The Òrìṣà Ọ̀ṣun is known and respected across the world. She is a nurturer. She is a mother. She is a devoted wife. She is femininity manifested in its greatest form. However our great mother has been misunderstood and misrepresented as a spiritual energy of mere sexuality. She is not sexuality. She is maternity. She is the Divine Mother, the one who can manifest a prayer simply by lending it a piece of her àṣẹ. We call upon our great mother today. Yeye Ọ̀ṣun less us. Manifest our prayers today, so that we may walk fully aligned with who we are destined to be. We are grateful for all you do. Modupe o

Each day of the week carries its own spiritual energy and its own Òrìṣà. Obàtálá begins the week, and with him comes the ability to ground yourself in his cool and peaceful energy. No matter how busy your life is, no matter what challenges life brings, let this day remind you to be centered. To be grounded in spirit of Obatala. The Orisa calm and cool energy. Flow that rhythm, week after week, every Obatala worship day and it keep bringing you back to center. Back to center. Back to center. Wear all white or light colors on this day. Not to look cool, but to be who: centered, grounded. If your mornings are usually rushed, let this be the day you rise ten minutes earlier. If you’re a parent, let this be the day you wake before your children, so you can ground yourself before the world asks anything of you. The rest of the week, you’re moving, you’re running, you’re out the door. But this day, this is his day. Obatala’s day .. so begin it by being grounded by him. We don’t act like we are cool. We embody his presence and that presence is how we step into a spiritual power like no other.

You are witnessing a phenomenon that exists only in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is Black Masking Indian culture. Only four times a year, these masks are brought out to honor ancestors, Africans by origin, who were aided to escape slavery by Native Americans. As they lived together, they exchanged culture, and from that union a unique masking tradition was born, one that echoes the Egúngún masking tradition of the Yorùbá people in Nigeria. Here we have Chief Shaka Zulu, leader of the Golden Feather Hunters, as he processes through the community honoring and uplifting both his Native American and African ancestors.

Sango is not just a king, he is power personified. His voice rolls through the heavens as thunder, commanding courage to rise and cowardice to fall away. When the world tries to quiet your brilliance, remember that you carry the spark of Sango within you. His fire lives in your heartbeat, his thunder in your voice, his lightning in your mind's bold ideas. May 15 alaje 256 • and the256healingcenter

Sango is a powerful Orisa. He uses his thunder stones to make us victorious over our obstacles in life.