19 - His First True Love - Santeria, Part II

Last time we were together we discussed Ruben's love of the occult. This post we will discuss certain segments of the Santeria religion. Keep in mind that santeria has different aspects of it depending on the country but also depending in the region where you may be. Here-say has it that even in Miami, there are different aspects of santeria - some really black and evil in nature.

Back to our story:

Ruben Lima was a devout santero and would devote much of his time to his beliefs along with one or two of his siblings. His beliefs were centered on the “Palo Mayombe” branch or Paleros as they were commonly called.

There were three main deities that guided his normal everyday life. The first was called “Elgua” or god of the roadway. The charm that usually represented this god was a large stalk of sugar cane with cryptic carvings or symbols or it could have been a coconut or a bunch of bananas.

Usually this graphic emblem or icon was to be placed safely behind the main entrance door as a protector. It also represented that he could open or close doors to happiness or sadness, that’s why it was placed behind the doors. He typically had two days dedicated to him during the week; Mondays and Tuesdays. He also had two holy days during the year; January sixth and June thirteenth. He was one of three gods known as the “warriors”. Take note of the dates listed above for it will surface at a later time in our story.

The next god was “Yemaya”, probably one of the most famous of all Santeria gods, other than chango who was supposedly son to Obatala, the next god in our discussion. This name would become famous to the point that it became part of the everyday street lingo. People would use it in jest as well as in metaphorical use.

Yemaya, also known as the Virgin de Regla or the Virgin Regla, was a woman and she was the queen of the Moon, Oceans and universal motherhood, she was also black.

In the bay of Havana there is a visible section on a small cliff where a statue of this saint resides overlooking the bay and its travelers. And the Ferry that went from one side to the other was called “the Ferry of Regla”. Most people kept a statue of this virgin in the front of their homes, usually in the front lawn. Still in many Miami homes you can see statues of the Virgin Regla. She usually is displayed or represented with blue and white colors. One other notable thing, my dear sister is named after this saint, Regla. Could you guess who decided to name her?

Finally there was “Obatala”, which is the Major god. He is the creator of the earth and sculptor of the human being. In addition he is pure, owner of all that is white. He will safeguard your head, mind, thoughts and dreams. He always resides in the highest of mountains, indicating his loftiness. He is usually pictured as an old man with long flowing hair and beard and with a white walking stick. Typically when his altar or statue is displayed it has a black cloth over it, since he does not like the light. Obatala had power over all other deities.

Ruben always had a charm hanging across his torso under his clothing. It would hang diagonally, usually from right shoulder to left side of torso. This charm was a fusion of many deities but Obatala was the most significant.

He usually carved all of his own images and was thoroughly involved in the preparations for sacrifices and baptism rituals. Being a butcher he usually prepared all of the animals that were to be used during the sacrificial rituals and collect all of the blood from these sacrifices that would later be used to submerge a new convert. These rituals usually lasted days and into all hours of the night and attended to by possibly upwards of hundreds of santeros.

The rituals usually consisted of some kind of procession, invocations to the different deities requesting their presence, lots of music and rum. The music was usually very rhythmic, mainly performed by various types of drums, a few other percussion instruments and usually all of it was overshadowed by the cacophony of voices chanting some repetitive incantations or songs. All of the songs or chants were done in the African tradition and using original or as close to the original languages, such as; Locomi, Yoruba and Macumbe. There were others but these were the most popular.

From my brother's perspective, Santeria is to be respected but not followed. It would not behoove us to underestimate that which is dark and far from our understandings. Too much coincidence surrounds this form of religion to be taken lightly. And as with all things, it can be used for good or it can be used for evil.