Diloggún Tales of the Natural World
How the Moon fooled the Sun and Other Santería Stories
Ócha'ni Lele
Published by Destiny Books, 2011
Since ancient times the Yoruba of West Africa created sacred stories - patakís - to
make sense of the world around them. Upon arrival in the New World, the Yoruba
religion began to incorporate elements from Catholic and Native traditions, evolving
into Santería, and new patakís were born, adding to the many chapters already
found in the odu of the diloggún - the sacred oral teachings and divination system of
the Yoruba, or Lucumí, faith. Comparable to the myths of ancient Greece and Rome
and rich with jewels of wisdom like the I Ching, these Santería stories are as vast as
the Hindu Vedas and as culturally significant as the parables in the Torah, Talmud, and Christian Bible.
Diloggún Tales of the Natural World presents more than 40 patakís that shed light
upon the worldview of Santería. Each story in this collection, reassembled from the oral
tradition of the African diaspora, is centered on a spiritual principle in nature: the waxing
and waning of the moon, solar and lunar eclipses, the phenomenon of shooting
stars, the separation of sky and earth, and the origins of the animals and birds who play key
roles in Santería symbology. Revealing the metaphysics, theology, and philosophy
of the Yoruba people, this volume shows these stories to be as powerful and relevant
today as they were to the ancient Yoruba who once safeguarded them.
Ócha'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 Teachings of the Santería Gods, The Secrets of Afro-Cuban Divination,
Obí Oracle of Cuban Santería, and The Diloggún: The Orishas, Proverbs, Sacrifices,
and Prohibitions of Cuban Santeria. He lives in Winter Park, Florida.
"With brilliant and beautiful narratives, Ócha'ni Lele skillfully navigates the complex
stories of the ancient Yoruba people. The myths presented in Diloggún Tales of the
Natural World are eternal; equally as profound as those of the Greeks and Romans.
With a compelling power akin to the I Ching, this work is well overdue. Finally, we have
an author willing to serve up the spiritual beauty of ancient Africa at the table of
the modern world. Clearly, there is a legacy beginning to unfold. What a blessing!"
- Iyanla Vanzant, founder of Inner Visions Spiritual Institute and author of Peace from Broken Pieces
(The text above comes from the back of the book)