#olorisha

MARIA PADILLA / PADILHA

MARIA PADILLA / PADILHA

POMBAGIRA

QUEEN

MAYORAL

ELEMENTAL / FAE

QUEEN OF THE PAGAN QUIMBANDA

The MARIA PADILHA / PADILLA stories and other literary attempts to find Value / Validation / Relevance in this Species’ past and its many History versions, all written / invented / modified-to-order by 1% of the population and for the other 99% of the population who will have to, either take it as reality / as fact, or to question it, and to find a more suitable Version of the many contexts, the many scripts and hoping hard for the ( real ) Content a.k.a. the facts.

All having been said and written before this, I myself see Maria Padilla / Padilha bare-naked and free from the many fanciful clothes a.k.a. many mythologies added / appended to her.

Cave-men did not need any (invented-by-this-Species) MYTHOLOGY a.k.a. RELIGION in order to worship a Supreme Being Creatress Goddess a.k.a. our present Patriarchal / male-oriented Version of a pathetic, vengeful, anti-Women / misogynous, anti-LGBTQ, confined-to-binary interpretation, spiritual-dualistic/Zoroastrian and monistic (a simply nasty so-called) tiny village god turned into a Big God.

I do not believe that the actual Maria Padilla / Padilha and Her Essence, Her Light, Her Darkness, Her Soul would ever bow down to any mythology, any religion of our times, nor to any of their Mythological Characters, and their Different Versions of The Invisible Man in the sky.

Maria Padilla / Padilha is larger than life, folks!

Maria Padilla / Padilha is larger than this evolutionary denser Time / Timeband and this tiny Version of the Elemental Earth / of this Place.

People try and will try hard to make their Versions of anything, to be more relevant, and always to seem as the final word, but folks, it never is.

We all are made of Changes and all of our adventures from cradle to grave are made of Changes as well.

Evolution is made of Changes.

The only radical constant is Change.

So I leave it to each human being, to each person to find the version of Maria Padilla / Padilha which best suits their personal Evolution and what they need and can handle to know in order to grow, and to evolve beyond the wilful ignorant and/or, wilful intellectually dishonest inventions of the 1% of the population who controls all and everything for the other 99% of the rest of the folks on earth.

THINKING is real gold.

Individuation is mighty desirable.

Empowered Freedom with Wisdom is the Law.

Cheers to All Fae / Elementals / Pombagiras / Exus –

Laroye!

Sky a.k.a. Padilla of Ashtoreth a.k.a. JD Aeon

TRACES OF MARIA PADILLA / PADILHA

Maria Padilla / Padilha and Her freely visible ( Traces / Vestiges / Remnants ) Tangibles & Echo left on this Earth / Planet / Time-band, they have solely arisen / come from the Inspiration of those people who loved Her enough to express Her in their Art / Works, whether they would be, painting / drawings and/or Statues, or yet, via electronically ( Software / online ) Art-oriented created Images.

Location for these Works / Artworks may vary as most of their owners have chosen to prefer the peace & protection of Anonymity.

A Note:

MARIA PADILLA / PADILLHA & Her human remains, they were posthumously transferred…

She was actually buried in A ( Abrahamic / Christian ) Monastery of the Lady Saint Clara of Astudillo…

Later being itself “Attributed” to Her in 1353.

Shortly after Her staying / passage in that Cemetery, Her human / elemental remains were again taken, following special orders of King Peter, placed at the ( Abrahamic Mythology/Religion oriented / Christian ) Cathedral of Seville, where it has been said to remain to this day!

Mind you, different Religious Mythologies, they try, and they attempt hard to to describe, to paint, to confine Maria Padilla / Padilha as some Subordinate / Subservient / Inferior Lady / Woman in regard to their fanciful Mythological Patriarchal / Male oriented, Anti-Women Characters & Their Mythologies!

As if She was an obedient bourgeois, loyal conformist and blind follower of their religion / mythology, and their mythological characters.

However, in fact, I can assure you 100%, Maria Padilla / Padilha was never a slave of / to, nor under any Abrahamic ( Christian / Jewish / Islamic ) Mythologies and their religions, nor under any other Religions’ Mythological Nonsense and Rubbish!

