Obatalá is the kindly father of all the orishas and all humanity. He is also the owner of all heads and the mind. Though it was Olorun who created the universe, it is Obatalá who is the creator of the world and humanity. Obatalá is the source of all that is pure, wise peaceful and compassionate. He has a warrior side though through which he enforces justice in the world. His color is white which is often accented with red, purple and other colors to represent his/her different paths. White is most appropriate for Obatalá as it contains all the colors of the rainbow yet is above them. Obatalá is also the only orisha that has both male and female paths.
Prayer for Obatala: Obatalá obá layé ela iwo alara aché
Ritual :
In a tray in front of Obatala tureen, prepare an eya tuto (fresh fish) without eviscerating it and without removing the scales. Spread it abundantly with ori (cocoa butter), efun (cascarilla), and oñi (honey), praying Obatala to bring the iré owo (money) back into the house. One should be careful with the demands because excess money always causes serious problems. Next step, is to give coconut to Obatala to know how many days to leave the offering in front of him as well as to define the place where he wants to receive the offering.
If you are not initiated and you have not received Obatala, you can make the offering on the ground in a corner of your house and proceed as described above.