Why I Say Axé, and Its Layered Meaning
Many individuals at MLUC have inquired about the meaning of Axé (pronounced A-shay) and why I say it alongside Amen and May it be so.
I first encountered the term "Axé" when I lived in Brazil, where I experienced it through various forms, including Brazilian music, the African diaspora religion Candomblé, and a direct connection to nature. However, it wasn't until I returned to Brazil and began studying the African Diaspora that I fully grasped the complexity of the word "Axé," recognizing it as a political and spiritual concept that is integral to African cosmologies, linked to the land, nature, and everything that surrounds us.
Upon my initial arrival in Brazil, I listened to Axé music by artists like Olodum and Daniela Mercury. This music, rooted in Afro-Brazilian culture, resonated deeply with my soul, feeling both familiar and new at the same time. Axé music is characterized by vibrant dance movements that engage the entire body, from the hair to the shoulders, arms, pelvis, and feet. There is a profound connection between the body and the drums, creating a singular experience.
I later came to understand Axé as a vital element of the ritual space in Candomblé, an African diasporic religion that developed in 19th-century Brazil in response to the prohibition of enslaved Africans' spiritual practices. Through syncretism, enslaved Africans preserved their traditions by linking Catholic saints with African deities, orixás. For example, Yemanjá, the Great Mother of the Sea, was associated with the Virgin Mary. This clever approach allowed them to maintain their spiritual identities despite oppression. The ritual space in Candomblé is where Axé manifests—a physical and astral realm where life force flows, forging connections between the material and spiritual worlds through deity, possession, dance, and music.
Additionally, I understand the word Axé to be rooted in the Yoruba term "Ase," which represents the life force that permeates everything. This concept is reminiscent of "Namaste," meaning "the light within me honors the light within you." Axé signifies the energy that flows like water, a life force that connects us all. It encompasses the vitality present in our surroundings—air, mountains, lakes, dirt, and stone—and can be accessed through the places where we practice our religious and spiritual beliefs. Axé is the divine power and essence of being.
Axé can be experienced in dance and music, where we connect with our bodies and sounds, allowing these forms to transport us to another realm of existence. Ultimately, Axé represents the life force that unites and propels us, as well as the world around us.
To honor my ancestors and the Indigenous practices rooted in the African Diaspora, I incorporate the concept of Axé with "Amen" and "May it be so" to seal my prayers, meditations, and manifestations, ensuring that I speak their power into existence from the many ways of knowing in the world.
Amen, Axé, and May it be so.
I first encountered the term "Axé" when I lived in Brazil, where I experienced it through various forms, including Brazilian music, the African diaspora religion Candomblé, and a direct connection to nature. However, it wasn't until I returned to Brazil and began studying the African Diaspora that I fully grasped the complexity of the word "Axé," recognizing it as a political and spiritual concept that is integral to African cosmologies, linked to the land, nature, and everything that surrounds us.
Upon my initial arrival in Brazil, I listened to Axé music by artists like Olodum and Daniela Mercury. This music, rooted in Afro-Brazilian culture, resonated deeply with my soul, feeling both familiar and new at the same time. Axé music is characterized by vibrant dance movements that engage the entire body, from the hair to the shoulders, arms, pelvis, and feet. There is a profound connection between the body and the drums, creating a singular experience.
I later came to understand Axé as a vital element of the ritual space in Candomblé, an African diasporic religion that developed in 19th-century Brazil in response to the prohibition of enslaved Africans' spiritual practices. Through syncretism, enslaved Africans preserved their traditions by linking Catholic saints with African deities, orixás. For example, Yemanjá, the Great Mother of the Sea, was associated with the Virgin Mary. This clever approach allowed them to maintain their spiritual identities despite oppression. The ritual space in Candomblé is where Axé manifests—a physical and astral realm where life force flows, forging connections between the material and spiritual worlds through deity, possession, dance, and music.
Additionally, I understand the word Axé to be rooted in the Yoruba term "Ase," which represents the life force that permeates everything. This concept is reminiscent of "Namaste," meaning "the light within me honors the light within you." Axé signifies the energy that flows like water, a life force that connects us all. It encompasses the vitality present in our surroundings—air, mountains, lakes, dirt, and stone—and can be accessed through the places where we practice our religious and spiritual beliefs. Axé is the divine power and essence of being.
Axé can be experienced in dance and music, where we connect with our bodies and sounds, allowing these forms to transport us to another realm of existence. Ultimately, Axé represents the life force that unites and propels us, as well as the world around us.
To honor my ancestors and the Indigenous practices rooted in the African Diaspora, I incorporate the concept of Axé with "Amen" and "May it be so" to seal my prayers, meditations, and manifestations, ensuring that I speak their power into existence from the many ways of knowing in the world.
Amen, Axé, and May it be so.