The prayer to Elegua is commonly used by people who are followers of it or practitioners of its culture, it is commonly used by santeros to make requests to this Orisha. Today we will show you what it is and how you can do it so that with it you can solve the problems that may be bothering you in your day to day life.
History of the Prayer to Elegua and Santeria
Elegua is a saint who is represented within the Yoruba religion . This religion originated from the African people and the truth is that this religion is followed by many people today, remaining in African communities and expanding its influence also in America , where it has had a great boom, especially in Cuba.
There is a special way of referring to people who are followers of this religion; they are called Santeros . These are people who venerate and worship the African Saints excessively, so much so that it has sometimes been described as something exaggerated.
Due to this, with the passage of time, Santeria has come to be considered as a cult, which is proper and originates from the so-called Afro-Cubans, of whom it is said that they are found all over the world, since they have emigrated everywhere. and of course, with them they have taken their most important rituals and religious beliefs.
The culture of Santería became known due to the ancestors of these saints, since it was the slaves who started these beliefs when they were being exploited, Santería is sometimes also known as the Rule of OchaIfá. At that time when the exploitation of the slaves was seen too much, they created their own forms of worship towards the Saints and that is how they were the creators of Santeria.
Although it is based on the worship of beings considered holy, the Catholic Church has never recognized this culture as a religion. Rather, it has labeled its practices as pagan (those who practice them are called worshippers of false gods and saints). At that time, the enslaved people called this act of worship a Lucumí act, which in the Yoruba dialect means "My friend."
The name given to this culture was created by the Spanish. When they realized that the enslaved people were performing rituals and venerating saints that the Spanish considered imaginary, they began calling them Santeros, and from there the term spread throughout the world to describe the sacred acts performed by the enslaved. You might also be interested in learning about the Children of Shangó.
It is important to note that this need to venerate a saint arises because the slaves were not allowed to be close to the Catholic religion, nor to attend churches or share the word of God, due to these restrictions, the slaves found how to do it secretly These, as they did not have access to Christian saints, began to venerate their own saints, similar to what people who practiced Christianity did and that was how the culture was created and they continued to pass it from generation to generation, worshiping the saints without fear.
Elegua would be no exception; this same character from Santería would come to be represented in various figures idolized by Catholics, such as the Holy Child of Atocha , Saint Martin de Porres , and even Saint Anthony of Padua.
Prayer to Elegua was very important to this community, as he was considered part of the Yoruba pantheon, which consisted only of the most important Orishas (Saints) of this religious culture. The life of each and every Orisha was recounted through stories and narratives known in their dialect as Pattakis . Also visit our content on Prayer to Shango.
Initiation to Santeria
When a person wants to start within this cult or within said religion, they must be aware that they must receive a saint as guide and protection. That saint cannot be just anyone according to his culture, he must be of a warrior character.
There are several saints in this culture, and among them is Elegua , who is said to be the one who creates and opens paths, but is also responsible for closing them. Those who decide to enter Santería are called Aleyos and must receive Elegua as their first saint when they decide to enter this world.
To better understand the entire situation regarding the reception of the saints, it is ideal to consider what will be mentioned below. There are actually four warrior saints who follow a specific order. The first of these is Elegua, then Oggun , in third place is Ochosi , and finally Osun.
Elegua holds the top position among all the warrior deities, due to a legend that explains he earned this position many years ago for his outstanding performance against Olofi , Obatala, and Orula . For this reason , prayers to Elegua are of great importance to those who are truly devoted to the Santería tradition.
Before continuing, it is good to mention again that these saints have nothing to do with the saints that are known by the Catholic religion, these were only used at one time by the slaves as a necessary form of worship of special deities that they make you feel safe and grateful.
Elegua history
As we mentioned earlier, there are legends that tell the stories of the saints within the Yoruba religion. These stories and legends are called Patakkis in their culture. The stories are truly interesting, as they recount the origin of each of the saints in this cult. In the case of Elegua , it is said that he was created because he himself was a very small prince who one day found a coconut, which was quite curious.
