Author: Yaya Maria

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Espiritu Burlón – Mocking Spirit

There is an old joke in my country:

A farmer hears a voice that tells him: “Sell everything and play Red 21 in the roulette”
The farmer goes to his wife and tells her that he is ready to change his luck
He sells everything he owns and goes to the casino
The voice continues repeating “Red 21 … Everything at Red 21″
At the casino, the farmer bets everything he owns to Red 21 and looses
And the voice says: “Nos jodimos” – “We are screwed up”…

Most people who have ever walked the spiritual path can relate to this story, one of the first lessons we learn is to understand that we can not trust, listen and follow any spirit that comes forward as tempting and appealing as the offer may be without first verifying its source.

What we call Mocking Spirits (Espiritu Burlón in Spanish) are everywhere. These are spirits and entities of the lowers range and they acquire their energy from manipulating vulnerable and ignorant people. These spirits make it easy to connect and to the untrained eye, they may look “powerful”, but at the end of the day, they will create chaos and confusion.

The truth is that it is easier to make contact with these lower spirits than with the strong ones. Unfortunately, many people come to the spiritual world looking for the easy way out, just to find themselves let down, manipulated, and used. Spiritual growth is a journey, not a destination, you learn and grow in the path; the easy and fast solutions always come with a high cost.

Most spiritual religions have a path, initiations, steps to follow; serious spiritual practices cannot be learned on the internet and/or practiced in solitary. Every spiritual practice in the universe has its own divination and ceremonial system, the idea that a beginner can master them without training and guidance is wrong and misleading.

The only successful solitary practitioners I have met are the ones who come with strong ancestral connections and had spiritual guidance and connections to their ancestors during their childhood years. But for the people who do not come from a spiritual background, with no prior knowledge about spiritual practices, working with spirits without proper investigation, preparation and spiritual protection is a recipe for disaster.

The internet is full of “free” instructions and guides on how to do things, however, I am sorry to tell you that most of them are incomplete and inaccurate because they represent the experience of one person which more likely does not apply to everyone. And most of the spiritual books are missing key information that is only learned from practice, training, and spiritual guidance.

If you are serious about receiving spiritual guidance, you must be ready for it, be honest with yourself, be humble, and listen. You will receive it in the way the spirits want, you can not rush it, you can not make it happen when and how you want it, always remember, it is a path, not a destination.

Before reaching any spirit, a person MUST reach and investigate its own guidance and ancestral spirits, there is no spiritual development without the assistance of your own ancestor spirits, every single spiritual practice in this universe pays respect to ancestral forces. Ignoring your own ancestors is the easiest way to end up being a puppet of the mocking spirits.

In my spiritual practices, we need guidance, training, learning, and initiations. Every master was a student and learned from another master, do not think you can do it yourself without the basis because you will be another one playing in the hands of mocking spirits. Perseverance and determination are the keys to success in any spiritual journey.

The highest spirits will not come to assist the ones seeking an easy way out. Just because you like a prayer or read an article about a particular spirit you feel drawn to, it does not mean you are ready to reach it, the first step is spiritual protection and it comes from your own guides and ancestors.

Most successful spiritualists are born with the gift, but they need to learn how to cultivate and nurture it before they can use it, you may even be one of them, it is never too late to learn, but do yourself a favor and find a way to verify all the information you receive from the spirits before following them blindly. Create a close connection with your own guides and ancestors, it can not be done in one day, it takes time and resources, it may even take initiations, years of study, preparation, mistakes, and some tears, but you will be going in a steady path and your life will be much easier.

In my practices, we use specific ceremonials to make sure the lower spirits do not infiltrate our work, and believe me when I tell you that I deal with them regularly, that is why working with strong divination systems is the secret and key to success in any spiritual practice. Always remember that mocking spirits make it look easier to connect, feel, listen than real spirits and that is why so many people end up being their puppets.

Most people under the influence of mocking spirits will not listen to their own guides and will dismiss anything or anyone who tries to tell them the truth, it depends on how far are they being manipulated, I have helped some, but others still believe that “Oshun” or “Yemaya” or “Siete Rayos” or “The Santa Muerte” … etc.… are answering them just because they burned a candle or did an altar after reading a book without prior divination, the required initiations, ceremonials, protections, offerings and without the guidance of their own ancestors.

