", Ray, Benjamin. I think the first incorrect assumption is assuming Orisha ever followed nature based religious paradigms in regards to the afterlife. Thus, it is possible to speak of the Yoruba notions of afterlife and compare these, say, to the Igbo or Zulu concepts, noting distinctions and similarities. All these essays challenge the view that African beliefs including those regarding the afterlife are incompatible with Christianity. Babaila leads a quintet, and coaxes African folk rhythms from his conga as 40 to 50 sweaty believers dance their entreaties to a succession of Santeria deities. Membership is taken seriously, and members are expected to take part in the life of the il. What is the origin of Santeria? Santeria is based on Yoruba beliefs, while Voodoo is based on Fon and Ewe beliefs. It developed in Haiti between the 16th and 19th centuries during the Atlantic slave trade. They continued to practice their own rituals, which they found to be useful and effective, and which, most importantly, filled the spiritual space in lives torn from their original cultural foundations. Being an Afro-Cuban religion, Santeria is an adaptable tradition that has no central authority. The essays discuss the contested interface between African religions and Christianity regarding rites of passage. Santera was born out of necessity for the people of the Yoruba tradition who were brought to Cuba as slaves starting in the 16th century from present-day Nigeria and Benin. The impact of historical encounters between cultures, and the ensuing dynamism, transformation, and fluidity of ideas will be recognized and factored in this analysis. During crucial moments of this life journey, special rituals (rites of passage) designed to mark, celebrate, and help the individual successfully negotiate the key turning points, including death, are performed. Through the bodies of their mediums the orishas are believed to interact with the congregation directly and heal and prophesy for those who approach them. Like many religions, Santeria also offers community. Because of the social stigma commonly associated with Santeria by followers of mainstream religions, it is possible that many adherents of Santeria keep their beliefs and practices secret from their neighbors. In the If oracle, for example, a trained priest, a babalawo (father of the mystery), interprets the fall of consecrated palm nuts to reveal the orishas response to a seekers question. Properly known as Lukum in the Yorb language, meaning "friendship," Santeria was the religion practiced by descendants of many Yorb slaves in Cuba, over time . This entry presents a brief, general picture of Africa's traditional religious heritage, focusing on the major beliefs because, . Both Santeria and Voodoo are religious practices upheld by people who believe in a common God that is served by several spirits. For the Shona of Zimbabwe, the ritual is called Kurova Guva and is performed by every member of the family, who must explicitly through ritual offerings and libations indicate willingness to welcome the deceased as a continuing member of the family despite physical death. west herr southwestern blvd; aquarius 2022 love horoscope; white silk blouse long sleeve The Luo of Kenya, for example, use the yago fruit, which is several feet in length and is laid in the grave to represent the dead. Ray discusses inter alia myths of "paradise lost" and the loss of "immortality.". Santeria, which came out in October, is one of three recent books by De La Torre, whose earlier works include the 2002 Reading the Bible from the Margins by Orbis Press. Animal sacrifice is integral in both Santeria and Voodoo since they use blood for initiations and cleansing. For me it has not only made Ocha but Christianity WAY more easy to understand and honestly comingle instead of being these opposing concepts in my mind that was honestly creating disconnect in ego and egun. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/about-santeria-traditions-2562543. https://www.encyclopedia.com/environment/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/afterlife-african-concepts, "Afterlife: African Concepts Drawing largely on his experiences as an African Catholic priest, Ela asserts the compatibility of African beliefs with Christianity and argues for their reclamation as both doctrinally viable and socially relevant for Africans' quest for beliefs and practices that enhance and nurture life in the here and now. Beliefs Santeria does not have one set of beliefs, it combines of a variety of different faiths and cultures In Santeria life on Earth is considered more desirable that the afterlife Santeria worship a number of worldly gods known as orishas Many of the Santeria beliefs is not disclosed outside of the faith Mortuary rituals also reveal that Africans consider death a paradox. In this time anyone caught in the worship of native gods would be punished and many times by death, Africans and the native Tainos. In the early 18th century, practitioners combined their masters pantheon of Catholic saints with their own spirits, the Orisha. Santeria is, in fact, not one set of beliefs, but a "syncretic" religion, which means it blends aspects of a variety of different faiths and cultures, despite the fact that some of these beliefs might be contradictory to one another. Santeria, which came out in October, is one of three recent books by De La Torre, whose earlier works include the 2002 Reading the Bible from the Margins by Orbis Press. Deep stuff. The difference between religion and spirituality is that religion has a rigid set of tenets while spirituality encourages the spiritual elevation and development of the person. Fans of the 1950s sitcom I Love Lucy will remember Ricky Ricardos signature song, Babalu-Aye, accompanied by a Latin beat from actor Desi Arnazs conga drum. It would seem, then, that contemporary debates about the afterlife in Africa are simultaneously discussions about this world and this life. The religion is also known as La Regla de Lucumi or Lucumi or Lukumis Rule. Santeria (Way of the Saints) is an Afro-Caribbean religion based on Yoruba beliefs and traditions, with some Roman Catholic elements added. We aren't wolves who are conditioned to tear each other apart. