Yemaya oil

Every second of February in Salvador, Brazil, crowds carry flowers, perfume and mirrors down to the shore and send them out into the sea for Iemanjá.

Origin & Traditional Use

Yemaya (Yemọja) began as the orisha of the Ogun River in Yorubaland; her name is often explained as “mother whose children are fish”. In Cuba she became the mother of the ocean, honoured with blue and white and the number seven, and syncretised with Our Lady of Regla, whose shrine stands across Havana harbour. This oil is a botánica preparation used to honour her and bring her motherly protection.

Uses by Tradition

Santería & Lucumí

• Dress a blue or white candle with the oil and set it beside a bowl of sea water and seven shells on her altar.
• Add a few drops to a bath with sea salt and white flowers when you need comfort and a fresh start.
• Anoint a blue and white bead or a small anchor charm to carry her protection when travelling by water.

Witchcraft & Folk Magick

• Dress a candle on a Monday or at the full moon for fertility, pregnancy or protecting children.
• Pour a few drops into the sea or a flowing river with white flowers as an offering, asking her to take away sorrow.

A Simple Working

• Fill a blue bowl with water and stir in a spoonful of sea salt.
• Add seven drops of Yemaya oil.
• Dress a blue chime candle with the oil and stand it beside the bowl.
• Light it and speak to Yemaya about whatever weighs on your heart.
• Dip your fingers in the water and touch your forehead, heart and the back of your neck.
• When the candle is out, pour the water into the sea or a river, or failing that, down your front step.

Pairs Well With

• Sea salt: her water and her cleansing.
• A blue chime candle: her colour, for dressing with the oil.
• Watermelon: a traditional fruit offering for Yemaya.
• Seashells: for her altar and her number, seven.

Lore & History

Yemaya’s worship travelled to Cuba and Brazil with enslaved Yoruba people, and the river mother of West Africa became the queen of the Atlantic. In Brazil, as Iemanjá, she is honoured at New Year on the beaches of Rio de Janeiro, where people in white jump seven waves and set flowers afloat for her.

What You Receive

Yemaya oil, available in 2 dram, 1 oz and 16 oz.