Ifá: A Forest of Mystery - De Mattos Frisvold N. 2016

Introduction

Ifa is a philosophy, a theogony, theology and cosmology rooted in a particular metaphysic that concerns itself with the real and the ideal, the world and its beginning. It is rooted in the constitution of man and the purpose of life and the nature of fate. Ifa is a philosophy of character. The philosophy of Ifa lies at the root of any religious cult or organization involving the veneration of drisa.

This book is about Ifa; a work that aims to present its cosmology and metaphysics as a philosophy which is designed to attract good fortune into our lives. Through stories and legends, divinatory verses and proverbs, this philosophy will be revealed piece by piece until the landscape has been laid open before you.

Given the premise of this work, Western philosophies have also been referenced. This has been done in order to explain Ifa in more familiar terms to readers unfamiliar with African cultures at large and to give examples from the wisdom tradition of the West.

In pursuing this work, I realised that the project could easily span several volumes. It is of course a good thing to discover that one has too much material, but at the same time it has been demanding to choose the most vital parts in order to present the most important themes. As such, this book is an overview of a landscape that can only acknowledge the profound scope of the tradition.

My aim is to present a philosophy of consciousness, step by step. We will undertake a journey, presenting Ifa philosophy and divination in the first part of the book and then supporting it with the detailed account of the messages in the sixteen meji odus and Osatura upon which Ifa philosophy rests. The philosophical enquiries of Ifa are rooted in a consensus reality that is subjected to constant inquiry. We can say that Ifa is monist and holds ideas similar to those of pantheism and is resonant with the ideas set forth by

Giordano Bruno (1548 - 1600) in particular. This means that Ifa finds common ground with the Western neo-Platonic tradition, which can therefore be used as a bridge to reach the timeless and perennial dimensions of Ifa.

My own journey within these mysteries started in the 1990s when I went to Cuba and undertook tefa (initiation) with Lazaro Cuesta, Eddy Silva and Eddy Silva Jr. in Pogolotti, Havana. It was a profound experience and my gratitude will always be offered to these three wise men. Some years after this initial encounter with Ifa I encountered other babalawos, until I finally met Chief Ogunsma Adewuyi, who opened the doors to his house, his heart and his family, and taught me the value of generosity, kindness, the secrets of abundance and patience. This led to my admittance into the Awon Qgbiyni Funfun in Abeokuta, Nigeria, through Oluwo Sunday Agbefayelele, and I was given the blessing to oversee an Egbe Ifa in my own land.

This book is a way of repaying what I was given; there is a generosity of wisdom encoded within these pages that I want to pass on in the hope that the wisdom of Ifa, which has undoubtedly made my life better, can have the same effect upon yours.

The verses of Ifa in this book are largely taken from the collection made by Awo Abimbola and found in his Ifa Divination Poetry (1977), and from Popoola’s Ifa Dida (2009) and Karenga’s Odu Ifa: The Ethical Teachings (1999). These texts are highly recommended as sources for deepening one’s understanding of Ifa, and it is my hope that this book will enhance the beauty of the legacy presented by these wise men and that appreciation of their work will spread. The translations of the Ifa verses are my own (unless stated otherwise). I have crosschecked my translations with these writers and with what has been provided to me by Baba Ogunsma. I have made an honest effort to translate liturgical Yoruba as best as I can, a daunting task, which I hope I have accomplished, whilst openly acknowledging that I have leant heavily on the work done by the aforementioned Babalawos. The majority of the stories retold in this book can be found in one version or another in Awo Popoola’s Ifa Dida, which I suggest as an accessible reference work.

I also give gratitude to Pierre Colonna, good brother in many mysteries, and Awo Falokun who, through his friendship, generosity, and good character, has taught me about Ifa metaphysics for more than a decade. I further want to offer reverence to my beloved apetebi, Adetutu Eyebonmi lyamisse, without whom I would not be what I am, and to Babalorisa Ade Oke and ConjureMan Ali, who are truly my brothers throughout a thousand incarnations, to my good brother Childerico for providing the illustrations; and finally to Peter and Alkistis for being rare jewels of clear consciousness and infinite blessings in this world of perpetual mystery.

With these words, I will do what is proper and give reverence to the forces that were not named, but made these pages possible:

Iba

I pay my respect to the owner of Heaven and the spirits of the Earth

I pay my respect to the king of the World, He whom we praise first

As I give reverence to Orunmila, the Spirit of Destiny

I pay my respect to the sixteen wombs of the world

And their messenger

Whom we call the youngest one

The dearest one at the crossroads of the worlds,

Whom we call Esu

I greet the powers of the East

I greet the powers of the West

I greet the powers of the South

I greet the powers of the North

I greet the king in the city of Love

I give homage to the winds in the invisible realms

I give homage to the owner of Earth

I who am just a child of mystery

I who am grateful

I give homage to the spirit of the Mountain

I give homage to the spirit of the Ocean

I give homage to Akoda

I give homage to Aseda

I give homage to the spirits that move the world

I give homage to the bones of my blood

I give reverence to the Oni of Ile Ife

For all that he represents in being the pillar

Between worlds

I give homage

I give respect

To my Fathers and Mothers

To the owner of Heaven and Earth

To my Or

I give homage to Orunmila, the spirit of Destiny

I give homage to Iku, the spirit of Death

I give homage to Onile, the owner of Earth

I give homage to fyami Osdr&nga, the Powerful One

And I pray that the power of the word

Will open the sixteen doors of creation

Wisely and gently

In humble love I give my words

To spread across the world

Gently and in dignity

May the words in this book

Bring honour to Orunmila

And my family of Ifa

Who are many

Ase

Nicholaj de Mattos Frisvold

Awo Balogun Ifas otito Osiywale Agbefayololo 21st September 2014

A PHILOSOPHY OF CHARACTER

ae timeless wisdom of Ifa

Ifa is the preservation of the ancestral wisdom in Yoruba culture which gives guidance on how to make the right decisions on the journey towards developing good character. Ifa is not a doctrine of belief; it is a way of looking at the world.

- Awo Fa'lokun Fatunmbi, 2013.

