Home, Hearth, and Heart

In my bedroom, I have a shrine to the lwa Ezili Freda and Ezili Aila. Ezili Aila is the lwa of family love and the home. She is represented by Our Lady of Higher Grace (Altagracia). She is the patroness of the Dominican Republic but also is honored in the town of Delmas in Haiti. Altagracia is depicted as a young virgin usually crowned with the baby Jesus and husband Joseph in tow. This picture has always carried a special meaning for me. It reminds me of the desire for a home, marriage, and family. Since moving back home and leaving my own apartment, the desire for these ideals have increased. Often times it leaves me feeling depressed and it seems that I will never possess such things.
Altagracia has always protected the people that I love and treasure. She can be very stern, strict yet loving. She reminds me of the orisha Yembo in that aspect. She can be ladylike as Ezili Freda but more maternal.

Earlier this year, a Haitian mambo told me that the church in Delmas, Haiti dedicated to Altagracia was untouched by the earthquake. She said the church shook but there was no major damage while other cathedrals on the island crumbled into rubble, including the lovely cathedral in Port-au-Prince. She said that this was a mystery that no one could fathom, that why was this church spared and not others?

Perhaps it is because this lwa represents the strength of the family and home that is in the heart of the Haitian people and this can never be destroyed. That despite all the destruction and death, it is the family and loved ones who keep us alive. I know this is true for my life.

Haiti has not been the focus in the news lately but they still need our help. Recently a cholera epidemic has broken out on the island. One of my favorite charities for Hait is Konbit Pou Edikasyon. They help children on the island.
Their website is http://www.konbitpe.org/Konbitpe.org/Home.html

Looking at the picture of Our Lady of Altagracia, I am reminded there is a love that unites us, the gives birth to new ideas and that no situation, however bleak is permanent.

Home Sweet Home

I'm picturing myself in a house. I've never had a home of my own. I've rented an apartment and lived with family. Lately I've been thinking and daydreaming about it. I'm nowhere close to achieving this but that doesn't stop me. I may complain, whine, and shake my fist to the heavens but in the end I rarely admit defeat. I bought a statue of Our Lady of Altagracia last week. In Dominican Vodou or 21 Divisions, She is Ezili Alila. A lwa that walks with Ezili Freda. She is strict, conservative and dislikes loud noise. She is the patron of the home and family love. She is patroness of the Dominican Republic. Maybe I bought her because I have that yearning for a home. Maybe I'm ready to settle down and have a serious relationship. I put her on the same altar as Ezili Freda, who I recently but up a shrine to again. I think I need a little luxury in my life, maybe not of the physical kind. That sense of ease, and leisure that comes from security. Ah that word security, it goes back to what Sra. Altagracia reprsents. I know one day I'll come home, relax, have my orishas in their own temple in the basement, my own office/study upstairs and a handsome husband to sleep next to at night. It could be years from now but I pray to Nuestra Senora de Altagracia/Ezili Alila that my daydreams become reality in the light of day. Ashe.