Oya's Winds of Change: Navigating Business Transformation with Fierce Grace

By Nicole, Founder of Mystic Ryst

She is the wind that clears the air before the storm. The lightning that illuminates the darkness. The tornado that destroys what's dead to make room for new life. She is Oya (also spelled Oyá or Iansã)—the Yoruba Orisha of winds, storms, transformation, and the marketplace.

Oya is fierce, powerful, and uncompromising. She doesn't ask permission to bring change—she IS change. She sweeps through your life like a hurricane, clearing out what no longer serves, and leaving space for radical transformation.

For spiritual entrepreneurs facing necessary but terrifying business transformations—pivots, rebrands, complete overhauls—Oya offers both the courage and the wisdom to navigate change with fierce grace. She teaches us that transformation isn't comfortable, but it's essential. That sometimes you have to destroy to create. That the winds of change, while powerful, ultimately clear the path forward.

Let's explore Oya's wisdom for navigating business transformation, embracing necessary change, and emerging stronger from the storm.

Understanding Oya

Who Is Oya?

Oya is one of the most powerful Orishas in the Yoruba pantheon, wife (or ex-wife) of Shango (god of thunder) and guardian of the cemetery gates.

Oya governs:

• Winds and storms: Tornadoes, hurricanes, powerful weather
• Change and transformation: Radical shifts, necessary endings
• The marketplace: Commerce, trade, business transactions
• Death and rebirth: Endings that lead to new beginnings
• The ancestors: Connection to those who came before
• Warrior energy: Fierce protection, courage, strength
• Truth-telling: Speaking what needs to be said

Oya's Symbols and Sacred Items

Colors: Burgundy, purple, brown, all nine colors (her rainbow skirts)
Number: 9 (her sacred number)
Day: Wednesday
Element: Air/Wind
Symbols: Whisk (iruke), lightning, tornado, cemetery gates
Offerings: Eggplant, red wine, plums, copper coins, nine of anything
Sacred animals: Buffalo, locust
Metals: Copper, brass

Oya's Archetype

Oya embodies the fierce feminine warrior:

• Powerful and commanding
• Unafraid of death or endings
• Brings necessary but difficult change
• Protects fiercely
• Speaks truth without apology
• Clears away what's dead or stagnant
• Rules the marketplace (business and commerce)

The paradox: Oya destroys, but her destruction is creative—she clears space for new growth. She's fierce, but her fierceness is protective.

Oya's Business Wisdom

1. Change Is Inevitable—Embrace It

Oya's teaching: The winds of change will come whether you're ready or not. You can resist and be destroyed, or flow with the change and be transformed.

In business:

• Markets change, trends shift, what worked yesterday won't work tomorrow
• Fighting change exhausts you—embracing it empowers you
• The businesses that survive are those that adapt

How to apply:

• Stay flexible and adaptable
• Don't cling to what's no longer working
• See change as opportunity, not threat
• Move with the winds, don't fight them

2. Sometimes You Must Destroy to Create

Oya's teaching: Like a tornado clears the land, sometimes you must destroy what exists to make room for what wants to emerge.

In business:

• Old offers must end for new ones to begin
• Outdated branding must be destroyed for fresh identity
• Sometimes you have to burn it down and start over

How to apply:

• Don't be afraid to end what's not working
• Clear out the old to make space for the new
• Trust that destruction is part of creation
• Let Oya's winds sweep away what's dead

3. Speak Your Truth Fiercely

Oya's teaching: Oya doesn't mince words. She speaks truth powerfully, even when it's uncomfortable.

In business:

• Say what needs to be said
• Don't soften your message to please everyone
• Speak your truth even when your voice shakes
• Your authentic voice is your power

How to apply:

• Share your real opinions, not what's popular
• Set boundaries clearly and firmly
• Don't apologize for your truth
• Let your fierce voice be heard

4. The Marketplace Is Sacred

Oya's teaching: Oya rules the marketplace—commerce and trade are under her domain. Business is sacred work.

In business:

• Your business transactions are sacred exchanges
• The marketplace is where transformation happens
• Money and spirituality aren't separate
• Honor the sacredness of commerce

How to apply:

• Treat business as spiritual practice
• Honor every transaction
• See clients as sacred partnerships
• Invoke Oya for marketplace success

5. Death Is Not the End

Oya's teaching: As guardian of the cemetery, Oya knows that death is transformation, not ending. What dies makes room for new life.

In business:

• Business "deaths" (failed launches, ended offers) aren't failures—they're transformations
• Every ending contains a new beginning
• Let what needs to die, die

How to apply:

• Don't fear business endings
• See failures as necessary deaths before rebirth
• Trust the cycle of death and renewal
• Honor what was while releasing it

6. Be Fierce and Unapologetic

Oya's teaching: Oya is a warrior. She doesn't shrink, apologize, or make herself small. She takes up space powerfully.

In business:

• Don't apologize for your power
• Take up space unapologetically
• Be fierce in your vision and boundaries
• Your strength is not too much

How to apply:

• Stop apologizing for your prices, your success, your visibility
• Own your power fully
• Be unapologetically you
• Channel Oya's warrior energy

Navigating Business Transformation with Oya

When to Call on Oya

Call on Oya when:

• You're facing a major business pivot or transformation
• You need to end something that's no longer working
• You're rebranding or completely overhauling your business
• You need courage to make difficult changes
• You're clearing out old energy to make room for new
• You need to speak a difficult truth
• You're navigating marketplace challenges

The Oya Transformation Process

Phase 1: The Winds Begin (Awareness)

You feel the winds of change stirring. Something's not working. Change is coming.

