Santería Love Spells: Calling on Oshun for Love

Last Updated on November 2, 2026 by Wishbonix

Santería is one of the most vibrant spiritual traditions of the Americas, and love is one of the oldest reasons people turn to it. Santería love spells call on the orishas, above all Oshun, the orisha of love, sweetness and rivers, to open the way to new love, sweeten a relationship and bring harmony and loyalty between partners.

This guide explains what Santería is, which orishas help with love and how Santería love spells work. You’ll also find three spells inspired by the tradition: a True Love Bath, a Sweetness Offering to Oshun, and a Hummingbird Loyalty Spell from Mexican folk magic.

Quick Guide to Santería Love Spells

• What Santería is: an Afro-Cuban religion rooted in the Yoruba tradition of West Africa, also called Regla de Ocha or Lucumí
• The orisha of love: Oshun, with help from Elegguá, who opens the roads
• Typical tools: spiritual baths, candles, honey, offerings (ebó) and prayer
• Best for: attracting new love, sweetening a relationship, healing after conflict and encouraging loyalty
• What it can’t do: force someone to love you or guarantee a result

What Is Santería?

Santería is a religion that developed in Cuba among enslaved Yoruba people from what is now Nigeria and Benin. Forced to practice in secret, they honored their orishas behind the images of Catholic saints. Oshun, for example, became linked with Our Lady of Charity (La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre), the patron saint of Cuba. The name “Santería”, meaning “way of the saints”, comes from this blending. Many practitioners today prefer the names Regla de Ocha or Lucumí.

Santería teaches that there is one supreme God, Olodumare, and that the orishas are divine forces that rule over different parts of nature and human life. Each person has a destiny, and the orishas help us live it. Believers build their relationship with the orishas through prayer, offerings called ebó, and the guidance of priests and priestesses: santeros, santeras and the babalawos of Ifá, who give readings through divination.

Today Santería is practiced in Cuba, the United States (especially Miami and New York), Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Mexico and beyond. You can learn more in our complete guide to Santería.

Santería, Voodoo and Obeah: What’s the Difference?

All three grew from African spirituality in the Americas, but they are distinct traditions. Santería comes from Cuba and honors the Yoruba orishas. Vodou (Voodoo) comes from Haiti and Louisiana and serves the lwa. Obeah is a set of healing and spiritual practices from the English-speaking Caribbean, without an organized priesthood.

The Orishas of Love

In Santería, you turn to the orisha whose energy matches your wish. For love, these four are the most important:

• Oshun (Ochún) is the orisha of love, beauty, sweetness, fertility and fresh water. Her colors are yellow and gold, her number is five, and she loves honey, oranges, pumpkins, sunflowers and cinnamon. She is the one most people call on for love.
• Elegguá (Eleguá) is the guardian of the crossroads who opens and closes the roads. He is always honored first, because no prayer reaches the other orishas without him. Ask him to open the way to love.
• Changó (Shangó) is the orisha of fire, thunder, passion and male energy, and Oshun’s great love in the stories. His colors are red and white.
• Yemayá is the mother of the ocean, protector of women, motherhood and family. She is called on for a loving home and family life. Her colors are blue and white.

A well-known story tells that Oshun was once given poisoned honey. That’s why, by tradition, you always taste a little of the honey before offering it to her, to show it is pure.

How Santería Love Spells Work

Santería love spells combine your intention with the energy of the orishas and of natural ingredients: herbs, oils, honey, flowers and candles. Many begin with a spiritual bath (despojo) to remove negative energy, followed by an offering that asks for the orisha’s help.

These spells can attract new love, bring sweetness back into a relationship, calm conflict, encourage loyalty and remove obstacles. They often work in quiet, everyday ways: you feel more confident and attractive, new people cross your path, or tension with your partner softens.

What they can’t do is take away someone’s free will. A Santería love spell works with the feelings that are there and opens doors, but no orisha can be made to force someone’s heart. Spells that promise to make a specific person love you, no matter what, don’t reflect the tradition and rarely lead to happiness.

About Animal Offerings

Some Santería ceremonies include animal offerings, which are performed only by initiated priests within the religion. In the United States, the Supreme Court confirmed the right to this practice in 1993 (Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. City of Hialeah). These ceremonies have nothing to do with the spells on this page, which use only herbs, oils, honey, candles and prayer.

Before You Cast a Santería Love Spell

• Know what you want. Write down what you wish for: new love, more sweetness with your partner, healing after a fight, or loyalty. Put the list away for a few days, then read it again and keep only what still feels true.
• Don’t ask for too much at once. One clear wish is stronger than many vague ones.
• Honor Elegguá first. In Santería, every prayer starts by greeting Elegguá. A candle, a piece of candy or a few words are enough.
• Choose your timing. Friday, the day of Venus, is ideal for love. Saturday is traditionally Oshun’s day. A waxing moon supports growth.
• Keep it private. Don’t talk about your spell while it’s working. Read why spell secrecy matters.

