Have you had a spiritual awakening and need a word to refer to it? Or do you have a spiritual, physical object and need a term to refer to it?
Perhaps you just want to take a talk or piece of literature you are crafting to the next level.
If so, the word “ashe” is perfect for your needs.
This post unpacks the meaning and origin of this expression.
Meaning
The term “ashe” is used to mean “come to be”, though is roughly translated into English as “power, authority, and command”.
It generally implies any sort of spiritual endorsement. It can also be used as a reference to a general connotation of affirmation and hopeful wishes.
The concept of “ashe” as a whole is the belief that there is a flow of energy between humans and the Earth that can produce change and make certain things happen.
The term can also be used to refer to a certain spiritual object, representing a potent juju charm made of a secret formula that releases metaphysical force. It was commonly placed on a deer or antelope horn.
The term can also be used as a command or an order to do something. Finally, “ashe” can be used as a broader reference to supernatural power, or “voodoo” that makes someone’s orders essential to follow without resistance.
Example Usage
“That elder has ashe over all of us. We have to do whatever she says”.
“That object is an ashe. Tell it your desires and it will make them come true”.
“The chief’s ashe was that we finish building these walls by dusk”.
“When you are in the good graces of your god, the ashe will flow strong within you”.
Origin
The phrase “ashe”, more commonly seen as “ase”, comes from the Yoruba religion, that has influenced several religions around the world that are practiced by a large number of people.
In the Yoruba language, the word “ashe” gets it definition of being a spiritual life force, though the Yoruba people use the phrase to mean many different things, as described above.
“Ashe” can also be used to conclude a prayer, the same way as Christians use “amen”, and in this way, the word became very common amongst the Black community of the United States of America, being used predominantly in churches beginning in the late 20th century.
Phrases Similar to Ashe
- Voodoo
- “Qi”, the Chinese concept that represents the life force that flows through all things.
- “Feng shui”, which is the Chinese concept of arranging an area in a way that promotes the best flow of energy.
- Control/authority/etc.
Phrases Opposite to Ashe
- Nonspiritual
- Weak/no control/powerless
What is the Correct Saying?
- “Ashe” – “Come to be”
- “Ashe” – “Power, authority, and command”
Ways People May Incorrectly Say Ashe
The term “ashe” means many things, and it is important to understand these meanings when using the phrase.
It may mean “come to be”, “power, authority, and command”, “life force”, or a “supernatural power”.
In this sense, using the term to refer to anything that is not inherently spiritual, or using it to refer to someone who does not have command over others, would be incorrect.
Saying, “no one ever listens to him, he’s an ashe” would be incorrect, because typically, someone who is an “ashe” or who has “ashe” is a person that everybody listens to.
Acceptable Ways to Phrase Ashe
- If you wanted to refer to the life force between humans and the Earth, you may say, “I can feel the ashe between me and the river when I stand in the water”.
- If you were to refer to someone who has “ashe”, or power over others, you may say, “that woman has ashe, everyone does what she says”.
- When referencing a higher power or divine path, you can also use the term “ashe” to explain spirituality.