Oya's guidance: Don't ignore the signs. The winds are telling you something needs to shift.

Action: Pay attention to what's calling for change. Listen to the whispers before they become storms.

Phase 2: The Storm Arrives (Destruction)

The transformation is here. Things are falling apart. It's chaotic and uncomfortable.

Oya's guidance: Let the storm do its work. Don't try to control it. Trust the destruction.

Action: Allow what needs to fall away to fall away. Don't cling to what's dying.

Phase 3: The Clearing (Space)

The storm has passed. Everything feels empty, cleared out, uncertain.

Oya's guidance: This emptiness is sacred. It's the space where new life will grow.

Action: Sit in the void. Don't rush to fill the space. Let it breathe.

Phase 4: New Growth (Rebirth)

From the cleared ground, new life emerges. Your transformed business begins to take shape.

Oya's guidance: Trust what's emerging. It's stronger because of the storm.

Action: Build from the cleared foundation. Create from the new space.

Oya's Transformation Rituals

The Wind Clearing Ritual

When you need to clear old energy and invite transformation:

1. Go outside on a windy day
2. Face the wind
3. Speak aloud what you're releasing: "Oya, I release [old offer/identity/pattern]. Let your winds carry it away."
4. Feel the wind on your face
5. Visualize the old being blown away
6. Speak what you're calling in: "Oya, I call in [new vision]. Let your winds bring transformation."
7. Thank Oya

The Nine Candles Ritual

Oya's number is 9. Use this for major transformations:

1. Get 9 candles (burgundy, purple, or white)
2. Arrange in a circle
3. Light each one while stating an aspect of your transformation
4. Sit in the center
5. Invoke Oya: "Oya, warrior mother, bring your transformative winds. Clear what must go. Bring what must come. I trust your fierce grace."
6. Let candles burn down safely

The Marketplace Blessing

Oya rules the marketplace. Invoke her for business success:

1. Place copper coins on your altar or workspace
2. Offer eggplant or plums
3. Speak: "Oya, queen of the marketplace, bless my business. Bring transformation, success, and sacred exchange. Let my work thrive in your domain."
4. Leave offerings for 9 days
5. Dispose respectfully

The Wednesday Oya Practice

Wednesday is Oya's day. Use it for transformation work:

• Wear burgundy or purple
• Work on business transformations
• Make difficult decisions
• Speak truths that need speaking
• Clear out old energy
• Invoke Oya's courage and power

Oya's Fierce Business Practices

The Truth-Telling Practice

Oya demands truth. Practice speaking yours:

• What truth have you been avoiding?
• What needs to be said in your business?
• Where are you softening your message to please others?
• What would you say if you had Oya's courage?

Then say it. Channel Oya's fierce truth-telling.

The Clearing Practice

Regularly clear what's no longer serving:

Monthly clearing:

• What offers need to end?
• What content needs to be deleted?
• What relationships need to be released?
• What beliefs need to be transformed?

Let Oya's winds sweep it away.

The Warrior Stance Practice

When you need Oya's fierce energy:

1. Stand with feet wide, grounded
2. Raise your arms like you're holding a sword
3. Feel Oya's warrior energy in your body
4. Speak: "I am Oya. I am fierce. I am powerful. I am transformation."
5. Carry this energy into your work

When Oya's Energy Is Too Much

Balancing Oya's Fierceness

Oya's energy is intense. Sometimes you need to balance it:

If you're feeling:

• Too aggressive or harsh
• Destroying without purpose
• Overwhelmed by change
• Burned out from intensity

Balance with:

• Oshun's sweetness (honey, beauty, flow)
• Yemaya's nurturing (rest, mothering, ocean calm)
• Grounding practices (earth, stillness, stability)

Oya is powerful medicine—use wisely, not constantly.

Oya's Warnings

Don't Resist Necessary Change

When Oya brings change, resisting it only makes it more destructive. Flow with the transformation.

Don't Destroy Without Purpose

Oya destroys to create, not for destruction's sake. Make sure your endings serve new beginnings.

Don't Forget Your Softness

Oya is fierce, but even she has tenderness. Don't become so hard that you lose your humanity.

The Oya Business Audit

Ask yourself:

• What transformation is Oya calling me toward?
• What needs to end in my business?
• What truth am I avoiding speaking?
• Where am I resisting necessary change?
• What old energy needs clearing?
• Am I being fierce enough in my vision?
• How can I honor the marketplace as sacred?

The Promise of Oya

When you work with Oya's energy:

• You navigate change with courage
• You speak your truth powerfully
• You clear what no longer serves
• You transform through destruction
• You emerge stronger from every storm
• You succeed in the marketplace
• You embody fierce, unapologetic power

The Invitation

Oya doesn't ask if you're ready for transformation—she brings it anyway. The question is: will you resist or flow?

When the winds of change blow through your business, call on Oya. Let her fierce grace guide you through the storm. Trust that what's being destroyed is making room for something stronger.

Be fierce. Speak truth. Embrace change. Clear the dead. Honor the marketplace.

And emerge from the transformation more powerful than before.

Hekua Oya! (Hail Oya!)

What transformation is Oya bringing to your business? How are you navigating the winds of change? I'd love to hear your story.