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The new Santeria

by AJ Rodriguez

Santería: A syncretic religion of West African and Caribbean origin, also known as Regla de Ocha, La Regla Lucumi, or Lukumi. Its liturgical language, a dialect of Yoruba, is also known as Lucumi.

Having had Santo (baptized into the religion) years ago when I was a child, I never practiced. I grew distant from the religion when I started to see the chismes and drama behind the whole thing. Everyone knew each other. Everyone has had some personal encounter with each other.

I do, however, take care of my santo Chango as it was taught to me. I pray every once and a while. I visit respectable misas when I can. But I don’t do echisos, amarres, or any other black magic. I don’t do card readings or caracoles, shell readings, either.

You may wonder why I am even still in it. Well, it’s simple: out of respect to my grandfather. He always thought that by now, I’d become a high priest, or a Babalao as they are called. But, I decided long ago that Santería just wasn’t for me.

I get my respect from others. People have bowed before me. They have asked me for bendiciones. I even helped crown (initiate the process) someone a few years back.

Which leads me to my point of this article. Part of the reason I’ve grown distant with it is that the Santería that I grew up in is not the Santería that’s being taught now.

There have been quite a few controversies involving this religion: from an animal cruelty lawsuit in Florida to a mother and daughter in NY, suffocating a sibling to rid of demons. All of these things were not things taught when I was practicing.

I have noticed people doing Santo, or initiating, are getting younger and younger. They have no respect for the religion. To them, it’s all about making money, learning the tricks of the trade. To them, it’s a style: the “in” thing.

The young Gay recruits see it as an opportunity to meet others like them, for a chance at a quickie at one of the meetings. Little do they know that this religion is tight knit and everyone knows everyone else’s history. Word eventually gets around.

The new Santería is more of a social gathering, where a misa takes place, food is prepared, gossip is spread and a few Santos come down to tell you what you’re doing wrong.

The new Santería has lost all of its cache. The crowd who think it’s in style to be a Santero largely ignores its historic roots.

Being a child of Yemaya, Chango or even Ochun used to be respected. Now, everyone tries to trump the other, or even question if you really are a Santero.

If I could turn back time, and had a voice, I’d definately would have said no to becoming a son of Chango. But, as my grandfather would say: it’s in the cards, AJ. You just got to embrace it.

And embraced it I have, on a limited bases.

¡Ache! para todos.

Further reading:

Being Latino’s previous blog post and an introduction to the religion.

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AJTo learn more about AJ,
visit The AJay Rodriguez Blog.

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and should not be understood to be shared by Being Latino, Inc.

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Posted on February 1, 2011 at 1:00 pm in Uncategorized   |  RSS feed

14 Comments to “The new Santeria”

    
  1. rj_c
    February 1, 2011 at 1:10 pm

    Ajay,

    I understand some of your points but I think your generalizations are pretty open.

    I have seen new generations of Santero’s do right and wrong things. I don’t think it has to do with the generation it has to do with all the myths around it.

    Like many other religions Santeria is full of taboos and things that are misinterpreted. Every religion is a social gathering which ends up in some occasions if you are not with the right crowd into chismes and many of the negative things I have seen.

    I can speak for many of my Santero friends on the Island that studied the history and play the religion for the benefits of others. I have seen another side of Santeros of all ages.

    If you are not fond of the religion then why practice it or why speak negatively about it.

    As to animal cruelty many of the Santero practices involving killing an animal are more humane that most of the meat that is processed in meat or poultry factories. Being vegetarian I don’t agree with the practice because I believe we should not take life away from an animal. But if you eat meat and think Santeros are cruel because they killed a chicken I am not sure where that person can make their point strong.

    • Jennifer
      February 1, 2011 at 2:07 pm

      Yes, as I have come to understand it, not just any practicioner can sacrifice an animal, it has to be done in a correct way. Also, the meat will be eaten, unless it was a cleansing ritual to absorb the “bad” from the practicioner…

    • Satire
      February 1, 2011 at 3:11 pm

      Very great AND valid points made rj_c. I also agree with other points made that it is moreso some of the people, not the religion in itself. The same could be said about Palo which has changed a bit over time.

      I agree that if one was called to that path and decided on his own to divert from said path, why speak so negatively about it as a whole based off of the people you’ve come across with bad or superficial intentions in the religion. That doesn’t say much good about you, either. It’s one thing to leave it alone for your own personal reasons, but to spread & continue adding to the misconceptions about the religion itself seems wrong, IMO, and only fuels the messed up preconceived notions outsiders may have about it.

