The above picture was my (Estara Korai's) Oshun altar in my last apartment. There is not a picture yet of how Her altar looks in my new house. The drawing on the left is by Joanna Powell Colbert, and the one on the right is by Francisco Santos, whose works can be seen on OrishaNet. On the altar is a miniature pumpkin, a brass bell, five Sugar Babies, a yellow candle, a five-pointed star, a sandalwood fan, and a jar of honey with five cinnamon sticks in it.
Many neopagan sources, if they mention the orishas at all, describe Oshun as a dark-skinned Aphrodite, a goddess of love, beauty, and a hint of vanity. Certainly there is this side to her - she is beautiful, and knows it, and she does enjoy a good romance and pretty things - but there is also more.
She is the Queen of Magic. Oshun knows all the good ebos (spells), and will teach them to those who work with her.
She is a savior. Once there was a terrible blight on the earth, and only Oshun dared to carry the pleas of the people up to Olodumare (God). She flew up into heaven in the form of a peacock - but flying so near to the sun her feathers were baked brown and some of them fell away, leaving her in the form of a vulture. For her sacrifice, Olodumare enriched her powers. Another time, her people needed the great warrior Ogun to help them; but Ogun had become a hermit in the woods and would not come out. Oshun used her beauty to tempt him back into the world and to the people's aid. She is always glad to offer healing, love, and prosperity to those who ask.
She is a trickster. She used her powers of love and joy to tempt Olodumare to give life back to an orisha he had destroyed, Babalawe. When only Obatala knew the art of divination, she happened by just when Elegua had stolen Obatala's clothes (did she put him up to it, hmm?) and offered to get them back in exchange for lessons.
She is a feminist. Friends have told me that in Africa, Oshun awards powers to her ladies that are normally reserved only for the male priests; they function as a law unto themselves. (Their right to perform even the highest styles of divination is an aspect of this; it's frowned upon by the "mainstream" of the Afro-Carribean faiths, but it happens anyway!)
She is a friend to the New World and to all people. I read a lovely story about how she became the patron "saint" of Cuba. When she learned that some of her people were being abducted and taken to the New World, she followed them, so that they would have a friend with them. When she saw that the New World was full of people of many different skin colors, from light to dark, she lightened her own skin to a lovely medium-hued golden color, so that anyone of any race could see themselves in her. It is a growing phenomenon that, of all the orishas, Oshun and Yemaya seem to be engaged in an active outreach program, speaking to members of many neopagan traditions...including myself.
The orishas tend to take a very active role in their relationships with their followers. They expect to participate in your daily life, and to be welcome in your home at any and all times. One means of satisfying them on this count is to keep a permanent altar decorated with some of their favorite things. In most traditions I'm familiar with, Oshun's favorite color is yellow. She loves flowers, especially roses. Her favorite foods are pumpkins and squash, cinnamon, and honey - but you must always taste the honey before offering it, because once a rival tried to poison her! Her number is five, and a five-rayed star (a pentagram, for us witches!) can be used as one of her symbols. She likes bells, fans, and mirrors, jewelry and peacock feathers. She also likes fresh water from a river or stream, because fresh flowing waters belong to her.
These are two examples of spells I've learned from Oshun.
Sweet as Honey (The Feather Sandwich)
This is for when you're dealing with someone you never seem to get along with, but have to see on a regular basis - because you're working on a project together, because you share custody of the kids, or whatever.
You will need a down feather; an envelope; honey; and either a picture of you and one of the other person, or your name on one card and his or her name on another card.
Dab a bit of honey on each of the pictures or cards, saying:
Sweet as honey let us be,
I to you and you to me;
Both respect and both acclaim,
United by our common aim.
Sandwich the feather between the two, saying:
Soft as down be all our words,
Wisely said and clearly heard;
Let us work in harmony:
This is my will, so mote it be.
Put the "sandwich" into the envelope and close without sealing it. You can put a symbol of the shared project on the envelope. Keep secure until the project has ended.
The Hedge of Roses
This is a binding visualization, to be used against someone who is an ACTUAL threat to your (or your client's) person.
The image is of the harmful person in the center of a ball of thorns pointed inward at them; around the outside of the ball are roses. The intent is that whenever the person's thoughts or actions move toward harming you, they will be poked and scratched themselves, while you receive blessings (the roses) instead.