Oya-Yansa
The sociology of O Ya
In honor of the children of this Orisha, OYA the Market place.
To begin on this journey of words to describe Oya, one must first understand the meaning and definition of the words that describe this force this energy of life and death. It’s greatest ability the power of Change/Transformation. For to name something is to box it, to place a label, to put confines on a concept. Humans use this process of labeling to better associate things for reference in the future. The definition or label of Oya translates to the Market Place. In Yoruba legends, Oya is the secretary of Olofin, the “Law giver” or someone that makes a judgement. One must ask the secretary of the law giver? The Market place? What can this mean? What does it’s label refer too, what does this box contains?
We must always take time to think out of the box. We must enrich the mind and soul. We must take time off our busy lives and immerse ourselves in the mystical, the understanding of the beyond.
The "MarketPlace”, to understand this wonderful location, I would like for you to read this and then close your eyes and see these events in your minds eye. (journey begins )You figure that something must change in your environment, food,water,supplies etc and you must travel to a location that can facilitate these needs. A place where you can exchange your goods or your labors for someone elses labors/efforts. You set forth to your destination now a few things may arise before your arrival.
(Esu) He that splits matter/things/life force/ into two. Esu is always here and there, there and nowhere.
Esu
You arrive, all about all around you,there are many different forms of life forms,energies, store shops, vendors, all with one purpose, to exchange one thing (Efforts) for another. Exchange can simple mean Transform one energy to another. I ask how can a person transform matter to another, as humans we are not as gifted, but we sure can Barter for what we like or want.
We move about this inclusion of energy, filled with so many things, some we like some we don’t, others we never even noticed, but we have a Task to complete. A Mission. We find our needs and now look for the best possible price to pay for the items/needs. We balance between that would cost the least or the one that always gives the best results. This all has a Price, a Value” a value of Labor, of Energy, of Worth. Such a simple thing, yet so complicated looking at it in this way.
Stop and look the next time you visit a mall or market and close your eyes, and feel the currents of energy that flows; energies of the vehicles, people coming and going just in whirlwinds here there. There is lots of movement, lots of following energy :That is Oya, Oya is an exchanger, a transformer of events, a Barder, a task to complete, a Mission, a price to pay, a value, a labor, a worth, a force like no other that comes and goes, a force that is everywhere and anywhere.
OYA the the wind of exchange: ( Awon Afefe ti pashi pa aro)
The wind that births life (Awon Afefe bibi aye)
surrounds me,protects me, all that is mine (Yika mi, aabo mi,gbogbo ti O ni mi)
You may think that Oya may not be in your presence but look again, we human beings are never the same each day, we too are on a constantly change, our bodies are always changing we shed our skin we may not see this but its happening, Our thought patterns are constantly also changing based on our environment. We lose weight, we gain weight children grow taller the ill lose a limb. the elderly pass, the younger get health or illness.
The statement “nothing is forever” is a short phrase to an ever changing current event. “Nothing is Eternal”for to be eternal is to truly be dead. You can not be spiritual and be eternal. Spiritually is every changing.Things in nature that seem to last or pass the test of time” become even more composed in their shapes (inert) moving less and less just as stones. Stones, mountains and diamond.There is nothing more dead than a diamond say the hindu or the guru’s of the east. because it keeps its shape or form the longest.
The being we claim to be the Creator of all things the source, which is everything is as the universe always morphing, changing, expanding, it has no end no beginning. That is Spiritual.
Now that we have a idea of this manifestation energy inboxed in the form of Oya we now can talk of her in the Yoruba concept. Many claim that Oya is death or her house is the cemetery etc, but we now know a bit better of who Oya is! We can come to understand how in a translation from Yoruba, we can say she is death or holder of the cemetery;because in this place, begins the earthly transforming of our physical bodies to a new form, back to its spiritual state “Energy”.
The teaching of Ifa legends speak of a orisa of great beauty, of ferociousness, A women of stern feelings, a women able and capable to pick a blade,sword to engage the battle of life and death for her internal belief, a wind of change. This orisa is also embodied in the the Odu Osa Meji. The arrival of Witchery to the earth, what is witchery? (A request to speed change)(A request or plea for something to happen or occur in exchange for a price’ a effort A (sacrifice) now this word is tricky too, to sacrifice is to give of oneself, to effort at all cost for endurance, to give of one’s everything, for what? CHANGE!
I can rewrite all the legends of orissa that are already written in the logs of Ifa, and so many books that express opinions of this event or that event involving Oya but I prefer to express my understanding as what is’ What Oya role in the place we call life is.
Published by www.santoproducts.com
Yoruba Words translated:
Provide= Pe se
Change Yipada
transform= pada
Bring=muwa
bring me mu mi
Blessings=ibukun
stability= Ibu-shinshin
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