I bar, abhor and despise the way that some Belief Systems and chiefly mainstream rich, fat, non-tax-paying, big Religions shamefully attempt to cover up Pagan Mythological Values and Ways, and also their very nasty process to discredit and to subordinate Anybody / Anything under their ( invented / men-made ) Mythologies and their special collection of Mythological poop!

I am quite pleased to report and to set the records right and very much after a 100% Pagan Way!

Cheers,

Sky a.k.a. Padilla of Ashtoreth a.k.a. JD Aeon

MANY MARIA PADILLAS / PADILHAS

In re of Maria Padilla / Padilha — Taking firmly into consideration all of what it is available by different writers who rode the Maria Padilla / Padilha bandwagon of many books, etc.

Since the very first MARIA PADILLA / Padilha, there have been many, many, many Marias and amongst them all, many, many other Padillas / Padilhas.

My experience and my understanding is the fact that there are Many Lifetimes, and also, Many Groups, Many Phalanges of Maria Padilla / Padilha.

Different Souls, different Stories, different Experiences but all of them from the Same LINE, from the Same FIRE, from the Same ELEMENTAL Family which all had begun with the Soul / Spirit of the very first Maria Padilla / Padilha.

One could easily say the very same of the spirit of any dear EXU and their many, Many Manifestations / Different Spirits of the same Fire, of the same House, who volunteer to help EVOLUTION via that one EXU... Therefore there can be many their Different stories and in fact, there are, etc.

MANY PADILLAS / PADILHAS BUT ONE ROYAL HOUSE OF PADILLA

It does not change the fact that it is still Padilla / Padilha, therefore it is the Sacred Family and Royal ( Elemental ) House of very first MARIA PADILLA / Padilha.

It would be a waste of time for anybody to attempt to discredit this writer or that writer, or that story, or this story and simply because it is not the same and it defers.

It is, it was and it will always be ONE MARIA PADILLA / PADILHA FAMILY & ROYAL HOUSE, but it will always be many, many, many different PADILLAS / PADILHAS volunteering to do the work of EVOLUTION in different Elemental Realms & Time-bands such as this one, folks!

If you did understand my comments, blessed be you by all Padilhas / Padillas!

If you did not understand and/or disagree! Just be patient, be dignified because EVOLUTION comes to everyone and to everything and change is what we all are made of.

No right, no wrong at all, it is just whatever people can handle to know and to become aware of.

To each, their own!

Cheers to all Padillas / Padilhas!

Laroye!

Cheers,

Sky a.k.a. Padilla of Ashtoreth 

Sky a.k.a. JD Aeon

“ONCE A PADILLA, ALWAYS A PADILLA!”

SKY a.k.a. Padilla of Ashtoreth 

Sky a.k.a. JD Aeon 2025 USA

This is a tricky one! The shortest simplest answer is yes you can. Anyone absolutely has the ability to say basic prays to Orishas because Orishas are present everywhere in nature and throughout the world, even within our own bodies to some extent (Oshun to blood, Obatala to the head, etc.) It can work to say those prayers in any language, because even if you do not know the traditional prayers in Yoruba or Lucumi, the Orisha know your true intentions and what’s in your heart when you speak to them.

That’s the simple answer... the important thing to understand about that is it’s risky to start interacting and communicating with Orisha if 1) you don’t have any way to understand what they may be saying back to you (you MUST use traditional divination - Obi, Ifa, diloggun - not other methods like tarot, etc), 2) you don’t have any means to learn how to engage with them in the ways that they want and avoid offending them (tradition and protocol), 3) you haven’t formally learned about the Orisha to better understand and form a relationship with them (traditional knowledge and wisdom). If you start trying to work with Orisha without those three things, you can wind up angering and upsetting the Orishas without intending to and without even being aware of it - and ultimately that could be very damaging to your spiritual growth and what could’ve been in your relationship with them. Sometimes folks have this idea that it’s their birth right to work with the Orishas... there is no concept that this is the case for everyone within any Orisha tradition. It is important to remember that when priests and practitioners share these warnings, even if it feels discouraging or frustrating, the best reason to take it seriously is for your own spiritual protection.

