An Egg Story

As I prepare to poach my eggs for my husband and I, for breakfast, I stop and take a look at them. Examining the egg, I notice, it is a perfect and magical object. I think about Easter Eggs, since that holiday is approaching and my previous post about the Tale of the Easter Bunny.

People not involved with paganism or alternative/earth-based spirituality's diverse paths might be more concerned with the egg's nutritional benefits. Those of us on these diverse spiritual paths, see eggs quite a bit differently.

A week or so ago, I was at my son's apartment, reminiscing with my family about past events. One story that reoccurs in our conversation, was that particular son's first exposure to Santeria through an experience with an egg. He was about 2.

I was in my late twenties, so this was a long time ago. My son, I believe he had separation anxiety as a toddler. I was a full-time professor. He spent long periods of time with his brother and the babysitter. We were living in a Mexican American community on the southeast side of Chicago.

When very young, your children are your eggs. They are precious, full of potential and need to be handled with great care. Like any good mama bear, I was highly protective of my young sons at that time.

I came home from work one day to find out that the babysitter had been using what I now understand was either egg magic(k) or egg divination on my son. He would not stop crying and she wanted to either cure him of the spiritual ill he had or she wanted to figure out why he was crying. Maybe she was doing both. I was not there.

In Santeria (Lukumi), the tradition she is involved with, eggs are used magic(k)ally and spiritually. They are also sometimes used in an age-old divination practice that is traced back to Africa called diloggun. I didn't know about any of that, at that time.

I was worried for my son. If anyone was to do magic(k) on him, I felt it should have been me. Now, with time, I question my reaction on many levels. The babysitter was doing her best with what she had. That is the way of many ethnic minorities here and people with an indigenous ancestry. Furthermore, she opened us up to the magic(k)al and curative properties of eggs and for that, I am grateful.