All of my Spiritual Godchildren and some of the visitors to the Ile Awo Orisa website have asked me for advice on setting up an altar to their Orisa or Egun. Setting up an altar for your Ancestors is not so complicated and for the most part is a matter of personal preference. Choose a dedicated location where the altar will not be disturbed and where you can have privacy when you want to spend some quality time talking with your Egun. Lay a piece of white cloth in the area or some other color if it somehow has significance for your family, although I'd say black is probably not a good choice. Time spent with your Egun should be an uplifting and joyful experience.
Gather some pictures, obituaries, and other articles (like jewelry, watches, metals, etc.) that are tied to one or more of your Egun and place them on the altar. You can also add a vase for flowers and definitely a glass or wooded goblet for you to offer them cool water (Omi Tutu) every few days. That's it! You've established an altar to your Egun and you can add items to it as they inspire you to do so. Every now and then an Ancestor may remind you of some item of theirs (that you had forgotten) that they would like you to put on the altar. You can also add one or more candles to light when you are spending quality time at the altar. I like the seven-day candles in the tall glass containers because you can leave them burning if they are in a good location with nothing flammable above them. Establishing your Ancestral altar is a wonderful way of enhancing your sense of connectedness to your lineage and reminding yourself that you are not alone on this journey.
Establishing an Orisa Aye Ijosin (altar) is a different matter. I have altars to all eight of the Oju Orisa (Principle Orisa) in my Ile since it is Ile Awo Orisa (The House Of the Mysteries of Orisa) and is connected to the entire Orisa Pantheon. But this is not the norm. I've guided my Spiritual Godchildren in setting up their Orisa Aye Ijosin, but this has been done with limited knowledge. A year of so ago I decided it was time to seek more knowledge on this subject and wrote to the Isoro Traditional Council of Chiefs for their guidance and wisdom. I share with you now some excerpts from their response to me (edited only for grammar, spelling, and comprehension).
The setting up of an AYE IJOSIN (altar) varies according to the individual and the Orisa as well as the location, if any, of the ORUNMILA shrine. It requires individual readings on specific spots and locations, bearing in mind the spiritual and physical degrees as explained in the previous correspondence. The requirements and advice of the ordained priests are a different angle to also setting up AYE IJOSIN. For instance, a SANGO PRIEST CAN NOT SET UP AN ALTAR FOR A SON/DAUGHTER OF OGUN. The reasons can simply be explained by the reaction of two positive ends of a magnet that repels each other. Sometimes, one elder/Babalawo can prepare AYE IJOSIN while at other times it will require more than one to create the complete balance of EMI AKO ATI OBI (the feminine/male energy or vice versa, that is the positive/negative essence of the Orisa). It is strongly advised that a thorough and comprehensive reading be done on each particular Omo Awo to ascertain what their Ori requires for them to communicate from both the spiritual and the physical realm.
It should be clear from this response that setting up an altar to your Orisa must be undertaken with great care, especially if you are Crowned by more than one Orisa. Of course, many of us live in areas where we do not have access to multiple Babalawos, and in some cases, not even one. In these instances, my advice is to follow the general guidelines for an Ancestral altar except you would use the color(s) of the particular Orisa for your cloth, other items that are symbolic of the Orisa (for example a brass or copper mirror and comb for Orisa Oshun, or sea shells for Orisa Yemoja/Olokun, or a machete or railroad tie for Ogun, lord of metal). You can download the Orisa Ebos (pdf. document) to learn what items to offer to the Orisa to homage and feed them. If you have more questions, write to me and I will be happy to forward your questions to the Council to see if we can get additional information to assist you.
