The first book to explore the sacred myths of Santeria
- Includes more than 100 myths, stories, and histories about the odu and the orishas
- Reassembles the oral fragments from the African diaspora into coherent stories
- Demonstrates that the African peoples, specifically the Yoruba, were deeply spiritual
At the core of the diloggun--the sacred divination system of Santeria--are the sacred stories known as the "patakis," narratives whose themes are as powerful and relevant today as they were in the minds of the ancient Yoruba who safeguarded them. Each pataki is connected to one or more of the 16 odu, the principal creative forces of Santeria. Some recount the lives of orishas on earth, others the lives of individuals in heaven, and some tell of the odu themselves, for even they once walked the earth as mortals.
The first book to explore these ancient African stories in English, "Teachings of the Santeria Gods" recounts more than 100 of these sacred parables, including many stories reassembled from the oral tradition of the African diaspora. Ranging from creation myths to what happens when a love potion works far too well, these stories share the wisdom and spirituality of the Yoruba people of ancient Africa and form the living, oral bible of one of the world's fastest-growing faiths.

DIVINATION / INDIGENOUS CULTURES
"In this new book ocha'ni Lele has brought together information never before published for the education of serious students of divination, and for use by initiated practitioners of African traditional religions, especially those who follow La Regla de Ocha. In doing so, he has more than justified his own claim that 'one cannot overstate the academic and scholastic value' of this work."
--Edward Batchelor, Jr., Fellow in Religion, Yale University
The diloggun, the cowrie-shell oracle of Cuban Santeria, is more than a tool of divination. It is the doorway to a powerful transformational process, and the forces that are set in motion when it is cast determine the future evolution of the adherent. "The Diloggun" explores this mysterious Afro-Cuban oracle from the perspective of diaspora orisha worship and includes a thorough exploration of the body of lore surrounding the oracle, which is the living Bible of one of the world's fastest growing faiths.
ocha'ni Lele provides a detailed description of each of the twelve families of "odu" that exist in the diloggun--from Okana through Ejila Shebora. Within these twelve families are 192 "omo odu," the children of the odu, and each of these patterns or letters has its own lore, proverbs, meanings, prohibitions, and sacrifices, which Lele details as well. He is the first to provide the hitherto secret, but essential, information that the adept diviner needs to have in order to ensure that every element affecting a client's spiritual development is taken into account during a reading. He includes all the major indications for sacrifice, "ebo," providing the diviner with numerous ways to placate and supplicate the Afro-Cuban deities known as "orishas." His book is also the first to detail how to properly end a session so that negative vibrations are absorbed by the orishas and fully removed from the diviner's home. For those seeking the wisdom of ancient Africa, "The Diloggun" is an indispensable guide to the mysteries of the orishas.
oCHA'NI LELE has been immersed in the underground culture of orisha worship since 1989. He made Ocha in 2000 and was crowned a priest of Oya. His other books include "The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination" and "Obi Oracle of Cuban Santeria." He lives in Florida.