Introducing Orisha to your children

A myspace friend "Righteous" aka Oyabomi asks...

"I did have a question...how did you first introduce the orisa to your children. My daughter is oni sango and we always talk about Kabiesi when there is a thunderstorm outside (along with Oya...my head orisa). She is showing true interest because he is shared like a real person even though she can't see him. Is this a smart approach?"

A GREAT APPROACH SISTER GODDESS!

We introduce the Orisha to our children by allowing them to see how the Orisha are a part of our lives. Children should participate in all family rituals and spiritual discussions from the beginning. Encourage your children to pour libation, pray and use divining tools at EVERY age and they will feel a part of what happens in the spirit realm and this connection will be second nature to them.

I would also suggest reading stories about the Orisha, straight from the odu (Yoruba oral history) with William Bascom's Sixteen Cowries and Ifa Divination and Chief FAMA's Sixteen Mythological Stories and Maulana Karenga's Odu Ifa: The Ethical Teachings. Stories transmit knowledge, symbols, proverbs and incantations that your child will remember well into adulthood.