Ofun

Positive Aspect: There are times to seed and there are times to flourish

Regent Orishas: Oshalufan (the older Oshala) and Obatala

Keywords: Patient and understanding; consolidates material goods; creates and maintains long term friendships and relationships; air of authority; generous; great word skill, especially spoken; intelligent; above unkindness; tendency to live many years

Ah, if everyone in the world had your patience and righteousness! Your greatest power is in your voice – that you speak and shut up at the right time and in the exact measure. Likewise, understanding the time and pace of life and agreeing to balance your needs with the needs of others, honoring their experiences and respecting their traumas, seems to be your path to enlightenment.

Under the positive influence of Odu Ofun, your gaze communicates far beyond what words could say and the current moment makes you a great adviser, making people see you as a natural leader. Past experiences and future directions fit in the palm of your hand and you know the best is yet to come. In fact, this optimism and ability to deal with the most complex situations with the understanding and tranquility of acquired wisdom is one of your greatest qualities right now. If I could give you one single piece of advice, it would be to learn how to apply this serenity from now on, even in face of dangers and despairs yet to come.

By looking into the past and the experiences of those who have gone before, you will be able to understand that constancy and maturity come with experience. From there, while trying to comprehend the steps taken before yours, the answers you are looking for will arrive, and you will finally pace your life’s rhythm with the one that resounds all over the universe.

How about taking this time to practice empathy? After all, if you haven’t reached enlightenment yet, others around you are far behind, and by humbly leading, listening and advising them, you can learn together to truly experience the peace you so long for amid the chaos of life.

Ofun’s Empowering Ritual: On a New Moon or Waxing Moon Friday, cook a bowl of white hominy (aka white corn, available from specialist online stores) and drain, reserving the cooking water. Let the hominy and cooking water cool. Put the hominy in a white pottery bowl with a white seven-day candle lit over it, and place your offering as high as possible, praising Orisha Oshala and asking for the serenity to accept the things you cannot change, the courage to change what you can, and the wisdom to know how to discern between them. After the candle has burnt, leave the hominy in a river or garden. To use the cooking water, add a gallon (4 liters) of clear water and take it as a bath just before bedtime, putting on white clothes afterward.