wednesday 29th June 2022 for a while. Had the best time going out as me for the first time since Transpride 2019. It was so lovely to get to see a preview screening of @framingagnes as part of @leedsqueerfilm and be in the mere presence of the fabulous @odofemi , who did a great q and a. I really enjoyed meeting @krheyam and learning more about his new book Before We're trans which I can't wait to read. But it was great to be me and be with other trans people. Its somthing I put off for way to long. I want to do it again. #framingagnes #previewscreening #leedsqueerfilmfestival #trans #clayleeds #qanda (at CLAY: Centre for Live Art Yorkshire) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cfc04r0I5H4Y6mYbmhAvqgmmhUgSHsZIUbejMQ0/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[rockofeye]

hey, i dont know if you saw it by @odofemi answered an ask about cost and process of initiation in lukumi and i was wondering if you might be able to do something similar or compare and contrast. i'm trying to understand more and it's kinda confusing. i know this might be a lot of work so no worries if its too much.

Hello there!

Yes, @odofemi wrote a really insightful post about Lucumi and sort of how initiation unfolds and what it all means. I’d be happy to write about similar things from a Vodou standpoint. I’ll reblog her post with some input soon and maybe write a standalone thing as well. Feel free to ask anything questions you may have!

[canmom]

(Making a post about this because I haven’t seen it hit Tumblr yet. Tweets pictured: [first] [second] [third] [fourth] [fifth] [sixth and seventh])

You may have seen this 30,000 note post with a video excerpt from Sylvia Rivera’s famous “y’all better quiet down” speech at the 1973 Christopher Street Liberation Day rally, along with commentary from various trans women on the impact that day had on her and Marsha P Johnson and broader context on the horrible way Sylvia Rivera was treated by white, assimilationist gay organisations and the precursors to trans woman exterminationist feminism.

The video was uploaded in 2012 by Reina Gossett, a Black trans woman whose archival work is integral to our understanding of the lives of trans women of colour such as Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P Johnson and Miss Major who began the gay rights movement. Reina Gossett’s research is the basis for many recent histories of Stonewall, STAR and the struggle in New York, often without proper credit.

The video has now been removed.

In the week of 17 April 2017, the “Lesbian Herstory Archive” made a copyright claim on the video, and Vimeo took it down. Above are tweets from last week by Reina Gossett and others commenting on this use of repressive copyright law to attempt to hide a crucial piece of gay and trans history.

Thankfully, that is not the only online video of the speech, and it can be seen (from a different source, I think) here on Youtube. You can also hear a recording of the speech (and the one before it) in Morgan M Page (@odofemi)’s podcast episode on Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P Johnson and STAR. Reina Gossett is presently part of the crew making a historically accurate, non-whitewashed film about Stonewall called Happy Birthday Marsha, presently in post-production, and has also made a short animated film with Miss Major called The Personal Things.

[alaayemore-blog]

Go any info on Yoruba culture in Cuba? Or any other Hispanic or West Indian/carribean country?

Hi, I’ve posted about Yoruba afro-brazilians on this blog previously. While at this point in time I do not have readily available scholarly sources on various Yoruba diasporic cultures. However, there are various Yoruba diasporic/Yoruba influenced cultures in the diaspora. This is often easily seen in music, food and  religion i.e santeria and candomble in Cuba and Brazil respectively. If you are looking for a specific information, you will have to message me about it. 

plus there are many bloggers on here who are much more involved in those communities and can therefore give you accurate and firsthand information such as @odofemi and @gelopanda and of course there are recent migrations to those places too.

[witchtips]

brothuania replied to your post:

http://not-your-cute-little-asian-girl.tumblr.com/post/155196961939/odofemi-witchin-bitchin-twopointoh here is a really good explanation of her religion (not condoning the whole making her residence into a biohazard mess part, but i don't agree with the shaming her for sacrificing the animals)

Thank you!!! I wanted to learn more about it!! 🖤

[tyetknot]

*private I hope you don't mind odofemi directed me to you. I needed advice on getting the name of a spirit/deity. a few months ago freyja told me to get into irish polytheism and a series of events happened in real life that proved it. she als introduced me to an irish goddess who I can't for the life of me figure out who she is. I keep asking for a name but nothing. what should I be doing? :/

Hey, it's not a problem at all! I confess I don't really know a lot about the Celts, so I might not be the best person to tell you which deities are which based on their attributes or anything. That said, if you're uncertain about who's trying to drop hints you can always ask them for more information. You might do this through divination or meditation, journaling what happens in your dreams and seeing trends (this is one of the ways I figured out I had A Thing going on with Isis). What are they wearing or carrying? Are there animals, and if so, what are they? Do they say anything? Read mythology and see what sticks out for you. Who in this pantheon interests you? Why? Which deities are the most relevant to your life as it is now? Which deities do you think do things that you're lacking in?

