Oshun e Oya: Love & War Showcase Recap

The Sacred "Why" Behind the Magic

As is my custom, I want to share the "why" behind the show.

On May 2nd, the Oshun e Oya: Love & War Showcase took place. If you know me, you know I bring a twist to every show I produce, and this one was no different.

This wasn’t just a showcase; it was an initiation.

Every single dancer I accepted was subject to an energetic pull. I watched their audition video, sat with their energy, and did a card reading to see which goddess from my decks jumped out and chose them. I didn’t amend, alter, or question why a specific goddess chose a specific dancer. I read just enough about the goddess to write the acceptance emails, and then I stepped back.

From that moment on, I did not concern myself with how they would embody that energy. That was no longer my business. It was a sacred contract between that dancer and that goddess for the night.

The Struggle and the Mirror

The responses to the casting emails poured in. One dancer messaged to say she was excited; another was deeply honored by the goddess who chose her. But then, one came forth and said:

"Thorn, I am struggling. I looked into the spirit you pulled for me... I couldn't find anything positive about it. I am not sure how to respond to that being pulled for me in this sense."

But I knew.

I saw what that goddess represented far beyond the card that shot out of the deck. It was an expression of what was already alive in her audition; something lurking just beneath the surface that the dancer didn't yet know how to name.

You get to own all the ways your goddess energy shows up, and exactly how it feels in your unique body. (And trust me, there is more on that to come soon... wink wink).

Beyond the Surface: Love & War

The Oshun e Oya: Love & War Showcase was named for the profound duality that exists within these forces. So often, these orisha are portrayed on a flat, surface level; not by their own doing, but because of the limited understanding of others. There are so many intricate nuances to their stories that get completely overlooked.

• Oshun is so much more than sweet waters. We forget the jealousy she has felt and showcased in the patakis before. We forget the immense sacrifices she made to save humanity; sacrifices that left her beauty stricken from her.

• Oya is more than just the storm. We forget the beauty she never even recognized in herself until she was finally handed a mirror. We forget the pure, childlike joy she felt when she ran to tell her sister that she finally saw her own beauty in the way her sister always got to.

These goddesses have so many faces. You would never know them if you only took them at face value, or if you only revered them for their duties rather than their humanity.

Owning Your Whole Self

I wanted every dancer on that stage to see how their goddess showed up for them, and in them. I wanted to honor the way the Great Mother has blessed every single one of her daughters to be imbued with both the light and the dark that goddess energy carries.

I hope there comes a day when every woman can feel and own every single part of her being; not just the parts that make others comfortable.

"I am every woman, it’s all in me" means so much more than just beauty or duty.

It is:

• Honor and reverence

• Sadness and joy

• Childishness and persnickety humility

• Anger and love

• Solitude and community

• Sensuality and sexuality

• Aloofness

  and intelligence

• Introversion and extroversion

• Indifference and immersion

You are more than just parts. You are never just an object.

You are Love and War wrapped into one single, breathtaking being. Every element in nature is etched directly into your existence.

You are the Goddess.