Now that all being said, you do not have to be initiated in an Orisha tradition to have those three things I mentioned above. If you are working with a priest in any Orisha tradition - meaning a babalawo, iyanifa, or olorisha (Santero/Santera) - then they can do traditional divination for you, help you make ebo (offerings / sacrifice), and teach you the traditional ways and protocols and about the Orishas and how to approach them as you are ready along your journey. So with the guidance of any legitimate and qualified priest, you will learn based on your personal path which Orishas to work with and how to do this safely and respectfully. Even initiated priests who have trained for decades still continue to learn from other priests and especially their godparents for the rest of their lives.

While many Ifa / Orisa / Isese practitioners have heard the word egbe in the context of a social club or study group*, the Yoruba practice of Egbe veneration has only recently come to this side of the water.  

In a spiritual sense, your Egbe are your spiritual family - or Heavenly Mates as one author calls them. These beings may or may not incarnate, but they care for you in the dimension between conception and birth, and continue to journey with you after you arrive on earth. Incarnated Egbe may become our soulmates, “twin flames”, and good friends, but many remain disembodied, assisting us on another plane. 

Folks then ask: how is this different from one’s Ancestors? An Ancestor is someone who physically incarnated, and is part of the literal bloodline that resulted in your unique existence. The distinction is that they definitely lived on earth in human form, and - in the case of your parents, grandparents, and so on - created a family line.  

My humble theory is that Egbe rode the coattails of spirit guides, Ancestor veneration, and spiritualism (a practice prominent in Latinx / Caribbean sects of Yoruba tradition) until we could get back across the water and make the appropriate distinctions. 

Still, our ignorance hasn’t always saved us. We’ve had Egbe issues for generations, but even some of our most experienced spiritualists didn’t know what they were seeing.  

Premature death, fertility issues, generational “curses”, suicide, anxiety, depression, and all manner of personality issues can be - in a Yoruba context - attributed to a distorted relationship with Egbe.** 

Another telltale sign of Egbe-related problems is a life that’s going along relatively well, but with some glaring, unexplained exception. For example: someone with a brilliant career and every material comfort whose houses keep burning down. A skilled, smart person that can’t keep a job. A genuinely kind, sweet soul that people lie and gossip about, with life-altering results. 

From one perspective, it can sound a bit sinister. Why would anyone want to deal with a spirit like that?! But Egbe loves us so much that sometimes they just want us back home. They see the trials of this life and don’t understand why you had to leave while they’re chillin’ in the spirit realm. If you left a partner there, they miss you. If you fall in love with someone on this side, will you ever come back to them? 

Remember: quite a few of them never lived as humans. They don’t have the same concepts of time and three dimensional reality, and may not realize how finite life is. It’s difficult to explain that we’ll naturally give up our bodies and return. All they know is: we’re not there, right now. Where we really belong. Worse yet, we seem to have forgotten about them!

So they mess with stuff that tugs at your soul. Block your blessings. Make life just uncomfortable enough in just the right ways so that you consider leaving.  

With a few exceptions, my life was pretty dope until my mid to late 20s. In my early 30s, I noticed a shift.  Relationships dried up. I never went hungry, but there was rarely more than just enough money. Despite my previous spiritual work and training, the profound breakthroughs I experienced earlier in my journey eluded me. 

In a fit of frustration, I called my godmother. By many measures, I was doing everything right, but reaping the bare minimum. My godfather cited the proverb, “Work like elephant, eat like rat.” 

Exactly.  

She asked Baba to throw opele*** for a quick answer. A few moments later he says, “Ah. She has to initiate to Osun and Egbe.” 

With just those words, a weight lifted and a light came on. I came close to weeping.   

Osun had always been close to me, but I’d been slated to initiate to Sango for years. I knew that could change... but, wow... Osun? And what the hell was an Egbe???

