This is why I need to go back home. The Midwest knows nothing about this stuff! There used to be a shop on Fillmore that sold various types of bones, dried-out lizard and spider carcasses. I wonder if they're still there.
Santeria is stone worship its a lower aspect of religious life with the sacrificing of animals to stones that live in porcelain bowls. Its energies are real, its power is real but it can be attached to lots of lower deities and spirits. Are are different levels to reach God-Head this is the lowest form.
@Azarel63 I wouldn't call it stone worship, any more than Catholicism is stone worship, since the deities that are revered are only represented by the stones and images carved from stone. Although the "stones" themselves may reside in porcelain bowls, the orishas are not in the stones, they exist everywhere around us. The stones and the images used by Catholics have been consecrated by the orishas and saints (through their earthly intermediaries) and are, therefore, treated as holy objects.
Are you serious ? I love the people that are so passionate when they first start this religon but it drove this lady to go as far as buying a botanica wow!!! her heart is totally in the right place but she still going to need a while to start teaching any traditions ...I say this with all do respect...
I understand that this was a project that you were given or chose to do. I also respect and love my religion. To me it's not just my belief it's also my way of life. I do not see how she was able to speak about certain things, because certain parts of this religion are only meant for devotee's and to me it was flaunting rather than explaining, just a matter of an opinion. I respect you as a person but for her, i semi agree with obatalafunfun8
thanks for the coverage, i would love to visit her botanica when i visit san fran, that makes it one of the highlights of the visit, inner city spirituality is alive and well...But to abuse it, like a palero...look at what Katrina has done...ultimately our guiding forces of nature are larger than mankind:)....
She hasn't been in the tradition long enough to have godchildren and to be doing spiritual work for people!She has dumbed the tradition down to nothing but a melange' of candles,statues, and incantations, when it is so much more than that!
I re-edited the video to remove most of my commentaries/questions. I shaved off almost two minutes from the total length. There are a few visual "chops" as a result of the editing, but not too distracting. See what you think. Click on the image above "Video Responses."
She did a number of things, some of which the camera didn't record: first she wipes the top of the candle with holy water, then the "client" writes his first and last name on the top of the candle, then she pours blessing oils or essences and sacred wood shavings on the top of the candle for the intentions of the client.
I hope that this will form part of a larger documentary on alternative spiritual traditions to include, but not limited to Santeria/Yoruba, Wicca, Buddhism, faith healing and spirit communication, divination, necromancy, aura-reading, etc.. There is one other botanica here in San Francisco whose owner is Salvadorean and extremely knowledgeable and generous with her practice of the tradition, into which she was initiated at a very young age. Glad you liked the video, thanks for viewing!
It's not a Salvadorean shop. The botanica is run by Mary, a woman of Lebanese descent who was initiated in the Cuban Santeria practice. It's located in San Francisco on Church Street and 27th Street in Noe Valley, across from Eric's Chinese restaurant.
Eshu -- Elegua -- always comes first. He is fed first. His necklace is put on first. He goes before all the Orishas. He is respected because he is the trickster. He teaches you the lessons of fairness, justice, and compassion for those who are less fortunate.
i don't know anything at all about this religion except for the fact that it was brought by african slaves which the woman explained a little; what i can't stand is how the man behind that camera felt it was necessary to repeat what she just said as if he was giving knowledge. that's pure white american male arrogance. i had to stop watching it because he got on my nerves.
That white arrogant American male was me! No offense taken, however. This was my final project for a cinema class and my instructor said that I should not have put so much of me in it as to not detract from the focus of the film. I was, after all, a novice, which you easily misjudged for being white American arrogance. (Hmm, how can you tell a "voice" is being arrogant or white??) We humans do that all the time -- arrogate presumptions about other people -- as apparently you have done.
I like how she poured Florida water on the candle. Uh, she did not mention how you must feed the spirits every 40 days. She also did not even go into detail the roles of Obatala, Elegba, Shango or Oshun. Watered down versions of Ifa, misleads people more than anything. Don't waste your time man. Visit a real Iyanifa or Babalawo.
Hi, this was a short film intended for a class project. It was not meant to go into detail, especially for the uninitiated. She is not a babalawo, but a santera. The "altar" was a makeshift altar because she did not want me to film her real altar out of respect for her Orishas. This was a very basic introduction for people who had either never heard of santeria or knew little about it. I did film an interview with an oriate, but it was out of sync and was unable to use it. Thanks for watching.
