Very often the religion of La Regla Lucumi uses syncretism with Catholic imagery and Saints to express itself. In the Lucumi (Santeria) religion the Orisha Oya is frequently associated with Santa Marta or Saint Theresa. One accomplished Santera told me that this is because they each represent different aspects of Oya: Marta is used for her warrior aspect, her fierce feminine independence and strength, while Theresa is associated with a more docile manifestation centered around the home and garden.
In the Catholic faith Santa Marta is often pictured with a dragon or with serpents at her feet. Her feast day is July 29th and she is the patron saints of cooks and servants. Some Espiritismo temples or houses honor Santa Marta La Dominadora, or Saint Martha the Dominator. Here she is a Queen of the dead, dancer in the cemetery, screeching howl of the wind. The http://sansespiritismo.blogspot.com/ associates her with the loa, or divinities, Simbi and Damballa, because of her association with snakes. The blog’s creator Sancista Brujo Luis explains ” As a Sancista it is my responsibility to inform you that many experienced individuals invoke Santa Marta La Dominadora for black magic, sorcery, enchantments, evil intentions and unleashing evil spirits or demons on rivals. Again this reminds me of a Spanish proverb, Uno no puede tapar el cielo con solo un dedo. (One can not cover up the sky with one finger, or burying your head in the sand /ignoring the gravity of a situation, or wilfully ignore something.). Often these very individuals who work Santa Marta la Dominadora for these wicked intentions pay the high price, often illnesses reach them, early deaths fall upon their loved ones, they become mentally unstable, and paranoid. It is in this aspect that Santa Marta la Dominadora becomes like the ancient Ouroboros or Uroborus, the serpent or dragon that eats its own tail, until nothing, not even a carcass is left.” It is clear that this is an intense and powerful force, not to be contacted lightly.
Oya is one of the most elusive Orisha in many ways. Understanding her complexities is like trying to catch the wind. She is change, the tornado, the mysteries of the Dead. Oya is a union of opposites, represented simultaneously by the darkness and the rainbow of nine different colors. She is one of the few warrior females that uses traditional weapons like the sword and the whip. Her association with Santa Marta is logical. Praise to this powerful force of ancestral wisdom !
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