Leading a Yemayá Goddess Circle
- thechakraoracle
- Jun 9, 2021
- 8 min read
Updated: Feb 26
Yemayá is the Yoruba Mother Goddess of the Ocean. This post will teach you about Yemayá, how to connect with her, & rituals for leading a Yemayá Goddess Circle.
About Yemayá
Yemayá is the Yoruba Mother Goddess of the Ocean, symbolizing motherhood, fertility, emotional healing, & the life-giving power of water.
The Yoruba religion is indigenous to the Yoruba people of West Africa, primarily from Nigeria, Benin, & Togo. It is an influential spiritual system with practices & beliefs that spread across the African diaspora, especially in the Americas & the Caribbean. Many followers embrace traditional Yoruba practices alongside Christianity or Islam, while others maintain the faith in its original form. Due to the transatlantic slave trade, Yoruba spiritual traditions traveled to the Americas, blending with Catholicism & indigenous beliefs, leading to the development of Vodou, SanterÃa, & Candomblé.
The Yoruba religion is monotheistic at its core, recognizing Olodumare (also known as Olorun) as the supreme God & creator of the universe. It regards Orishas as powerful deities or spirits who serve as intermediaries between humans & Olodumare. Each Orisha governs different aspects of nature, human life, & spiritual development. There are hundreds of Orishas, but Yemayá is one of the most well-known & is considered the Mother of all Orishas.
Yemayá was once a powerful Orisha in the heavens. She descended to Earth (Ayé) to become the Great Mother & became pregnant with all the Orishas who would later govern different aspects of the world. When her waters broke, immense floods of water gushed from her womb, becoming the Earth’s rivers, lakes, & oceans. These sacred waters gave birth to the first Orishas & all living things. From that moment on, Yemayá became the spirit of the ocean, eternally flowing, protecting, & nurturing life.
There are different versions of how Yemayá became pregnant. In some traditions, Yemayá was not impregnated by a male deity but was an eternal, self-generating mother, much like the Virgin Mary in Catholicism. In other traditions, Obatalá, the Orisha of wisdom, creation, & purity, was Yemayá’s consort.
Yemayá’s sister is Olokun, who rules the deep sea & holds its greatest secrets & mysteries.
Yemayá’s feast day is typically celebrated on September 7th in SanterÃa, Candomblé, & other Afro-Caribbean traditions. A Feast Day is a special day dedicated to honoring a deity, saint, or spiritual figure through rituals, prayers, & offerings. On Yemayá’s feast day, devotees honor her by wearing blue & white, bringing offerings to the ocean or river, performing dances & drumming to connect with her energy, & lighting candles in prayer for protection, healing, & blessings.
Yemayá is called upon for emotional & physical healing, as her waters are believed to have the power to cleanse, purify, & restore balance. Traditional rituals for Yemayá include prayers by the sea, candlelight vigils, & moonlit ceremonies. Traditional offerings to Yemayá include white flowers, seashells, watermelon, coconut, fish, rice, molasses, & honey.
Her theme's include: The ocean, water, healing, purification, compassion, serenity, motherhood, feminine power, fertility, creation, sensuality, love, devotion, nurturing, protection, resilience, wisdom, intuition, the moon, mystery, dreams, emotional intelligence, emotional balance, abundance, & prosperity.
Yemayá's Imagery
Ocean, Waves, & Currents: Yemayá, the great mother of the life-giving ocean, embodies both gentle nurturing & powerful unpredictability.
Colors: Blue & White: Deep & light blues symbolize the ocean’s depths, wisdom, serenity, & healing, while white represents purity, protection, & motherhood.
Mermaid’s Tail: Yemayá's mermaid's tail connects her to oceanic mysteries, embodying deep wisdom & enchantment. In Afro-Caribbean & Brazilian traditions, she is linked to Las Sirenas (the Mermaids) & like mermaids, Yemayá is revered as a guardian of the sea, protecting sailors & fishermen, ensuring safe passage & abundant waters.
The Moon: The moon governs tides, emotions, & feminine energy.
Seashells: These are messages from the sea & conduits of her wisdom, often used in divination & altars dedicated to her.
Pearls: Symbolize hidden wisdom, treasures, & the ocean’s mysteries.
Long Flowing Blue or White Dress: Resembling ocean waves, her dress embodies grace & divine femininity.
Crown Adorned with Pearls or Shells: Signifies her sovereignty as queen of the sea, embodying wisdom & power.
Holding a child: Reinforces her role as a divine mother, protector, & nurturer of all.
Marine Life (Fish, Dolphins, Turtles): Represents fertility, protection, & her deep connection to the ocean’s creatures.
The number seven: Yemayá is closely linked to the number 7, representing the Seven Seas. Devotees often offer seven candles, flowers, or coins in her honor.
A Prayer for Yemayá
Oh, Yemayá, Mother of the Ocean & Keeper of the Seven Seas,
May your waves carry these prayers to the vast, eternal blue.
From the First Sea, the Sea of Love,
Bless us with an open heart, flowing with love as freely as the tide.
From the Second Sea, the Sea of Healing,
Wash away our wounds, seen & unseen to restore & renew our strength.
