Quick Specs
- Author: Raven Morgaine
- Publisher: Weiser Books
- Type: Softcover book, 208 pages
- Best for: Practitioners of African diaspora traditions, devotees of Yemaya, students of Santeria and Candomble
Yemaya: Orisha of the Ocean in Diaspora Traditions
Yemaya originated among the Yoruba people of present-day Nigeria, where she was a river deity and mother figure in the Ifa religious system. During the Middle Passage, she traveled with enslaved Yoruba to the Caribbean and South America, taking root in Cuba as a central orisha of Lucumi (Regla de Ocha, commonly called Santeria), in Brazil as Iemanja of Candomble and Umbanda, and in Trinidad Orisha practice. Through syncretism with the Virgin Mary, devotion to Yemaya spread throughout Latin America and eventually reached urban communities across North America and Europe.
Raven Morgaine, a priest of Yemaya for more than three decades and a practitioner of Candomble, New Orleans Voodoo, and Santeria, wrote what is described as the first full-length English-language book on Yemaya accessible to general readers. The book is simultaneously a celebration and a practical guide: it explores her mythology, her roles as mother, lover, healer, warrior, and mermaid, and her multiple paths or caminos, each with distinct temperament and ritual requirements. Morgaine draws from decades of lived practice, not just academic sources.
Yemaya’s Iconography and What This Book Offers Practitioners
Yemaya’s iconography is consistent across her traditions: blue and white are her colors, the crescent moon and ocean waves are her symbols, seven is her sacred number, and fish, seashells, and sea grasses appear on her altars throughout the Afro-Caribbean world. In Santeria, she is one of the major orishas receiving regular ceremony and is considered the mother of most other orishas. This book respects those boundaries, clearly distinguishing what the uninitiated may appropriately practice from what belongs within initiatory ceremony. That distinction reflects Morgaine’s standing in the tradition. For more on the broader Afro-Cuban context, explore my Voodoo, Hoodoo, and Santeria books collection.
The book includes spells and rituals appropriate for those not yet initiated, detailed altar-building instructions, botanical and flower correspondences, recipes offered to Yemaya, and prayers for invoking her. It also covers her role in the LGBTQ community, where she has long been a patron figure. Whether a reader is studying the tradition academically, deepening an existing devotional practice, or approaching Yemaya for the first time, Morgaine provides experiential guidance.
How to Use Yemaya, Orisha, Goddess, and Queen of the Sea
A respectful, practical approach to beginning work with Yemaya using Morgaine's guidance.
- Learn the Symbols and Correspondences
Learn Yemaya's primary symbols before working with her. Her colors are blue and white, her domain is the ocean, and her number is seven. These correspondences help you select appropriate offerings, altar items, and timing for your practice.
- Build Your Altar
Build an altar using chapters eight and nine. Morgaine specifies appropriate flowers, shells, and botanicals. Blue and white cloth, a bowl of salt water, and sea-related objects form the foundation, and the book explains each element's significance.
- Start with Uninitiated-Appropriate Practice
Begin with uninitiated-appropriate spells in chapter eleven rather than initiatory rites. Morgaine clearly marks what requires priesthood and what is open to devotees. Starting within those boundaries matters deeply in diaspora religion practice.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock this book because it is a full-length English title devoted to Yemaya, written by a priest of Yemaya. Morgaine’s book clearly distinguishes what the uninitiated may do from what belongs to the initiated, and it focuses entirely on a single orisha, in depth. Santeria and Candomble are living traditions, and I offer this book as an introduction, not a substitute for learning from practitioners and community. Readers interested in broader spiritual altarwork will find complementary resources in my altar supplies collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yemaya is the orisha of the ocean, motherhood, and female power. She originated among the Yoruba of Nigeria and traveled with enslaved Africans to the Caribbean, where she remains central to Santeria, Candomble, and Umbanda practice worldwide.
The book covers Yemaya's mythology, her paths and aspects, spells for the uninitiated, altar and shrine guidance, proper offering protocols, recipes, and botanicals associated with her. Morgaine has served as her priest for over thirty years.
Yemaya's colors are blue and white, representing sea and foam. Her symbols include the crescent moon, fish, seashells, and waves. Her number is seven. These correspondences appear consistently across Santeria, Candomble, and Umbanda traditions.
Morgaine's book is the first full-length English guide accessible to general readers. He distinguishes practices open to the uninitiated from those requiring initiation, letting readers explore respectfully without formal orisha priesthood.
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