Ifa is a word that has no direct translation. Rather, it reflects a concept of wisdom. It holds the secret of creation, and the key to our happiness. Ifa has been defined as a divination system, as an alternative name for its prophet, Orunmila, a name given to the religion of the Yoruba people in present day Nigeria, and more besides. It touches all of these but, at its heart, Ifa is about the power of wisdom to approach the mysterious and, through this, to offer an understanding of the visible and invisible worlds through which our lives, collective and unique, are made accessible.

Ifa is about approaching everything as mysterious. Whether the mystery is great or small, Ifa invites us to marvel at its beauty as we grow in wisdom. Mystery is encoded in all things that silently reveal how everything is connected in a dance around polarities which mutually affirm one another and move the world onwards. Whether it is the mystery of life, creation, God, a plant, or a technical problem which we seem unable to figure out, we are touching Ifa. It is about approaching all things and every situation with curiosity, because everything is encoded in mystery, awe and riddles. Ifa is the key which enables us to decode these riddles and mysteries as they appear in our lives, in nature, in all realms of being and existence.

If we seek to understand mystery, we need to approach everything free from judgment rooted in our limited perception of the world and life, daring to walk outside our truths and to see every situation from different angles. The understanding of the mysterious is passed down in the form of poetic verses, stories, proverbs, enchantments and lore. Ifa considers Esu to be the custodian of mystery, as the owner of the crossroads that both bind and separate the visible and the invisible.

In his capacity as linguist, Esu serves as a bridge and mediator in all realms, and enables communication between spirit and man, man and plant, beast and spirit. Esu is also the warden of truth and embodies the principle of choice: therefore he is identified with roads and crossings. Truth, like Esu, is never static but always dynamic and in a state of flux, like the volcanic lava that gave fire to his soul. Truth is doctrine and not dogma. It is an experience of wisdom and mystery that results in secure and pure knowledge. This truth, this wisdom is then used to better understand the human journey we are undertaking so we can realise our fate. Fate, in the view of Ifa, denotes the unique route towards happiness and fulfillment. Fate is something that we make. The choices that bring us closer to contentment, peace, joy and wealth are the signs that we are walking the path of our fate.

Ifa views everything as a simple binary pulse or function, whether inhalation/exhalation, being/non-being, life/death. It is the mathematical algorithm of binary codes that causes you (and, indeed, everything) to be or not be. It is about absence and presence, the fundamental powers that generate the atom, the amoeba, an ensouled life form or a galaxy; it is both simple and intensely complex, as is the rhythm in each and every choice and situation that calls for an action or reaction. Every situation has a host of solutions, every solution invites a choice, and every choice invites new directions. The energetic patterns or frequencies involved in any situation are encoded in the corpus of wisdom known as Ifa. Ifa holds the secret to decoding and understanding the energetic patterns involved in benevolent as well as malevolent situations. Fortune and misfortune are measured with the same attitude of interest, so we can discover how to turn misfortune into fortune and how to make our fortune multiply. Ifa is about possessing the wisdom and disposition that enables us to always see clearly, so we can discern the necessary means to ensure stability and equilibrium, not only in our lives, but in such ways that it can expand and become a stabilising force in the world.

Ifa is not a religion; it is an art, a philosophy of life. Ifa as a philosophy can be laid out and bring forth religions, as much as Ifa embraced as an art can bring forth mystics and wise adventurers. This is affirmed by the Yoruba vernacular esin, a word which means servitude, and is used in reference to religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The Yoruba people call what they are doing asa or oro ibile, which refers to a custom related to the land, a connotation which possesses a strong ancestral quality.

Ifa is monist in the sense that it holds that every possibility was made feasible from a singular condition, or source, which held all possibilities within the form of being; this was at the same time absolute being and absolute absence. The beginning of all things is envisioned as light springing forth from darkness. Through its letting out rays of light, all things are enabled to take form and expression. Ifa is about the beginning of consciousness, because consciousness is the beginning of all things. We can say that Ifa represents a reality of consciousness in which the ideal or invisible world is viewed as more ’real’ than the material world.

One consequence of this view of reality is what happens with the faculty of judgment. Throughout the Ifa corpus of divinatory verses we will see that any judgments subject to temporal truths are those which we assess from a limited sphere of personal action, lived out in a horizontal reality within a limited perspective. Ifa is the illumination that expands our vision and helps us make better choices in the light of understanding our mysterious world. We judge in conformity with proximity and distance, familiarity or alienation - and what we experience as real and material. Ifa represents the light of clarity that emanates from the beginning of time, which we can choose to access or not. Ifa can be said to be a philosophical idealism, noetic by temperament - yet positive philosophies, evolutionary theories, and quantum mechanics naturally find their place within its encompassing wisdom.

The idealism of Ifa aspires to be inclusive, because it is a philosophy concerned with the totality of human experience. It holds as an axiom that we are spiritual beings undertaking a human journey. Ifa presents us with an enchanted world in which everything is alive with divine light and potency. We can say that Ifa is ’traditional’ and ’hermetic,’ and that there is a deep sympathy between it and the Platonic philosophy that descends through Proclus, Plotinus and Ficino. Equally, it is easy to find resonance between Ifa and such modern philosophers as Hegel, Schopenhauer and Leibniz. But more than this, we can analyse the sixteen odu pairs as presenting a given ray, or philosophy, within the greater philosophy of Ifa, that illustrates how this particular route acts in the visible and invisible worlds. A constant premise in Ifa is that philosophy should be a good contemplation, it should be a kind of knowledge that enables us to make good choices as it cultivates discernment and clarity. This being said, perhaps Boethius (c. 475 - 526) is the Western philosopher who has the most intimate resonance with Ifa.

