Synopses & Reviews
Sacred myths from Santería centered on nature and the natural world
• Includes more than 40 myths, stories, and histories from the Lucumí tradition
• Reassembles the oral fragments from the African diaspora into coherent stories
• Demonstrates that the African peoples, specifically the Yoruba, had deep philosophies and metaphysics involving nature and the natural world
Since ancient times the Yoruba of West Africa created sacred stories--patakís--to make sense of the world around them. Upon arrival in the New World, the Yoruba religion began to incorporate elements from Catholic and Native traditions, evolving into Santería, and new patakís were born, adding to the many chapters already found in the odu of the diloggun--the sacred oral teachings and divination system of the Yoruba, or Lucumí, faith. Comparable to the myths of ancient Greece and Rome and rich with jewels of wisdom like the I Ching, these Santería stories are as vast as the Hindu Vedas and as culturally significant as the parables in the Torah, Talmud, and Christian Bible.
Diloggun Tales of the Natural World presents more than 40 patakís that shed light upon the worldview of Santería. Each story in this collection, reassembled from the oral tradition of the African diaspora, is centered on a spiritual principle in nature: the waxing and waning of the moon, solar and lunar eclipses, the phenomenon of shooting stars, the separation of sky and earth, and the origins of the animals and birds who play key roles in Santería symbology. Revealing the metaphysics, theology, and philosophy of the Yoruba people, this volume shows these stories to be as powerful and relevant today as they were to the ancient Yoruba who once safeguarded them.
Review
“With brilliant and beautiful narratives, Ócha’ni Lele skillfully navigates the complex stories of the ancient Yoruba people. The myths presented in Diloggún Tales of the Natural World are eternal; equally as profound as those of the Greeks and Romans. With a compelling power akin to the I Ching, this work is well overdue. Finally, we have an author willing to serve up the spiritual beauty of ancient Africa at the table of the modern world. Clearly, there is a legacy beginning to unfold. What a blessing!” Iyanla Vanzant, founder of Inner Visions Spiritual Institute and author of Peace from Broken Pieces
Review
“Ócha’ni Lele gives both the initiated and the layperson a true sense of the marvel and mystery within the patakí, the sacred stories of Afro-Cuban Santería. As with previous works, reading Diloggún Tales of the Natural World is like sitting at the feet of an elder while dramatic stories filled with vibrant characters are woven together to reveal universal truths of human existence. These stories, committed to the page, are an invaluable gift to those of us living long distances from our godparents and spiritual homes. Ócha’ni Lele is turning a vast and rich oral tradition--one book at a time--into an eloquently written one. We give thanks to the orisha themselves for choosing him as their messenger.” Irete Lazo, author of The Accidental Santeria
Review
“At the heart of Ifa, Lukumi, Santería, and various other Yoruba-influenced traditions in the African diaspora is the diloggún, the complex cowrie-divination ritual by which devotees ascertain the will of the orishas. At the heart of the diloggún are the patakís, stories that elaborate upon and explain the various figures formed by the falling shells. Ócha’ni Lele has put much of this oral tradition in print, offering us an invaluable view into the complexity and beauty of Yoruba mythology and culture. Like most fairy tales, these legends are simple but carry deep and profound truths: Diloggún Tales of the Natural World is a book that has something to offer adherents, scholars, and curious neophytes alike.” Kenaz Filan, author of The New Orleans Voodoo Handbook and The Haitian Vodou Handbook
Review
“A must-read for any student of spirituality. Like paintings of the wall of a cave, these stories illuminate a rich history of oral traditions with thought provoking tales of faith and humanity. Ochani’s parables invoke another world...” Darryl Stephens, author of Shortcomings and actor
Review
“This is a major scholarly achievement, which also happens to have great appeal as a unique consumer product.” Retailing Insight, August 2011
Review
“. . . a wonderful and long-overdue addition to the world’s mythology and cultural history.” Spirituality-and-Religion.com, October 2011
Review
“Ócha’ni Lele writes in the lyrical style of the storyteller. The collection is a string of pearls, seemingly simple, but each has its own luminous beauty. The book is of value to practitioners of Santeria, but also highly recommended to anyone who enjoys folktales from around the world. It’s a goldmine for storytellers and for those who include storytelling in rituals or at campfires. Read silently or aloud, this is a marvelous story collection.” Elizabeth Hazel, Facing North - - April 2012
Review
“Ócha’ni Lele’s Diloggún Tales of the Natural World is a historic glimpse into the beauty and power of the Lukumi religion. Readers will not only find this book educational and inspirational but deeply transformative.” Ifalade Ta'Shia Asanti, senior book reviewer at Urban Spectrum newspaper
Review
“Diloggún Tales of the Natural World is essential reading for anyone interested in the myths and superstitions of Cuba and the Caribbean. This book is entertaining and extremely informative, especially when explaining the role religion played during and after the African slave trade.” Xaviant Haze, author of The Suppressed History of America
