Ochún

The Orisha of sweet water, love and self-worth.

Ochún, also written Oshún or Oshun, is in Santería the orisha of fresh water, rivers, love, beauty, fertility and self-worth. She is the youngest and one of the most beloved orishas. In Nigeria she is venerated to this day at the river Osun, where in Osogbo there is a sacred grove on the World Heritage list.

Her colour is yellow, sometimes with gold or amber, and her number is five. Honey, oranges, peacock feathers, mirrors, fans and copper belong to her. In Cuba she is connected with the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, the patron saint of Cuba. Many stories show her as charming, cheerful and seductive, but also as determined and wise: in a well-known story she is the only one who can reach heaven to beg the supreme god to save the earth from drought.

Ochún is invoked for love, relationships, pregnancy, money and self-worth. She also stands for sweetness in the broad sense: the things that make life worthwhile. At the same time she is described as someone not to be trifled with; fresh water can also flood.

According to the tradition Ochún is often recognised in dreams by rivers, fresh water, yellow, gold, honey or a beautiful woman who laughs or dances. A dream with clear flowing water and a feeling of warmth is read as love or blessing coming. Murky water or sadness in such a dream can be read as a relationship or part of yourself that needs care.

Such a dream is discussed in the tradition with a padrino or madrina. Dreamkin does not establish that a dream comes from Ochún; we describe how such dreams are often read in Santería.