The philosophy of Boethius was firmly anchored in the concept of Fortune, which he presented within a world view similar to the view expressed in the Ifa corpus. Boethius was a student of Plotinus, and he similarly accorded great importance to Aristotelian logic, considering that it did not interfere with his greater neo-Platonic orientation, as it was solely concerned with the sensorial field of experience. Ifa would see this in the same way, logic being tied into the sensorial world in the form of ara (body), iwa (character), and on (consciousness) which, together with emi (breath), make up the fundamental parts of the human being and make it possible for us to experience the world. Boethius’ best known work was The Consolation of Philosophy, in which he expressed the opinion that philosophy should teach and stimulate people to search for happiness. He said that everything is good, as even that which we deem evil might serve to make us better people, or be the obstacle we need to clearly see where we should search for our happiness. Wickedness will only become wicked if we allow it to multiply by inviting it into our life and clouding our vision of happiness, because it is not a part of goodness - and goodness is God. Therefore, since it is not a part of what is good it will, like most abnormal flares in the cosmic fabric, disintegrate and self destruct. This argument is lifted from Plato’s Gorgias, in which he argues with perfect erudition for the powerless state of wickedness. This argument is later substantiated in The Republic, where Plato comments that fate is not allotted, but chosen. This comment is quite often interpreted in a materialistic fashion, which contains only a part of the truth. Boethius, like Plato, holds that what is perfect, and what is good, and what is beautiful, is not solely a quality of God, but it is to all effects the godhead. This means that fate is seen as something good, perfect and beautiful, but it is our choices that drive us towards it or away from it. In other words, no person is allotted a bad fate; rather, a bad fate is brought into effect by our choices. In a similar vein, Ifa is of the opinion that we are all born good and blessed and destined to goodness and happiness. We are here on earth to do good, just as Plato states in Gorgias that everyone wants happiness and sees this as equal to what is good. Quite simply, if goodness and happiness are the very matter of creation and the godhead, the absence of what is good will naturally fall short of increase as it is in itself counterproductive. Not only this, but in Gorgias Plato argues that wickedness makes people use their humanity in constantly self-harming ways, thus they gradually diminish into lower forms of existence in their unhappy state.

Boethius argues for God being both a final cause and the efficient cause of all things. In doing this, he gives prime attention to the importance of recognising what is good in the material world, hence the focus on the concept of ’fortune’ and ’consolation’ that runs through his philosophical discourse. As we shall see later in this chapter, these ideas find resonance in the fundamental philosophical structure of Ifa, as it is rooted in the premise that goodness is the essential essence of being, and perfection is the fabric used to carve out beauty in creation. Ifa is disclosed through philosophical axioms encoded in songs, verses and proverbs that make part of the corpus of odu, which we can define as ’words from the womb of creation.’ One of these verses is from an odu known as irosuwdri which gives the following teaching about the purpose of the human journey, here in the translation of M. Karenga (1999: 228 - 233):

Let us do things with joy

Those who want to go, let them go

Those who want to stay, let them stay

Surely, humans have been chosen to bring

Good into the world

The All-Knowing One, priest of Orunmila

Interpreted the teaching of Ifa for Orunmila

He said the people of the world would come

To ask him a certain question

He said Orunmila should sacrifice

Orunmila heard and complied

One day all kinds ofpeople, good people and

Those who do not allow good in other

People’s lives gathered together

They went to Orunmila

They said: ’Coming back andforth to earth

Tires us, Orunmila.

Therefore, please allow us to rest in heaven’

Orunmila said: ’You cannot avoid going back and forth to earth,

Until you bring about the good condition that

Olodumare has ordainedfor every human being. ’

The people of the earth ask him what this good condition is and Orunmila says it is about a good world, the bounty of knowledge, happiness and peace, and the absence of fear, anxiety, poverty and misery. He goes on to state that the remedy for this lies in developing good character and internal strength so that we can love doing what is good. Until everyone achieves this condition, people will continue to walk back and forth from heaven to earth until they are ’recognised as human beings’ or eniyan.

This approach to Ifa, as a philosophy oriented around character as a source for good fortune that underlies any religious expression, is heavily expanded on by several Yoruba writers, and in particular Yemi D. Ogunyemi, who insists on the separation between philosophy and religion in the plurality of expressions of faith we find in Yorubaland. He summarizes the religious component of Ifa as being related to its ethical dimension when he writes: ’The most important feature of Yoruba ethics is not obedience, disobedience, reward or punishment. It is Iwa (character).’ (1998: 14).

Ifa as such is the spiritual philosophy of character as held, developed and cultivated by the Yoruba speaking people of West Africa and several of their neighbouring nations. Regarding Ifa as a storehouse of wisdom accessed for the needs of the community, and as the energetic constitution of a community and its actors themselves, leads to a great variety of schools and traditions of Ifa. It is therefore difficult to define Ifa as a religion in the common Western sense; there is an absence of religious dogma in favor of mystical doctrine.

When the word Ifa is mentioned, the most common association is with its oracular arts, and the geomantic divination that, though often called Ifa, is correctly named dafa, meaning ’to spread out wisdom.’ Ifa initiation is known as tefa, a word signifying ’to press and spread out the wisdom of attraction and fortune.’ This distinction is important, because when Ifa is set into action for the purpose of divination, it takes on a particular meaning and function. Ifa is the storehouse of wisdom, manipulated and revealed during the process of dafa and tefa. Ifa is an active involvement with the potency of wisdom.

As stated at the beginning of this chapter, there are many opinions as to what the word Ifa means, and over the years I have come to find Chief Ogunsma Adewuyi’s understanding of it to be the clearest. He states that Ifa means ’to instigate an attraction.’ If we look at the use of the words fa, fa, fa and fa in the Yoruba language, we will see that they are always used in relation to bending something, to uprooting, to unveiling, or to attraction. The sound I is often used as a signal to begin the process of attraction, so Ifa can be an elision of ire fa, ’the art of attracting good fortune’ or even ’the art of bending fortune in your favour.’ No matter how we choose to interpret the word, Ifa is concerned with how we attract good fortune, therefore it is from this premise that I understand it to be a living and oracular philosophy that teaches us how we can bring what is good and fortunate into our lives. From this simple premise, the beautiful complexity of Ifa surges in riddles and verses, axioms and proverbs that aim to make us understand the dynamic between presence and absence as the prime pulse of creation, being and life. For instance, one Yoruba proverb emphasises that good fortune comes with the knowledge of misfortune: Ti aba nje ohun aladidun lai je drogbo, onje yio padanu adun re, which can be translated as: ’If we eat sweet things and avoid the bitter kola, all food will lose its flavour.’

