Yoruba Religion
Chango And The Power of Intention by Yamaya Cruz
Things have really changed. The most popular Orisha in the United States, Caribbean, and South America has been reduced to a pint-size wrestling action figure. A giant size professional wrestler who goes by the name “Papa Shango” has snatched Chango’s persona. He is as big as an arctic bear and conjures up voodoo spells, right in the wrestling ring in front of thousands of people. He even has over 23,000 YouTube hits. I grew up watching Hulk Hogan, and the Rock. I watched wrestling even though I knew that it was incredibly sensationalized and teetering on the border of being completely ridiculous.
Sad but true, it seems like voodoo along with Papa Shango is sliding down the same slope. In pop culture when people hear about Chango, they think of the wrestler. Or they are able to rehash stories of Chango being a philanderer. He was the man who danced and frolic all night with women. He had litters of illegitimate children and liked to use magic and sorcery because he was lazy and preferred to take shortcuts. There are some good stories too. Chango was a man, a king who ruled over one of the greatest African empires. His color is red, which symbolizes his passion and vitality. Chango governs our vigor, heredity, security and survival. Perhaps this is why he was so revered during the African slave trade. He is also honored today all over the world, in religions such as Santeria, Candomblé, Vodun, and Yoruba.
So is he a Mandingo warrior? Or is he an orisha who emulates masculine power and magnetism? Chango can be associated with the root chakra, or the mulahadra chakra in Sanskrit. It is the chakra that is located at the base of the spine and it rules over the lowest vibrations. Coincidently, the color of the root chakra is also red. Chango along with the root chakra, rules over the physical body. Or in broader sense, Chango rules over the physical world. He bridges the gap between the physical and invisible planes.
Chango is known as a great sorcerer and magician. In popular culture, there is a theory about the power of intention, where everything that happens in a person’s life, begins with a thought that is followed by an action. Chango governs our intentions and actually brings thoughts from the invisible world into the physical world. So this means that everything starts with a thought. The Emancipation Proclamation, the Civil Rights Movement, and even the election of the first black president all started with just a single thought. Chango is the Orisha who plants the seeds that bring about change. He is the orisha that symbolizes manifestations. So is this Papa Shango guy an imposter? Or have we as a society forgotten the real importance of an Orisha who has shaped our culture, and our core existence?
About the Author
Yamaya Cruz is the author of When The Shadows Began To Dance. For more information about Chango please visit
http:// www.alternativevibrations.com
http:// www.newafricanspirituality.com
World Religions – Yoruba Part 1
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