The Goddess Oya of the Orishas: A Short Guide to my Patron Goddess

by De’-Niece Elaquoia Eowyn Micare

What are the Orishas? In simple terms, they are the Gods and Goddesses of the Yoruba tribe
from Nigeria. Orishas are comparable to the Greek or Roman pantheon – each Orisha governs a
certain aspect of the cosmos, the human psyche, the natural world and the elemental forces that
govern Earth and some other dimension(s). Oya is a powerful Goddess, who was once a mortal
woman in Nigeria many, many millennia ago. In fact, all of the Orishas were once mortal and
only through completing certain tasks of pure willpower, repetition and persistence did they
attain godhood.

Oya represents the most feminine of energies and the strongest of wills. She is chaos
incarnate, but always precise and infinitely wise and knowledgeable. She is the Goddess that
governs some of the most important aspects of being human – namely Life, Death and Rebirth.
She is represented by many different aspects of the natural and ethereal worlds. The Goddess
Oya has dominion over the winds and is known to spawn tornadoes, she has dominion over
rivers (especially the Niger River in Nigeria), she has dominion over storms – both thunder and
lightning, she is the Goddess of the marketplace; she is also a sorceress and a warrior who wields
a frighteningly large machete. She is represented by the buffalo that roams the plains, the locust
and the owl.

To worship Oya is to ask for permission from her, while also showing her that you can tame
her wildness through praise and ritual. Objects that are red or purple appease her the most –
purple fruits or vegetables (plums or eggplants), rubies, coral or amethyst stones, any type of
sword or machete and being strong in one’s femininity (even if one be a man) are all ways to
calm the chaos of Oya.

The first people that are recorded as worshipping her were from the Yoruba tribe, however, as
time has become more modern through the ages and people have both been stolen from and
migrated from Nigeria – so have the Orishas traveled with those people. And in the new world,
Oya found new life in the Caribbean Islands within the religions of Santeria and Voodoo. She is
still worshipped by many today in both Africa and the Islands as well as in the new world of the
Americas and Europe.

The Yoruba tribe describe the worship of Oya as being chosen in utero as an unborn fetus.
They speak of Orishas choosing to own the ‘head space’ of a human once the human has chosen
which Orisha to follow in life, essentially called ‘choosing a head’ and becoming endowed with
the cosmic essence of an Orisha that will ‘rule’ the head. The word Orisha literally means ‘head-
calabash’ – calabash grow on the tops of trees in tropical climates and are often used as vessels
for any number of things. Sometimes strictly for magical herbs and substances or for mundane
things like children’s toys or dried beans. So, our heads, like calabash are filled with the
embodiment of an Orisha that is prenatally chosen to ‘own the head’.

With that being said – the worship of Oya (or any other Orisha) is not strictly confined to
people of African or Island decent. Oya is the Goddess of rebirth or reincarnation – as the Yoruba
see it, anyone can be a patron of any Orisha. It wasn’t until just recently that I realized that Oya
was the Goddess that ruled my head. Normally one would require an oracle (called Ifa in
Nigeria) to proclaim which Orisha one had chosen. But, sometimes (especially with Oya), the
answer comes to you specifically when you’re not looking for it.

I would say that Oya has always been present in my life, now that I know that she is my
patron Goddess. Everything about me, that is me, deep in my soul, my consciousness and sub-
consciousness is Oya. My hobbies, my interests, my thought processes, the way I handle
situations and solve problems are all traits that stem from Oya. After so many years of being a
solitary practitioner of mostly witchcraft and pledging no fealty to any deity but believing in
many different unseen powers that govern the life, the universe and everything – I realize that
Oya was there the whole time. Quietly watching from the shadows (which is her nature), silently
pulling the ethereal strings that are ‘me’, until one day (oddly enough) it came to me from the
most unexpected place; watching the animated Tomb Raider series on Netflix, and when Oya
came up, I got this funny feeling inside me – almost like a whisper in my ear.

After that series and knowing that Tomb Raider usually has something to do with actual
myths and legends, I looked up Oya and when I read about her – I knew immediately that we
belonged to each other. I am a sorceress (witch), a healer (Registered Nurse), a bringer of rebirth
through medicine and resuscitation (CPR), a Death Doula (literally the embodiment of
Oya), a warrior (Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido), have always been fascinated with storms, am an avid canoer and I
would often play with the wind using witchcraft.

I believe that all of us humans have a connection with the divine – our souls are the antenna
that extend into the realm of the ethereal world. We are ethereal beings at our core and the more
we are in tune with that soul, the more we can experience and understand both the natural and
supernatural worlds. I believe that there is a basic biological-spiritual truth to being human. That
we are beings of energy, not only in our souls, but in the molecular and quantum vibrations that
quite literally hold us (and everything else) together. I encourage you to find that antenna within
yourself and use it. And maybe, it will lead you to Oya or another Orisha or some other deity or
spiritual figure that will facilitate truth and understanding of the world around you.

May the Goddess Oya watch over you always and may the Sister Moon guide your paths – safe
journeys and clear horizons always. As above, so below and Blessed Be…..

Reference:
Gleason, J. (1987). Oya: In praise of the Goddess.
Shambala Publications, Inc., Boston, MA