the chosen one and the marketplace

A famous Ifa proverb states: Aye I’oja, &run n’ile, meaning: ’This, our world, is a market, but heaven is our home.’ When Ifa identifies this world with a marketplace, it understands the human field of activity to be one of interactions, deals, transitions and trade. It is a field of movement that challenges us on several levels. In the marketplace we find an ever changing plethora of energy, frequency and vibration. We experience the active side of Ifa in the realm of possibilities. This is always caused by a manifestation of one of the 256 odus, the energetic vibrations of creation, which can be understood as specific frequencies that serve both as causes and explanations for our experiences. Furthermore, it is in the Ifa literature, written and oral, that we find the vast field of knowledge pertaining to Ifa, again reflected through the lens of the 256 odus. Adekson writes:

Ifa has challenging ideas that generate philosophical knowledge in metaphysics, ethics, epistemology, and science ... Orunmila (Ifa) possesses knowledge of the following subjects: the study of nature (physics), animals (biology), plants (botany), oral incantations (ofd), divination (prediction), medicinal plants (herbalism), physiology (anatomy), and sciences associated with healing diseases (medicine)... Ifa foretells by warning and provides solutions to anticipated events or problems (2003: 24).

Ifa is the spiritual philosophy which underlies such concepts as merindmlogun (cowry shell divination), obi abata (kola nut divination), drisa (deified spiritual forces) and egun (spirits of death and ancestry), which form a nucleus in Afro Diaspora faiths such as Santeria, Lukumi, Candomble, and the Sango cult in Trinidad and Tobago. It is also present in the mystery known as Milocan - or sometimes just Ife - in Haitian Vodou, and we find it under the name of Fa/Afa at the heart of Beninese and Togolese Vodu, which consistently give the Yoruba speaking district of Ketu as the source of their Fa, as do several terreiros of Candomble.

It is interesting that Ketu is often mentioned, because it is the home of Esu. At times we find the term Nago/Anago used, which defines a Yoruba speaking people in the district nowadays belonging to Benin where it meets with Nigeria - these are basically the people of Ketu. Because Esu is the power of the crossroads, he is also the power of dispersion, the potential for action and consequence that springs forth from Ifa. We might understand his role in the world to be the energy that moves the various frequencies we encounter in the marketplace. As such, comprehending this force is crucial to an understanding of Ifa and of how the world works in its simple complexity.

Ifa, as a system of divination, can be found in the Arabic practice of ’ilm-alraml or sand cutting. From there it passes, via Renaissance scholars, into Western geomancy. We can understand geomancy as divination by means of earth or sand that takes the stellar bodies into consideration - hence, it is deeply related to astrology, or the ways of heaven. Ifa is earth divination, and as such, it offers the solution to situations that occur on earth, that touch everything here.

Ifa is concerned with the individual and the group. It is a philosophy that insists upon the necessity of harmonious gatherings. It insists that we are all born good and blessed. Ifa sees the human journey as one undertaken by spiritual beings, hence our life on earth should be a beautiful experience poised between bitterness and sweetness, which will lead us to a happy and fulfilled station. A lack of joy is to be understood as a challenge or a mistake, as everything has a solution. Ifa sees truth as being born from the perception that we as individuals are in communion with everything in the cosmos, and it avoids dogma by propounding a doctrine of light.

Ifa recognises that everything that exists consists of rays of light and their vibrations, hence it is important to recognise and understand them, whether they proceed from a friend or a foe, and assess them without holding any personal attachment to the judgment we pass. The concept of light is equated with consciousness - thus everything in cosmos, creation, and nature possesses light in the form of consciousness. The greater our understanding of the various rays of light and energetic frequencies that take form in the world, the more freely will we be able to move in the world and participate in this marketplace with elegance, efficacy and gentleness, and so reap lasting fortune. To paraphrase Ogunyemi (1998): ’everyone has something to sell, even if no one wants our product.’ If our product is not valued, we need to assess what we are offering and give deeper consideration to who we are, so that our product, the effects of our character, which makes part of what we have to offer, can be circulated in the marketplace.

The concept of the marketplace is an important one. It is the field in which transactions, deals, pacts and relationships, both good and bad, are struck. Ifa states that the marketplace belongs to woman and by this suggests that she holds the field, with transaction as a form of ase or power naturally belonging to her. We are here on earth because of woman and because of woman we can make a good or bad fortune for ourselves, just as we can make a good or bad deal.

We constantly find, both in Ifa verses and in its philosophical interpretation, that one situation has a thousand mirrors in all possible directions and dimensions. Ifa is all about the hermetic axiom, as above, so below - the below is always seen as a crossroads, and the chain of choices made at each of its four gates reveal images of the invisible world above. As M. A. Makinde wrote when quoting an Ifa proverb (M. A. Makinde 1984: 88):

Wisdom is known as Ifa

Knowledge is the other name for Opele Ifa Because we are bound to have problems.

It is to be informed about something we are ignorant of

That Ifd exists to help us.

The human being is known as eniyan, eni, or ard Aye, and these terms encapsulate different qualities. While eni and ard Aye refer to unique human being, an inhabitant of Earth, eniyan is a composite of words that hints of distress, but also of its solution through careful analysis. So we might see a distinction here between eniyan as one who to some extent has retained a conviction or a memory of their spiritual estate, and ard Aye, which does not hold this quality and can refer to whosoever walks the earth - hence we find eniyan meaning ’a person of power’ in reference to someone who possesses aja in the sense of witch power and the capacity for generating abundance. In the concept of eniyan, we find the mysteries of death, humanity and divinity woven into one secret, because our human condition is caused by death and it is through the human experience that we can realise our divinity.

In the more religious interpretations of Ifa in the African derived faiths that took shape in the New World as a consequence of the transatlantic crossing, it is noticeable that these three parts are often separated. The dead and ancestors, egun, are considered as different to eniyan and drisa, whereas the latter have taken on the role of deities and are seen as separate from both humans and the dead. However, in traditional Ifa philosophy, egun and drisa are part of the human being, and to die, the state of egun, is a prerequisite for assuming one’s natural state as a potential drisa.

The ascent of light in Ifa cosmology sees it as emanating from one source and spreading throughout the cosmos until it is reflected back in the material realm, much as Plotinus described his noetic cosmology in The Enneads. In his work, Plotinus deliberately does not give a location for the One, the original impulse that manifested into creation. The beginning and end remain unfixed presences, which enable the tension between absolute unity and the variety of unique presences and multiplicity of forms of consciousness in creation.