First, I apologized and pled with Egbe for mercy and to forgive my ignorance. After that, I fussed. In no uncertain terms, I let them know: “If you block me, you don’t get what you want. Without an open road, I can’t do what I need to do for you. Meet me at least halfway, and I’ll answer your call.”

In the meantime, I listened, learned, made an effort with offerings and prayers, and they showed up and showed out. 

How do I know?

There were about 10 years between the time I entered the tradition, and when I initiated to Osun. 

It only took two years after that to initiate to Egbe. 

(Which is also a testament to the power and quick work of Osun. Ore Yeye O!) 

Egbe’s energy can be overwhelming, dense, and unwieldy. They can be demanding, mischievous, even petulant. It takes time to get into a groove with them. 

But they also brought wholeness and understanding: my precarious birth; a family full of miracle babies, miscarriages, and middle aged deaths; our uncanny connection to Spirit... all of it put into context.  

I celebrate my renewed bond with my Egbe, and the sweetness they’ve brought to my life. 

I am so grateful for this joy.

  .

N.B. - If this resonates, please understand that regardless of the details of your current practice, instruction around and/or initiation to Egbe will likely require the assistance of a reputable, fully trained Yoruba Elegbe / Olorisa / Awo, since the practice remains a rarity in the west. 

Also keep in mind that everyone has a unique destiny. The worship of Orisa, Ifa, Egun (Ancestors) and other energies are enough for many. I can only speak for my path, and what it demanded. If your practice is working for you, keep working it! 

.:.

*E.g., egbe obinrin might refer to a women’s society / club / gathering. Egbe Obataala could refer to a group of Obataala priests and devotees gathering for worship and education centered around that Orisa.  .

**Yes, our circumstances and experiences have sometimes made it difficult to distinguish spiritual problems from the consequences of societal and systemic oppression. Still, one’s relationship with Egbe adds another layer to the story.   

This is also not meant to negate the reality of mental illness and/or clinical diagnoses. Brain chemistry is a thing. However, Egbe is capable of inducing a very particular state that mimics these things - often accompanied by a sense of feeling out of place, lonely, or separated from something important. For me, it often manifested as a deep ennui and heavy sadness.   . 

***The divination chain used by Ifa priests.

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QUEEN OF THE WHITE CLOTH  //  After reflecting on my brief time as an iyawo and writing “Wearing White,” I started coming across so many breathtaking photos of Santeras and aborishas wearing all white with their elekes.

It is unlikely that they are iyawos because you’re not allowed to have your photo taken at that time, but regardless we do often wear white like this in Lucumí tradition and these images capture so much of its beauty and power.

Some information from this post regarding my personal involvement in certain Africana traditions is out of date. Please see this post for corrections and updates.

No problem sis <3 Makes me happy to hear :D And yes! I’ve definitely heard of this from multiple sources as an alternative to using cowrie shells when you’re in a pinch and don’t have them on hand. If you don’t already know, using four cowrie shells for divination is call Obi divination and it’s one of the simplest and most basic forms of divination used in Ifá and its derived religions Santería and Candomblé.

In these religions, there are many forms of divination that you can only do after being initiated at a certain level. For example, only olorishas can divine with sixteen cowries shells which is called mérìndínlógún. Only those who have received one Hand of Ifá can divine with ikin (palm nuts). Only babalawo and iyanifa, those who have been initiated with two or more Hands of Ifá, can do Ifá divination with the opele chain and with ikin on the opon tray.

Obi divination is a bit of a grayer area because on one hand it’s considered open for all levels but on the other hand, there’s still special methods and training you should do. Thinking I could teach myself and give it a try since there’s lots of information on it online and it seemed open to non-initiates, I washed four cowrie shells with Florida Water to cleanse them and asked some questions. When I asked if I was ready to use this divination method, I got a firm “no.” Not never, but definitely not yet. I strongly suspect this is because my ilé (Ifá lineage) offers lessons on it, and I am supposed to wait to learn formally.

So while I think divining with four coins is a very hoodoo-like way to adapt this simple divination method and that’s probably fine for anyone to try, I would caution anyone from attempting Obi divination using cowrie shells or coconut slices without learning from an olorisha, babalawo, or iyanifa.