Oshun is an integral Goddess of the Yoruba religion. Her worship stems from the cultures of Nigeria and Benin but also expanded to Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States.
She is a protective Goddess and one of the Orishas or guiding deities. In the United States and the Caribbean, the Orishas, including Oshun, are one of the Seven African Powers. She is the youngest of the Orishas. She is revered in Yoruba culture as a Goddess of protection, love, beauty, and pregnancy.
So, what are the various offerings to Oshun to ask for help? How to make offerings to her? What are the Oshun offerings that can be given to her for love, prosperity and protection? Let us see..
Offerings to Oshun: How to ask Oshun for Help?
Oshun is an important Goddess whose favor can be gained by leaving offerings specific to her interests. As a Goddess of love, beauty, and protection, she has specific symbols and ideal rituals and offerings.
Generally, Oshun is associated with sensuality and pleasure. She is the spark of light and sweetness that makes life worthwhile. So, pay homage to Oshun with sweets and with reminders of essential aspects of nature.
River water is particularly sacred to Oshun. An offering of water from a river can be a great way to initially seek connection with this Goddess.
You can also connect with her by offering healing rituals and prayers to the rivers you visit. Rather than just taking from the rivers in the form of fishing, give back time, energy, reflection, and healing.
Also, you can offer Oshun gifts like a mirror, honey, or flowers. But be warned, Oshun is intensely loving and often disappointed when those she loves fall short of returning her generous energy.
Never make a false promise to Oshun. When you make an offering to Oshun, there must be no false promises or deception. She is a powerful Goddess associated with many things, and she is not one to be trifled with.
Oshun Offerings for Love
A general rule in magic and ritual is that like attracts like, so whatever you wish to attract or manifest, your symbols and tools should mimic or resemble the outcome.
When it comes to leaving offerings to Oshun for a certain purpose, remember this is not wise as a first move. You wouldn’t want to be friends with someone who only calls you when they want something, so building a relationship with Oshun is no different.
Make sure you put the effort into developing a relationship with Oshun before you petition her in hopes of getting something in return. Oshun is sensitive to relationships that aren’t reciprocal.
But when you have done the work to develop a relationship with Oshun, there are specific offerings you can use to appeal to her for help in love. She is fond of peacocks, and a peacock feather to symbolize increasing your attraction power is an offering to give Oshun.
In addition, you can give her gifts of honey, oranges, and cinnamon, which are some of her favorites. Any kind of sweet water or beverages also appeal to Oshun.
Sweet fruits as offerings help to attract sweetness of romance and love into your life. You can also share with her some of the things you love, such as your favorite snack or meal as an offering.
Offerings to Oshun for Protection
Like most deities, Oshun has a complex nature. She is loving and craves pleasure and beauty but can also be a protective advocate. You can appeal to Oshun for protection once you’ve developed the proper relationship with her.
Offer Oshun gifts of vulture feathers as these are another of her favorite birds. You can also offer sandalwood incense and sunflowers to Oshun.
She is fond of things which are bright, colorful, and sensual, so strong smelling spices and perfumes are a great offering to her. Scented oils also appeal to Oshun. Opt for scents associated with power and protection such as cloves and cinnamon.
Offerings to Oshun for the gift of a child
As with love, offerings to Oshun for the gift of a baby can imitate or resemble the goals you have. Seeds to fragrant and sweet fruits as well as fruits themselves make a great offering for this purpose. Oranges in particular appeal to Oshun.
You can appeal to her with an offering of honey, though Oshun prefers that you taste a bit of the honey each time it is offered. However, if you are appealing to Oshun for this purpose, avoid eating squash or pumpkin in any form, even the seeds, out of respect for this Goddess.
Offer something of value. Among her favorite metals are brass, copper, and gold. Gold coins or gold jewelry can be an excellent offering to this Goddess.
How to Make Offerings to Oshun?
When considering offerings to Oshun, prepare your altar the way you would prepare a table if you were inviting a beloved friend over for dinner. Decorate with her favorite colors, which are yellows and oranges.
Set sunflowers and other bright and vibrant tokens of your devotion and appreciation on the altar as well. You can set up an altar to Oshun in your home or yard, or you can make an offering by visiting some of her favorite places.
Oshun loves running water. Waterfalls and rivers are among her favorite locations. You can make offerings to Oshun by leaving her favorite tokens, feathers, seeds, fruit, or flowers by riverbeds or waterfalls.
Conclusion
As with any deity, it is important to develop a relationship over time before appealing to Oshun for help. It is also essential that you honor your relationship with her. Don’t think you can manipulate or deceive any of the Orishas, as this will only backfire.
Oshun can be revered with her favorite gifts. Specifically, colorful items, sweets, and water from rivers or waterfalls. She also loves squash, pumpkins, and honey. No matter your exact practice of honoring Oshun, always approach this Goddess with respect and an open heart.
Angela Kaufman is a Certified Intuitive Consultant, Psychic Medium, Intuitive Empowerment, Life Coach and an LCSW. She is an amazon published author and was Featured on several shows like Discovery Channel’s A Haunting, Echoes from the Past (2007) 14 Degrees: A Paranormal Documentary, Tune In to Wellness Today with LisaMarie Tersigni, and Empowering Entrepreneurs with Melissa Carter as well as numerous radio interviews. She is the author of Queen Up! Reclaim Your Crown When Life Knocks You Down - Unleash the Power of Your Inner Tarot Queen and also co-authored three books on metaphysical spirituality (Sacred Objects, Sacred Space; Everyday Tools for the Modern Day Witch | Wicca What's the Real Deal? Breaking Through the Misconceptions | The Esoteric Dream Book; Mastering the Magickal Symbolism of the Subconscious Mind). Angela regularly conducts workshops, the Inner Queen coaching program and loves writing articles, that blend social criticism with spirituality.