It follows that we might see a play between presence and displacement woven into Plotinus’ metaphysics, which is remarkably similar to what we find at the root of Ifa. In Ifa terminology, Plotinus’ One is called dyigiyigl, ’the stone that begins beginnings.’ It is conceived of as a primordial stone that bursts open with luminous heat, finding its mirror in the flowing magma at the centre of our earth, which is the field of Esu. This is part of the reason why this spiritual force is given a unique position in the metaphysics of Ifa.

Esu is the youngest of the drisa that came to Aye - but, in the mirror world in which we exist, this means that he was the oldest. He was the primordial stone lodged within Aye, maintaining a pure and absolute consciousness of the beginning of beginnings, and thus he surfaced last. He rose from within the earth as the primordial stone and crossroads after the denizens of heaven made their dwelling place here. Thus he gave the impression of being the youngest, the one who came last, even though he was here all along.

Esu is a paradox in all senses. He is the youngest, yet the oldest, he was gestated as a woman, but was transformed into a male, he is a rock, and yet the fire. He is choice, blessing and demise. He is the power of enigma in the world that makes wonder possible. But as he is a paradox of beginnings and endings, he shall be spoken of bit by bit until he is fully revealed in the final chapter of this work. Let us now return to the primordial stone of creation that is conceived of as resting in the primal womb, odu, a cosmic matrix, a form of energetic whiteness, or light, that implodes in a nuclear stasis, and then expands into bright possibilities of powers.

From the womb of whiteness, odu, there is made manifest a primordial light that generates the fundamental energetic potencies in creation, which Ifa calls imqle, meaning ’dwellers in light’ or ’brightness.’ The fundamental principle in a cosmic process of expansion is known as irunmole, which means ’whiteness sprouts hairs’ or ’the celestial dwellers sprout in luminosity.’ Awo Fa'lokun has noted that this is similar to the birth of a supernova. In other words, it is a stellar explosion of enormous energy and luminosity, leading to the generation of a new star. The stars and planets are known as igbcimqlo, meaning ’calabash of light,’ and they in turn radiate drisa ikdle drun, ’the shards of consciousness that dwell in heaven.’ Some of these come to earth and are called drisa ikdle aye, ’the shards of consciousness that dwell in the realm of earth.’ When this form of consciousness enters the earth, it is known as egun, or drisa on egun, meaning ’the consciousness that brings brightness to the bones.’ It ends in the concept of on inu, the consciousness within each and every thing on earth, whether human, animal, vegetable or mineral. This means that each and every one of us possesses a supracelestial consciousness. Through our on inu, we are in touch with the realm of eternity and beginnings. We are, as Fa'lokun has stated in several of his books, ’the eyes of the creator looking back at itself.’ At the same time, all things in nature partake of this memory, which is evident in the way in which the Ifa divination verses make no separation between man, divinities, plants, and animals when they illustrate the context and nature of a situation.

woman as the symbol of character

At the centre of Ifa philosophy we find on, which lies at the root of the word drisa. On is constantly connected with iwa, character, and it is necessary to give some attention to these concepts. At the root of this enquiry into the nature of character or iwa in Ifa we find that our purpose is to cultivate iwa rere or iwa pele, meaning a good or happy character. Ifa sees the relationship between man and iwa as equal to the relationship between a man and woman and therefore, we can transpose these recommendations onto how men should treat women.

The odu Ogbe Alara tells us that Iwa was a beautiful woman. But she was not easy to live with, on the contrary the odu speaks of her as lazy and lewd, with a poisonous tongue. After many years of marriage, Orunmila could no longer provide for his beautiful wife and sent her away. As a consequence, he started to feel miserable and soon after he lost status, money, friends and his own happiness. Upon consulting Ifa, he realised that he had brought this misfortune upon himself and decided to go after the beautiful and unruly Iwa. He made ebo (offering) to Egungun (the collective wisdom of the ancestors) and set out to search for Iwa. He went to all the sixteen kings of the kingdom in search of her and finally found her in the house of Olojo, at the Egungun grove, and took her back.

There are many things to learn from this story, the most important being that it takes time to build a good character or iwa rere - hence the saying: Suuru ni baba iwa rere, ’patience is the father of good character.’ The odu is therefore a warning against being judgmental and critical both towards ourselves and others. Here we need to address and understand the purpose of egbm, meaning ’dirt’ or ’waste.’ This word is commonly used in reference to things, acts, and attitudes considered dirty and wasteful. Iwa was spoken of in this verse as a beautiful woman of filthy habits. In this we find a warning against judging acts and people. We should note that Ifa realises that creation, the Great Design, is just as it is supposed to be, and when we enter into condemnation, dogmatise and exercise moral denigration we are displaying a lack of understanding based upon a distorted perception of the matter at hand.

We see this in the realm of Osanyin - drisa of herbs, roots and leaves -where we find a curious similarity between Ifa traditional herbalism and plant alchemy in the West. The first stages of alchemy are focused on what is called a blackening of the matter, where death or waste is extracted from the essence. From the waste a final and most peculiar essence is derived for completing the herbal remedy or medicine. This same preparation is made in several works for preparing odgun, a powerful medicine in which the plant waste can be reused, and with the aid of fire, the final virtue of the plant extracted and reintroduced to the medicine. If this parallel is applied to the relationship we find between man in growth and iwa we see that to generate iwa rere is a process by which we gradually leave the dross and waste in favour of the pure essences of being filled with virtue and joy. It is, furthermore, a directive to not make hasty judgments based upon subjective opinions. We might say that the verse speaks about how the road towards good character starts with the acceptance of who we are, inclusive of the good and the bad. It is only when we accept our self that we can develop towards having a good character.

Abimbola comments in Yoruba Oral Traditions (1975) that to possess iwa rere can at times be a burden, just as a rebellious wife is a burden; but still, he who possesses iwa rere must cultivate it, because the presence of this person makes the world a better place. It is an admonition to not allow oneself to fall into corruption, but rather to be hopeful and to approach challenges with curiosity and devout optimism. It is true that there are people who feel the presence of a good person in their midst as something evil, because the contrast is so great between the elevated joy of being radiating from the person who possesses iwa rere and those who are driven by selfish ambition to satisfy all their materialistic urges. This is why humility, kindness, generosity and calmness of mind are always expressions of good character. However, it is only people who possess iwa rere who will have everything, as one Ifa proverb states:

If you have money,

But if you do not have good character, The money belongs to somebody else.

