Ase
The Yoruba word for the power to make things happen, carried in speech, rites and sacred objects, and found across the diaspora.
Also: àṣẹ, ashe, axé, ache
Àṣẹ in Yoruba, from Nigeria and Benin, is the power to bring about what is said: the force in a blessing, a prayer, a command, a rite and a sacred object. It is thought to belong to the creator, Olodumare, and to flow through orisha, elders, priests and the natural world. At the end of a prayer, those present answer àṣẹ, much as one says amen. The word crossed the Atlantic with Yoruba religion and is axé in Brazilian Candomblé, ashe in Cuban Santeria and in African American speech. In Candomblé it can also name the energy of a house and its sacred items. The word is also used in secular contexts, in music and in slogans.