1. Santería True Love Bath

This spiritual bath cleanses you of disappointment and negative energy and opens your path to true love. It calls first on Elegguá to open the roads, then on Oshun to bring sweetness and love. It isn’t aimed at a particular person, so it’s a good choice if you’re single and ready for a lasting relationship.

What You Will Need

• A pink candle and a heat-safe holder
• A handful of dill
• 7 star anise
• A few drops of lavender oil
• A few drops of extra virgin olive oil
• A handful of sea salt
• 2 cups of goat milk
• A washcloth and a fresh towel

How to Cast the True Love Bath

1. Set your intention. Choose a time when you won’t be disturbed. Light the pink candle and place it on a stable, heat-safe surface near the bath. Picture the loving future you wish for.
2. Call on Elegguá. Run a warm bath. Standing beside it, greet Elegguá and ask him to open the road:
   

   Laroyé, Elegguá, owner of the roads.
   Open the way for love to come to me,
   and clear every obstacle from my path.

3. Prepare the water. Add the dill, star anise, lavender oil and olive oil, and stir the water with your hand while you focus on your wish.
4. Cleanse yourself. Step into the bath. Dip the washcloth in the water and wash your face, chest and arms, imagining old doubts and hurts washing away.
5. Speak to Oshun. Greet Oshun and tell her honestly what kind of love you hope for:
   

   Oré yeyé o, Oshun, mother of sweetness.
   Bless me with a true and loving heart,
   a love that is good for me and meant for me.

6. Remove what blocks you. Gently rub the sea salt over your arms and chest, then rinse it off with the goat milk. Salt clears negativity; milk soothes and renews.
7. Seal the bath. Sink down into the water for a moment and silently repeat your wish three times.
8. Close the ritual. Relax in the water and give thanks to Elegguá and Oshun. Step out, pat yourself dry with the fresh towel and snuff out the candle.

Keep salt away from your face and from any broken skin, and test lavender oil on a small patch of skin first. If you are pregnant or have a skin condition, ask your doctor before taking an herbal bath. Read more about spiritual cleansing.

2. Sweetness Offering to Oshun

This traditional-style offering asks Oshun to bless you with charm, warmth and attraction. Sweetness is at the heart of her magic: honey, molasses and sugar stand for the sweetness you want to bring into your love life. The spell works on you, making your own light shine so that love finds you more easily.

What You Will Need

• A coconut
• A splash of rum (Oshun’s traditional choice; you can also use small amounts of five different spirits, since five is her number)
• Honey and molasses
• White sugar and brown sugar
• Pink and yellow cotton ribbon or natural twine
• A pink or yellow candle and a heat-safe holder

How to Make the Offering

1. Choose the right day. Cast this spell on a Friday evening, the day of Venus.
2. Open the coconut. Carefully crack the coconut into two halves (wrapping it in a towel and tapping it with a hammer works well). Pour the coconut water into a bowl and set it aside.
3. Make the sweet mixture. In one half, pour a splash of rum, a drizzle of honey and molasses and a spoonful each of white and brown sugar. Taste a drop of the honey first, as tradition asks. Stir gently and pour the coconut water back in.
4. Close the coconut. Place the empty half on top and tie the two halves together with the pink and yellow ribbons. Pink stands for love; yellow is Oshun’s color. As you tie them, focus on the love and warmth you want to attract.
5. Make your offering. Place the coconut in front of the lit candle on your altar or a quiet shelf. Speak to Oshun from the heart:
   

   Beloved Oshun, lady of love and sweetness,
   I offer you this sweetness with an open heart.
   Let your light shine through me,
   and bring me a love that is true and joyful.

6. Keep the candle for five days. Each day for five days, light the candle for a few minutes, sit quietly and thank Oshun. Never leave it burning when you leave the room.
7. Return it to Oshun. After five days, take the coconut to a river, Oshun’s home. If you can, remove the ribbons first. Place the coconut gently at the water’s edge or in the water and thank her.

In the days after the spell, wear something yellow or gold and keep a little honey or a sunflower on your altar for Oshun.

Many practitioners use this spell with a specific person in mind. If you do, ask Oshun to bring you closer if it’s meant to be, rather than to make that person love you. That keeps the spell sweet, which is exactly what Oshun stands for.

