8 Santeria------Shango

Grizabella

Shango is the god of thunder and lightning. He carries a double-sided axe as the symbol of the caprice and creative experience of human sexuality. Shango's power is compared to the libidinal drive which may prove dangerous to the possibilities of a creative sexual relationship.

He's one of the ancestors of the Yoruba people of Nigeria.

He's the son of Yamaya.

Shango has three wives. Oya, who stole his secrets of magic. Oschun, the river goddess who is his favorite because of her culinary skills. And Oba, who tried to win his love by giving him her ear to eat. This angered him and he sent her away to become the river Oba, which is very turbulent where it meets the river Oschun.

His symbolic animal is the ram. His favorite colors are red and white. He sometimes has three heads and six eyes.

I don't have the book, as I've said before, so I'm researching online.
 

MaryElTarotFan

You could expand Chango and the Double Headed Ax into representing the capricious and creative nature of Life. Chango colors, red and white, can represent the hotness of fire and the coolness of water. There is an element of crisis in Chango, to me combined with the idea of keeping a cool head to prevail through it. Chango's mythology is fraught with trail and tribulations from which he emerged triumphant and gained in wisdom and power. He is a very masculine energy and can border on the arrogant sometimes. He does not like people seated in his prescence. He loves to dance and is very loving and quite beloved. Shango is very noble and his children(as well as Yemaya's) enjoy the title oni to reflect that.

When obligations and responsibilites seem to piling up all around you that you don't know where to turn, then the strength of Chango is needed.
 

Little Baron

In the book, it says that Shango is a bright king, firm ruler and master of magick. He is invincible when facing enemies. He is regal when helping friends. His figure is noble.

Shango is the model of the mind, risen to great heights. But his power is the mind working through the earth.

The card also symbolises jealousy and sharing. The primary aspects are 'wise rule ' and family obligations. We are all parts of families, large and small. If we prosper and our brothers and sitters do not share in our wealth, then the ancestors will be upon us - when some have more than they need, the others are going to have less than they need.

Family obligations fullfilled bring bounty to all; family obligations ignored bring destruction.

LB
 

afrosaxon

8 Santeria -- Shango [8 of Pentacles]

Shangó, orisha of war, sits amidst his tribe. His double-edged golden axe is raised in his right hand, in order to harness the power of the lightning. His hands are positioned like that of the Magician: as above, so below. His left hand rests on the mouth of a clay jar; the power from the lightning will be transformed and travels through his left hand into the jar, to become food/water/sustenance for his people. His chair is red (passion, energy). The yellow of the axe and lightning indicates hope and intellectual power.

This is a card of abundance via family/the group; success is insured by making sure that everyone has what they need. It’s a card of the collective; when one suffers, everyone (the group) suffers…when one has, then someone/thing else has to go without.

It ties in with the traditional 8 of Pentacles meaning in that Shangó has to work to keep his family provided for; it doesn’t just come to him, even if he is an orisha.