Osun's Wisdom: Women Champions of Holistic Health and Social Equity

This Women's History Month, we explore how the ancient wisdom of Osun illuminates modern approaches to health equity through the work of extraordinary women in our communities.

The Wisdom of Flowing Waters

In Yoruba tradition, Osun is far more than a deity—she's the embodiment of life-sustaining energy. As the goddess of fresh waters, fertility, love, and beauty, she teaches us that health flows like a river, requiring both proper channels and the removal of obstacles to reach all people equally.

When thousands gather for the annual Osun-Osogbo Festival in Nigeria, they're not simply performing rituals; they're acknowledging a profound truth that modern health sciences are only beginning to fully articulate: true wellbeing requires harmony across multiple dimensions of existence.

This understanding of interconnected health aligns perfectly with what the World Health Organization defines as the social determinants of health—the non-medical factors that profoundly influence health outcomes across populations.

The Five Waters of Wellbeing

Like the rivers over which Osun presides, health flows through five essential channels:

Spiritual Health encompasses the depth and connection of our inner waters to sources beyond ourselves. Chief Priestess Oba Obinrin Iyanifa Ifawuyi Esuloju Eyioriwaase and Osun Priestess, leading her work through the Temple of Divinity and Spiritual Essences, has practiced spiritual culture for over three decades, teaching holistic medicine through plants, crystals, and meditation. Her wisdom—"Plants are unique living beings with individual likes and dislikes, similar to humans"—echoes Osun's understanding of the sacred interconnection between humanity and the natural world.

Physical Health represents the tangible body—its strength, resilience, and capacity to regenerate. In our communities, women like Jamarah Amani embody Osun's life-giving essence through their work. As a community midwife and director of Southern Birth Justice Network, Jamarah believes in the transformative and healing power of birth and that every baby has a human right to human milk. Her mission to build a movement for Birth Justice addresses the stark inequities in maternal health outcomes for women of color.

Mental and Emotional Health reflects the clarity and movement of our thoughts and feelings—the way our inner waters flow. Joquetta Batista, CEO and Founder of Collective Sistahood, Inc., channels Osun's healing energy through her 25 years of experience as a Social Worker and Spiritual Wellness Coach. Her trauma-informed approach bridges gaps between social services, social justice, and activism, creating safe spaces for Black and Brown families to experience emotional healing.

Community Health represents the rivers that connect us all—the social structures that either support or undermine collective wellbeing. Diana Marie Lee, an elder with Dandelion Medicine Liberation Co-op, healing woman with African American and Cherokee Nation roots, bridges technology, strategic planning, and social justice in her 30+ years of experience. Her work in restorative HR, cooperative capital raising, and racial equity directly addresses the systems and policies that determine health outcomes.

Peaceful Communities form the protected basins where healing waters can safely pool and nourish all who gather. The Fanm Saj Youth Leadership Program exemplifies how peace-keeping and restorative justice circle keeping are essential roles women hold in addressing the social determinants of health. These wise women—"Fanm Saj" in Haitian Kreyol—work to interrupt cycles of violence, replacing them with the sweet waters of Osun's healing presence through community-led restorative practices.

The Social Determinants of Health: Osun's Modern Teaching

The WHO recognizes that health outcomes are shaped by conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age. These include:

• Income and social protection

• Education access

• Employment security

• Working conditions

• Food security

• Housing and environment

• Early childhood development

• Social inclusion and non-discrimination

• Community safety and absence of violence

• Access to quality healthcare

Research from World Health Organization shows these social determinants account for between 30-55% of health outcomes—more influential than healthcare or individual choices alone. Like Osun's rivers that change course when blocked, our health follows social gradients: the lower one's socioeconomic position, the worse the health outcomes.

This understanding challenges us to move beyond individualistic approaches to health. Just as Osun's power flows through communities and not merely individuals, health equity requires collective action across sectors. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the critical social determinant of community safety—where Osun's peaceful waters cannot flow in environments disrupted by violence and discord.