The surprised prince decided to take the coconut and take it to the royal palace, the coconut called his attention a lot since he could perceive a great light that came from inside it and even the coconut spoke to him asking him to please take good care of himself. good for him, that he would not allow any animal or insect to eat him or harm him.
When the little prince made the decision to approach his family to tell him everything that happened regarding the coconut, they did not believe a single word, they thought it was pure imagination of the little one and they just decided to laugh.
And so the coconut was rejected, and that day it was forgotten behind one of the doors of the royal palace. That night, at the dinner gathering, all the family members were truly astonished by what was happening. The coconut was illuminated with a very bright and intense light emanating from within; no one could believe it. Everyone was horrified. The coconut never stopped shining, and three days later, the little prince Elegua died.
The coconut continued to shine brightly throughout the wake held in honor of the little prince Elegua . This coconut was also respected and venerated with great awe by all those present, including the little prince's family.
Just at that time the town where the little prince lived was being affected by great devastation, which was leaving the place with famine and extreme poverty, it was at that moment when the king thought that it was because the coconut had been forgotten again and it was when he decided that they should consecrate it so that it will last throughout history and for many more centuries it would protect that town.
When they conceived of this feat, they decided to use a stone that could represent the spirit of the coconut. Thus, they used a stone called Otá , which came to symbolize the spirit within the fruit. The coconut itself was named Elegua . It is precisely the Otá that is given to newly initiated members by their godparents or priests of the religion, representing Elegua . Over the years, this has become a very important tradition.
It is very important that the people who receive this stone are committed to the religion and also to the intention of venerating Elegua, since they must take care of the Otá with great attention to serve, honor and dedicate care, this will result in Elegua being willing to help them in the problems that may arise in the future or throughout life.
Prayer to Elegua
It is important to highlight the significance of the prayer to Elegua for people who practice this religion, since through this prayer to Elegua it is possible to invoke this Orisha , because he has enormous and extraordinary power when invoked as the main and relevant protection within the place.
It must be kept in mind that due to the warrior nature of this Orisha , when invoked he can join other Orishas of the same nature who are just as strong and important as him. In this case, there are Oggún and Oshosi in the Oddé group ; these are the ones indicated and in charge of guiding the large group of followers who accompany them every day in this religion.
Now it's time for you to learn how to invoke Elegua and everything about this powerful saint. He has the character of a warrior, and due to his history, large stones or rocks are part of his symbolism. This saint can reside inside the house, but he will be located behind the doors. He can and should also be present on the exterior of the house. Find more information at Eleguá.
Because of this, he is the only saint with two thrones: one must be found inside the house behind a door, and the other must be present outside the home. The saint's feast day is July 13th, when prayers to Elegua are offered . He is also venerated every Monday and on the 3rd of each month.
The days we already mentioned are sacred days for the saint Elegua , so it is common to perform a prayer to Elegua on those days. It is also customary to light white candles for this saint on his days, as it is believed that this color is his favorite. On the other hand, liquor is poured on top of his thrones and tobacco is smoked on the thrones as a representation of honor.
On the other hand, it is important to highlight that despite being a Saint , Elegua is represented as a small prince child. This explains his rather fun, cheerful, but also capricious character. Therefore, when making offerings, followers of this religion not only offer prayers to Elegua , but also give this saint sweets, toys, and fun objects as offerings.
Types and rituals
The truth is that there are several prayers to Eleguá , but it's quite easy to distinguish them since each one has a specific aim or purpose, depending on what each person wishes to achieve or ask for. Most of the time, people pray to Eleguá specifically, asking for a solution to a problem that is seriously troubling them.
There are other saints in the religion, but each one has different requirements that are requested by them. For Santeros, performing these types of rituals is a rather delicate practice, since it involves not only praying but also other rituals necessary to request the prayer. When prayers are offered, Eleguá will hear the requests, and if they are performed correctly, he will grant the favors requested.