Ashe

Yaya Maria

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Babalu Aye ~ Saint Lazarous

Babalu Aye, San Lazaro, Azojano is one of the most loved, respected, feared, and venerated Orishas in the Cuban Santeria tradition.
Babalu Aye is the Orisha who reigns over all matters related to health, psychical, and spiritual.
Babalu Aye is the protector of the sick, the weak, the hurt, the injured.
Babalu Aye is a miraculous and humble Orisha, the Orisha of healing and disease.
Babalu Aye appears as a sick man with sores and trembling arms and legs that is why it is syncretized with Saint Lazarus in the Cuban Santeria tradition.

Babalu Aye teaches compassion, love, and responsibility.
Babalu Aye is worshipped and respected for all the miracles he performs, he is particularly known for his healing powers.
Babalu Aye is accompanied by two dogs and wears cloth made of burlap with purple adornments.
In the Lukumi tradition, Babalu Aye was punished by Olofi (God) with sickness & afflictions. He lost his health, riches & prosperity for not having good character and for being disobedient. Babalu Aye’s trials on earth are a lesson of humility; perseverance, integrity, and good character.
Babalu Aye is also the protector of all animals, especially dogs. Dogs were his only companion (besides Elegua) when he was suffering his trials & tribulations.
Babalu Aye is loving but stern, no one wants to be on his bad side and meet his wrath. Babalu Aye is loved, respected, and feared.

Babalu Aye’s colors are royal purple, yellow and brown. His sacred number is 17. Burlap is sacred to him and used in his offerings & items made for him.
December 17th is a day we honor Babalu Aye, many celebrations are done on December 16th waiting for midnight.
In the Santeria tradition, the ceremonial for worshiping Babalu Aye is called The Awan

In this ceremony, Babalu Aye is placed next to a basket lined with burlap material with offerings are placed around it. At nighttime, the lights go down, the only lighting used are the candles, everyone gathers around the basket and cleanse each one with the contents of the plates to remove negativity, for protection, health, and prosperity. After cleansing, the items are cast into the main basket. 

This ceremony brings the Ashe of Babalu Aye to the lives of those present.

Babalu Aye represents health and sickness, humility and pride, abundance and scarcity, love and fear.

PRAYER TO BABALU AYE

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Prayer to Babalu Aye

Jekua Babalu Aye Agronica!

Ashe, Babalu Aye, Ashe

Babalu Aye
Patron and assistant of the poor, the sick, and the downtrodden
Helper of the forgotten, forlorn, the disrespected ones
With this prayer, I request your compassionate assistance
And with the aid of Olodumare,
May you always protect me during sickness
And also in good health
Babalu Aye, give me the strength to overcome obstacles
And to achieve my full potential during my sojourn on Earth
Babalu Aye, help all those who cannot help themselves
And remain always by my side

Ashe, Babalu Aye, Ashe

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But all I want is my ex back…

But all I want is my ex back…

You broke up with your partner/husband/boy/girlfriend and you are devastated. You want him/her back and can’t stop thinking about it. You have to make it happen! 

You turned to Google and found a psychic, the psychic told you exactly what you needed to hear: “He/She is your soul mate and is missing you, he/she is confused at the moment but you will be back together next month”. This is all you needed to hear, it gives you courage, hope, and expectation, and you believe it is worth to wait.

Next month comes and you decide to try a “love spell” to make things happen, you spend a few hundreds of dollars in a “Return My Love Spell”; months go by but nothing happens, you continue stalking your ex’s Facebook page and cry of desperation when you see happy pictures, how can he/she be happy while you are miserable? … Time to call the psychic again…

Sounds familiar? Many people who contact me are in this same situation.

First, you need to understand something about the spirits, spiritual practices are learned and developed over time, all of the sudden you want the spirits to do something for you when you have never spent any time or energy trying to get to know your own spirits.

The secret of any spiritual work is in the connection that can be established with the person’s own spiritual guides. If your spiritual guides are weak and chaotic, if you are carrying spiritual baggage from generations, if you have obsessor spirits with you, any work that does not address these problems first, is always going to make things worse for you in the long run.

Every single spiritual work I do starts with cleansing and offerings to the spirit guides and ancestors of the person; it is the most important step. The stronger you are in your own spiritual being, the easier it would be for the spirits to help you and make things happen in your life.

It cannot be done in one day or with one prayer, sometimes it takes multiple spiritual sections to get to the bottom of it and sometimes it takes a lifetime to clear the spiritual baggage we tend to carry.