Review
“With brilliant and beautiful narratives, Ócha’ni Lele skillfully navigates the complex stories of the ancient Yoruba people. The myths presented in Diloggún Tales of the Natural World are eternal; equally as profound as those of the Greeks and Romans. With a compelling power akin to the I Ching, this work is well overdue. Finally, we have an author willing to serve up the spiritual beauty of ancient Africa at the table of the modern world. Clearly, there is a legacy beginning to unfold. What a blessing!” < b=""> Iyanla Vanzant <> , founder of Inner Visions Spiritual Institute and author of < i=""> Peace from Broken Pieces <>
Review
“Ócha’ni Lele gives both the initiated and the layperson a true sense of the marvel and mystery within the patakí, the sacred stories of Afro-Cuban Santería. As with previous works, reading Diloggún Tales of the Natural World is like sitting at the feet of an elder while dramatic stories filled with vibrant characters are woven together to reveal universal truths of human existence. These stories, committed to the page, are an invaluable gift to those of us living long distances from our godparents and spiritual homes. Ócha’ni Lele is turning a vast and rich oral tradition--one book at a time--into an eloquently written one. We give thanks to the orisha themselves for choosing him as their messenger.” < b=""> Irete Lazo <> , author of < i=""> The Accidental Santeria <>
Review
“At the heart of Ifa, Lukumi, Santería, and various other Yoruba-influenced traditions in the African diaspora is the diloggún, the complex cowrie-divination ritual by which devotees ascertain the will of the orishas. At the heart of the diloggún are the patakís, stories that elaborate upon and explain the various figures formed by the falling shells. Ócha’ni Lele has put much of this oral tradition in print, offering us an invaluable view into the complexity and beauty of Yoruba mythology and culture. Like most fairy tales, these legends are simple but carry deep and profound truths: Diloggún Tales of the Natural World is a book that has something to offer adherents, scholars, and curious neophytes alike.” < b=""> Kenaz Filan <> , author of < i=""> The New Orleans Voodoo Handbook <> and < i=""> The Haitian Vodou Handbook <>
Review
“A must-read for any student of spirituality. Like paintings of the wall of a cave, these stories illuminate a rich history of oral traditions with thought provoking tales of faith and humanity. Ochani’s parables invoke another world...” < b=""> Darryl Stephens <> , author of < i=""> Shortcomings <> and actor
Review
“This is a major scholarly achievement, which also happens to have great appeal as a unique consumer product.” < i=""> Retailing Insight <> , August 2011
Review
“. . . a wonderful and long-overdue addition to the world’s mythology and cultural history.” < b=""> Spirituality-and-Religion.com <> , October 2011
Review
“Ócha’ni Lele writes in the lyrical style of the storyteller. The collection is a string of pearls, seemingly simple, but each has its own luminous beauty. The book is of value to practitioners of Santeria, but also highly recommended to anyone who enjoys folktales from around the world. It’s a goldmine for storytellers and for those who include storytelling in rituals or at campfires. Read silently or aloud, this is a marvelous story collection.” < b=""> Elizabeth Hazel <> , < i=""> Facing North <> & nbsp; April 2012
Review
“Ócha’ni Lele’s Diloggún Tales of the Natural World is a historic glimpse into the beauty and power of the Lukumi religion. Readers will not only find this book educational and inspirational but deeply transformative.” < b=""> Ifalade Ta & rsquo;Shia Asanti <> , senior book reviewer at < i=""> Urban Spectrum <> newspaper
Review
“Diloggún Tales of the Natural World is essential reading for anyone interested in the myths and superstitions of Cuba and the Caribbean. This book is entertaining and extremely informative, especially when explaining the role religion played during and after the African slave trade.” < b=""> Xaviant Haze <> , author of < i=""> The Suppressed History of America <>
Review
“Anyone interested in the folk tales and oral traditions of other cultures should snap up this book. Contained within are charming stories of personified natural forces, foolish mortals and gods of all levels of power and wisdom. Think Aesops’s fables with a Yoruban twist.” Witches' Almanac, December 2013
Synopsis
Sacred myths from Santería centered on nature and the natural world
• Includes more than 40 myths, stories, and histories from the Lucumí tradition
• Reassembles the oral fragments from the African diaspora into coherent stories
• Demonstrates that the African peoples, specifically the Yoruba, had deep philosophies and metaphysics involving nature and the natural world
Since ancient times the Yoruba of West Africa created sacred stories--patakís--to make sense of the world around them. Upon arrival in the New World, the Yoruba religion began to incorporate elements from Catholic and Native traditions, evolving into Santería, and new patakís were born, adding to the many chapters already found in the odu of the diloggun--the sacred oral teachings and divination system of the Yoruba, or Lucumí, faith. Comparable to the myths of ancient Greece and Rome and rich with jewels of wisdom like the I Ching, these Santería stories are as vast as the Hindu Vedas and as culturally significant as the parables in the Torah, Talmud, and Christian Bible.