      Also, I am against animal cruelty myself, have taken action for causes relative to, and have made efforts to save hurting animals in the past. But I agree with the previous comment. Mainly high priests are to perform those steps in the ritual and they are trained/taught to do it with quick methods that do not cause the animal to suffer. The meat is then used. It is prepared for the feast. If the carcass is done away with it is because it was used to absorb negative energy out of someone or something. And even then, it is required that it is disposed of properly. All of this, I am sure the blog-writer is aware of, so it makes even less sense (and actually very unfair but what’s new?) to reference one lawsuit article & make it look like it is common practice by ALL Santería practicioners to do it ones own way & mistreat animals. Within every religion there are good & bad, hypocrites & the like. If one feels the need to criticize, aim it at the folks USING the religion for wrong & greedy reasons, not the religion alone.

  2. Loli
    February 1, 2011 at 1:13 pm

    I completely agree with this article, this religion has become a business and all respect has been lost. People take advantage and don’t understand how serious it should be taken which is why I keep my distance now.

  3. Rita Ocasio
    February 1, 2011 at 1:25 pm

    I totally understand how you feel. I was raised by a very Catholic mother and went through all that was expected of a good Catholic girl. My son was not raise as a Catholic so my mother but as an adult do not practice the religion feels I have not been a good mother because I did not baptize him into the religion.

  4. Jennifer
    February 1, 2011 at 1:27 pm

    I find Santeria to be a beautiful religion, as most are, and not at all about black mgic, then we are talking about something else – humns distorting religion for their own, which is present amongst all religions. Those that are to blame are people, not the religion.

    I’m very fascinated with Santeria and did my paper in cultural studies on the subject – it’s interesting that there are two babalaos in my small town of Gothenburg, and both of them live in my barrio

  5. Yesenia
    February 1, 2011 at 1:55 pm

    Amen. I agree with your article 100%

  6. Mimi
    February 1, 2011 at 4:58 pm

    I am so sorry you feel that way but I feel that you are judging Based on its people, and that is a bit ignorant , in every religion there is bad and good , So should I base my belief because in my church there is a rapist or theif amongest the worshipers , should I stop going to mass becasue there is a gay sitting next to me. I agree with you in the whole commercial end of it , Their are still people that practice the old ways. And me being a child of yemaya I am a mother to all lost children and in my religion Los Orishas Love everyone The SAME !!!!!!!!!!

  7. bluebyrd
    February 1, 2011 at 11:46 pm

    Ummm…. how old are you?

  8. Al
    February 6, 2011 at 8:08 am

    Ajay,

    I completely understand what you are saying. Years ago, i was taken advantage of by a high priest. He and his wife kept telling me I needed to do this and that and all for a fee of course. For one year I was in a state of fear and felt everyone was trying to harm me. They of course pushed so I could become a santo, but i never went that far. I remember all their misas were full of people talking horribly about one another. people would joke about how they did a black echiso on someone. That is wrong. In my opinion, they prey off the weak. It was not for me. When i severed all ties with them, the wife called all her friends and told them to be careful with me.

    I should have listened to my mother. She told me to stay away from them. She respects the religion but never thought the way some uneducated people could become babalawos.

    I applaud your article.

  9. rita
    February 11, 2011 at 4:23 pm

    to MIMI…. your religion loves everyone the same??? i don’t think you truly do, reading what you wrote, it seems you consider a homosexual person on the same level as a rapist or a thief! “a gay” sitting next to you? “gay” is not a noun, it’s an adjective!

  10. Jesse - Ewin Tolu / Olo Obatala
    March 17, 2011 at 9:35 pm

    Greetings AJ and fellow responders,

    To start AJ if as you state you were initiated into Regla de Ocha as a child I would assume it was due to a health issue you may had experienced as a young boy but I assume Shango got you through it, like any major life decision most responsible practitioners would only initiate a child under any other condition, as to have Santo done is a lifelong commitment. To crown and initiate a young child is not fair to the Ocha or the child, the initiate must be at an age of realizing the commitment that is being made along with the prohibitions and restrictions that may result from one being a Santero and those from one’s own Ita, there are those (not all) as you have indicated that simply see this is a means of revenue.

    Please be mindful when you refer to “misa”s” – Espirtismo per say that these misa’s although usually function hand in hand with Santeria functions in most religious houses they are completely independent from Santo functions. As my madrina say’s “Muerto es Muerto y Santo es Santo” a spiritual misa has nothing to do with functions of Santo although each Santo function does require we pay homage, take into account, and have an offering for the Eggun – Muertos.