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. To make more trouble? It's a beautiful vision, and if anyone can bring it to life, we trust Grau's sensitivity and evidence-based practice to be a step in that direction. It is also for this reason that cremation is not a preferred method of disposal of the dead in the African context. Furthermore, the deliberate invocation of ngoma or mizimu and fellowship with them through libations and prayer (Gikuyu, kurongoreria ) is in official Christian teaching outlawed because it is considered a breach of the First Commandment. The religion emphasizes the here and now rather than the afterlife, and it focuses on natural forces. Santeria is a religion developed by enslaved peoples throughout the Spanish Caribbean. Wigington, Patti. Regardless of your primary motivations, you can now hire me for a consultation and to do the difficult part of the equation for you, while you reap the rewards. Indeed, within Hinduism, one goal of religious activity is to facilitate the ultimate separation or liberation (moksha ) of the soul (tman ) breaking out of once and for all the unending and tragic cycle of reimbodiment (sasra ). Through the guidance of the ach, Santera believers find . This to me just reeks of Christian influence. This article will factor in this palpable ethnic diversity in order to avoid sweeping generalizations. Perhaps because of human disobedience or greed, this relationship was lost. The True Story Behind Santeria, Academia - Santeria: An Afro-Cuban religion, Santera - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Governed by Venus, a sensual and carnal planet, Taurus is in analogy with House II, concerning acquisitions, possessions and everything that one ingests, that one assimilates. De La Torre also edited Handbook of U.S. Theologies of Liberation, examining Christian concepts and the interrelationship between religion, community and culture from the perspective of U.S. marginalized communities. In Catholic circles, Christianized Africans also ritually connect with deceased family members through requesting a Mass for the dead, a doctrinally legitimate practice. The members of the il relate to each other in much the same way as members of an extended biological family. Santeria priests have a great knowledge of traditional medicine and herbalism, and often play an important role in the health of their community. Wigington, Patti. Occultist.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. These two religions have the same place of origin: West Africa. Sometimes feared and often misunderstood, Santera and other Afro-Cuban spiritual traditions still persist in the U.S. - especially in South Florida. Santera is based upon the development of personal relationships through divination, sacrifice, initiation, and mediumship ( see medium) between practitioners of the religion and the orisha deities, who provide their devotees with protection, wisdom, and success and who guide devotees in times of crisis. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Santeria is a fairly complex system, because it blends the Yoruba orishas, or divine beings, with the Catholic saints. Conversely, those who fail in their worldly obligations, or those whose actions are subversive to rather than nurturing of life, are quickly forgotten and "excommunicated" after death. Santeria incorporates elements of several faiths and so is what's called a 'syncretic' religion. But someone who cold-bloodedly murders his family isn't going to have the same fate as a person who has gone through life trying to be supportive and helpful to his family. African Synod: Instrumentum Laboris. Santeria has a priesthood that includes both men and women. The Santeria faith teaches that every individual has a destiny from God, a destiny fulfilled with the aid and energy of the orishas. Is Santeria a sin? Their subsequent pact with the spirit reflects both their respect for the power of the Orisha to claim their lives and their gratitude for the Orisha's agency in effecting a cure. The religion focuses on natural forces instead of the afterlife. Sorry, this post was deleted by the person who originally posted it. What is Santeria? From the Cuban Revolution of 1959 to the early 21st century, nearly one million Cubans left the island, bringing Orisha religion to cities throughout the Americas, particularly Miami and New York. Devotees see the Orisha tradition as a world religion and have received public recognition of their spiritual achievements. Eating the sacrificed animal is considered a sharing with the Orisha, who only consumes the animal's blood, while the worshippers eat the meat. The installation of the deceased back into family simultaneously marks the induction of the deceased into the world of ancestors. It was about "ancient" origins of all the Christmas traditions. Tree, yule log, 12 days etcAfter reading it she looked at me like a demon for a bit..lol. Origins