Woman is the symbol of character, and it is due to her ambiguity that she and iwa are seen as partaking of the same nature. The ase of womanhood as manifested in Osa meji represents the idea of the interference of supernatural forces, of the malefic forces in the world, ajogun and the aje, the powers that people experience as threats to the stability of creation whilst they are in truth divine mechanisms to bring about cosmic order as a result of constant change. On the other hand we find in Osa: meji the manifestation of sweetness, riches and abundance in the form of Osun.

Iwa can be said to reflect these two patterns of cosmic reality, which manifest as good and bad character. This does not mean that Osa meji is a bad odu, but that many people have problems realising the magnificent mysteries veiled within it, and thus reflect a distortion or degeneration of its wonderful qualities. Woman is understood to possess these qualities naturally, and moreover, she also possesses odu (the womb), which means that a man’s access to odu is demonstrated by looking at his iwa in both senses of the word, as his character and as a woman or wife. Woman is therefore the enigmatic centre of all possibility, especially that of cultivating iwarere.

We need to realise that our fortune and future happiness are completely dependent upon how we approach and understand iwa. Character is beautiful, it is a way of being in the world. This is the meaning of the contraction of i-wa into iwa, the way of being in the world. Fa'lokun Fatunmbi has repeatedly pointed out that the important Yoruba terms related to character and purpose are those such as egbe (companions gathered as in a society), okan (heart), and ife (love). The heart and love are the foundations for building good character. This means that the centre of Ifa, Ile Ife, actually contains a subtle reference to it being a ’House of Love.’ Love is the foundation of Ifa. Just as a marriage is a process towards unity and mutual understanding that aims to create a stable unit of happiness founded in love, so is the journey towards understanding, integrating and reflecting happiness accomplished by embracing iwa.

iwa and ori

Iwa rere is a term that contains a rich web of connections, because the one who possesses the qualities which are described as good character will experience all the goodness of life. Such a person will always harvest benevolence from the ruling powers, both spiritual and social, as the result of being a harmonious element in all the worlds. Iwa gives the direction to our on, consciousness. Ogunda meji says that no divine being blesses a man without the consent or knowledge of his on. On is intimately connected with iwa because on is your personal divinity, by allegory your genius or daimon. The on speaks with the language of air, wind and the heart. As the world moves away from the wealth of traditional wisdom, the more difficult it becomes to understand the ways in which on interacts with us, and this distance provokes a feeling of being lost. On is the divinity that is responsible for your success and failure in life, and it is on that opens and closes doors and opportunities. Acts of self-sabotage, whether by rejecting opportunities or by making wrong choices, are caused by our refusing to accept the blessings drisa wants to give us. This can be a result of disbelief, feelings of inferiority, shame or self-denigration in its manifold forms.

Abimbola (1975) notes that when we chose our on in the sense of a fusion of consciousness, guardian deity and ipm or kadara, and our destined lot of fortune, we also chose a specific route that we need to embark upon in order to harvest the happy fruits of life. When we stand in the sculptor Ajala’s house to choose our on and destiny, Orunmila is present as eleri-ipin (witness of destiny) and becomes in that moment the compass for our journey through the human experience.

Ogbegunda tells us about the elements involved in the transition of divine beings who choose to experience human life, and the recurring theme in Ifa of patience, honour and humility is found here too. This involves listening to advice from elders and being slow, if ever, to judge. The odu tells of various challenges that we are presented with, which in turn generate choices and thus make up the map for our journey in the market of the worlds. This means that we have already chosen our ordeals and fortunes as human beings. It also means that those who feel that they have been given an unhappy lot are not really starting their journey from the right perspective. For every obstacle or challenge there are always several choices and at least one of those choices will bring us closer to our destiny, carried on the wings of wisdom. Eji Ogbe tells us that: ’he who is wise, is made wise by his on,’ and this is the consequence of embracing this wonderful condition of life on earth with the right spirit. Wisdom walks hand in hand with the fortunes given. Another remark I have often heard is that, upon receiving the ita (the reading concluding initiation that reveals in part the destiny you chose), people can

consider the odu that reveals itself as bad or even evil. These people engage in the negative aspects of the odu Irete meji, namely self-hexing, a reaction quite common in our world, where guilt and the distribution of guilt in the hunt for feeling good about oneself is often found. This is evident in the simplest unit of social interaction we have today, between couples. Situations deemed difficult often turn into a vehicle for projecting one’s own accumulated poison outwards, and onto one’s partner in particular. In many cases this leads to damage to one’s own sense of worth and as a consequence worse choices are taken. A vicious cycle has begun, and the emerging feeling of being lost becomes a sour reality. It all comes down to ori.

The concept of on is intriguing. As mentioned, the imqle in charge of this process is called Ajala, meaning ’Dog of Light.’ This term is a reference to dogs as messengers for spirit and of light, being the common substance we all partake in, so in this we find a reference to direction within the light as well as a given quality, which we also find in drisa, being encoded into our consciousness. Ajala, however, is described as an insufferable drunkard and gambler; hence, in spite of his masterful skills in sculpting consciousness, he nonetheless often makes errors - the oris he makes crack in the fire, get burned, or are too soft. Before we embark upon our human journey, we go to Ajala’s house to select our ori, but the choice is not always easy, as the flaws in his sculpting are rarely visible. By selecting an ori we also elect a given energetic current and with it a given destiny. Such a destiny is to be understood as a way of being in the world that will lead to all good things. When we arrive on earth with an impaired consciousness, these defects can be mended by accumulating wisdom set into action, ebo (sacrifice), and through initiations. Another Yoruba proverb says: ’Bit by bit we eat the head of the rat,’ meaning that we should be patient in the work of remaking ourselves.

We might conceive of ori as a compass. If it is badly made, it will lead us in the wrong direction, whilst a good consciousness will always point us towards the right choices. The compass of ori comes with intuition, and intuition is a silent frequency that opens a double way between you and the source.