This prayer to Elegua is what opens the paths, which is why it allows for complete spiritual development. For Santeros, it is also very important to learn how to make requests or express desires to their saints. Most of these requests are accompanied by rituals that must be performed precisely, with great faith and respect for the saint to whom the promise or request is being made.
We can offer Eleggua a powerful prayer if we accompany these rituals with other elements, so in most of the rites candles must be lit for the saint, it is also normal to sprinkle rum around the place and also to offer the saint rich foods according to his tastes especially, on some occasions according to the type of request and even animal sacrifices can be made.
Prayer to call Elegua
«Great and powerful warrior Elegua I ask you to come with me,
I call you into my life, to be my protector and my company in each of my days,
I ask you, please, give me one of your 21 sacred paths,
So as I walk along the sacred path I can prepare myself for the conversation,
With this, I can be strong enough to stand up and face the problems that come my way,
Beloved and dear child, come into my life, take my hand and let's walk together side by side,
Grant me one of your carpets of light to guide me along the path I must follow,
I always dear child, I have to venerate, care for and thank you. Amen."
As we explained earlier, to perform this prayer to Elegua, the santero must also carry out a ritual that includes additional elements beyond the prayer itself. These are the elements you will need to perform this ritual.
Materials
The elements required for the prayer to Elegua to have the desired effect are extremely important. All the necessary utensils must be available to perform the special ritual with the respect, honor, and gratitude that Elegua deserves.
- You must have a White Candle at hand.
- It is also important to have a Light Blue Candle.
- The colors of the candles have to be reflected in the saint, you must have a Purple Candle.
- A Green Candle is essential to perform the ritual.
- Honey from bees is very important, you must have it to be able to pray to Choose.
- An image of the Holy Elegance It is necessary for your prayers to be heard.
- Having a pen and paper at hand is very important when performing the ritual.
Once we have all the necessary elements to begin the ritual, we must organize them in a special way to begin the prayer to Elegua.
Santeros explain that the proper way to petition Elegua begins with arranging the candles correctly. The candles should be arranged in the shape of a cross in front of Elegua 's image . The candles must be arranged according to their colors in a specific order: first, the white candle; then, to its left, the light blue candle; the purple candle below it; and finally, the green candle on the far left.
After doing this, the honey should be applied to the candles, but not all of them, only the blue, green, and purple ones. On the piece of paper we mentioned earlier, which was necessary along with the pen, write the name of the person making the request, along with the prayer to Elegua . This piece of paper should be wrapped and placed between the candles. Then, you have a 15-minute window in which you light the candles and recite the prayer to Elegua , followed, of course, by the request you wish to make to the saint.
Once the ritual is complete, all that remains is to focus attention on the saint and the request that has been made. Therefore, after finishing the ritual, everything should be left as is, and each day, take 15 minutes to light each of the candles while saying a prayer to Elegua . This ritual should be performed for any of the prayers dedicated to Elegua.
While there are several prayers, each specific to a particular situation—such as prayers for love, opening paths, domination, controlling enemies, or even just spiritual cleansing—it's important to have the necessary elements to perform the prayer to Elegua and the ritual correctly. Below, we explain how to ask Elegua for the favors you need, according to each circumstance:
Prayer to Elegua for love
When all the materials that are necessary to carry out the ritual are already known and the steps to follow are also known to be able to pray to Elegua, by organizing the necessary elements for the ritual in an ideal way, it is possible to master the ritual and in this way it can be made easier to make sentences with more specific purposes.
By lighting candles, a person can offer a prayer to Elegua of their choice or one they need to use at a specific moment, depending on the situations they are experiencing in life. If the difficult situations they are facing are related to love, these can be resolved by saying the following prayer to Elegua , as it is based on solving problems in that area.