From the Third Sea, the Sea of Abundance,
Flow into our life with prosperity & nourishment, providing for all who dwell in your waters.
From the Fourth Sea, the Sea of Wisdom,
Let your deep currents whisper truths, guiding our paths with clarity & patience.
From the Fifth Sea, the Sea of Protection,
Surround us with waves of safety & grace to protect us from harm seen & unseen.
From the Sixth Sea, the Sea of Fertility,
Bless our creations - whether of womb, mind, or spirit - so they may flourish & bring joy to the world.
From the Seventh Sea, the Sea of Peace,
Soothe our soul as the moon soothes your tides, offering serenity & divine trust.
Oh, Yemayá, Great Mother of the Seven Seas,
we honor you with gratitude, love, & devotion.
Leading a Yemayá Goddess Circle:
Building the Altar:
Build an altar for your circle with a vessel of water at the center. Incorporate seashells, pearls, & shades of blue & white to evoke Yemayá's spirit. Include seven candles with seven flowers to represent her seven seas.
Invite guests to wear shades of blue & white, encouraging fantasy & mermaid dress up. You may even offer mermaid make up as guests arrive.
Opening the Circle:
Prepare to open the circle by helping guests to ground & center in their body & breath. After the group is grounded & centered, invite everyone to call to mind one of their favorite bodies of water, be that a big ocean or a tiny pond. Have them imagine sitting right beside this body of water, perhaps dipping their toes in or even swimming / floating in it. As they spend some time here, encourage them to notice how they feel & to bring a sense of gratitude for these waters into their heart.
Placing both hands on the heart, offer sincere Gratitude to Yemayá for her waters. Have guests hold this gratitude in their heart as you recite the prayer above for Yemayá. As you call upon each of the seven seas, light a corresponding candle for it until all seven candles have been lit. Once all seven candles are lit, you are ready to begin your circle.
It is important circle guests have a chance to share at the beginning & end of every circle. After opening the circle, ask guests to introduce themselves - sharing their name, where they're joining from, what motivated them to join today's Yemayá Goddess Circle, & one thing they love about water.
Ritual - Healing with Yemayá's Water:
Water is healing. It cleanses, purifies & renews. This is why we use it in cleaning our homes, our bodies, & our wounds. It also protects & nourishes, keeping a baby safe in the womb & helping our gardens to grow. This ritual works with Yemayá's water for healing & has two parts.
PART ONE - PRAYERS FOR HEALING
Step One: Journaling
Begin by journaling on these three questions:
What healing do I need most right now?
What healing do I wish for someone or someones that I love?
What healing does the collective need most right now?
Then journal on what qualities or gifts Yemayá can offer to support this healing. For example, I need help falling asleep at night (insomnia). I can ask Yemayá for a calm & serene mind when it comes time to rest, since serenity is one of her gifts.
Step Two: Prayers
Now the group is ready to make prayers to Yemayá. Use the vessel of water from the center of your circle for the rest of this ritual. Every circle participant will take a turn adding their prayers to this water.
Begin by breathing into the water vessel - this adds your Spirit to it. Hold the water at your heart & speak aloud to Yemayá, asking for her healing gifts as you've written them down. For example, I would say:
"Oh Yemayá, I pray for myself a calm & serene mind when it comes time to rest.
Yemayá, I pray for the beloved in my heart that you help to wash away the pain & heaviness of heartbreak & offer resilience & emotional balance. I pray for the other beloved in my heart that you help to wash away untrue & unhelpful beliefs with compassion & unconditional love.
Dearest Yemayá, I pray for the collective a restoration of feminine power & protection for all women & oppressed peoples worldwide."
Pass the water vessel around the circle until every participant has added their breath & prayers to it.
Step Three: Spell Jars
Lastly, use small spell jars to take home these healing waters. Use a funnel to fill each bottle with the water. You may also wish to add small blue crystals, seashells, or salt to further capture Yemayá's energy.
By holding physical space for your prayers, their intention is amplified! Circle guests will be happy to have something magical to take home with them.
PART TWO - WASHING AWAY
Next, we will ask Yemayá to wash away what no longer serves us. Give everyone a piece of water soluble paper & ask them to write down what they would like help releasing on it. Then pass around a large bowl of water. Each person will take a turn adding their paper to it & watching it disappear like magic.
Closing the Circle:
After all this magic, you are ready to close the circle. Ask everyone to hold their spell jar at their heart center & close their eyes. Take a few heart centering breaths & hold the intention of healing. Hold it not only for your own prayers, but for all of the prayers made in today's circle. Take some time to be grateful for water, its healing properties, & say a big thank you to Yemayá.
When you are ready, blow out all seven of the candles & bow forward to close the circle.
Learn the Art of Hosting Circles
Hosting circles can be a deeply rewarding & fulfilling part of life. Every circle has a center & as the host, you get to create that center & invite others to contribute to it. If you are feeling the call to lead circle, join my three hour masterclass on the Art of Hosting Circles. This workshop covers:
Creating the Center
Opening & Closing Circles
Designing Rituals
Leadership Roles
Marketing
Getting Started
The different leadership roles I cover include host, co-host, guardian, & facilitator. Not all of these roles must be filled or filled by different people, but getting more leaders involved can strengthen the safety & stability of your circle.