We get caught up with the different sects involved. Do what feels right. All religions stem from this faith. Yes there are fine details that should be respected, but keep it positive. If you think about it we are all doing a watered down, mutated version of the original. I'm disappointed when I see my spiritual family always trying to debate over pseudo intellect. Instead of breaking down to the ROOT, we sensationalize with the branches. peace&luv-CHICO
I agree Chico, there is no "pure" religion, only dead ones that didn't evolve and weren't practiced. Santeria is a living religion, one that has survived all its permutations. Cuba and Brazil, and now the U.S. are keeping it alive. Marefun Obatala, Elegua and all the orishas, they have brought us to where we are now. Through their grace we know them and they keep us spiritually alive. Buddhism has survived by merging itself with the dominant culture. Any religion that refuses to do so, dies.
Perhaps we're confusing the "Lucumi" school with the Yoruba religion. Of course, it's a religion. Just like Buddhism is a religion, but within it are different "schools" (Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, and within those schools there are traditions (Soto Zen, e.g.). In Yoruba, there are schools (Lucumi and Candomble), and Santeria is a tradition that is unique to Cuba and not Santo Domingo or anywhere else where Lucumi is practiced. Does this help explain it? Thanks for your comment.
The fact that she refuses to call the yoruba faith a religion is just not acceptable. True, Oral tradition kept the history of my ancestors alive. However,just calling it a tradition is just insulting. I hate when people just use this religion as some sort of hobby or to gain luck or something. The Orishas are not "playthings". THEY ARE REAL.
Why don't you explain what you're saying instead of shouting unintelligible phrases? I'm here to learn; I'm only a novice. Thanks for watching the video. I hope you enjoyed it.
Reply #3: With all due respect to the "protagonist" in my video: she had a Catholic upbringing, and many of her customers and "aijados" are Hispanic from a Catholic upbringing. It is through their Catholic faith that the rest is possible. But, if truth be told, she never uses the "saints" in her practice, which is closer to Lucumi with the obvious creolization that has accompanied as practiced in Cuba and elsewhere.
Reply #2: The majority of responsible santeros do not actively us any Christian symbolism in their rituals. They will though use the word "saint" as opposed to orisha from time to time. When it comes to prayers or ritual a santero will use the words that are familiar to him. Traditional prayers/praise songs are always sung in the Yoruba tongue with a slight "Spanish" taste due to the "creolization" of the language. This does not in any way shape or form change the fact that it is Regla de Ocha.
Reply #1 to above comment: Santeria and Lucumi are the same animal. The difference lies in the naming. Although a santero was known as one who carved saints it became a derivation for one who practiced the Regla de Ocha. Even the word Lucumi is an incorrect word, if truth be told, for there were various tribes mixed into that melting pot. The symbolism lies in the synchronization that was used to hide the faith from persecution at the hands of Spanish overlords.
In Cuba, Santeria is also known as the "Regla de Ocha" or "Regla de Lucumi." Religions tend to absorb the culture of the native soil where it is transplanted. The same with people and plants. Lucumi, actually, includes various tribes with different traditions under the same umbrella, of which Santeria is one. The same goes with other religions, like Buddhism -- various traditions and sects are included, some varying greatly in their practices.
This is why I need to go back home. The Midwest knows nothing about this stuff! There used to be a shop on Fillmore that sold various types of bones, dried-out lizard and spider carcasses. I wonder if they're still there.
Sion6 3 weeks ago
CHRISTIANITY IS A CRIME
and christian history gives evidence.
UKGLfemaddict 1 month ago
@alomonty Many of them are! This one is not. They've recently remodeled and it's even nicer than before.
Orishanla 9 months ago
didn't that shop use to be curios and candles? on divisidaro?
mojoruby 10 months ago
@mojoruby don't think so.
Orishanla 10 months ago
Santeria is stone worship its a lower aspect of religious life with the sacrificing of animals to stones that live in porcelain bowls. Its energies are real, its power is real but it can be attached to lots of lower deities and spirits. Are are different levels to reach God-Head this is the lowest form.
Azarel63 10 months ago
@Azarel63 I wouldn't call it stone worship, any more than Catholicism is stone worship, since the deities that are revered are only represented by the stones and images carved from stone. Although the "stones" themselves may reside in porcelain bowls, the orishas are not in the stones, they exist everywhere around us. The stones and the images used by Catholics have been consecrated by the orishas and saints (through their earthly intermediaries) and are, therefore, treated as holy objects.
Orishanla 10 months ago
@Azarel63 Santeria is more related to the earth and the natural world, and in this respect it is one of the oldest religions around.
