In today's meditation we travel to meet Yemoja.
She is also called as Yemaya.
And Yemoja is the goddess of the sea and she originates from Nigeria,
But she is worshipped all around Africa and also in Cuba and Brazil.
Make yourself comfortable.
Take some nice deep breaths.
You can close your eyes.
If you are sitting,
Feel the surface around you.
Relax your shoulders.
Think about waves and water,
Crystal clear,
Cool water.
Imagine that you are barefoot and you are standing on a river.
The water reaches just underneath your knees.
It is warm day and you enjoy the coolness of the river and you can see little fish passing by.
There is a spicy scent in the air.
Everything is mysterious and charming.
The women have built an altar for Yemoja.
You can hear them singing in the distance.
Yemoja,
Yemoja.
The women are burning cinnamon incense.
The scent is divine and calming.
These women worship Yemoja.
They have invited you to join their ritual.
The full name of the goddess is Ye Omo Eja and it means mother whose children are the fish.
She originates from Nigeria's largest river,
The Ogun.
When Africans were brought to the New World,
They brought Yemoja with them and she looked after them and still does today.
In Brazil and in United States,
We can find people of African descendant who worship Yemoja.
It was this time period when Yemoja changed from a river goddess to the goddess of the ocean.
She only represents the upper levels of the sea,
The part that contains most of the sea life,
The nourishment of the water,
The abundance,
The fish,
Dolphins and orcas.
The waves that crash on shore,
The ocean tides are all a great cradle where Yemoja is rocking all of us.
In the altar,
You can light up a candle for Yemoja.
Candles are thick and turquoise,
Surrounded by cinnamon incense.
You send a prayer for Yemoja and watch the smoke vanishing into the air.
You can see her in your mind's eye,
A voluptuous woman with large breasts and hips.
For she is the goddess of love and fertility.
The rolling tides symbolize the motion of her undulating walk.
She wears a beautiful airy dress which has seven layers,
All in different shades of white,
Blue and turquoise.
The seven dresses symbolize the seven seas.
In Brazil,
Millions of Brazilians of all religions dressed in white gather onto the beaches to greet the new year,
Watch fireworks and throw white flowers and other offerings into the sea for the goddess in the hopes that she will grant them their request for the coming year.
Some send their gifts to Yemoja in wooden toy boats.
Jumping seven waves is also common.
None surprisingly,
She is associated with number seven.
The women begin to dance on the beach and they ask you to join them.
They are wearing Yemoja's colors,
Blue and white.
Some of the women step into the river and dance in the water laughing.
The rituals and ceremonies are done in the open and gives a sense of community,
Because they are practicing it together.
So there is a strong sense of hope and optimism,
Which fills your heart with joy and happiness to see so many smiling faces.
This celestial being is seen as caring,
Protective and healing figure,
Plus her association with water and the seas gives one a sense of calmness despite how powerful she can be.
For Yemoja possesses a great deal of magic.
The altar has gifts for Yemoja,
Colorful beads,
Cowries and of course the most beautiful seashells.
Cowrie shells were known as the most successful and the best form of currency in the various regions of the ancient world.
According to the African legends,
The cowrie shells represented the goddess protection,
Which is highly powerful and it is connected with strength and power of the ocean.
Cowrie resembles the living organs,
Which is why it is also called as the giver of life.
In the old times in various parts of Africa,
Cowries were used as currency,
But could be a better gift for Yemoja,
The life-nurturing goddess.
Other items in the altar include white jasmine flowers.
They are intoxicating with their beautiful scent.
There is pound cake,
For Yemoja likes all things sweet,
And perfume of course for the love goddess and oranges.
Story goes that Yemoja gave seashells to humans so they could hear her voice.
Hold a seashell next to your ear.
Can you hear her voice?
What is she saying to you?
If you ever wish to return to meet Yemoja,
You have the keys in your heart to do so.
Say farewell to the goddess and the nice woman dancing.
You can stretch your hands and your shoulders and slowly open your eyes.
Thank you so much for joining me on this meditation.
Namaste.
