Brasil Diaries: Oshun said....

I woke up this morning feeling VERY heavy. Brasil is supercharged with truth sayer energy and some underlying fears have started to come up and out. The big one.....MONEY. I am sitting in another hemisphere and all I can think about is my wallet. As a goddess, I can manifest things as I need. However, it takes a great deal of honesty and faith. I find that lately, it's harder for me to exist on the earth-plane from a material standpoint. There are always shortfalls when it comes to my financial situation, but in the end everything always works itself out. I know this and believe in it, because I live it, but this morning it was pressing on me hard. I am not sure what triggered these feelings, but I decided to deal with them openly and honestly.

Our hotel is situated on the coast , so I decided to visit the ocean and commune with Oshun, who is the goddess of large bodies of water in Yoruba religion. In Brasil the orishas, play a heavy role in the fabric of Brasilian culture and society. You see symbols of them everywhere and it is not treated as a "thing" to be separate from everyday life, but a necessary part of everyday life that is revered and respected. That being said, it only made sense to go to the water and have a conversation with Mama Oshun. As a fire sign, I find water to be helpful, especially when my fire is out of control. Depending on the tide, one can go out into what is essentially the ocean bed. I found this beautiful spot not too far from the hotel where there was this amazing rock formation that built up into what I assume was once a high point for viewing ships at sea. Sitting at the top of this formation, I could see pretty far out and it had the added benefit of feeling very throne like. I sat for a while just thinking, because I find it difficult at times, to speak to spirit out loud. At one point all at once there were these strong breezes and crashing waves that all seem to say, "I'm here and I'm listening." With that I began to speak of my fears, my uneasiness, my desires and my dreams. I gave thanks, asked for advice and sat still in a repeating cycles.

In the midst of my moment on the rocks, Oshun spoke to me and she said, "Don't worry, everything will be fine. You have to have faith and just learn to be. Enjoy the slow time and the distance from all that you know. You have much to do when you return, so use this time wisely. Don't take things so seriously." I had to smile at such simple advice, because the truth of the matter is that I do need this break Brasil has afforded me and no matter what awaits me when I return, I am up for the challenge.

The Orishas act as agents and in the larger scheme, at least from my perspective, are "pieces" of the divine energy that is in us all. They are those that choose to stay in spirit form and work on our behalf in the spirit-plane. They must receive offerings when their help is requested and this is often presented in all manner of ritual related to many indigenous religions, including Yoruba. At that moment, I didn't have much to offer. I had already decided to fast when I woke up, so I offered that up as I submitted my "petition". I figured sun up to sundown for three days was a small price to pay in return for the lightness I felt afterwards.

For me fasting is a straight forward way to ease challenging paths and according to my mother, a means of offering to God. I plan to repeat the ritual tomorrow and Wednesday just to re-affirm my faith in Spirit and myself. I have to say, I spent the rest of the day a lot lighter. I finally found a machine that would take my card and the fasting worked out nicely, despite the slight headache I now have. I took the picture to the left at the end of the day while my travel mates dined at this beautiful restaurant in Pellehurino. I took a few self-portraits, but this one is my favorite because a beautiful thought crossed my mind as I snapped the picture. When I look at it, I see a different me, the one longing to just be.


Oshun said to relax. Who am I to argue?