Obi: Oracle of Cuban Santeria [Paperback]

cha'ni Lele (Author), Ocha'ni Lele (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2001

• The first book to provide complete, specific instructions for casting the obi oracle of the Santería faith.

• Uses the shell of a coconut, which embodies the spirit of Obí, as a divination tool.

• Includes a detailed “mojuba” or prayer that awakens the orishas and invites them to speak.

• Examines in depth the five basic patterns that appear when obí is cast and explains how to interpret the oracle's answer.

• Explores the fifty additional patterns and meanings contributed by ten orishas closely associated with the orisha Obí

One of the paths to the spirits within Santeria is through a divination technique known as obi, the coconut oracle, which gives the petitioner access to the orisha of the same name. The orisha Obí began as a mortal human who ascended to become an orisha as a reward for good deeds done on Earth, then fell from grace because of excessive pride. When he descended back to Earth, his spirit was embodied in the coconut palm. Though he no longer has a tongue, he can answer questions posed to him through the patterns made by four pieces of coconut shell cast as a divination tool.

Obí: Oracle of Cuban Santería is the first book to fully explore the sacred body of lore surrounding Obí, as well as his particular rituals and customs, including opening considerations, casting and interpreting the oracle, and employing advanced methods of divination. Also explained are the previously unpublished secrets of closing the oracle properly so that any negative vibrations will be absorbed by the coconuts and permanently removed from the diviner's home.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Within the Santeria faith, the coconut is said to contain the wisdom of Obi, an ancestor who once fell from grace within this Afro-Cuban-based religion. Author and crowned Santeria priest Ocha'ni Lele (The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination) assembled this rich book that teaches readers how to use the coconut, or the wisdom of Obi, for divination. Along the way Lele offers stories about the history and main characters of the Santeria faith. Readers will learn how to choose the right coconut (find one that has milk sloshing inside), how to break it apart, and how to piece out the four sections of coconut that will be used to answer the questions brought to Obi. The idea is to drop the coconut pieces from waist height and study the patterns they form on the ground. For example, it's important to note how many pieces land with the dark rind side showing, and how many land with the white meat facing skyward. Lele also teaches readers how to pay homage to the powers of creation, the dead priests and priestesses of the Orisha, as well as all their religious and blood ancestors. Bear in mind that this book is for serious followers of the Santeria faith, who will be greatly pleased with Lele's reverence and willingness to share insider secrets. --Gail Hudson

Review

"It's the only title to narrow the focus on Santeria to Obi, and provides specific divination instructions for casting and interpreting the oracle."
(The Midwest Book Review, December 2001 )

"For one wishing to learn about this particular system of divination, it is the best book on the subject I have seen. It is clearly written, easy to read, and the author does not talk down to the reader. It is easily affordable, and well worth the effort to obtain and read it."
(Mike Gleason, Witchgrove, March 2007 )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Destiny Books (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892818646
• ISBN-13: 978-0892818648
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #250,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #96 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Divination > Prophecy

More About the Author

Ócháni Lele (1966 - ) was born in Richmond, Virginia, to an unwed, 16 year old teenage mother and an absent father. He spent the first five years of his life living in an extended household with his maternal grandparents, mother, and aunt. In 1972, his mother married; his biological father gave up parental rights, and within a year he was adopted by his step-father. The first year of their marriage was spent living in Colonial Beach, Virginia, after which his family moved back to rural King George, the entrance to Virginia's Northern Neck, where he spent the next 12 years of his childhood. Growing up rurally was anything but idyllic; it was a period filled with alcoholism and abuse. At age 17, after graduating from high school in 1984, he ran away with a local summer stock theater, The Fredericksburg Theater Company; and there he pursued his first love of acting and drama.

When the season was over, he spent four semesters studying at Mary Washington College in historic Fredericksburg, Virginia, planning to pursue dual degrees in English Literature and Psychology; however, his desire to experience the exotic world of magic and alternative spirituality sent him on a journey that ended with his initiation in the Afro-Cuban world of Santería, a religion known to adherents as the Lucumí faith. Over the years he has written a number of books about that faith: "The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination" (Destiny Books, 2000); "Obi, Oracle of Cuban Santería" (Destiny Books, 2001); "The Diloggún" (Destiny Books, 2003); "Teachings of the Santería Gods" (Destiny Books, 2010). Most recently he published, "Diloggún Tales," a collection of Afro-Cuban folklore from the orally maintained, holy book known as the odu.