That is why I try to explain and teach people who reach out to me for help; the importance of strong spiritual protection, connection, and development of your spiritual guides, this is not about your ex, it is about YOU!

Why do I need cleaning if all I want is my ex back? ….

If all you want is your ex back and do not care about your spiritual wellbeing, please do not ask me to help you because I am here to help, I am not here to perpetuate your obsessions, create more spiritual luggage and contribute to spiritual confusion.

Let’s go back to the roots, why did your ex leave? If there was any external influence, it means that you were not spiritually strong enough to stop it, why would you want to continue adding to it.

It is very simple; let’s say you visit a surgeon because you want a tummy tuck surgery; when the doctor sees your blood work he tells you that you have anemia and the surgery that you want so much, the only thing that you think can make you happy is not recommendable at that time because there will be complications, you need to address and resolve other health issues first.

That is exactly why we have to consult before offering spiritual work, doing binding or break up work on a person who is in a weak or fragile spiritual state is not advisable and it never works in the end. The weak and chaotic spirits tend to take all the energy and the person ends up being more obsessed and consumed by the situation.

The first question I ask my spirits when I open a new consultation is: Can my work help this person on his/her spiritual journey?
If my Egun answers NO, I will not be able to offer you spiritual work. It does not mean you are helpless, it just means I am not the person who can help you at this point in time.

Ashe

Yaya Maria 

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What can you do with the Santeria Orishas without being initiated?

We all love the Orishas, their energy is out there, it is everywhere.
Santeria is a traditional folk religion, we follow the traditions and teachings of our ancestors and we do not make the rules, the Orishas do!
Most ceremonials in Santeria require initiation, however, there are some things “aleyos” (non initiated followers) can do safely and efficiently.

  1. Altars: You can build an altar to pay homage to a particular Orisha, however, it must be understood that building an altar does not mean that you have that Orisha in the physical form or that you have been initiated into Santeria. That is another process altogether, you can not self-initiate into Santeria.
  2. Offerings: It’s always a good idea to speak to a Santero or Babalao to discuss your plans if you want to make offerings to an Orisha.
    For example, let’s say that you want to give Oshun honey, five oranges, sweets, and leave five pennies. That sounds great, but what if she doesn’t want that from you. How would you know? Oshun may only want you to bring her sunflowers or maybe Elegua is the Orisha who wants your offerings. This is where consultation comes in. It’s wise to consult an initiated priest to find out if you can: first, give the offering, and secondly what is required of you. Always consult before you do the offering, not after you start.
  3. Orisha’s Prayers: A deeper understanding of what and where the Orishas are will help if you would like to pray/talk/propitiate them.
    The Orisha’s energies are in nature. For example, if you want to talk to Oshun, you go to the river. If you want to talk to Yemaya, you go to the ocean. If you want to talk to Obatala, you go to the highest mountain you can find. If you want to talk to Ogun, you go to the forest or the railroad … But once again, you should know who to approach and when that is why consultations are so important.
  4. Promises to the Orishas: Since the beginning of times, people have been making promises to the Gods, if you ever make a promise to any Orisha, make sure you pay it.
  5. Summoning or invocation: It’s NOT wise to try to summon the energy of one Orisha if you are not initiated to that particular Orisha.
  6. The Orishas are raw living energy and without the help of an initiated Santero(a) it will become a big problem.
  7. Head Orisha: Everyone has a head Orisha, and it is not always the Orisha you may feel attracted to.
    The only way to find your ruling Orisha is by consulting Orula with the mediation of a Babalawo, that is the way we do it in my house, some houses use the reading done by an Oba/Italero. Either way, it has to be done IN PERSON and never over the phone or the internet.
    There may be times when an Orisha will “stand up” to help you, but it does not mean it is your head Orisha.
  8. Animal Sacrifice: An uninitiated in the Santeria religion should never do any animal sacrifice offering to the Orishas.

Most rituals and consecrations to the Orishas in Santeria require initiation, however, to pay homage or talk to the Orishas, just look around you, their energy is out there, it is everywhere.

Ashe

Yaya Maria

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Message from Yaya Maria – Don’t shoot the messenger

Recently I have been dealing with emails from clients who were disappointed and unhappy because my spirits did not offer custom spiritual work for them, and every time this happens, it shows me how correct my spirits are when they choose who to help and who to turn down.

