Today's Goddess:  Asase Yaa <O></O>

Awuru Odo (<ST1><ST1>Nigeria</ST1></ST1>)<O></O>

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Themes:  Death; Truth; Morality; Fertility; Harvest<O></O>

Symbol:  Soil<O></O>

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About Asase Yaa:  In <ST1>West Africa</ST1>, Asase Yaa means "old woman earth".  As such, she governs the soil's fertility, and consequently, the harvest.  This goddess represents the earth's womb, who gives us birth and to whom we all return at death.  In life she presides over and motivates truth and virtue; upon death, she cares for and judges our spirits.  Thursday is the traditional day for honoring her in the sacred space.<O></O>

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To Do Today:  Every two years in April, people in Nigeria honor the spirits of the dead in a special festival that resembles a huge, extended family reunion--which is exactly how we can commemorate Asase Yaa in our own lives.  If you can't assemble with your family because of distance, pull out photographs of loved ones and wrap them in something protective.  Lay these down and sprinkle a little rich soil over them so that Asase Yaa's presence (and, by extension, yours) can be with them this day, no matter where they may be.<O></O>

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To keep Asase Yaa's honesty and scruples as an integral part of your life, take any seed and a little soil and wrap them in cotton, saying, <O></O>

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Into your womb I place the seed of self,<O></O>

to be nurtured in goodness and grown in love.<O></O>

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Carry this token with you to keep Asase Yaa close by.<O></O>