In the first days of the world when the planet was young, there were only two gods present in the world, being Obatala and his female counterpart, Oddudua. From this pair was born Yemaya and Agallu. Since there were no other beings on earth, Yemaya and Agallu had sexual relationships with each other and from this union was born Orungan. Since there was no other female to have sex with, Orungan became inflamed by his sexual passions to the point that he was trying to have sexual relations with his mother. At this point Yemaya was horrified at the prospect and began to flee him. Such was Orungan's insistance that Yemaya became so tired of fleeing him that she fell to the ground, senseless. When Yemaya fell, the chest and stomach of Yemaya opened up and la large amount of water began to flow out and this water formed a large lagoon in which were born the following Orishas: Olokun, Chango, Ogun, Oya, Ochun, Oba, Oricha-Oko, Ochossi, Oke, Babaluaye, and several lesser dieties. For this reason, Yemaya is considered the Mother of the Waters and indeed the Mother of the Orishas. Now you know why we refer to Yemaya as the Mother of the World.
This particular ebbo is done using a watermelon, the favorite fruit of Yemaya. You buy a whole watermelon, then you open a section about 4" X 4" at the top of the watermelon. You write your request on a piece of paper (brown sack paper is good) in pencil. You place it in the bottom of the openeing of the watermelon. Then you cover the request with "melao". Melao is sugar cane syrup. (It is not karo syrup.) Then you add olive oil on top of syrup. Then you find a floating wick or you can make one by twisting a piece of cotton into a cone shape. You light the wick and let it burn to Yemaya. When the wick goes out, you take the whole watermelon to the sea. If you live far away from the sea, you might take it to a lake, or large river. You throw the watermelon into the water, asking Yemaya to look favorably on your request. Most times the ebbos are placed directly in front of the Orisha. If you have not made the Saint, you might try to place the "lamp" in front of a picture representing Yemaya such as the Virgen of Regla. This is another reason why ebbos in books don't work. Sometimes they must be placed in front of the Orisha and the Orisha has to be told why such actions are being performed. If you have not received this Orisha, this makes things difficult. At any rate, we hope that Yemaya will smile on you and grant your wishes. (Don't ask to win the lottery, or anything outrageous, because you will be dissappointed.)
