Story
of Ayida Weddo: As snake goddess and the consort of
serpent and rainbow god Damballah, Ayida Weddo’s name means both love and
unity. Damballah and his wife are both known as the Rainbow Serpent. Some
sources have them as husband and wife while others suggest that they are really
twins. In Dahomey, what is now Benin, Ayida Weddo was believed to be created to
hold up the sky and also the sun with her spine. She does this when appearing
as a rainbow serpent. Her snake skin is iridescent and glitters like a suit of
armor in the sunlight. Sometimes she is shown as a serpent with an egg in her
mouth which indicates she is also a fertility goddess. For this reason, Ayida
loves eggs left as offerings to her as well as milk, honey, rice, and sweet
syrups. She also prefers white hens and white goats when petitioned. Ayida’s
favorite plant is the cotton plant. Sometimes Ayida Weddo is depicted as a
slender green snake, as beautiful as a new blade of grass. Ayida’s primary
colors are bright green and white – a luminous white that holds all of the
colors of the rainbow. She is fond of cool tones.
Ayida Weddo and her mate Damballah
are said to appear on opposite sides of the rainbow. Ayido is represented by
the blue side and Damballah is represented by the red side. Like the other
female loas she is known as both a spirit and a goddess. At certain times she
is called “Ayida, Queen of Heavens.” In voodoo, the loa serve in different
capacities. She and Damballah are ancient loas that come from the African
homelands. She is a new world form of Oya, under goddess of the Niger River.
In voodoo, snakes act as
intermediaries between the world of matter and the world of spirit. Ayida Weddo
and her consort Damballah belong to the skies, but are very much in charge of
the weather, seasonal changes, the vegetation and growth on earth. Ayida is a
benevolent spirit, abundant, giving and kind but sometimes her wrath is invoked
and she will react by creating earthquakes and thunderstorms. When she and
Damballah move in reaction, life on earth responds. In many ways they are
parallel to Adam and Eve, in the garden, with their innocence and then
partaking of the apple of wisdom and knowledge suggested to them by a serpent.
When a “possession” take place by
Ayida Weddo during voodoo ceremonies, the one possessed slithers on the floor
or ground while wearing a jeweled headpiece. This is thought to symbolize the
treasures that are to be found at the bottom of the rainbow. During such rites
she does not talk she can only hiss. Ayida Weddo is the projection of all of
the Damballah snakes, or cults of a mother goddess.
Like
Mambo Brigitte, Ayida is the patroness of doorways, sitting rooms, barriers and
even wishing wells. After all, she is the goddess of blessings and the lifting
of obstacles. She helps unite the three worlds of Heaven, Earth and the
Underworld. As “Mother Queen” she stabilizes marriages and uses her gentle
powers to help those be happier in a state of matrimony. In Congo square in New
Orleans, voodoo queen Marie Laveau would dance with a snake to honor Damaballah
and Ayida Weddo. But she does not want to be associated with the ghede spirits
who drink and party.
"In the
beginning there was a vast serpent, whose body formed seven thousand coils
beneath the earth, protecting it from descent into the abysmal sea. Then the
titanic snake began to move and heave its massive form from the earth to
envelop the sky. It scattered stars in the firmament and wound its taught flesh
down the mountains to create riverbeds. It shot thunderbolts to the earth to
create the sacred thunderstones. From its deepest core it released the sacred
waters to fill the earth with life. As the first rains fell, a rainbow
encompassed the sky and Danbala took her, Ayida Wedo, as his wife. The
spiritual nectar that they created reproduces through all men and women as milk
and semen. The serpent and the rainbow taught humankind the link between blood
and life, between menstruation and birth, and the ultimate Vodou sacrament of
blood sacrifice."— Leah Gordon, The Book of Vodou, 1985, Barron's
Educational Series.
Ayida
Weddo meaning: Concerning your questions, now is a time
for obstacles to be lifted giving you a chance to move forward. This card is
simply the rainbow, and all the bounty at the end of the rainbow which awaits
you. If there are blocks to impede your progress, they will cease to be a
frustrating as the one before. It is a time other will open up to you, be more
in tune with your needs and desires. This is also a card of a great and caring
mother, where the abundance comgin from nature and other parts of the natural
world will figure in prominently. If you are in a love relationship, or open to
a new one, this may turn out to be a more mature love, one that is deeper and
more aligned with your goals. It may seem less passionate but will be a period
of a greater, more contented love. However, this does not mean it will not be
sexual, in fact, it will be a greatly sensual affair. Now is the time for your
relationships of all manners and ways to deepen and be ones of satisfaction.
You
are directed at this time to follow your bliss, to reach further, and higher
for that end of the rainbow where the results of your most strident and
cherished dreams await you. Whether you are a man or a woman, you are about to
take on a more maternal role, at least one that nourishes and supports others.
It is time for you to be generous and trusting in what you give and also
receive. You will feel less of a need for competition, reaching a deeper
happiness in your goals and dreams.
This
is the card of mother and giving birth, nurturing and caring for others, and
even working with children. It is having more than enough, and receiving
deserved pleasures. Awards and other acknowledgements are promised, over work
that has been diligent and also more sensible.
Doorways
are opening when this card presents itself, a doorway opening into a garden of
richness, beauty and plenty. It has to do with harmonizing with the natural
rhythms with the world of matter and into the world of spirit. It is divinity
found in nature, and a focusing on the body, improving health and becoming
vibrant. In a man’s reading, this represents his ideal woman or the woman he
loves or hopes to love. In a woman’s reading, it is finding a nurturing mentor
or female friend, or a more realistic relationship based on common goals. With
that said, it is also a card of sex and sensual pleasure. It represents mature
love, giving and receiving pleasure and can also be the card of pregnancy.
Things
associated with Ayida Weddo: Fecundity, riches, sense of well- being,
satisfying sexual relations, the adoration of a woman, to the man, a perfect
woman,
Catholic
Saint: Our Lady of Immaculate Conception
Egyptian
Deity: Nut
Colors:
White,
green and blue
Day
of the week: Saturday
Astrological
archetype: Libra
Tarot
Card: Empress
Holiday: September
7th