Orishanla 10 months ago
there are differences,but they are all dealing with the same African gods.
bassreeves1965 11 months ago
santeria is NOT an african religion
it is a faith of blended traditons with the main influence being Yoruba
77Apostle 1 year ago
@77Apostle The Yoruba people ARE west african.
MamiRicaaaa 4 weeks ago
Awesome!
jdiez74 1 year ago
so how many gods do they (Orshas) pray to, while (@ 2:34) she claims to pray to one god?
illwillcpt83 1 year ago
i, myself to believe that all gods are one and the same Gods who visit earth and left us behind. !!! Hehe Yeahh Nice video !!
TELEFOON87 1 year ago
Are you serious ? I love the people that are so passionate when they first start this religon but it drove this lady to go as far as buying a botanica wow!!! her heart is totally in the right place but she still going to need a while to start teaching any traditions ...I say this with all do respect...
HIJASHANGO 1 year ago
"The way is easy for those who don't discriminate." - Shunryu Suzuki, founder of the San Francisco Zen Center.
Orishanla 2 years ago
I understand that this was a project that you were given or chose to do. I also respect and love my religion. To me it's not just my belief it's also my way of life. I do not see how she was able to speak about certain things, because certain parts of this religion are only meant for devotee's and to me it was flaunting rather than explaining, just a matter of an opinion. I respect you as a person but for her, i semi agree with obatalafunfun8
MzOpheliaCox 2 years ago
thanks for the coverage, i would love to visit her botanica when i visit san fran, that makes it one of the highlights of the visit, inner city spirituality is alive and well...But to abuse it, like a palero...look at what Katrina has done...ultimately our guiding forces of nature are larger than mankind:)....
sencoten1 2 years ago
good vid
acadia0 2 years ago
She hasn't been in the tradition long enough to have godchildren and to be doing spiritual work for people!She has dumbed the tradition down to nothing but a melange' of candles,statues, and incantations, when it is so much more than that!
obatalafunfun8 2 years ago 2
@obatalafunfun8 Totally agree with you.
sheenafly 2 months ago
I re-edited the video to remove most of my commentaries/questions. I shaved off almost two minutes from the total length. There are a few visual "chops" as a result of the editing, but not too distracting. See what you think. Click on the image above "Video Responses."
Orishanla 3 years ago
What did she scrap and put into the candle jar before they began to concentrate?
whatever007cheese 3 years ago
She did a number of things, some of which the camera didn't record: first she wipes the top of the candle with holy water, then the "client" writes his first and last name on the top of the candle, then she pours blessing oils or essences and sacred wood shavings on the top of the candle for the intentions of the client.
Orishanla 3 years ago
I find this to be so facinating. Will there be any similar videos?
whatever007cheese 3 years ago
I hope that this will form part of a larger documentary on alternative spiritual traditions to include, but not limited to Santeria/Yoruba, Wicca, Buddhism, faith healing and spirit communication, divination, necromancy, aura-reading, etc.. There is one other botanica here in San Francisco whose owner is Salvadorean and extremely knowledgeable and generous with her practice of the tradition, into which she was initiated at a very young age. Glad you liked the video, thanks for viewing!
Orishanla 3 years ago
@Orishanla where is the salvadorean shop located?
Greexicana 2 years ago
It's not a Salvadorean shop. The botanica is run by Mary, a woman of Lebanese descent who was initiated in the Cuban Santeria practice. It's located in San Francisco on Church Street and 27th Street in Noe Valley, across from Eric's Chinese restaurant.
Orishanla 2 years ago
Great!Great!Obatala is my father but Eshu...What Eshu has done for me I can never repay.I see why he is 1st and deserves it all the way...
prince2amir 3 years ago
Eshu -- Elegua -- always comes first. He is fed first. His necklace is put on first. He goes before all the Orishas. He is respected because he is the trickster. He teaches you the lessons of fairness, justice, and compassion for those who are less fortunate.
Orishanla 3 years ago
i don't know anything at all about this religion except for the fact that it was brought by african slaves which the woman explained a little; what i can't stand is how the man behind that camera felt it was necessary to repeat what she just said as if he was giving knowledge. that's pure white american male arrogance. i had to stop watching it because he got on my nerves.
darrenandbutterfly 3 years ago
That white arrogant American male was me! No offense taken, however. This was my final project for a cinema class and my instructor said that I should not have put so much of me in it as to not detract from the focus of the film. I was, after all, a novice, which you easily misjudged for being white American arrogance. (Hmm, how can you tell a "voice" is being arrogant or white??) We humans do that all the time -- arrogate presumptions about other people -- as apparently you have done.
