Santos, Orishas, Loas...

I found this great website that lists Yoruba Deities and their Catholic Counterparts.  Each Yoruba deity--orisha-- has one or more Catholic counterparts.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Eleggua
Messenger, Opener of the Way, Trickster
St. Anthony of Padua
El Nino de Atocha
Saint Michael Archangel
and others

Oshun
Lady of Love, Beauty, and Sexuality.  Spirit of Fresh Water
La Caridad del Cobre (patron of Cuba)

Yemaya
Spirit of Motherhood, the Ocean, and the Moon
Our Lady of Regla
Mary, Star of the Sea (Stella Maris)

Obatala
Father-Mother of Humanity, Bringer of Peace and Harmony
Our Lady of Mercy
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel

Chango
Fourth King of the Yoruba, immortalized as Spirit of Thunder
Santa Barbara
Saint Jerome (Could this be the St. Jerome in the story of St. Jerome and the Lion?)

Ogun
Lord of Metals, Minerals, Tools, War, Birds, and Wild Beasts
St. John the Baptist
St. Anthony of Padua (note that St. Anthony is also Eleggua)
St. George
San Pedro (St. Simon Peter)

Babaluaye
Spirit of disease and Sickness, also Provider of Money to the Poor
St. Lazarus of Dives



Erzulie

The information about Erzulie, below, comes from a listing on the ETSY site for a specially prepared oil called Erzulie.  This oil is handmade by a fabulously talented woman named Sarah, and here's the link to her ETSY shop:  ConjuredCardea Shop -- ETSY, in case you are so moved to buy something from her.  I think she has really good juju!

I'm getting a little off track here, but I want to let you know about the items I purchased from Conjured Cardea on ETSY.  I bought the Erzulie Oil. It is divine... in the softest of ways.  It's very discreet, and has a gentleness about it that just pleases.  I also purchased Conjured Cardea's White Copal Resin and I love it!  This resin burns long and strong!  If you've ever attended high mass at a catholic church, you'll recognize this fragrance.  It burns pure and clear and clean.  I walked through my entire house, room to room, holding the censer while I burned the white copal, asking that my home be cleansed of anything that shouldn't be here, and also asking that my home be blessed.
OK, back to Erzulie, and what Conjured Cardea has to say about her:

"Erzulie is the Haitian Goddess of Love whose roots go back to West Africa. She is the Iwa of beauty, sweetness, love, flowers, goodwill, fortune, health, jewels, and pretty clothes. She is sensuality personified and is renowned for her generosity. The arts, especially dance, are her domain. Rivers, streams, lakes, and waterfalls are hers and she can cure womb-related problems with her cool waters. She is personified as a water snake who lives on lily pads. The fan, the dove, and the color pink are sacred to her.

She lives in fabulous luxury and appears powdered and perfumed. She is as lavish with her love as with her gifts. Voodoo has a most special place for Erzulie, the loa who is so uniquely human since she is the differentiating force between human and all other creation. She is the ability to conceptualize, the ability to dream, the artistic ability to create. She is the loa of ideas.

Erzulie is the loa of ideal dreams, hopes, and aspirations. As such, she is the most loved loa of all. She is pale in appearance; almost white, even though she is Dahomean in origin, and always wears a yellow dress. She is known as the Earth Mother and in every sanctuary there is a room, or corner, dedicated to her."
If you buy yourself a little bottle of Erzulie oil from ConjuredCardea, here's what she had to say about it:
"Invoke the love and beauty of this goddess and get to know her and her gifts. She will enrich your life. Use her oil to anoint candles, her sacred objects, or yourself in ritual or daily honor."

Here's another link to a website that lists the Haitian Voodoo deities, including Erzulie.  There are at least two Erzulies, and the one that I like is the "sweet, loving one," known as Erzulie Freda.  List and Descriptions of Haitian Voodoo Deities