Letter of the Prayer to attract love
«Dear Elegua, in the name of the Lord of Heaven, God the Creator Father, I call you to be invoked,
Lord and owner of the 21 paths, great Elegua who has the power to open all doors
The one who manages to guide the paths of my life, manages all the favorable opportunities for me and blesses my steps,
Both day and night, the person in charge of taking care of my health and that of my family, constantly giving us prosperity,
I leave my happiness in your hands, since I know that you will be able to illuminate my soul and my spirit,
Today I ask you to protect my home and take care of all my family, friends, relatives and loved ones.
Allow prosperity and love to always abound in my paths
Also happiness, joy and that these paths are never closed for me
Elegua today I ask you to come closer to me, so that you remove everything bad that can be found in my environment,
Every bad thought, every negative energy and every bad influence that can be found near my being,
Keep away from me being loneliness, darkness and any bad intention they may have against me,
Today great elegua I ask you to please take care of my home and be the protector of my house and my whole family,
Also protect me (Full name of the person performing the prayer) my family, my work,
Today I come to you, the great and eternal messenger of prosperity
Allow it to come into my life, with abundance and strength, and grant me
All the good fortune that is bestowed and designated for me by the Orishas
I ask you today with great faith Elegua, that you give me and my whole family the blessings of Olorun
So that he takes care of my whole being and also of everything I represent, that it be enlightened,
Oh please Elegua powerful strong and omnipotent, come take my hand and let's walk together side by side
I ask you to serve as my companion and protector at all times, open my sacred path
If one day I have to face a great obstacle, I only ask you for wisdom and peace to be able to face it
Give me strength to overcome the damage that obstacle may leave, and after healing to be able to emerge victorious
I (Name of the person who is praying) will be infinitely grateful if you listen to my prayers,
Grant me a safe and proper path to travel and I will bless your name forever, until the end of time,
Please protect me day and night and help me so that my heart at all times enjoys great happiness.
In this way you can bring to my life a good love, with great virtues that never departs from me.
A love blessed by God and by you dearest Elegua, a love that lasts until the end of time full of sweetness
And it will be blessed also by all existing heavenly beings
Today after all my prayers I want to thank you for listening to me and guiding my paths my dear Orisha
Thank you for attending and understanding my most humble wishes, and favors, which will be conceived,
Well, I know that you will be working every day to help me and fulfill my prayers and to guide and improve all my paths.
Under the grace of God amen."
It is important that the person performing the ritual and prayer for Elegua does so with great faith, devotion, and attention to the saint, as this prayer will be heard by him, and the stronger the prayer, the stronger the connection will be, allowing the saint to respond to the supplications.
Prayer to Elegua to dominate
It's common for people to seek prayers to dominate someone else, especially in romantic relationships or when trying to win someone's heart. A prayer to Elegua to dominate a man can sometimes yield favorable results. There are also cases where people wish to have control over an enemy; in such instances, this prayer can subdue someone and prevent them from causing harm.
This type of prayer can be more powerful, therefore there are some differences when performing the prayer and organizing the ritual. Primarily, it is necessary to have a large image of Elegua on hand , which should be placed in a convenient location to accommodate the other elements. It is also important to have a large candle, which should be offered for domination and lit to begin the ritual, as well as offering tobacco for domination.
