Celts and Caribbean slaves

[Guest guest]

You know, the trouble with being on a digest is I read half way

through it and then start writing when someone has already said

the same thing further down below and i missed it before i

wrote--as I caught right after sending the last posting.

 

Got a question for you Renee: are there plant alternative

sacrifices in Santeria? For example: one of the Pundits on

another list mentioned when he does sacrifice/puja--rather than

meat--live meat at that--he uses coconuts, because they too

have a face. Also i have read accounts of Rahu being offered

radishes thrown into rivers in India in place of animal

sacrifice..So is there any substitution? Just wondered.

 

Also there's a real problem around here around Halloween with

any blcck cats too--none of the shelters will adopt them out in the

month of October. I was talking to two people from a new shelter

in the Ouchitas last night over dinner--they were saying they are

very particular about who gets black cats at any time of year...in

this case because of bent-minded perverts. No religion

specified.

[Guest guest]

You know, the trouble with being on a digest is I read half way through it and

then start writing when someone has already said the same thing further down

below and i missed it before i wrote--as I caught right after sending the last

posting.

[me]

LOL!

[you]

Got a question for you Renee: are there plant alternative sacrifices in

Santeria? For example: one of the Pundits on another list mentioned when he

does sacrifice/puja--rather than meat--live meat at that--he uses coconuts,

because they too have a face. Also i have read accounts of Rahu being offered

radishes thrown into rivers in India in place of animal sacrifice..So is there

any substitution? Just wondered.

[me]

Well....because we're not into animal sacrifices and following a

godmother/godfather and the group mentality of the Santeria (my spouse was

raised orthodox and Santeria but then has travelled around the world, been

exposed to many faiths and 'got out' if you know what I mean), yes....we do

offerings to the Gods (if you will) that we believe in using fruit, flowers,

incense, etc.

One third of the Santeria faith is the honoring of one's ancestors that have

passed over. We have an altar like most faiths would and in this faith

(realize I was raised in Self Realization Fellowship...Yogananda so I had an

altar anyway) one makes offerings to one's relatives of their favorite foods,

symbolic stuff like if they smoked, one would put a pack of cigarrettes on the

altar for whoever. You can imagine how crowded the altar is with the Vedic

Gods and the Santeria icons/pictures but hey...who said I wasn't

eclectic....LMBO!!!!!!!!

Anyway, for instance my male guardian Orisha is Obatala who rules the mind,

clarity etc. and he loves coconuts. One of their rituals is to leave a coconut

on the altar as an offering for him over night and then to rinse one's hair with

the coconut milk and leave it on for 24 hours as they believe it helps to rinse

off any clouded vision, negativity and to help one discern clearly. My

guardian female orisha is Oya and she prefers other fruits. Ellegua likes palm

oil, rum and cigar smoke <G>. My spouse's Orisha's are Oshun and Chango. I can

dig a big out this weekend and give you a rundown of each Orisha's likes and

dislikes if you want.

[you]

Also there's a real problem around here around Halloween with any blcck cats

too--none of the shelters will adopt them out in the month of October. I was

talking to two people from a new shelter in the Ouchitas last night over

dinner--they were saying they are very particular about who gets black cats at

any time of year...in this case because of bent-minded perverts. No religion

specified.

[me]

I have never heard about the black cat thing. This sounds like disreputable

people doing this because the sacrifices that I have seen that I feel that are

legitimate are the use of chickens, doves (birds for smaller sacrifices) and

for really big situations, they use four legged animals at times like goats.

Maybe it's a different part of the country so they are used to using different

things?

Renee