5 Elements that a Santero should always have in his Religious Home

The houses of the santeros should be places of intense spiritual communication, so each devotee of the Rule of the Osha You need to dedicate your place of residence to the search for knowledge, to the preparation and fulfillment of its various functions or attributions, to spiritual growth, highlighting of course the displays of devotion and respect that must always be carried out.

The house of saint known as Ilé-Ocha, must always represent the way in which the priest conceives his religion and must have its doors open to teach the initiates everything they should know about the best way to practice Santeria.

The Ilé-Ocha is a space considered sacred due to its ritual character and because of the immense faith that is deposited there, because, since there are no temples, the Yoruba religion is practiced in homes.

The house of Santo, in addition, must have everything necessary for the ceremonies, both material and spiritual.

The cult of deities and their sacred elements

But every santero must also bear in mind that for the rituals, works, baths or ceremonies that are carried out, it must always be prepared, such as the corojo butter that purifies, the cascarilla that protects and prevents evils or honey, that sweetens and soothes any situation.

Next, we mention 5 elements and ingredients that we consider that every religious home should not be missing:

Candles to give light to the deities

Due to the process of transculturation, the Yoruba religion also adopted the candle for its ceremonies and to show respect to saints, Orishas and eggunes, since a lit candle in front of the representation of the deities is always a symbol of devotion and faith.

The candles They are used in practically all rituals and spiritual works, especially when we want to ask the Orisha for help and pray to him and when we are going to make an offering, because as they say in religion, the Orishas should not eat in the dark.

Tobacco to purify and establish spiritual connection

The tobacco it is a very important element in religious ceremonies and offerings. Many are the rituals of veneration that include lighting the tobacco and inhaling its smoke while asking for the blessing of the saint. It has particular importance in the greeting and rituals for Elegguá.

Tobacco is also widely used as a cleansing element in religion, it is a powerful purifier of spaces and its smoke cleanses our home of hexes and negative energies.

Brandy to attract good energy

The brandy it occupies an extremely important place in santeras ceremonies. It even has a patakí on the Oti or drink that describes how thanks to its use, the Orishas were able to defeat Elenini, the deity of the obstacle.

For this reason, sprinkling the saint with three small gulps of brandy is a symbolic reminder that the deities defeated Elenini and managed to descend to earth.

The brandy It is also used to venerate the Warrior ElegguaIn their ritual, two glasses of brandy are placed in front of the orisha on Monday, the day they are given attention, then the tobacco is lit and its smoke is inhaled. A glass of brandy is sprinkled over Eleguá and a single sip is taken from the other.

Faith, the only one capable of achieving the impossible

Faith as an immaterial element it must always be present in religious homes. The sacred spirituality of faith is what causes religion to be practiced.

For every ritual, prayer or ceremony, we must always place faith in our saints and in our spiritual guides, so that they feel our complete devotion and thus listen and support us in these difficult times.

Only faith guarantees us spiritual guidance and help in the face of life's problems. And only with faith, we learn to navigate the challenges and difficulties, supported by the Orishas.