All of this is necessary for this particular prayer to Elegua , which is for domination and must be done in this way, because it is a prayer of domination and so that it can be heard by the Orisha . Here we will leave the prayer that is indicated for domination. Below you will find the Prayer to Elegua to overcome enemies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P514lSfZTGA
Lyrics of the Prayer to Dominate
"Great and mighty Laroye Elegua, great invincible warrior,
With the permission and consent of God, I (name of the person praying) invoke you
You who have the power to open all paths, Great Bold Orisha,
That in dominion and love you are really effective,
On this occasion I come to ask your permission, to invoke the great spirit of the domain,
So that with your attention, work and help my loved one (Name of the loved one)
Be guided by your great paths calmly and that when you are far from me you feel anguish or despair in your heart,
I beg you my great warrior Elegua,
That you allow me whoever is the person who manages to dominate his thoughts,
May I be the object of all your love,
May all your senses and your soul bend before me without much effort,
That he lose his reason for it and also his sanity,
(At this time it is ideal to conjure a tobacco and place a candle for domain in prayer)
My dear saint Elegua, who can do everything with his force of domination,
Today I beg you to tie him to me, beloved, to my person, without being able to withdraw
That only I (name of the person who is making the request) can be the owner of their love and dedication
That your whole body, mind and spirit work only for me and for me,
That you can not feel calm when you are alone
May he achieve peace when he crosses my path, and is by my side
May I (Name of the person who is praying to Elegua) always be the person who is the object of his wishes,
That you only want me, when you seek to kiss, hug, love or search,
May it come to me every day always meek and pleading for my love,
Please allow my great Orisha Elegua, that my beloved feel madly attracted to me,
May he feel only lost in love for me and in my presence feel grateful,
May he not have eyes to look with desire at another being, may all his daily desires be only for me,
That (name of the person you want to dominate) just wants to feel loved by me and live for me and for me,
I ask you, my warrior Elegua, to bring my beloved before my feet, totally meek and dominated,
May your body, soul and thoughts in general be all for me,
This will be decreed and it will be so, in your name I decree it and so be my Laroye Elegua,
My vigorous and protective Elegua, Amen.»
Prayer to Elegua to open paths
Since the beginning of time, Elegua has been the warrior who opens the paths, for he is their master and has the power to guide people along the most suitable routes. That is why he is always chosen when people feel lost, so they can return to the path that will bring them greater happiness. This is often the root of the problems people face in their lives, and because of this, they often pray to Elegua, asking for a favor and hoping he will restore their sense of direction.
There are various reasons why people turn to Elegua for prayers , the main one being that they encounter numerous obstacles along their path and need or seek help to overcome these problems in a special way, with something that gives them confidence and truly grants them faith and hope. Sometimes they also pray to Elegua because they need to achieve specific goals or overcome paths that have become more difficult over time.
To make a request and a prayer to Elegua, it is always necessary to have an appropriate environment and space to do so, since it is a truly sacred act which has great importance and that is why it must be done with seriousness and with great attention.
In this case, the person who wishes to make the request must have an image of Elegua to place in front, then they will have to take two large red candles and place them parallel to each other since these are what will represent the path, it is also a good idea to place tools as offerings of the warrior.
Letter of the prayer that opens the paths
«I invoke you great Lord Elegua, you who with your great gifts can manage to open all the roads,
I invoke your presence now, with my humble prayers,
Your great warrior, the one in charge of giving and delivering the messages to Olofin
I beg you with great love Orisha of the roads,
May you grant me success in each of the steps I take in my life
May you give me success in every goal and dream that I set for myself
I pray to you, great warrior of the roads
That you manage to remove all the bad influences that can be found in my destiny and in my environment,
Clean all the obstacles that you want to pose in my way, so that I can be victorious,
Eliminate from my path all the evils that may be weighing me down,
You the great companion of Eshu and Olofin, holy Elegua,
Guide my way with your gifts please, Lord Almighty
Today with great gratitude I come to you Orisha warrior, so that you protect my house and my family,
So that you protect my loved ones and also be able to guide their destiny,
And guide my steps to be adventurous and full of fortune and abundance,
I evoke your presence by my side, holding my hand and may you always be together with me,
Get rid of all negative paths and people from my side,
Always illuminate every step I take every day, and dominate every second of my destiny with your strength,
I implore you from my most holy heart Elegua, take care of all my family and my loved ones,
Take care of me from all evil, may it always be so,
Amen."
It is very important to emphasize the importance of offering this prayer with great faith, hope, and seriousness. Therefore, if it is done in this way, it will be better received by the great warrior Orisha Elegua , and the person with this same attitude will receive the fulfillment of their request through the Orisha. If you enjoyed the content of this article, we invite you to read the following prayer to Obatalá.