3. Hummingbird (Chuparosa) Loyalty Spell

This spell comes from Mexican folk magic and is often used alongside Santería in Latin American communities. The hummingbird, chuparosa (“rose-sucker”) in Mexican Spanish, stands for love, devotion and faithfulness, because it is believed to choose one flower and return to it again and again. The spell strengthens trust and faithfulness in a relationship that already exists.

What You Will Need

• A red candle, or a chuparosa candle from a botánica, and a heat-safe holder
• A small piece of paper and a pen
• Salt water or a sage bundle to cleanse the candle

How to Cast the Loyalty Spell

1. Prepare yourself. Find a quiet place, breathe deeply and focus on your wish for trust and faithfulness in your relationship.
2. Cleanse the candle. Wipe it with a little salt water or pass it through sage smoke. If you’re using a plain red candle, carve your name and your partner’s name into it.
3. Write the names. Write your name and your partner’s name on the paper and place it under the candle holder.
4. Say the prayer. Light the candle and say slowly and sincerely:
   

   Divine Hummingbird,
   who brings sweetness to every flower,
   bless my love and my relationship.
   As you return to the flower you love,
   let my partner and I return to each other,
   faithful, honest and true.
   Take all misfortune and bad luck from my life,
   and do not forget me.

5. Focus on the flame. Gaze into the flame and picture your relationship free of doubt and jealousy, full of trust and closeness.
6. Let the candle burn. Let it burn down while you are in the room, or burn it for an hour each evening until it’s finished. Never leave a burning candle unattended.

A loyalty spell supports a relationship, but it can’t replace honest conversation. If trust has been broken, talking openly, or seeing a couples counselor, is just as important. Our faithfulness spells offer more rituals for trust and commitment.

Keep the Energy Flowing: Your Love Altar

A small altar keeps your intention alive after the spell. Decorate a shelf or table with things that remind you of the love you’re calling in and of Oshun: a yellow cloth, a sunflower or yellow roses, a small dish of honey, a mirror (Oshun loves beauty), a few orange slices or cinnamon sticks, and a candle. Spend a few moments there each day, thank Oshun and picture your wish coming true.

After Casting: What to Expect

Love spells usually work through everyday life. Within a few weeks you may notice that you feel more confident, meet new people more easily, or that the mood between you and your partner becomes lighter and warmer. Some changes happen quickly; others take one or more moon cycles.

Trust the process and let the spell work. Questioning it every day or casting spell after spell weakens your energy. Do your part in the real world too: say yes to invitations, be honest with your partner and take care of yourself.

Working with a Santero or Santera

Real Santería is learned over many years and passed on through initiation. A genuine santero or santera usually starts with a reading (often with cowrie shells, called diloggún) to understand your situation before recommending any work. Be careful of anyone who:

• Promises instant or guaranteed results
• Says they can make a specific person love you no matter what
• Tells you that you are cursed and must pay more and more to fix it
• Sells “Santería spells” online without ever doing a reading

Read our guide to fake and scam spell casters to learn the warning signs, and our page on finding a real spell caster to see how we choose the practitioners we recommend.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Santería love spells work?

Many people find them a powerful way to focus their wishes for love and to connect with Oshun’s energy. They work best when you are open to love or the feelings are already there. No spell can guarantee a result or override someone’s free will.

Which orisha is best for love?

Oshun, the orisha of love, sweetness and beauty. Elegguá is always greeted first to open the way, Changó helps with passion and Yemayá with family and home.

Is Santería black magic?

No. Santería is a religion with millions of followers. Like all traditions, it has its own ethics, and most of its practice is about healing, guidance, protection and honoring the orishas.

Can I cast a Santería love spell without being initiated?

Simple prayers, baths and offerings to Oshun are open to anyone who approaches her with respect. Deeper work, such as receiving the orishas or ceremonies, is done by initiated priests.

What offerings does Oshun like?

Honey (always taste it first), oranges, pumpkins, sunflowers and yellow flowers, cinnamon, sweets, rum, perfume, mirrors and anything gold or yellow. Her number is five.

What is the difference between Santería and Voodoo?

Santería comes from Cuba and honors the Yoruba orishas; Vodou comes from Haiti and Louisiana and serves the lwa. Both blended African traditions with Catholic saints, but their spirits, rituals and languages are different.

How long does a Santería love spell take to work?

Often a few weeks to one moon cycle. Deeper changes, especially in an existing relationship, can take longer.

Can a Santería love spell be undone?

Yes. A love spell can be cleansed or broken, for example with a spiritual cleansing or a ritual to break a spell. Still, cast every love spell as if it were permanent, and only when you are sure.

Explore More Love Spell Traditions

• Love spells: the complete guide
• Voodoo love spells
• Obeah love spells
• Egyptian witchcraft love spells
• True love spells
• Attraction love spells