Still, some leave me speechless, I do not want to take their money if the spirits say is not going to happen and if I know I cannot help them, yet some still feel the need to be rude? Is this for real?

I am making this post for new customers to read before they contact me asking for spiritual work.

First and foremost I will say that I am only one person, and contrary to what some want to believe, I am only human, I am not connected 24/7 and I do not make things happen for you, it is my Eguns, the Orishas, the Nkisis, and the spirits who make anything possible, I am only the messenger.

With that said I can only take a limited amount of clients at once, I can only do a limited amount of consultations a week.

Now, the most important part, spiritual work is not a drive-thru window where you order what you want from a menu; when you work with the spirits, it is not about what you want, but about what you can receive and what the spirits are willing to give you.

Before I am able to commit to any spiritual work I ask my Eguns and they choose who they will help and who they will not help, my spirits normally turn down more requests than what they accept, Tata Jose, my main guide in Palo is very picky on who and what we use his Prenda (Spiritual Cauldron). It is out of my control, I trust my Eguns and I know there is a reason for everything in the spiritual world, but once my spirits take someone in, they make me go the extra mile.

One of the many reasons why working for some people is very difficult and the spirits turn down so many is because of spiritual build-up, we all have it, I clean myself daily, any person who does spiritual work needs to include cleansing rituals, when we call upon spirits, when we tap into the energies of the universe, we must be able to absorb the energies the spirits make available to us if we are not ready spiritually to absorb these energies, they create unbalances and what I personally call, spiritual junk, like the build-up of spiritual energies and spirits that cannot get anywhere. One of the bases of any spiritual practice, essentially in Palo Mayombe and Santeria is cleansing and depuration, sometimes we carry energies and spirits with us that we need to depurate to give room to other energies to reach up to us.

For example, when someone is initiated in Santeria it needs to be a whole year in white without doing any spiritual work, and there are reasons for that. There are many cleansing ceremonials that need to take place before a person is scratched (rayado) in Palo Mayombe and the most important part, the spirit guides of the person must agree to the work, that is why spiritual investigation misas are so important in my religion.

When someone reaches too many spiritual energies at once, it causes build-up, just like taking overdoses of multivitamins thinking you will get healthier sooner, the ones that are soluble get eliminated from your body and others cause build up and will make you sick in the long term, this is one of the things the spirits look into before starting a new work, I always ask my clients to stop any additional spiritual work while the work from my spirits is in progress, some do, some don’t, I do not argue, the spirits always know what is going on.

Unfortunately, some people cannot take the word NO for an answer and they get all upset and feel the need to be arrogant and insulting, one of the first lessons the spirits taught me is to be humble and honest, it is a very intrinsic part of my religion, we need to learn to be humble to our Godparents and Brothers and Sisters, we need to learn to be humble to the Orishas, the Nkisis, and the spirits, I am humble and respectful to my clients, I treat others the same respect I expect to be treated, unfortunately, some try to take advantage and confuse it with weakness, nothing further from the truth, that is where spiritual strength comes from.

When you consult me about spiritual work, there is a good chance the spirits will turn your request down, in some cases the spirits will offer you something else, or nothing at all, as bad and hurt as you can feel, do not take it personally, you asked for advice and my spirits are being honest, I am being honest, I am not taking your money, if the spirits are giving you honest advice, do not disregard it, do not argue it, listen to it, it is up to you whether you follow it or not, but please don’t shoot the messenger.

Ashe

Yaya Maria

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White Flowers Bath

A white flower’s bath is very simple to make and it is a very important part of any spiritual work.

We use white flowers baths to depurate leftover energies from spiritual work, even before a reading or starting any spiritual communication, a white flower’s bath can help you be more accessible to receive the messages from the spirits.

To prepare the bath, you will take the petals of few white flowers (odd number 3,5, or seven) and place them in water overnight, if possible place them outside to receive the blessings of the moon.

The next morning you will squeeze the petals with your hands like if you are washing clothes, take the petals out of the water and dispose of them. Add a small amount of perfume, honey, and “cascarilla”. Use this water to rinse your whole body when you bathe or shower, it is better if you leave it on and not rinse, let it dry on your body.

This bath will help you balance and clear your mind. It can be done as often as needed.

Ashe
Yaya Maria

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Email Consultation vs. Phone Consultation

I get this question by email many times and will try to explain it clearly.

