Accepting Help

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Queen of Coins; from the Diloggun Cards, Osa (nine mouths):

But then it occurred to him that any progress he had made on his quest so far, he had made by accepting the help that had been offered to him. – Neil Gaiman

We'd all like to have a little more stability and financial security for when life pulls the rug out from under our feet. Yet some of our ideas - like playing the lottery - will be unlikely to help. Oshun is an orisha associated with love, fertility, wealthy and prosperity. She was the only female primordial spirit sent with Shango to create the world, but the other male spirits excluded her. When their attempt failed, Shango forced them to respect her, as she was essential to creating not only the world, but all the life on it. Osa (nine mouths) also warns that rigidly following our own narrow ideas is not profitable:

Ifa: One must cease leading themselves to misfortune. One must cease bringing harm upon themselves.

Proverb: Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.

Wise friends can help us see where we slip and how we sabotage ourselves. It's in our best interest to sincerely listen and heed their advice. 

Return of Sanity

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Four of Swords; from the Diloggun Oracle, Osa (nine mouths):

When Oggun was a human, he killed subjects who failed to show him respect (note the heads on the wrong end of the bodies that are attached to the trees). Yet he also killed himself with his own sword. As an Orisha, Oggun cleared a pathway from heaven to earth, promising to protect and defend his people. Did he take time to reflect on his actions and realize he had been impulsive in his anger? The sayings of Osa suggest this would be wise:

Ifa: One must cease leading themselves to misfortune. One must cease bringing harm upon themselves.

Proverb: Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.

Sanity returns when we realize it's useless to continue to do the same thing and expect different or better results than we've previously gotten.

Look Where You Slipped

From the Lukumi Tarot, the Queen of Wands; from the Diloggun, Osa (nine mouths):

          This Queen is represented by Oya, Orisha of Wind and Tempests. She believes in blowing down old, dead wood to make way for new growth. The Queen of Wands has the passion and charisma to make great changes, yet she must be wary that her agenda doesn't become so aggressive that she ends up 'salting the earth.' Nothing thrives in that kind of environment. The ethic and proverb for Osa reads:

Ifa: One must cease leading themselves to misfortune. One must cease bringing harm upon themselves.

Proverb: Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.

If this Queen does find the people she serves less than willing or stubborn, she must not automatically assume they are lazy or ignorant. If she looks at her behavior, she might find that she didn't listen to anyone else's ideas about the changes she wanted. And while her big stick might force someone to do her bidding, she might find it creates more upheaval and chaos than for which she bargained.

Making Space

From Tarot Lukumi, the Queen of Wands; from the Diloggun Cards, Osa (9 mouths):

          The Queen of Wands is symbolized by Oya, described as sensual, beautiful and dreadfully strong. This Orisha is the patron of the marketplace and the cemetery gates, but what she is most known for is controlling the winds - from breezes to cyclones. She is passionate and at the center of change; her warrior nature has no problem prodding or bulldozing when it comes to getting things (or people) moving so that growth can occur.
          The ethic and proverb for Osa (nine shells up) read:
Ifa: One must cease leading themselves to misfortune. One must cease bringing harm upon themselves.
Proverb: Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.

While the Queen would tell us to get in motion, she would also advise that doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results is insanity. We should find the root of reactive patterns that create our suffering and dig it up, then plant something new.

Repeating Patterns

From the Tarot Lukumi, the Seven of Cups:

Obatala is the Orisha responsible for making human bodies. Once when he was creating them from clay, he got drunk and accidentally broke some of the figures. These figures became people with disabilities, and he became their patron. Since that horrible incident, Obatala required his devotees to avoid alcohol. He is said to be the owner of all heads (where the soul was thought to reside), and he is strongly associated with clarity. The consequences of Obatala's behavior were a wake-up call for him to take his responsibilities more seriously and soberly. Adding his pataki (story) to the Seven of Cups traditional meaning, I find a cautionary tale for making sure my mind is clear before I choose one cup over another.

From the Diloggun Cards comes the cowrie toss "Osa (10 mouths):"

Ifa: One must cease leading themselves to misfortune. One must cease bringing harm upon themselves.

Proverb: Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.

When I have a major screw-up, it's often hard to move my thoughts out of the consequences and back to the cause that got me to this place. If I can't, I'll stay on the treadmill of "I don't know how to handle this mess" and never discover the root of the problem. I must dig up the root, or I'll soon have my own story of repeating the same choices over and over, and neither the pattern nor the outcome will change.