The religion of the West African Yoruba people was forced underground by centuries of slavery in the Americas. Several hybrid forms of worship, of which the best known is Santeria, were created by deliberate conflation of Yoruba spiritual entities with Catholic ones.

The Yoruba people of West Africa recognize three levels of spiritual force: one creator god called Olodumare; numerous nature or messenger spirits (similar to Christian angels) called the orishas, and the revered spirits of the dead, called the eggun. Under the yoke of Catholicism, Olodumare was identified with Jehovah, and the orishas were identified with various Catholic saints or angels. In the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean, seven of the many orishas were combined into a commonly seen image called "The Seven African Powers;" however, there are more than seven orishas, and most of them are identified with more than one saint.

Wherever people of African descent were converted to Catholicism, different patron saints were spontaneously identified with their own African deities and spirits. However, even though there was no central hierarchy to make the ascriptions, as far as the Yoruba orisha were conserned, the hagiography and iconic symbols associated with each deity and each saint produced a variable set of flexible lists of correspondences between nine of the orishas and more than a dozen Catholic saints:

• Eleggua / Elegua: Messenger, Opener of the Way, Trickster 
            Saint Simon Peter 
            San Martin (Caballero) 
            Saint Anthony (of Padua) 
            El Nino de Atocha 
            Saint Expedite 
            Saint Michael Archangel
• Obatala / Obatalia: Father-Mother of Humanity, Bringer of Peace and Harmony 
            Our Lady of Mercy 
            Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
• Yemaya / Yemalia / Yemalla: Spirit of Motherhood, the Ocean, and the Moon 
            Our Lady of Regla 
            Mary, Star of the Sea (Stella Maris)
• Oya: Female Warrior, Spirit of Wind, Storm, Thunder, and Magic 
            Our Lady of Candelaria 
            Saint Catherine 
            Saint Theresa
• Oshun / Ochum: Lady of Love, Beauty, and Sexuality, Spirit of Fresh Water 
            Our Lady of Caridad del Cobre (Our Mother of Charity)
• Chango / Shango / Xango / Sango: Fourth King of the Yoruba, immortalized as Spirit of Thunder 
            Saint Barbara 
            Saint Jerome
• Ogun / Ogum: Lord of Metals, Minerals, Tools, War, Birds, and Wild Beasts 
            Saint John the Baptist 
            Saint Anthony (of Padua) 
            Saint George 
            San Pedro (Saint Simon Peter)
• Orula / Orunmila: Teacher, Prophet 
            Saint John the Evangelist taking Jesus down from cross
• Babaluaye: Spirit of Disease and Sickness, also Provider of Money to the Poor 
            Saint Lazarus of Dives

The Seven African Powers image most often seen on hoodoo soaps and anointing oils consists of seven saints (sometimes given orisha names and sometimes saint names) surrounding a central circle in which is shown the crucifixion of Jesus, watched by a rooster on a pedestal. Inside the circle of saints the word "Olofi" sometimes appears. The full image is found on a common Mexican package amulet that combines three coins, an image of the Holy Trinity and a print of The Seven African Powers The inner Crucifixion image, without the outer ring of saints, appears on candles and other articles marked "Just Judge" or "Faithful Judge" in English or "Justo Juez" in Spanish.

According to Blair Whitmer,

The phrase "The Seven African Powers" is misleading. These seven deities are only seven out of a large pantheon of Orishas. These are worshipped in several different religions brought to the New World including Santeria (in Cuba), Candomble (in Brazil), Arara (in Cuba) as well as many others. The phrase "Seven African Powers" is mostly predominant in African-American hoodoo; in Spanish-speaking nations, they are the Siete Potencias (Seven Powers).

As a priest in Santeria, I'm biased towards the belief that proper worship of Orishas requires the direct input and guidance of a priest in the chosen religion. The same is not necessarily true if they are simply being invoked for magical uses, but that's not really "worship" ... at least not in MY book. Personally, I would advise extreme caution in invoking an Orisha for magical uses without the associated religious practice and guidance from a priest.

However, regardless of what is "proper," hoodoo practitioners -- especially those who live in close proximity with Latin Americans -- do work with the Seven African Powers in a magical context, perceiving them asdeities of luck, protection, and power. I have some opinions on how this practice has developed. This material is not substantiated by citations from scholarly materials, but rather is the result of my having lived through the times described and having witnessed these events.

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