YEMAYA ~ Great Mother Goddess of the Living Seas

This is the 'report portion' from my Yemaya Goddess paper that I wrote last year. It is quite a read- but I wanted to include it in it's entirety, as it holds quite a bit of great information on this wonderful Goddess. I will share some of the other parts of the paper in upcoming posts. I created a BOS correspondence page, a Yemaya Shrine, Yemaya Rasberry Leaf Tea, as well as an Invocation To Yemaya. If you enjoy this....be sure to check back for the rest of the Yemaya series. (And never fear- this portion is by far the longest! -You better grab a POT of coffee for this one!)

* MY YEMAYA REPORT *

*
I am Yemaya, Great Goddess of the Living Seas,

the Mother of All of Creation.

I am the Grand Creatrix, the Source of all Life.

Every culture and civilization has called me by a different name.

*

The West Africans,

and those whom have adopted and assimilated the African Orisha

call me Yemaya Olokun.

They worship me as the Mother of All of the Orisha.

I am the Patron Goddess of the Ocean,

and to some, such as those in Brazil,

I am also known as the Goddess of the Moon.

This suits me fine; as the Ocean and the Moon are intrinsically connected.

I am also the Goddess of all of the African Rivers,

and the River Ogun is most special to me.

*
My name is a contraction of Yey Omo Eja,

which means, “Mother Whose Children Are the Fish”.

This holds great meaning for me,

as I am the Great Mother Goddess of All Life,

and because all life originated in the Sea; all life originated from Me.

The ancients knew this,

and you so-called ‘modern folk’ are re-learning this once again.

*
There are as many stories about how I came to be,

as there are people to tell them!

Most agree that I came from the union

between Oduduwa and Obatala;

both Divine Orisha themselves.

It is told that I not only gave birth to all of the Gods,

but also to Mankind as well.

*

I was married to Agayu, and had one son,

my beloved Orungan.

Then, in true Mama Goddess style

-15 Orisha came forth from me!

I truly am a fertile woman! The Grande Dame Creatrix!

But you must remember…

...populating the World with Gods and Man is my job!

*

My Orisha children include Ogun, Olokun,

Shopona, Shango and Oya.

But, as is true with me- my Orisha children are also known

by many names by the people that worship them.

*

Then, it came time for me to fill the Earth with people.

I gave birth first to woman, and then to man.

At the breaking of my birth waters,

a great flood spilled, creating all of the oceans.

*

And of course, as I said- there are many other versions of the story.

In some, I have always been, from the beginning of time;

and All life came from me.

However…I do not worry myself with such things!

The semantics are for you humans to quibble about!

I know who I am, and the job I am here to do.

All that really matters to me, is that YOU know it too!

*
I am the very essence

of maternal strength, protection and nurturing.

I am the Seed of Life that reproduces itself

and multiplies to become a living being.

I am the love that bonds the Mother to her Child.

I am the lilting melody of the Mother’s lullaby,

like gentle waves lapping the shore; soothing her young one.

I am the gentle yet forceful nudge

that pushes the young from the nest,

knowing that they too must fly away to begin their own cycle of life.

*

I am the worrisome, yet caring Mother,

who calls to her Adult Children to make sure all is well in their world.

I am the aging Grandmother, who gathers in her family

and reminds them of the ties that bind us together,

lest they forget and stray too far, for too long.

I am the strain of DNA, flowing through every living entity,

the sacred helix that connects us all.

*
Those who worship Me know of my great powers.

I have been called on from the beginning of time,

by women who wish to conceive a child of their own.

They know that I hold the power to cure barreness in women;

for only one so fertile as I can accomplish such feats.

Come and bathe yourself in My healing Waters,

and I will take away your inability to conceive.

I am the One Who protects and nourishes

the infants in their watery womb,

and they call upon Me to grant safe passage to their young,

as they are born into this world.

* I am the One Who comforts the sorrow of the new Mother,

as she feels alone and overwhelmed.

I remind her that though she may feel alone,

that she has joined the ranks of all Mothers who have come before her,

and all those who come after; that she is never truly alone.

*

I again comfort her when her child grows

and leaves her safe world, only to fall.

I then remind her that she must be strong

and let her children make the mistakes that will facilitate their growth.

I am there for that same Mother when, with tearful eyes,

she sends her daughter off to be married;

reminding her that she will not be losing a daughter,

but will be gaining a son.

*

Later, I wipe the tears from my own eyes

as I help her daughter with that last hard push,

that will birth her own child into this world.

I am the tide that carries these lives

into and out of this world and onto the next.

*
I am also the One Who guides the vessels of the Sea.

Those who wish to travel on My Waters must honor me.

I bring them safely to their destination,

and fill their nets with my bounty.

I am the Mother that the wives call upon

to keep their men safe on my Seas;

and to bring them home on a tide of gladness,

and not of mourning.

*
To those in Brazil,

and others who call on me as their Moon Mother,

I take on many of the same characteristics

of my Sister Moon Goddesses, such as Selene, Luna and Diana.

I am the Keeper of the Mysteries of Woman.

They have always known me as

the Preistess of the Magickal Lore,

and call on me to share with them

My Powers and Gifts of insight and prophecy.

