Post by ifayomi on Dec 9, 2006 23:16:45 GMT -5
How important is our bloodline and spiritual lineage.
Eggun and ancestors are the most important our spiritual
walk ...Sometimes we tend to pay more attention to the LWAS,NKISIS,
or ORISHAS and forget about our eggun.
Eggun should always be honored first.In the Lukumi tradition, our
egun (ancestors), be they of blood lineage or spiritual lineage, are
of the utmost importance. We acknowledge this because of they are
the reason we are walking the earth today. It is because of egun
that we have knowledge of the old ways and the ability to adapt to
new ones. The egun are the closest type of spirits to us because
they themselves were once like us. They did what we do today and
have the ability to bless or impede any of our endeavors. Egun are
not in some far, unreachable place where they cannot hear us when we
call to them. On the contrary, they are just as much a part of our
lives as when they walked the Earth. They reside in a place
called "Ara onu" (Realm of the Ancestors).
It is necessary that one continuously interact with one's egun. We
call on them to bless our daily activities, to bless marriage, to
bless children, our families, our homes, as well as our spiritual
work. But, as we ask for these things, it is also important to
understand that we must make offerings to them as well.
DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF EGUN VENERATION
There is a wide spectrum of ways veneration to egun can be
performed. They range from simple to very complex and elaborate:
"We eat...they eat. We drink...they drink"
It is customary to offer the first serving of any meal to egun. If
there is a shrine in the home, a plate of food will be placed to it
before the people are served on certain religious ocasions. In cases
where there is no shrine, you can still make offerings. By placing a
small portion of one's meal to the side of one's plate and
dedicating that food to the ancestors, it will be received by them.
Drink is also very important, usually it is water and liquor. Water
is a necessary component to all forms of prayer in Lukumi tradition.
We usually sprinkle a few drops in front of the egun shrine before
beginning our prayers. We can also pour or spray (through ones lips)
liquor onto the shrine. In the absence of a shrine, a prayer can be
said and the liquor be poured on the ground. This can be done even
in casual settings for it is traditional that our ancestors partake
in drink even before us.
The Shrine
A shrine to the ancestors is a very simple looking one. It has two
main components:
The first one is a bundle of 9 sticks that are tied together by red
cloth. These cannot be just any sticks; they must be taken from the
proper tree identifiable by priests knowledgeable in the rites of
Egun. Only after these sticks have been ritually prepared are they
considered a valid shrine. It is to this bundle of sticks that all
offerings are given to, be they food, drink or animal. There is a
story (pataki) on how this came to be. Some shrines are set up with
a boveda...which is fine too.. this way is a mixture of espiritismo
using the Allan Kardec method.
One day a man died and it was his sons responsibility to organize
his funeral. The son did not care much for tradition and did not
want to spend the money to have the funerary rites done for his
father. He took his father to the bush and left him at the base of a
tree (people were not buried in the ground in the beginning, they
were left at the foot of the sacred Iroko tree). Afterwards,
everything in his life began to go sour. The son could not prosper
or find happiness. This went on for years until he could not take
the despair any longer. He decided to get a reading with a diviner.
The diviner told the man that his problems stem from his father,
that he was unhappy with him (the son). He was advised to find the
remains of his father and perform the necessary rites. When he went
to the place where he had left his father, all he found were bones
and some of his clothes. He gathered the bones and put them in a
bundle and tied them with strips of his fatherÂ?s tattered clothes,
which were red. It was to this bundle that the son performed the
necessary ceremonies for his father. Ever since then we use sticks
from a certain tree to represent our ancestors. This story also goes
to show how much influence our ancestors have over our lives.
The other component is the "Opasiku" or "Opakuku". This is usually a
walking stick or a regular straight branch that is both thick and
tall. The "Opasiku" is used during the invocation. A person, always
a male, taps the floor with the staff as he or another person is
invoking the ancestors. The slow tapping serves to get the attention
of the ancestors so that they will hear the prayers of their
children clearly. "Opasiku" is tapped on the floor because that is
where are ancestors are buried (in the ground).
There is praise for "Opasiku" in which we sing:
Opasiku oba cheleo IleÂ?leÂ?le
Opasiku oba cheleo IleÂ?leÂ?le
Opasiku, King that sifts the earth, earth, earth
Opasiku, King that sifts the earth, earth, earth
A basic offering to the shrine when doing prayer is as such:
9 small pieces of coconut with palm oil and a guinea pepper on each
one is placed on a small plate in a circular fashion. In the center
is placed toasted corn, dry fish and bush rat. Honey is then poured
over the whole plate.
4 glasses or calabashes (jicaras). One containing water, one
containing rum, one holds dry wine, the fourth one- coffee.
4 pieces of coconut suitable for divination and a calabash of water.
