Giving Tuesday, is the modern holiday set aside to give to charity after a few days of mass consumerism. I wanted to give this day to one of the "Mother" deities and while I was looking I came across Oshun, of whom I have been meaning to read up on.
Oshun (or Osun but also prevalent in the Caribbean religion, Santeria, as Oxum or Ochun) is a river orisha (a minor deity), who represents love, sensuality, African sweet (fresh) water, and fertility. She is one of the most favorite of the people and other gods, such as the Supreme God, Olodumare.
The story of how Oshun came to be Olodumare's favorite started with the orishas rebelling against their Supreme God because they felt he was too neglectful of the people he left his them to look after. He could have decided to just end the nonsense by killing the orishas but being comfortable with his status and realizing that if he smote his emissaries he'd have to deal with the pesky humans needs, he opted to make it stop raining instead.
This really pissed off the people, who kept complaining to their orishas. The Orishas, knowing this one was on them and not the humans, kept trying to get up to Olodumare in heaven to plea with him but had no luck. Then the youngest most beautiful orisha, Oshun, stepped up and said she'd try.
Well, the other orishas scoffed and told her that she was too young, not strong enough to make it especially since none of them could and, besides, Olodumare certainly wasn't going to listen to some little girl anyhow.
Oshun kept pleading until finally the other orisha gave in out of shear desperation.
So, after transforming herself into a beautiful peacock, Oshun took off towards the heaven. During the long journey her feathers started falling off and when she approached the hot sun, the ones that were left burnt and the small delicate feathers on her head all scorched off. The beautiful peacock has changed into a vulture.
This did not stop Oshun. She continued on and finally reached Olodumare and collapsed before him. He swept her up and nursed her back to health. He was so overwhelmed by Oshun's bravery he told her he would restore the rains and that she alone would be his messenger and he'd only communicate through her.
Oshun (or Osun but also prevalent in the Caribbean religion, Santeria, as Oxum or Ochun) is a river orisha (a minor deity), who represents love, sensuality, African sweet (fresh) water, and fertility. She is one of the most favorite of the people and other gods, such as the Supreme God, Olodumare.
The story of how Oshun came to be Olodumare's favorite started with the orishas rebelling against their Supreme God because they felt he was too neglectful of the people he left his them to look after. He could have decided to just end the nonsense by killing the orishas but being comfortable with his status and realizing that if he smote his emissaries he'd have to deal with the pesky humans needs, he opted to make it stop raining instead.
This really pissed off the people, who kept complaining to their orishas. The Orishas, knowing this one was on them and not the humans, kept trying to get up to Olodumare in heaven to plea with him but had no luck. Then the youngest most beautiful orisha, Oshun, stepped up and said she'd try.
Well, the other orishas scoffed and told her that she was too young, not strong enough to make it especially since none of them could and, besides, Olodumare certainly wasn't going to listen to some little girl anyhow.
Oshun kept pleading until finally the other orisha gave in out of shear desperation.
So, after transforming herself into a beautiful peacock, Oshun took off towards the heaven. During the long journey her feathers started falling off and when she approached the hot sun, the ones that were left burnt and the small delicate feathers on her head all scorched off. The beautiful peacock has changed into a vulture.
This did not stop Oshun. She continued on and finally reached Olodumare and collapsed before him. He swept her up and nursed her back to health. He was so overwhelmed by Oshun's bravery he told her he would restore the rains and that she alone would be his messenger and he'd only communicate through her.
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