Ifa tells that he went to the market to search for a spouse for Ori and there he found Emi (breath/soul). Ori married Emi and placed her in his heart. Emi is also the Yoruba word used to designate a specific person, someone with a substance and an essence. Emi was placed in the heart that rests in aya (the chest), and the chest refers both to armour and also to friendship. Aya is the field used to embrace someone in the bonds of friendship so that our heart can meet with theirs. Aya is a spiritual force in its own right, the spirit of friendship.

From the chest stretch forth our arms, known as owo, a word that is similar to Owo, (abundance) and Owoowo (a gathering, accumulation). The hands reach from the heart with the power of abundance. With our hands we can give and take abundance. From the lower torso stretch forth our legs (ese), the power of strength and endurance in pursuing our direction and path. The legs are connected to idi (the buttocks), which remind us of the need to rest, and how much better our rest is in companionship, where two halves meet to make a common solid resting place.

The body becomes a symbol of the importance of gathering together in harmony, just as our body is assembled harmoniously. Our material manifestation, as a spiritual being in an ensouled body, requires a path, a goal, a detour, rest, experience and friendship. It all makes part of this harmonious gathering, as threats to harmony offer us the chance to value what we have and to make the right choices. Everything that happens can be used in the service of the right decision, if we allow it to be used in such a way. If we resist the good choice, we always have the option to return, which Ifa calls atunwa.

iwa and atunwa

Atunwa is the idea of reincarnation, literally ’rebirth of character.’ The idea of rebirth is represented by the fourth of the sixteen major odus, Odi meji. This odu represents the uterus and the miracle of birth. Again we see the importance of the female, of woman, for birth and rebirth. Odi also speaks of the destruction of what is useless and the emergence of the new, the good and the blessed - for we are all born good and blessed. The path away from embracing our happy destiny comes into play as we are subject to socialisation, directly or indirectly, by materialistic values in a spiritually degenerate world.

A rebirth commonly occurs in the family-line by descent from the father or the mother, but since the compound, or village, is considered as an extended family, reincarnation also occurs within this greater fold and is then considered to be caused by Orisa. We see here the logical sociological consequence that arises from family being formed both of blood children and through adoption.

The purpose of reincarnation, to descend from our heavenly home in Orun to journey a lifespan on earth, is to enjoy the mystery of life. Agbo atd (long life) is a blessing, because as we journey through life we will grow wiser, our unruly iwa will become sweet and good, and we will speak with the voice of our on. Long life allows us to grow wise in the mystery of being, and with wisdom comes happiness through understanding that life is pleasurable. Friends, prestige, money, a good home and a good name, a good marriage, children and comfort are all consequences of rewarding work and the active pursuit of good character. We must realise the path that destiny has prepared for us in order to receive all possible blessings.

Ifa says the goal is the same - happiness and contentment - but the way to attain it is determined by the uniqueness of the path we chose to walk on earth. This is revealed through the naming ceremony, esentaye, which is usually performed on the third day after birth. By utilizing the oracular wisdom of Orunmila, the destiny of the child is revealed; and recommendations on how to conduct life in order to live well in the world are given, along with matters concerning professions and the various procedures for atonement of supranatural powers so the roads can be clear and open. How different this is from the modern rebellious and antinomian ways in which man looks inward to seek whatever he believes himself to be. Compare that to the traditional worldview of Ifa, where you turn towards the source for guidance in the mystery of life and discover the tools for making your fate your own.

orisa: shards of consciousness

Orisa is a term that has been subject to many interpretations. The word itself is clear in meaning, a ’shard of consciousness.’

One story from the Ifa corpus speaks of how Obatala, when he was bringing the calabash of creation to earth, came down to the first mountain. He descended along a golden chain, but stumbled as he hit the summit of the mountain, and the calabash of creation broke into 201 pieces. From these shards drisa took shape as a unique - and limited - manifestation of the divine plethora.

On an almost primitive level of metaphysical constitution, this is what drisa is: specific and singular divine potencies, that are awakened as they hit Aye (the earth), and spark forth a particular form of divine fire. The spark constitutes the core of every ensouled material manifestation, beasts, humans, minerals, trees, and other natural phenomena. This idea of shared consciousness is crucial for understanding Ifa philosophy and cosmology. Since everything that is partakes of a shared divine fire, everything is divine. We might read pantheism or animism into this as much as a qualified monism. These philosophical discourses are actually of less importance in relation to divine sparks continually encountering other divine sparks, because everything possesses on, consciousness. Ifa is a philosophy about shared commonality and divinity; everything holds the divine fire within, whether strong or weak in its flickering dance.

When the calabash of creation fell to the ground, we also learn that 200 shards took form at the right side, but one shard took form at the left. This dynamic is replicated in our hands, the left being a symbol of restriction, force and protection, and the right being a symbol of gratitude, welcome and blessing. The two hands demonstrate our capacity to rend and gather. We find in the hands, the eyes, the legs, the ears and the buttocks a reminder of the importance of unity and also the power we hold in being authors of fortune and misfortune, dispersion and gathering. This idea is encoded in one of the many interpretations of the word eniyan.

Eniyan is one of the terms used to describe humans - but also witches - in the odu Osagunda. Eni means ’people’ andyan defines a capacity for choice or being chosen. In other words, Ifa is clear that man came to earth with the free will to choose what is good or what is bad, although the term eniyan implies the act of choice as much as being chosen. It implies that humans were chosen to take this journey because they were elected to do good and to recognize the shards of divine consciousness dispersed everywhere and thence gather together in harmony.

As the body of the tree or that of a mountain houses a divine spark of consciousness, so too does our human body. It is a sacred house for the divine fire taking on a unique form. Since everything shares the same divine matter, our very constitution invites and enables us to learn from plants, trees, beasts and spirits. In these we see our own richness, or lack; and work on our perfection. When we witness everything as divine rays moving, forming benevolent and malevolent relations in an emotionally detached, but interested, approach to the world, we cease to judge and simply experience. We will be like stars and trees, secure in their consciousness; mountains of integrity and goodness that spread stability and give welcome to the world. The goal is to become awo, the embodiment of secrets that knows the matrix and helix of consciousness and being. Possessing awo will enable us to proceed towards our destiny with dignity and measured movement. We experience awo by mediating aba and ase, the ideas and the force by which we accomplish these ideas. The only irunmole who held both these powers was Obatala, the king dressed in white. He is the spiritual force bringing with him ideas, dreams and the ase, the force to make it a reality. He carried the calabash of creation to earth and brought forth all drisa from the storehouse of divine wisdom, the still state of being and all possibilities of expression we know as Olodumare. There are no shrines or groves dedicated to Olodumare. We can pray to him, as a statement of our axis, an affirmation of recognition, but it will be like whispers touching fog. Olodumare is the origin of all, but is different from everything that is, and because of this he is the pole that generates any landscape, known or mysterious to us.