Currently he is studying at Seminole State College of Florida, pursuing dual degrees in Nursing and English Literature. In 2012 he plans to transfer to the University of Central Florida to finish his bachelor degrees in both fields of study. Future educational plans include his MFA in Creative Writing with the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop. In addition to his academic work, Ócháni Lele is working on another book titled, tentatively, "The Sacrificial Ceremonies of Cuban Santería." It is a collection of folklore, history, short stories, and sacrificial ceremonies. It promises to be the most complete study published of ancient sacrificial rites.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ashe Obi!! Excellent Book, September 28, 2002

By 

El Brujo "Brujo Hechisero" (Lowell, Ma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Obi: Oracle of Cuban Santeria (Paperback)

Every one who is a follower of any Orisha path should learn to consult and communicate with ones ruling Orisha and the Orisha in general. Everything from small offerings of candles, to coins, and liquor can be given to the Orishas, but first one must consult with them, to see if they except the offerings, and if not, is their anything else, one can give to please them. But not just with offerings, but in life's trivial pursuits one should consult the Orisha before making any serious decision.

Obi is an oracle used buy all followers of Orisha, and many use this ancient oracle to find out yes and no answers to their questions. But Obi divination is more than that, and it is through this book and the help of ones Godparents that one can begin to learn and understand Obi divination.

This book is written in the Lucumi tradition, and it is excellent. In it you will learn the history of Obi divination in the Americas, you will read Patikis on Obi, Biaque, and the Coconut Tree. You will learn some of the various Orishas one can communicate with using this ancient oracle. You learn Lucumi, Mojubares, used prior to consulting with the oracle. You learn the various patterns and their meanings. This book is beautifully written and well researched.

Ache to Ocha'ni Lele, who is becoming such an important voice in the Orisha traditions of the Americas. But as the author will state, this is an oracle that should be learned through the hands of an experienced elder in the Tradition. For further study on this ancient oracle, and for those Aborishas who have the sacred capacity of the orishas, I also recomed these other books on the subject, also sold at Amazon.com.
Awo Obi: Obi Divination in Theory and Practice 1890157295 and The Little Oracle That Goes a Long Way: Ifa's Obi Abata

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fine work on Obi divination, July 12, 2001

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Obi: Oracle of Cuban Santeria (Paperback)

As both a priest of the Orisa tradition and an author of an Obi book myself, I must applaud this latest release by Ocha'ni Lele. His book touches on an area seldom discussed, much less written about the - the Apere Ti Obi. Aside from that, he addresses the issue of casting Obi in a lucid and thoughtful fashion.

This book is written from a Lukumi perspective, but for those interested in learning how Obi is cast in Lukumi I have found no finer text. Obviously traditions vary from house to house and one should always check information in any book, regardless of its quality, with one's elders.

The Obi is a wonderful and powerful Oracle and Ocha'ni Lele has put a significant stone in the path of understanding.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the only book in any language to address this subject, August 23, 2005

By 

Stephen Garcia (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Obi: Oracle of Cuban Santeria (Paperback)

I have read many books on the religion. I have never read a book that dealt solely with Obi divination. Even though I have santo done, I never in my wildest dreams believed that this system of divination was so intense, or so in depth, that it demanded a book of its own.

I was wrong.

Some of the material I've heard before orally. The myth of Obi I've heard many times, although never written as beautifully as Ochani has written it. The myth of Biague and Adiatoto I've heard, but I've never seen as much detail in the story. I've never heard the patakis of the coconut palm, nor had I ever heard the story of how Obatala distributed the mysteris of Obi to all the orishas.

Yet all my elders, after having read my copy of the book, agree these stories are all true. And Ochani is the most wonderful storyteller.

But what really floored me is that in all my years, I've never head about "apere ti obi." I approached my madrina with many questions regarding this system, and she told me that, yes, it is an old way to read Obi that was prominent in Cuba many generations ago. She said it was in place even before the cabildo societies that solidified our own lukumi practices. However, she herself had never met anyone but one person who knew how to use that system. Her interpretations were always accurate and right on the money, but because she herself could not cast diloggun, she never shared her secrets with anyone.

And my madrina says that the art of apere as presented by Ochani sounds exactly like what that old woman did. That old woman's name who used apere ti obi was Modesta Morera, Alaraba, ibae, and she was crowned to Iroko in Matanzas. However, because Iroko cannot be crowned direct, she was done Yemaya oro Iroko, and her ordination in Cuba was the only one ever done to Iroko. She was crowned in the 1950s in Matanzas by someone named Cheo Shango, Shango Lari, ibae.

How Ochani learned these secrets we have no idea. He must either be REALLY dedicated to the religion, or is one heck of a researcher.

I think everyone in the religion should read this book. Because aleyos who have received warriors have the right to read obi, even they should read it with the permission of their godparents.

An excellent book, Ochani. PLEASE keep writing for us all!