Orishanla 3 years ago
I like how she poured Florida water on the candle. Uh, she did not mention how you must feed the spirits every 40 days. She also did not even go into detail the roles of Obatala, Elegba, Shango or Oshun. Watered down versions of Ifa, misleads people more than anything. Don't waste your time man. Visit a real Iyanifa or Babalawo.
Vindaturk 3 years ago
Hi, this was a short film intended for a class project. It was not meant to go into detail, especially for the uninitiated. She is not a babalawo, but a santera. The "altar" was a makeshift altar because she did not want me to film her real altar out of respect for her Orishas. This was a very basic introduction for people who had either never heard of santeria or knew little about it. I did film an interview with an oriate, but it was out of sync and was unable to use it. Thanks for watching.
Orishanla 3 years ago
We get caught up with the different sects involved. Do what feels right. All religions stem from this faith. Yes there are fine details that should be respected, but keep it positive. If you think about it we are all doing a watered down, mutated version of the original. I'm disappointed when I see my spiritual family always trying to debate over pseudo intellect. Instead of breaking down to the ROOT, we sensationalize with the branches. peace&luv-CHICO
chicofreako 3 years ago
I agree Chico, there is no "pure" religion, only dead ones that didn't evolve and weren't practiced. Santeria is a living religion, one that has survived all its permutations. Cuba and Brazil, and now the U.S. are keeping it alive. Marefun Obatala, Elegua and all the orishas, they have brought us to where we are now. Through their grace we know them and they keep us spiritually alive. Buddhism has survived by merging itself with the dominant culture. Any religion that refuses to do so, dies.
Orishanla 3 years ago
Perhaps we're confusing the "Lucumi" school with the Yoruba religion. Of course, it's a religion. Just like Buddhism is a religion, but within it are different "schools" (Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, and within those schools there are traditions (Soto Zen, e.g.). In Yoruba, there are schools (Lucumi and Candomble), and Santeria is a tradition that is unique to Cuba and not Santo Domingo or anywhere else where Lucumi is practiced. Does this help explain it? Thanks for your comment.
Orishanla 3 years ago
The fact that she refuses to call the yoruba faith a religion is just not acceptable. True, Oral tradition kept the history of my ancestors alive. However,just calling it a tradition is just insulting. I hate when people just use this religion as some sort of hobby or to gain luck or something. The Orishas are not "playthings". THEY ARE REAL.
dulzura24 3 years ago
ASHE O!!! This is an outrage. IFA IS A RELIGION!!!!!! MO FE BO IFA! MO FE OYE IFA!
bxlunar 3 years ago
Why don't you explain what you're saying instead of shouting unintelligible phrases? I'm here to learn; I'm only a novice. Thanks for watching the video. I hope you enjoyed it.
Orishanla 3 years ago
you truly do not understand African religion false magic and no logic
2Pacalito 3 years ago
Reply #3: With all due respect to the "protagonist" in my video: she had a Catholic upbringing, and many of her customers and "aijados" are Hispanic from a Catholic upbringing. It is through their Catholic faith that the rest is possible. But, if truth be told, she never uses the "saints" in her practice, which is closer to Lucumi with the obvious creolization that has accompanied as practiced in Cuba and elsewhere.
Orishanla 3 years ago
Reply #2: The majority of responsible santeros do not actively us any Christian symbolism in their rituals. They will though use the word "saint" as opposed to orisha from time to time. When it comes to prayers or ritual a santero will use the words that are familiar to him. Traditional prayers/praise songs are always sung in the Yoruba tongue with a slight "Spanish" taste due to the "creolization" of the language. This does not in any way shape or form change the fact that it is Regla de Ocha.
Orishanla 3 years ago
Reply #1 to above comment: Santeria and Lucumi are the same animal. The difference lies in the naming. Although a santero was known as one who carved saints it became a derivation for one who practiced the Regla de Ocha. Even the word Lucumi is an incorrect word, if truth be told, for there were various tribes mixed into that melting pot. The symbolism lies in the synchronization that was used to hide the faith from persecution at the hands of Spanish overlords.
Orishanla 3 years ago
With all due respect, none of this truly deals with Lukumi, but Santeria. They are not the same culture or practice.
GeminiAmbience 3 years ago
In Cuba, Santeria is also known as the "Regla de Ocha" or "Regla de Lucumi." Religions tend to absorb the culture of the native soil where it is transplanted. The same with people and plants. Lucumi, actually, includes various tribes with different traditions under the same umbrella, of which Santeria is one. The same goes with other religions, like Buddhism -- various traditions and sects are included, some varying greatly in their practices.
Orishanla 2 years ago