I wax and wane in the night sky,

just as my tides wax and wane in the Sea.

* I can be gentle like the rain,

or terrible and feirce like the hurricane.

I am the current which flows through all life.

I am the waters of the Sea, the rain that cleanses,

as well as the blood

that courses through the veins of the living.

I am the Bringer of Food,

for all growth comes through my waters.

I am the Womb of the Sea,

forever birthing new organisms into existence.

I am the tears that are shed in both times of sorrow and of joy.
*
I wear the Seven Skirts of the Seven Seas;

and they flow around me as water flows and enfolds all who enter it.

Seven is my special number.

My sacred symbols are the Cowrie Shells,

the peacock, the duck and the Dolphin.

My symbol is the crescent Moon

and my colors are blue and white, or silver.

*

When you want to honor me, go to the shore.

Bring me an offering.

I enjoy the same things as any female:

lipstick, perfume, combs, mirrors, and jewelry,

especially made of silver or pearls.

I love to eat good foods such as: melons, molasses,

whole fried fishes and pork rinds.

Something that is special to you

is all the more appropriate for such an Goddess as Me.

In many places, they place their offerings in small wooden boats,

or toy ships, and send them out to Sea.

I enjoy images of myself, as well as flowers of all sorts.

*

Honor Me in my role of Mother of the Orisha,

as you would honor your own earthly Mother.

And yes, when you honor her, you also honor Me.
*

In parts of Brazil they honor me on my Feast Day

as the Ocean Goddess, on the Summer Solstice.

In the North East part of that country

they also honor me on February 2nd,

with offerings of white flowers that are cast into the Sea.

This is an appropriate day to honor me,

as I am honored around the World on this day,

in my various forms and by my many names.

*

They honor me as Brigid, in Ireland,

and in Africa, they use this day to honor both

My Daughter Oya, Goddess of the Winds, and Myself.

It is a proper day for honoring Me in My Mother Goddess form,

as the Creator of Life.

*

I am also honored on December the 8th, in Salvador, Bahia.

They call this The Festa da Coneicao da Praia,

or The Feast to Our Lady of Conception of the Church at the Beach.
*

In Rio De Janeiro the many cariocas, of all different religions,

gather together, wearing white, to welcome the New Year,

watch fireworks, and throw flowers and other offerings into the sea

for the goddess in the hopes that I will

grant them their requests for the coming year.

*

In Africa, the Dahomey celebrate Me as Nana Buluku,

the Old Woman of the Swamps.

I am dressed in Black and mauve and I rule

over the mud and muck of the swamplands.

*
However I have been worshipped and celebrated throughout the ages,

and across the World…and by whatever names you choose to call on Me-

I will respond.

(I have been known to take my time! As any woman does!)

But I do answer and care for My Children.

*

I am the Eternal Mother, and will never cease to exist.

I could not be killed

by two thousand plus years of Patriarchal rule.

I could not be lost

in the transit and horrors of the slave trade of my first peoples.

Nor could I be suppressed by the workings of the oppressors.

*

I managed to sneak into every culture of my displaced people.

I hid myself stealthily among the Saints of the Catholics.

I disguised myself in myth and fairy tale,

in both human, animal and spirit form.

I patiently awaited the day of my reemergence

as the Supremely Powerful Mother Goddess that I am.

*

I conspired with my Sister Goddess Gaia

throughout the 1960’s and 70’s

to find a place in this new conciousness

that was growing from the ashes of the old.

We stowed Ourselves away in what

you like to call the ‘Green Movement’.

We planted the ideas for Earth concious orginisations

such as Earth First and Save the Whales.

*

We knew that Our Time would come once again.

The time where Our Earthly Children

would again hear the call of the Goddess.

We felt your yearning for Our Sacred Selves,

as you looked at Ocean on a moonlit night.

Or when you saw the Sun rise over a calm Sea.

I felt your yearning as you stared into the glowing Full moon;

and I knew you felt My pulsating heartbeat

deep within My Breasts of the Earth.

*
Yes, My Child. Our day has come,

and We the Great Goddesses are back

-in ALL of Our Divine Forms.

We have never left you, and have only been awaiting the day

when you would once again seek Us out, and hear our call.

We are here for you, as We have been since the beginning of time

…and will never cease to be.

*

All you must do, is to look deep within your heart,

and follow the intuitions that you find there.

They will lead you to Us.

You will find Us in the Sacred Places

of the Earth, Sea and Sky.

You can find me on a moonlit night,

as well as at the Sea Shore.

*

Make Me an offering fit for One such as I

…and I will shower you with My Motherly Blessings.

Open yourself to me.

Surrender your worries and sorrows,

and I will wash you clean as a newborn babe.

Then, I will rock you in the gentle,

capable arms of The Eternal Mother.

*

If you should choose to be reborn unto me, as one of My Own;

simply ask,

and then do the work required of One of My Sacred Children

-My Preists, and Preistesses.

You will be cleansed, and reborn

and known as Omo Yemaya-Child of Yemaya.

*

For I have carried you near Me

from the days of your watery womb;

and will stay by your side until you are laid in your tomb.

All that is born unto me, must return to me.

And so the eternal cycle continues…

*

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written by Danae, aka 'Crafty'