Vila Prudente, Sao Paulo. I observed Augusta throwing buzios (cowrie shells) for Lucas today. This practice of divination, like reading palms or tarot cards, involves the diviner (usually the mãe de santos or Candomble priestess) consulting with a client regarding their spiritual and earthly concerns. The mae de santos throws the shells into a basket on the table and reads messages from orixás – the pattern of the shells denoting which orixá has sent the message and the message itself. Sometimes Augusta threw the shells multiple times before she spoke. After several interpretations, she invited Lucas to ask the orixás questions. Earlier, when Lucas sat down at the table, Augusta gave him a rock to hold in each hand. The final step of the consultation involved placing the rocks, which had been warming in Lucas’ hands for about 40 minutes, into the basket and then throwing the shells over them. Augusta read further messages from these patterns. Through the entire consultation, Augusta made careful note of which orixas were sending the messages and related the messages to the aspects of Lucas’ patron orixá, Logun-Ede.
I have long been interested in the Candomble paraphenalia in Augusta’s house and buzios space. In the living room, she and Raul keep a collection of orixa figurines, many of which were given as presents and thus some are duplicated. Upstairs, for the consultation, she placed a number of shells, beads, bracelets, scarves, a candle, and a glass of water on the buzios table. Though I don’t yet know the significance of each item, clearly the shells have a relation to Oxum, her guardian orixá of the waters. In Candomble, each orixá is associated with a different stone, metal, period of the year, and other signifiers, much like the signs of the zodiac or the Chinese tradition of birth-year animals. Clearly, the items on the table have these relations with some or all of the orixás. Equally interesting, are the wall decorations around the buzios table. There are rather well-done paintings and drawings representing Oxum and Obaluaiê, her and Raul’s guardian orixás. There are also a couple pictures of her in full Oxum costume (a full yellow and gold dress, headdress, and oxum paraphenalia) representing her orixá before incorporation. (BTW, she creates all of her dresses for Candomblé.) As much for storage as for axe (spiritual energy), Augusta keeps four drums reserved for use in Candomble rituals opposite the buzios table. The fact that two of these drums are in great need of repair only attests to the energy long since put into them. With all of this just a few feet from the ronco (the room of elaborate shrines of clay and metal bowls each representing a different orixas... but which is too sacred to photograph), it is impossible to feel that her work is not taken seriously.