[rockofeye]

Oyinbo Ọmọ Aṣogun Dere: An Analysis of Racial Injustice, Gun Violence, and Sexual Assault in America through a Traditional Yoruba Religious Perspective, by Ayodeji Ogunnaike

This is a really great article, too, and there is a LOT to think about here. Ogunnaike utilizes a Yoruba hermeneutics (gaze, structural world view) framework to critically examine the largely Western issues of racial injustice, gun violence, and sexual assault. He does this reflecting on Ogun, the orisa of iron and war, and how things can be seen as Ogun’s rage, related to how Ogun is valued and represented by oyinbo/outsiders to the culture. He specifically speaks about how oyinbo have placed Ogun as an idol up on a pedestal and have forgotten that he is a huge force in day to day life. In a Yoruba worldview, we all carry Ogun in our pockets as he rules over technology, we witness Ogun’s influence when violence breaks out, we see representative of Ogun (policeman) act as Ogun has in the sacred stories about him, and on.

One of the more poignant parts of this for me was how he humanizes this orisa as a fallible being that makes mistakes and harms people through violence, sexual assault, etc, and thus removes himself. He describes how Ogun is redeemed when he does wrong and what that means for humans...and he wraps all this up with how this applies to current events around mass shootings and this incel stuff. It is really a masterful writing.

Ogou in Haitian vodou is related to Ogun in Orisa traditions--Ogou started at the same root, mostly, and became utterly Haitian over time. They are not totally the same and are not served in the same ways... and yet, Ogou has much of what is described as things for Ogun. Ogou is served at his fòje, which inevitably set with a large piece of iron jutting out of the ground that is set aflame and kept burning for his ceremonies. Ogou has the capacity to do horrible things--he is a killer and can harm people if he is not served appropriately and yet also feels deep pain and remorse when he is put in a position to do harm. I have watched him sob and scream when disciplining someone or informing them that their poor decisions were what caused strife in their lives. Interesting, car accidents and incidences involving cars are also considered something Ogou also oversees.

With all of the violence and death that occurred in America in the summer of 2016, it seems that the discussion of the issues surrounding these and similar events has failed to lead us out of the current predicament. By analyzing the myths, rituals, and traditions of the Yoruba deity Ogun, this paper seeks to provide an indigenous Yoruba perspective on the current issues of violence, death, social isolation, social inequality, and sexual assault and harassment in American society and institutions of higher learning. With American society’s emphasis on progress, hard work, technology, and force in the form of guns and military might, it argues that we are living in an “Age of Ogun,” but will need to learn to interact with him properly in order to resolve these terrifying and related issues.

Downloadable PDF

This is a solid read for anyone who deals with Ogun or Ogou. Tagging some folks who might like it: @odofemi @manbomary @hounganmatt @gringopicante

[fyodorpavlov]

Hi there! I just saw your beautiful illustration for The Lovers tarot card. WIll it be available to purchase in your shop soon? I desperately want it!

I think prints will become available once the major arcana is complete and I move on to the minor. Keep your eyes peeled!

[rockofeye]

A Day in the Fet Life

@odofemi​ wrote a lovely post about what it is like to get ready for a Lucumi ceremony, and I loved it and decided to do one of my own regarding what mounting a fet (one type of ceremony in Haitian vodou) is like. I’ve noted similar ideas from outsiders or new folks where it is assumed that preparing for a ceremony is quick or easy or glamorous, and then get turned off at how non-spiritual/non-transcendent a lot of the prep seems in comparison to what they imagine it must be like.

The weekend usually begins on Thursday for me: that is find-the-whitest-whites day, as well as laundry day. I also do my level best to wrap up my work week so that I can either take all of Friday off or leave as early as possible. I am local to our US temple, and so I often make airport runs or run errands ahead of the fete. My personal preparations have started at least a week earlier with a series of specific prayers for the spirit being honored, as well as offerings if I owe them things, or modifying behaviors to be as ritually clean as possible.

On Friday, I am up around 6AM regardless of whether I am working or not, and things fly into motion--I go to work early so I can leave early, or I finish up laundry and pack for the weekend (two white outfits, the special spirit outfit, all the spirit bling I wear for ceremonies, etc). 

I head to the house after work/after I am ready and things get rolling. There are errands to run to pick up necessary things for the ceremony, and then we start prepping the temple. Everything needs to be cleaned, anything used in a past ceremony (moushwa, white sheets, clothes for a spirit, table dressing) needs to be laundered and prepared to be used again if appropriate. We begin to assemble the altar/table that will be the focal point of the ceremony: layers and layers of fabric is pinned/stapled/nailed/coerced/threatened into place and the lineage head is consulted to make sure it looks how it should look and fits the vision the spirits have given her.