In addition, most people will place unlit cigars and cigarettes.
Eggun and ancestors are the most important our spiritual
walk ...Sometimes we tend to pay more attention to the LWAS,NKISIS,
or ORISHAS and forget about our eggun.
Eggun should always be honored first.In the Lukumi tradition, our
egun (ancestors), be they of blood lineage or spiritual lineage, are
of the utmost importance. We acknowledge this because of they are
the reason we are walking the earth today. It is because of egun
that we have knowledge of the old ways and the ability to adapt to
new ones. The egun are the closest type of spirits to us because
they themselves were once like us. They did what we do today and
have the ability to bless or impede any of our endeavors. Egun are
not in some far, unreachable place where they cannot hear us when we
call to them. On the contrary, they are just as much a part of our
lives as when they walked the Earth. They reside in a place
called "Ara onu" (Realm of the Ancestors).
It is necessary that one continuously interact with one's egun. We
call on them to bless our daily activities, to bless marriage, to
bless children, our families, our homes, as well as our spiritual
work. But, as we ask for these things, it is also important to
understand that we must make offerings to them as well.
DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF EGUN VENERATION
There is a wide spectrum of ways veneration to egun can be
performed. They range from simple to very complex and elaborate:
"We eat...they eat. We drink...they drink"
It is customary to offer the first serving of any meal to egun. If
there is a shrine in the home, a plate of food will be placed to it
before the people are served on certain religious ocasions. In cases
where there is no shrine, you can still make offerings. By placing a
small portion of one's meal to the side of one's plate and
dedicating that food to the ancestors, it will be received by them.
Drink is also very important, usually it is water and liquor. Water
is a necessary component to all forms of prayer in Lukumi tradition.
We usually sprinkle a few drops in front of the egun shrine before
beginning our prayers. We can also pour or spray (through ones lips)
liquor onto the shrine. In the absence of a shrine, a prayer can be
said and the liquor be poured on the ground. This can be done even
in casual settings for it is traditional that our ancestors partake
in drink even before us.
The Shrine
A shrine to the ancestors is a very simple looking one. It has two
main components:
The first one is a bundle of 9 sticks that are tied together by red
cloth. These cannot be just any sticks; they must be taken from the
proper tree identifiable by priests knowledgeable in the rites of
Egun. Only after these sticks have been ritually prepared are they
considered a valid shrine. It is to this bundle of sticks that all
offerings are given to, be they food, drink or animal. There is a
story (pataki) on how this came to be. Some shrines are set up with
a boveda...which is fine too.. this way is a mixture of espiritismo
using the Allan Kardec method.
One day a man died and it was his sons responsibility to organize
his funeral. The son did not care much for tradition and did not
want to spend the money to have the funerary rites done for his
father. He took his father to the bush and left him at the base of a
tree (people were not buried in the ground in the beginning, they
were left at the foot of the sacred Iroko tree). Afterwards,
everything in his life began to go sour. The son could not prosper
or find happiness. This went on for years until he could not take
the despair any longer. He decided to get a reading with a diviner.
The diviner told the man that his problems stem from his father,
that he was unhappy with him (the son). He was advised to find the
remains of his father and perform the necessary rites. When he went
to the place where he had left his father, all he found were bones
and some of his clothes. He gathered the bones and put them in a
bundle and tied them with strips of his fatherÂ?s tattered clothes,
which were red. It was to this bundle that the son performed the
necessary ceremonies for his father. Ever since then we use sticks
from a certain tree to represent our ancestors. This story also goes
to show how much influence our ancestors have over our lives.
The other component is the "Opasiku" or "Opakuku". This is usually a
walking stick or a regular straight branch that is both thick and
tall. The "Opasiku" is used during the invocation. A person, always
a male, taps the floor with the staff as he or another person is
invoking the ancestors. The slow tapping serves to get the attention
of the ancestors so that they will hear the prayers of their
children clearly. "Opasiku" is tapped on the floor because that is
where are ancestors are buried (in the ground).
There is praise for "Opasiku" in which we sing:
Opasiku oba cheleo IleÂ?leÂ?le
Opasiku oba cheleo IleÂ?leÂ?le
Opasiku, King that sifts the earth, earth, earth
Opasiku, King that sifts the earth, earth, earth
A basic offering to the shrine when doing prayer is as such:
9 small pieces of coconut with palm oil and a guinea pepper on each
one is placed on a small plate in a circular fashion. In the center
is placed toasted corn, dry fish and bush rat. Honey is then poured
over the whole plate.
4 glasses or calabashes (jicaras). One containing water, one
containing rum, one holds dry wine, the fourth one- coffee.
4 pieces of coconut suitable for divination and a calabash of water.
In addition, most people will place unlit cigars and cigarettes.