The third energy center is Oshun, which governs the solar-plexus/ or navel center. In the Yoruba context, Oshun symbolizes clarity and flowing motion.

This center is a common site of energy blockages and disease. Through this orisha in the astral and etheric bodies, we find that humanity is conditioned by the arousal of the life-force "Aganyu" through joy, pleasure, and desire, be it good, bad, selfish, or spiritual. This orisha is the vast clearing house for overindulges/ passions, wastefulness, craving for drugs, alcohol, carelessness, and narcissistic behavior. From an emotional and spiritual perspective, this orisha is linked to the issue of personal power. We think of personal power as having some control over one's life. This includes how people view themselves in relation to others 'such as employers, spouses, friends, and family. The inner feeling of powerlessness and a sense of a lack of control in one's life directly affects the energy flow through Oshun.

Oshun is also a seat of anger, aggression, and other emotions. As the function Of Oshun is rooted in the animal spirit, it is directly in control of physical phenomena, especially the influences of instincts, emotions, and sensuous energies. These emotions are often connected to an individual's sense of personal power and the issues of how much control they have over their lives. Needless to say, this causes stress to manifest in the form of energy blockages in this center. Its physical counterpart is the pancreas. This gland secretes pancreatic juice, the enzymes of which help with the digestion of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. This center also governs the stomach, liver, gall bladder, spleen, adrenal glands, lumbar vertebrae, and the digestive system. The orisha Oshun supplies nutritive subtl energy to all of the major organs involved indigestion and purification. In the majority of people, it is found to be "over-stimulated", resulting in nervous disorders, stomach, gall bladder and liver diseases.

Dysfunction of Oshun is one of the most often causes of cancer. Certain reactions between this center and the heart orisha causes congestion of the solar-plexus center. This has a profound effect upon the bloodstream and brings about a proliferation of tissue, creating growths and tumors of a malignant nature. The role of Oshun is to supply "vital energy" to all the orishas in the human energy system as well as the etheric body. It must be understood that the seven major orishas appeared during the course of the human's early evolution as a response to the impact of the seven major streams of energy that are said to have formed on the African continent. According to Yoruba healing principles, Oshun is the source of power that determines the bio-chemical make up of the individual. The health of the body type depends on this fact. Vitality and nutrition is closely linked to the correct functioning of African physiology. Some of the most frequent diseases we hear from people world wide is colon cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, sickle cell anemia, and hypertension. African nutritional science suggests that if people eat the foods that match their unique energy/ bio- chemistry, this will do much to improve their vitality, thus enhancing their ability to throw off disease. The word "Vitamin" is a term which broadly translated means "vital to life". The Vital force is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the physical – etheric body Yoruba healing traditions teaches that the human body has a vital force (energy to mutate, electromagnetic field, or aura) that allows the body to transmute one vitamin into another type of vitamin. Its presence in correct proportions is essential to health, and it is for this reason that people must give it careful consideration when choosing their diet.

There are different types of vital force, but our main concern is with that vital force which emanates from the sun. The sun radiates vital energy throughout our entire solar system, and is assimilated by all life forms, be they planetary, human, animal, or plants. Each life form absorbs this vital energy, circulate it, and keeps what is required to maintain its integrity. In the human body, this vital energy is distributed through the orisha oshun (by way of the spleen) to all of the other major orishas, and from there, sent to the organic systems of the physical body. The plant and animal kingdoms function in a similar fashion, so that an interchange of energies occur between man and plants, using the etheric web as a medium for exchange. For example, when plant food is ingested into the human body, the vital energy from the plant is discharged and blends with the vital energy of the human energy field, thus increasing vitality and health to the physical form. Modern health science now recognizes that vitamins are an essential factor to the physiological processes of the body, and that a complete lack of a single vitamin in the diet, like vitamin C, or one of the B complex vitamins, can eventually result in cancer and death. African nutritional health science now tells us that people of African descent require the vitamin "nitriloside" in their everyday diet in order to maintain integrity of their unique bio-chemistry. Today, however, with an increasing array of de-vitalized foods on the market, many of which are saturated with preservatives and other toxic additives that have an insidious effect in undermining the health of our people, the role of African nutritional food factors in supplementing the diet needs careful consideration on the part of Africans living in Western societies. Another widespread disease that is associated with the imbalance of Oshun is diabetes. The energetic aspects of diabetes is not addressed by conventional Western medicine, even though it is important in the process of this disease. Over-stimulation of this orisha is also connected with many kinds of skin eruptions, and leads to acne, eczema, discoloration, and ashy skin.

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As always, let me know what you think in the comment section. We will be tackling issues of the Solar Plexus in hopes that Oshun’s guidance will help us heal.