The kitchen roars to life once all the food to be prepared arrives: any animals that needed to be sacrificed are already broken down to be cleaned and prepared, all meat is cleaned and dressed, and everything moves along. The kitchen will be in action all night and be busy right until the ceremony begins: regleman food is prepared first, and then all the food for the community to eat after is made. The person who does the bulk of the cooking arrives after she finishes her late night work shift, and she will work all night and all day without pause, unless there is someone competent available to relieve her so she can take a brief nap.

I go to bed when my mother looks at me and says ‘aren’t you tired? you need to sleep’. This is my cue to run through with her what has been achieved this evening and what needs to be done the next day. Sometimes she adds a few things to the list, sometimes she tells me not to worry about this thing or that thing. I check with her to see if there is anything I can pick up on my way in and gently remind her to sleep when she can, even though she laughs every time I say that to her. I either head home or find a corner to nap in, and then inevitability get back up because I have forgotten my prayers for the spirit being honored and my nightly stuff. Once prayers are said, it’s time for a few hours of sleep.

Saturday starts early. I make sure there is coffee for the kitchen crew (Medium French roast, 5 cream 5 sugar). There are last minute errands to run and the temple to prepare for the ceremony. The table is assembled as food is finished, and accouterments from the badji/back room where the house’s altars live are brought out to set the table. The lineage head will pop her head down several times to make sure it is done as it should be, and she will ask for changes based on the whim of the spirits or address things that may have been overlooked. In an ideal world, the altar is complete before 5PM, but fete life is fete life and things happen.

Hounsi are dispatched to do what work they can: cleaning bathrooms, adjusting streamers, wiping down and setting up chairs, making some easy drinks for the altar, ironing moushwa if they need it, sweeping and re-sweeping the floors, running simple errands. While there is a lot of chatting happening and some leson vodou/teaching moments/dream interpretation/practice of things hounsi should know and new people need to learn, this is by far not social time or time for sitting still. On Saturday, the clock is ticking until ceremony time and all things need to be done, full stop--there really is no ‘I’ll do it later’ or ‘well, I’ll do it for the next one’. All things that should be done MUST be done. 

At some point, someone will go on a food run or some food will be sent down to the temple from the kitchen, if there is extra. Eating is often forgotten until you find yourself eyeing a leg of a chair like it is poul fri, and then it’s time to gobble what is available.

As the clock ticks down to the evening, the table gets it’s final touches: fresh flowers, fresh fruit, candles, big cakes for celebration, and anything else that needs to be placed. Priests trace veve, and materials to make the liminasyon for the fete are left accessible. At this point, the temple cannot be left empty--a priest must be in it at all times until the ceremony starts.

I focus on the small stuff that makes the party go: I tuck paper towels away in the badji, make sure there are a few extra moushwa tet hidden away so when a spirit tosses a moushwa off of a woman who is mounted and then steps on it before it can be snatched up, there is a fresh one for them to tie their head with, hide a ti chez behind the doorway so that my mother or any other chwal who has recently been mounted can rest in semi-privacy, and all sorts of things I have learned to have handy. I order the badji in such a way that I know where everything is and leave what is needed first readily available for grabbing. I often brief a hounsi or two about where I have put things so that I can send them to get it if I and other priests occupied in the middle of a fete. I might make a bath or two to wash some ritual items and/or sprinkle on the floor to bless the ceremony. Prayers run through the back of my head, and I ask my spirits over and over to bless the work of my hands so that it may benefit the fete and the community. 

In the later evening, it is time to start getting ready. The hounsi are prodded to go bathe (with admonishments not to use all the hot water) and change into their whites, as their duties are largely done until the ceremony starts. I will fix final details and hang out in the temple while my siblings get ready and, once it appears that our mother is getting ready, I throw myself in the shower, get clean and then cute (gotta look right for the husbands), and head back to the temple. 

Once our mother/the lineage head enters the temple, we are ready to go. She gives one final inspection and one of us might get a quiet word to go fetch something, and then we begin. We might make a liminasyon together for the fete, or we go ahead with the Priye Katolik and Priye Ginen as led by our mother, which are the series of prayers that open our ceremonies. On a short night, these might be 45 minutes. On a long night, it could be an hour or more, depending on what our mother hears from the spirits to know what prayers need to be inserted into the overall regleman.

When the priye has concluded, we begin with songs specifically to heat the temple up for the ceremony and then we follow with salye Ounto, where we salute the spirit of the drums as without drums we cannot have ceremony. From there, the night proceeds and we call our spirits and celebrate their arrivals. Our ceremonies go until the sun is in the sky and, in Haiti, sometimes way past that.

 After we finish, we eat and then we rest for a little bit. I am often tired afterwards, but not nearly as tired as I really should be for being awake for about 24 hours. The spirits give me some ‘gas in the tank’ to get it all done, because I am there to work for them so they can do what they need to do, and that keeps me fresh. Like @odofemi, I walk away wishing I could do it every weekend. She’s also right when she says that not everyone in the religion will want to work like this. Not everyone wants to commit this way, or they get really unhappy when they see what that actually means, but I can’t do it any other way.