Orí
The head as the seat of consciousness and destiny.
Orí means head, and refers to the inner head: your consciousness, your character and your destiny.
In both Yoruba tradition and Santería the orí is treated with care. It is where your direction gathers, and there are particular ways of strengthening and cooling it.
Dream interpretation notices what happens to your head: covered, wounded, washed, or clear. That is read as something about the state of your direction, not about your body.
Related terms
- Orisha The forces in Santería, each with their own domain and imagery.
- Aché The force that makes things happen: life force, capacity and passage.
- Egun The ancestors, continually present and often visible in dreams.
- Diloggún Divination with cowrie shells; how the tradition answers questions.
- Padrino en madrina The initiated godparent who guides you within a house.
- Regla de Ocha The name the tradition uses for itself, alongside Santería.
- Bóveda The place at home where the ancestors are remembered.
- Yemayá The Orisha of the sea and motherhood.
- Ochún The Orisha of sweet water, love and self-worth.
- Changó The Orisha of thunder, fire and dance.
- Oyá The Orisha of wind, storm and change, and gatekeeper of the cemetery.
- Ogún The Orisha of iron, work and clearing the way.
- Elegguá The Orisha of the crossroads, roads and beginnings: he opens and closes paths.