of Christmas..lol.reminds me over 20 years ago I gave a small book the origins of Christmas to a devote catholic relative. ." Santeria is an Afro-Carribian religion that expanded during the time of the Cuban slave trade (Types of Religion, 2016). Voodoos paranormal ancestral connection is passed from generation to generation by rituals and spiritual practices. It would seem also that the emphasis by Africans on a this-worldly and corporate approach to salvation resonates significantly with the prior key affirmations about God and the world in the African worldview. There is a Spanish influence in Santeria, whereas in Voodoo religion the French influence is more prominent. Instead of celebrating their exemplary dead, then, many Christianized Africans have seemingly adopted the Christian afterlife discourse and now celebrate angels and saints that are said to populate the heavenly sphere and with whom those who die in good standing with God will live happily after death. In Voodoo, Iwa is a veneration of deities frequently identified as Yoruba gods and Roman Catholic saints. In general, within the African context, such a rigid dualism between body and soul is not found. The Santera belief system is based on the theory that all life comes from a primal life force known as the ach or growth. Now, in some belief systems, say Hinduism, the person is defined as the soul that is contained or even imprisoned in the body. Does Santeria believe in the afterlife? Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. The Gikuyu refer to such a persons as mwendwo ni iri (the people's beloved). Chapter 10 focuses on Gikuyu religious beliefs and highlights the place of ancestors (ngoma ) in this system. This is primarily an account of Yoruba notions of God. Now available on Amazon. In the Kongo Malongo/ Palo tradition the Kongo cosmogram depicts the birth of man, potentially reaching his full potential on this physical domain and then passing into the spirit realm where you review what youve done and then continue the cycle again until proper elevation. So the similarities between Santeria and Voodoo get many people thinking that theyre the same. Dennis M'passou writes on "The Continuing Tension Between Christianity and Rites of Passage in Swaziland," Paul Gundani explores "The Roman Catholic Church and the Kurova Guva Ritual in Zimbabwe," and Jude Ongonga writes on "The River-Lake Luo Phenomenon of Death." Santeria, a closed religion, has drawn false advertising that animals are sacrificed while performing rituals. In chapter 8 he discusses the African notions of personal immortality and the status of the living dead, while in chapter 14 he discusses African ideas of death and the hereafter and offers an exegesis of sample funeral rituals. My New Grimoire Goetia Rising is Now Available! Slowly, the African religious rituals merged with Christianity. According to this myth, upon death people ascended to the sky via the rope for a short period and came back rejuvenated to earth. For this reason, too, death is also vigorously, collectively, and publicly mourned. Failure to perform burial rites properly makes the deceased unable to negotiate the postmortem phase of the life journey successfully. There may be an elaborate hierarchy based partly on the levels of spiritual development that family members have reached. What can we do for our departed loved ones? But there's a different approach. Many testify that it was their experience of a life-threatening illness which first prompted their devotion to an Orisha. Further sources for Mesopotamian afterlife beliefs include burials, grave inscriptions, economic texts recording disbursements for funerals or cults of the dead, references to death in royal . Catholic symbols are sometimes used in Santeria rituals. Portsmouth, N.H., 1969. What those heavens entail etc. We also participate in becomealivinggod.com affiliate program. Animals are cooked and eaten following all Santeria rituals (except healing and death rites, where the sickness is believed to pass into the dead animal). I think you are too hung up on the "judgment" part. Instead of conceiving the person as a soul that is contained in a body, Africans define the person as an integral whole constituting the "outer person" (the body) and the "inner self." There are a number of different orishas, and most of them correspond to a Catholic saint. Elsewhere, for example among the Agikuyu of Kenya, ideas of heaven and hell were introduced de novo, since this community's prior concepts of the hereafter had no such notions. ladot commuter express 573; how to become a crypto asset manager. Women always held power in the culture as well as politics. Santeria relies on the wisdom of orishas. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. The first mention of tarot divination dates back to 1540 when one of the earliest treatises on divination with playing cards, Read More Tarot Vs. Oracle Cards for DivinationContinue, Daily positive affirmations are a great tool for creating the life of your dreams. "Afterlife: African Concepts Thus, petitionary prayer is often said through them. Furthermore, during the period between death and burial, the Swazi, as do other communities, observe a vigil both to console the bereaved and to keep the deceased person company as they transit between this world and the next (M'passou in Cox, 1998). These offerings may range from simple presentations before home altars to elaborate feasts in the orishas honour. the religion is not just nature based but Everything has Ashe. 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