Diloggun Tales of the Natural World presents more than 40 patakís that shed light upon the worldview of Santería. Each story in this collection, reassembled from the oral tradition of the African diaspora, is centered on a spiritual principle in nature: the waxing and waning of the moon, solar and lunar eclipses, the phenomenon of shooting stars, the separation of sky and earth, and the origins of the animals and birds who play key roles in Santería symbology. Revealing the metaphysics, theology, and philosophy of the Yoruba people, this volume shows these stories to be as powerful and relevant today as they were to the ancient Yoruba who once safeguarded them.
About the Author
Ócha’ni Lele has been immersed in the underground culture of orisha worship since 1989. He made Ocha in 2000 and was crowned a priest of Oya. His other books include Teachings of the Santería Gods, The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination, Obí: Oracle of Cuban Santería, and The Diloggún: The Orishas, Proverbs, Sacrifices, and Prohibitions of Cuban Santería. He lives in Winter Park, Florida.
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: The Importance of Patakís
1 Patakís from the Composites of Okana
The Separation of Heaven and Earth
The Separation of Sky and Earth
The Story of the Maja
Obatalá’s Favorite Dove, or, How the Cat Lost His Dinner
The Birth of the Dead Sea
How Osain Became an Herbalist
2 Patakís from the Composites of Eji Oko
The Story of Rain and Drought
The Birth of Rain
The Sickness of the Swamp
3 Patakís from the Composites of Ogundá
Why the Cat Is Chased But Not Caught
How the Cat and the Ferret Became Enemies
Where the Goat Was First Sacrificed
4 Patakís from the Composites of Irosun
The Sun, the Moon, the Fire, and the Water
The War between Fire and Water
The Cat, the Rat, and the Fish
5 Patakís from the Composites of Oché
Poverty and Hunger
The Birth of Menstruation
How the Hummingbird Was Born
Even a Woman Can Hunt
6 Patakís from the Composites of Obara
The Mountain
Money Is Trouble, and Trouble Is Death
How the Rosary Bead Plant Got Its Ashé
The Kingdom of Earth, the Kingdom of Heaven
7 Patakís from the Composites of Odí
Iroko, the Tree of Life
How the Birds Got Their Wings
How the Maraca Was Born
The Pact of the Hand and the Anus
8 Patakís from the Composites of Unle
The Rock and the Cactus
How the Moon Fooled the Sun and Saved the Earth
The Waxing and Waning of the Moon
Ekún Fails to Make Ebó
The Tale of Cotton
The Calabash of Ashé
9 Patakís from the Composites of Osá
How the Frog Got Its Poison
The Birth of Red Blood Cells
How the Turtle Won the Race
Why Butterflies Stay in the Country
Why the Sea Is Salty
10 Patakís from the Composites of Ofún
How the Pigeon Was First Sacrificed
Why Orúnmila Eats Hens, and Not Roosters
Ananagú: How Osogbo Was Freed in the World
11 Patakís from the Composites of Owani
The Old Woman and the Leopard
The Osogbos (Misfortunes) and the Àkùko (Rooster)
The Earth and the Wind
12 Patakís from the Composites of Ejila Shebora
The Lands of Lesa and Mogue
The Hunter and the Leopard
The Tale of the Spiders
Glossary
Index