Offering to
Yemanja
Our Water
Yemanja,
you are within us as the waters and salts of our bodies,
and we are within you as the personification of life;
Please, we ask not that you forgive our abuse –
the greed and piracy
that
have always exploited you,
raped your depths,
and murdered the creatures sustained by you alone –
rather we ask that you inspire us to a better way to live with you,
in use of you, without abuse of you.
We ask not that you withhold your justified rage,
but that you use it to destroy our delusions of superiority to nature and compel
recognition of ourselves as
part of nature,
despite the vanity and pride in our human nature.
Please refill our rivers and lakes with waters of the same pristine
clarity
as the human mind in its choice of wisdom over waste;
end the droughts of the world
that are metaphorical manifestations of the withering of the human spirit
amidst the stresses of worldly life and the confusion of progress;
purify that which we drink
so that human life in its totality may be enduringly nourished;
quench our thirst by refilling our hearts
so that we may again drink of the beauty of your truth
that is primeval within us, though we forget.
Yemanja, have mercy on us;
bathe us in your compassion
as vast as your realm,
as infinite as your tides;
bestow your waves as breakers of ignorance
and offense
and
return to our consciousness the humility of our souls
as our tears return to you as their source.
– Mary Jo Magar
–
The
above prayer appears
in liner notes for the CD album titled Evolution
–
The Calling
featuring the original jazz compositions of saxophonist Eric Koppa.
To hear an MP3 of Eric Koppa's
beautifully composed and arranged jazz piece titled "Yemanja,"
visit the SOUND CLIPS page of Eric Koppa's web site by
clicking
HERE ...
Umbanda is a philo-religious movement that emerged toward the end of the nineteenth century in Brazil. Its foundation is the "Brotherhood of Ancestral Spirits" believed to manifest through mediums in cult rituals that derive from African and Indian tribal traditions combined with elements of Catholicism. Umbanda is also practiced under the names Candomble and Quimbanda and is fundamentally similar to Voodou and Santeria.
Yemanja is the Umbanda goddess of the seas, rivers, and the moon. She is the mother archetype who gives life and sustains Earth with the "ebb and flow" of her will and emotions. Though compassionate, she can also be domineering, vindictive, and violent; hence, among her expressions are hurricanes, and tsunamis.
The following text
is a literal translation from an antiquated book of African religion. The text
prescribes a ritual for "addressing" the threat of a tropical storm or
hurricane.
"One day
before the hurricane call on the Orisha {spirit or force} that animates storms.
These are Houragan, Shango and Yemanja. One day before the hurricane perform
ceremonial drumming with other instruments, thus "speaking" to
the Force. Use chanting, praying, singing, and burning of incense. After the
ceremony has been performed, move to safety while in the state of grace and
gratitude for having been heard by the Orisha."
Symbolically, Yemanja's
realm is the collective unconscious, the universal mind, and hence, the
timeless wisdom contained therein, like
the metaphorical depths and mysteries
liberally contained within the the sea.
Specifically, slaves from Africa's Yoruba region brought their beliefs of Yemanja and other deities to Brazil, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Although forced, often brutally, to convert to Catholicism, many continued worship of their Orixas (deities) by combining them with Catholic saints according to characteristics; Yemanja thus became equated with the Virgin Mary.
Every New Year's
Eve, the beaches of Rio de Janeiro (and other locales) become sanctuaries for
believers in Umbanda. Throngs of worshippers congregate to commune with the Orixas,
with special attention given to Yemanja.
Amid bonfires and candles in multitude, worshippers chant hymns, inscribe mystic
symbols in sand, and consult mediums and fortunetellers for guidance for the
year ahead. Ritual drumming is believed to summons spirits within and without
the Orixas
to take "possession" of worshippers in the form of trance
dancing.
The night's climactic moment occurs at midnight when worshippers wade into the
surf and address a final plea to Yemanja
by casting propitiatory gifts to her, especially flowers, but also mirrors,
combs, jewelry, fruits, and even sacrificed animals. If an offering is washed
back to the beach, Yemanja has refused the petition, but if an offering is
carried out to sea, aid, protection, and fulfillment of wishes are thought to be
assured throughout the year.
It is also customary in Brazil to make offerings to Yemanja every February 2 when boats carry to sea baskets of gifts for Yemanja, and the coastal waters hence transform into an ornate shrine of worship, a mass floating garden of floral and other offerings.