    Aj you indicated you are a Babalow my respect to Ifa as it is a practice which requires a lot of patience, time, and study. If Santeria as you know it to be is in your heart you must worry about keeping your side of the street clean and practice as you see fit and not “en las mierdas que hacen los de mas”. In regards to controversies as the huge child molestation controversy has shaken the Catholic Church this does not make all Priest or those involved with the Church predators, molesters, and accomplices. Every big religious group at one point in time has had controversies associated with them and does not mean that 1 bad apple will make all others bad as well the bad apple simply must be removed. In regards to the “Florida” animal cruelty case many religious groups offer/sacrifice animals I live was born and raised in Los Angeles, CA attended private Catholic Schools for the first 12 years of my education, as you can imagine the eclectic ethnicity’s and cultures that call Los Angeles home as such members of Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism are all active participants in such offerings and not limited to the Santero Inle’s or groups. As previously posted the blood of the animal has a purpose and the meat prepared and eaten when not used in a cleansing ritual, many newbies or charlatans simply discard these offerings in a disrespectful way which is offensive and unacceptable to the Ocha. I was taught in my house offer adimu’s to the river, ocean, forest but never leave trash or waste behind you must leave it as you found it obviously animal blood and food (honey, fruit) are all biodegrade and go back into the earth. As for the New York case you refer to with the mother and daughter suffocating a sibling from what I recall that was a Palo-Mayombe function again independent of Santeria-Lucumi-Regla De Ocha function a whole different religious practice.

    As far as young initiates getting involved because it is the “money making – learning the tricks – in thing” I feel for anyone as it was for me a very reflective and inner soul searching decision to make, to do Santo is not like going out to buy a new car or pair of shoes it is a decision which requires deep thought and reflection. Granted as of late we see more and celebrities, sport stars, and public figures involved in the Santero movement to the point that it had never been seen before but I do believe that it must be in your heart and there must be a true calling to go and put yourself through the process. For some individuals the realization and appreciation for the initiation we have gone through takes longer but MOST eventually get it and live life according to their potential and in the path of God-Ollodumare and their crowned Orisha.

    As for the “Gay recruits and meeting others like them” reference are you serious? It is usually only those insecure or unsure about themselves who usually have a need to distinguish or point a specific group out. I see more “so called straight” male Santero’s and Babalow’s using religious functions as a speed dating service finding out who’s aijhada that new young fine looking cutie – priceless.

    To conclude “Solo tu sabes lo que tienes no ay por que decir se lo al mundo, que te lo crea quien quiera” this is a dicho of Oddi, as long as you are confident and know what you have don’t doubt yourself and that is all that matters.

    Ache para ti y todos,

    Jesse – Ewin Tolu

  11. Oya Ade
    October 16, 2011 at 11:44 pm

    I am only 24 and have Oya crowned. I too notice that people get into the religion for the wrong reasons. For history sake, let me say that children have always made Ocha. In Nigeria, children learn Ifa!
    Indeed, people get involved in this religion for the wrong reasons, drug dealing, perceived power, making a buck. But instead of piss and moan like you are doing, I rather actively purge this disease. I love my religion too much to see it handed over to the coke peddlers, thieves, and criminals. How do I do it? By working hard, getting my masters degree, helping my fellow neighbor kick heroin habits, and being a stand up tax paying citizen.
    Also, you don’t just ‘ not do’ the shells, it takes years and years to learn the odu and embed it into memory.
    Also, it’s not very respectful to post your Santos on the web, much less take pictures of them unless for anthropological value.
    I guess I just needed to vent that I’m tired of people taking the ‘ I don’t like how they play ball, so I won’t play ball at all’ attitude. I think the ibae laguas wouldn’t understand that logic.
    Anyways, my two cents. Ashe abure.

  12. L
    November 29, 2011 at 7:43 am

    I totally understand your frustration with the trends that you have observed in the religion but I must say you are no better than those who are using the religion for profit. Why do I say this? It is about the RELIGION!!!!!!! The orisha have not changed, the religion has not changed, the ache has not changed, only peoples perception has. As a Chango/Shango who speaks only the truth it is your duty , your obligation to fight for the RELIGION!!! Fight for the integrity of the RELIGION you hold up so dearly. Since you know the TRUTH you must speak the TRUTH at any and all occasions you are in that does not compromise your safety. Chango/Shango was many things but NEVER a coward. STAND UP for him and the other orisha and the RELIGION!!!!! ALafia