Dreaming of the forest in Santería: meaning

Within this tradition

A well-known saying in Santería goes: kosi ewe, kosi orisha, without leaves no orisha. Plants are indispensable for cleansing, healing and initiation, and whoever picks them does so with respect and often first asks the forest for permission. The Cuban ethnographer Lydia Cabrera wrote a classic book about it, El Monte, which shows how deeply the forest is rooted in the faith.

Osain is the orisha of herbs and their secret powers. He is often described with one leg, one arm and one eye, and a large ear with which he hears everything. Ogún, the orisha of iron and work, and Ochosi, the hunter with bow and arrow, live according to the patakí in the monte. In a well-known story Ogún withdrew angrily into the forest, until Ochún brought him back with honey.

Along those lines a forest dream is often read in Santería readings as a journey to knowledge or healing. Picking plants or leaves recalls Osain. A hunter with bow and arrow recalls Ochosi. Someone with a machete clearing a path recalls Ogún, who clears the way. Getting lost in the forest can be about insecurity, but also about a time of withdrawal, as with Ogún.

Dreamkin gives no medical advice and does not prescribe herbal baths. Whoever finds a dream weighs heavily discusses it with a padrino or madrina.

Common variations