The email ritual consultation service is NOT a full phone consultation, I do not offer full or general email consultations.

The main reason why I do not offer full email consultations is that writing in the English language comes harder for me, English is not my natal language and typing consultation reports take me hours, time which I do not have.

I always feel I can make a better connection and offer a better service to a client when I am talking and interacting with the person over the phone and it is a more full-filling experience for both of us.

I always tell my customers, when it comes to the English language, I am a witch, not a writer, I love to write in Spanish and have been working on a book about Santeria and Palo roots for quite some time, but my English writing skills are limited.

If you want a full consultation, please purchase a Phone Consultation, I will talk to you on the phone for as long as it is needed, I never look at the clock when I consult a client and will answer all your questions to the best of my abilities.

The email ritual consultation is limited to consult about specific ritual work for a situation, you will receive a paragraph talking about the sign I got from the spirits and the spell the spirits recommend for your situation (if any), no details no open questions. This consultation is only for customers interested in purchasing custom spell work and the cost of the consultation will be credited towards your spell at the time of purchase.

I used to offer the spell consultations free of charge to potential customers but had to start charging for it due to abuse.

Consultations are not refundable.

May the spirits be with you and protect you always

Ashe
Yaya Maria

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Spiritual Bath to Refresh your Head and Thoughts

There are times when your toughs are not clear and you feel overwhelmed with problems.

The first step is to cool your head, in Santeria, we call it to refresh your head, (Eleda). Using common and easy-to-find ingredients anyone can prepare this simple bath ritual which can be extremely helpful to release pressure and help you see things more clearly.

This bath can be done as often as needed, before and after spiritual sections or readings will help spirits manifest more clearly. When it comes to bath for the head, they should be taken at night, when the person is ready to go to sleep and rest. It helps the spirits work closer and regenerate the energies. Taking a bath before you go out to a party or even to work, may not bring the same results.

The ingredients for this bath are:

1) Rain Water
2) Coconut Water
3) Rice Water (Leave the rice in water for a few hours and use the water)
4) Milk (just add a small amount)
5) One Egg White (Only the white part)
6) One White Candle

Mix all the ingredients together and wash your head with this mixture. It can be done as often as you want. Before you pour it over your head, you will use your hands and refresh with this water the back of your neck and face. You can take it in the tub or pour it over your head and body in the shower. After you complete the bath, if possible do not rinse, just leave it over your body and let it dry.

Light the white candle to your head spirits and place it in a safe place. Try to rest for the rest of the night and the next morning you will feel renewed and refreshed.

In cases of anxiety and depression, taking this bath for at least 4 or 8 consecutive days can be extremely helpful.

Ashe
Yaya Maria

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Who are the Santeria Orishas?

orishas

There are many Orishas in the Santeria tradition, some are very known: Elegua, Ogun, Ochosi, Obatala, Chango, Oshun, Yemaya, Oya, others are not as popular, but not least powerful.

Anyone can call the Orishas for help, the Orisha Spirits are everywhere and you do not need to be initiated to call for their help or favors.

You can prepare small altars, make offerings and pay homage to any Orisha, however, you must understand and acknowledge the fact that that building an altar or having an amulet done for any Orisha does not mean that you have that Orisha, you cannot self-initiate to Santeria. Santeria initiations and consultations must be done in person by a qualified Santero or Babalawo!

It is always a good idea to discuss what you want to do with an initiated priest, sometimes the Orishas may not want what you are offering or there may be other Orishas willing to come and help you.  In the Santeria Tradition, initiated priests have the tools to ask the Orishas what they want for every situation and we always ask them before we set any offerings. Sometimes the Orisha you feel attracted to may not be your guardian or ruling Orisha.

The Orisha’s energies are part of nature, Elegua is everywhere, but always work for him in the bushes, if you want to talk to Oshun, you go to the river, if you want to talk to Yemaya, go to the ocean, to reach for Obatala, go to the highest mountain close to you, works for Ogun are best if done in the railroads, for Oya in the Cemetery and so on ..

But It is not wise to invoke the energy of any Orisha if you are not initiated, even initiated priests have to train themselves how to work with their own Orishas, this is living energy and can cause huge problems in untrained hands or unprepared bodies.

The energy of the Orishas is everywhere, just look around you, they always protect and hear you even when you think they may not.

Ashe
Yaya Maria