A few nights ago I was talking to a friend, a new friend. It was wonderful, we talked for two hours about Orisa and how we came to it, our understanding of it, and I felt much better to express my faith in Oludumare and the Orisas, as well as my personal devotion and love for my Mother Osun.
I was telling him about the struggles I’ve been through, and the struggle of the moment to find work.
I told him about the way people around me see me shining, and although I didn’t believe it before, enough people around me have told me that I glow and shine, I have learnt to accept that this is something I do.
I mentioned to him that people see the shininess, and have no idea what I am going through. I shine even when I am heartbroken, freaking out, sad and confused.
He told me a pataki by way of that characteristic in an Omo Osun.
Osun and Orunmilla were married. One day Orunmilla got sick and Oludumare told Osun that the only way to save him was to dance, and to keep dancing until Orunmilla rose from the bed.
So Osun began to dance, and dance. At first, she was been lovely to watch, her movements balanced and beautiful. However, after hours and hours, she began to feel tired and Orunmilla hadn’t yet risen from the bed.
So Osun kept dancing. More and more hours slipped by, and exhaustion gave way to pain; pain in her back, pain in her feet and in her head. Yet, she couldn’t stop dancing, because she had to save her lover.
So she eventually began to cry because of the pain, but she didn’t stop dancing. She was sad and confused, tired and in pain, but she didn’t stop dancing. She danced with tears streaming down her face, and kept on until Orunmilla rose up from the bed.
They say all Omo Osun are like that. On the surface people see happiness, they see the dance, but they don’t know what pain it costs to maintain that, and for the most part they hide it well.
As my friend told me this story, I smiled wrily because I recognised myself in the story. I saw my own way of doing things in the story.
I had to laugh, they say the people who really understand Osun are her daughters. I’ll say my understanding of Osun grows as I begin to understand myself.
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