FAQs
ON INITIATIONS
I was initiated in Candomblé to orixá Oya and received up to my third-year obligations. is it possible to take
my other Obligations in Batuque? (E, Porto Alegre, Brazil)
It is possible but a divination must be made in order to determine what types of
ceremonies you will need to take. Batuque, however, does not have the Obrigações by year like Candomblé, so you will not take,
in Batuque, a seventh-year or a fourteenth-year obligation. In Batuque, your orisha will be fed in the Tradition. Most houses
would make you start from scratch, making you forsaking what has been done but this is definitely not the policy of the Àse
ògúndadegbé nor of our lineage. We would honor your previous ceremonies and hel you proceed from where you stopped.
Must I take the Aborisha ceremonies before moving up to the Orixá crowning? (A, Curitiba, Brasil)
If
your question is whether or not you must take the Aborisha phase (like an introductory
suite of rituals in order to start your practice in Batuque) and after a year or so return to us for the Orisha Crowning,
then the answer is ‘no’. the Aborisha phase is our internal (House) practice as a means of organizing in the best
way possible the standard ceremonies of our tradition; the ceremonies are the same ones of mainstream Batuque.
I’m an initiate in the Lukumi Diaspora tradition. I’m interested
to know which initiations are available for someone already crowned with an Orisa in another tradition (C, San Juan, Puerto Rico)
Usually, if you are already crowned, you do not crown again as
crowning is performed once only. If all you want to do is to be an orisa initiate (that is, if you do not intend to become
a Babalorixá in Batuque (Babalocha, in Santeria), then you do not need to do any further ceremonies. If, on the other hand,
you want to become a priest, then you may come to us and take a major ceremony that will connect you with our lineage and
will allow you to proceed with your priestly training at our House. On completion of your training, you will then take another
major ceremony for your ‘ordination’ as a Babalorixá. This
applies to our House only. I cannot speak for other Batuque houses as they may differ in practice. Becoming a priest in our
tradition requires the receiving of 14-16 orisa vessels in addition to at least two ‘Axés’ (permission). The ceremony is known as Aprontamento
com Todos os Axés. At Àse Ògúndadegbé, though,
no final decision is reached until a divination is done for you to
determine exactly what must be done in your case. You will, however, retain the very same orishas that you crowned and received
(you should bring your soperas for your initiations). For further information,
please enquire privately.
I am already an initiate in another African tradition. Must I stop practicing it in order to be initiated into
Batuque? (P., Miami,
USA)
Usually you do not have to neglect your
spiritual obligations at another system in order to practice Batuque. There are batuqueiros who also attend Catholic Masses
and it is not rare to see Batuque houses that are ‘casas cruzadas’ i.e., houses in which two or more Afro-Brazilian
traditions are practiced. But it also very much depends what tradition that you are involved into. If it is regarded as ‘negative’
then you might be requested to stop practicing it before entering Batuque. The final decision about this is determined by
Ifá, through divination, and it is usually your crown orisa who will say whether or not you may continue with your current
practices before entering Batuque.
How long does
it take to become a full priest in Batuque? Can I initiate directly into the Priestly ceremony? (J., Buenos Aires, Argentina)
Nobody in Batuque will initiate you directly
into the priestly orders unless they are after your money! Batuque is an ancestral religion of some 300-400 years with
roots that can be backtraced to Motherland Africa (although you will not find Batuque there!). It requires some time
for you to initiate and learn this tradition. There is no such a thing as a “fly-by-night” full priestly initiation
after a crash course in Batuque. If you initiate with us and follow the post-initiation training that you will receive, you
may return for further ceremonies three years after your Orisa Crowning and take the Priestly (Olorisa) Initiation.
When can I start
initiating other people? (M., Pelotas, Brazil)
After you have mastered the fundamentos of Batuque. You must take the Priestly / Olorisa Initiation and follow the advanced training we offer
in order to be able to initiate others. In due time, you come with the people that you wish to initiate to our mother House
and you initiate them here. Your initiator must be present when you initiate others in Batuque so, your best bet is to bring
them to our House in Brazil where
you would initiate them here under our tutelage. In this way, they will be accepted into the Batuque community throughout
this country. After your ‘liberation’, you are free to initiate anyone you wish without your initiator being present.
Must I be liberated
in order to practice Batuque? (G., Rome, Italy)
No. In fact, most people do not wish to
be liberated even when they already run their own Batuque Houses. They remain linked to the mother house and continue to attend
major ceremonies there. Incidentally, the mother house members also attend the “daughter-house” events.
Do I have to
wear white for a year after I have made ocha? (F., New
York, USA)
No, this is not the practice within Batuque. There
will be a few taboos (Resguardo) to be kept for some time (usually a
few weeks) but those do not include wearing white. Batuque will not interfere in your personal, social or professional
life after the Resguardo.