Women as Agents of Transformation: The Wisdom of Fanm Saj

What connects our community leaders—Jamarah, Joquetta, Ifawuyi, Diana, and the Fanm Saj Women & Youth —is their recognition that health interventions must address both individual wellbeing and the social structures that create inequities.

The Fanm Saj Youth Leadership Program deserves special recognition for their groundbreaking work in addressing one of the most critical social determinants of health: safe communities. "Fanm Saj"—wise women in Haitian Kreyol—uplifts youth leadership to interrupt various forms of violence, bringing in the sweetness of Osun's healing waters through peacebuilding and restorative justice.

Fanm Saj embodies intersectional feminism in practice through several powerful approaches:

1. Centering Black women and marginalized groups at the intersection of oppression, recognizing how multiple systems of oppression interact and must be addressed simultaneously

2. Distributing leadership following Ella Baker's model of developing leadership in others rather than creating individual leaders—mirroring how Osun's waters flow to all who need them

3. Creating brave and healing spaces where community members feel "loved, supported, and welcome to be themselves," particularly focusing on those who have experienced marginalization or harm

4. Supporting community-led solutions based on the belief that marginalized groups "can create their own solutions to their healing, justice and organizing," embracing a core tenet of intersectional feminism

5. Integrating restorative justice and healing justice in recognition that traditional punitive systems often harm marginalized communities disproportionately

6. Living values of "Vulnerability, Courage, Curiosity, Creativity, Unity, Restorative, and Diversity of Journey and Transformation" that inform their approach to community building

7. Developing youth leadership through regular meetings where young people develop purpose, objectives, and plans while managing logistics and program implementation

The Fanm Saj approach recognizes that health justice cannot be achieved without addressing the interconnected nature of oppression based on race, gender, sexuality, class, religion, and ability. Like Osun who transforms waters into healing medicines, these wise women transform conflict into opportunities for community healing and growth.

Together, all these women leaders embody what ancient wisdom and modern science both confirm: true healing requires addressing the whole person within their social context. They are modern manifestations of Osun's enduring wisdom, working to transform the social determinants of health and create communities where wellbeing flows without impediment.

Living in Balance: The Path Forward

Osun teaches us that true power comes from balance and flow. The goddess who turns rivers into healing medicines shows us that obstacles to health can be transformed into opportunities for greater equity.

The restorative justice circles facilitated by Fanm Saj women provide a living example of this transformative power. By creating protected spaces where conflict can be addressed in ways that heal rather than harm, these wise women bring Osun's peaceful waters to troubled communities. Their work demonstrates that peace-keeping is not merely the absence of violence but the active creation of justice and healing.

This Women's History Month, we honor both the ancient wisdom of Osun and its modern expressions through women leaders who understand that:

1. Health is multidimensional — Physical, mental, spiritual, community wellbeing, and safety are inseparable

2. Social conditions matter — Where and how we live profoundly shapes our health outcomes

3. Collective action is essential — Addressing health inequities requires systems change

4. Feminine wisdom offers solutions — Women's leadership in health provides unique perspectives on care, connection, and community

5. Peace requires justice — True community safety comes through restorative practices that heal rather than solely on punish

By embracing these principles, we can create health systems and communities that allow wellbeing to flow freely to all people—fulfilling the promise of Osun's timeless wisdom in our modern world.

Share Osun's Wisdom: Women Champions of Holistic Health and Social Equity

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Ruth Ifakemi Jeannoel is the Founder and Executive Director of Fanm Saj, Inc, Fanm Saj Consulting  and is a Worker-Owner at Dandelion Medicine Liberation Co-op. She is a Haitian - American mother, wife, healer and writer. Ruth is committed to disrupting cultural dehumanization and guiding people towards their healing for accountable futures. 

This blog is part of our Women's History Month series celebrating local women who are leading health initiatives in their respective communities. Follow us throughout March as we highlight more extraordinary women transforming health through physical, mental, spiritual, and community approaches.