In order for every sentient being to know its origins, it needs to reconnect with everything that is, in all its possible variations: trees, beasts, plants - or, even more challengingly, other human beings. Ifa teaches that if a thing exists it serves a purpose. If we become agitated or annoyed we lose wisdom, and in so doing we enter into the crossroads of Esu where choices have to be made. These choices can go with us or against us, challenge wisdom or feed it. We need this contrast in our life. We need the dagger soaked in honey as much as we need the kiss glossed in vinegar, because wherever we see evil, goodness is around the corner, and whenever we embrace goodness we should stay in the embrace of love. This will deflect all negativity.

We are shards of divine consciousness walking the earth. With our birth we set the earth aflame with a given energy. We open the door to a divine experience, being born as good and blessed souls embarking on a journey that can at times be confusing or challenging, but always rewarding provided we choose the good. We repeatedly come to the crossroads of choice - some of us turn into warriors and interpret everything as situations, while others interpret this condition as slaves, others still as regents. From this point we can understand what we are, and what we are not, in a spirit of invitation and interest as we gently reject the negative and gladly invite the positive. Your life is about you and your accomplishments. It is about how you embrace and love the world, and here we find the concept of drisa. Orisa is you. Orisa is god. Orisa holds a unique and limited shard of the divine consciousness which serves as a mirror for your becoming and enables your own god making which is mediated by possessing awo.

The number of drisa coming to Aye was 17. This number is significant as 17 represents the principle of multiplication in Ifa cosmology, and it was this power that the earth attracted to herself. It is the number of Esu and of his mother, Osun, a constant reminder that Esu came to earth to help man to choose good, to choose sweetness. Ifa really has no hierarchy as such - apart from the head, Obatala; and tail, Esu - which form the ouroboros that encapsulates creation. The head is the gentle mediator of all things, signified by the two eyes in the snake’s head and its forked tongue. It is further represented by the boa constrictor sacred to Obatala. Esu is the tail, the crossroads that starts a renewed cycle, or leads you into the wilderness to enter the body of creation from an unexpected direction, a challenge that propels you forward or into resistance.

Ifa sees everything that exists as emanations from a single field of diffuse or mysterious being, referred to as Olodumare, the name given to the force that rests in the invisible realms as a quiet storehouse of light. As mentioned earlier, the Yoruba concept of god is noetic and in line with Plotinus - but also with Proclus’ Neoplatonism. Olodumare is ever concealed, ever a mystery. This mystery can be experienced in shards of beauty throughout creation, in the visible and invisible worlds. Olodumare is the creative power, the heat of divine potential and light. It is the owner of the womb that gives forth snakes (boas or pythons) in the form of dsumare, the rainbow. It is Olorun Ala, the owner of the cloth of light in the invisible realm; and Ehrdaa, the one who allows life to flow forth from its third eye. Its power is supported by its firstborn principles, suuru (patience), and ela (wisdom/purity), through which it made all that we can conceive of possible, whether in dreams or as an extension of consciousness in motion.

These powers known as drisa emanate from irunmole, ’ spirits of the houses of light,’ which came to earth with the specific task of making it a habitat in conformity with the social spirit of Onile. Sixteen powers in particular were crucial for the construction of the earth and everything upon it, including mankind. We should understand 16 not as a fixed amount, but rather a quality related to the power of multiplication. This mindset is further affirmed when Ifa reveals that at the beginning of time, when Aye became an ensouled planet, spirits came from the right and the left. Of these spirits, 201 came from the left and are associated with strength and malefica, whilst 401 came from the right, representing benevolence and good fortune. These numbers reveal that the forces of fortune will always outnumber those of misfortune.

From the left, the side of strength, only one drisa came forth, and this was Ogun. The remainder of the spiritual forces coming from the left were spirits detrimental to human wellbeing. These are considered to be the necessary arsenal of defences available to Onile, with Ogun serving as a stabilising force amidst all these spirits of obstacle and grief.

From the left, we have the spirits known as ajogun, elenim and aja, which include such phenomena as egba (paralysis), dfd (loss), arun (disease), iku (death), epe (curses), ese (affliction) and many more. This doesn’t mean that Olodumare designed a world where the battle between good and evil is constantly enacted; rather the necessity of radical contrast in generating a field of experience. In other words, to enable creation, contrast and opposition are essential. This necessary polarity is found in the simple binary of 0 and 1, absence and presence, night and day: from these general principles, it extends into a multiplicity of forms. The godhead dwells in this atmosphere of contemplation and mystery.

Since these hostile forces are the result of a cosmic necessity that supports creation, it is important to understand how to engineer one’s life in such a way that they can be absent from it, yet present in the world. Ifa states throughout its corpus that the absence of malefica is accomplished by developing good character, accumulating wisdom and patience, being respectful towards one’s ancestors and interested in one’s environment. Hence the presence of malefica invites the understanding of them as forces that tempt us and help us to make the right and proper choices.

In order to accumulate wisdom, we need to understand the myriad forms that have consciousness, and so it is proper to look more closely at some of the well known drisas, because they reveal the energetic condition of the world and of human beings.

Amongst the first sixteen drisas of importance for our world we find Obatala, Ogun, Sango, Oya, Egungun, Obaluwaye, Olokun/Aje Saluga, Osun and Esu, all of whom represent important powers related to creation. These potencies are also related to the establishment of the Yoruba Empire and its original 16 city states with the oni (king) of Ile Ife representing the axis of these mystical dimensions. This complex is illustrated by the many stories in the Ifa corpus which speak of the fortunes and misfortunes of the various drisas during their journey in Aye. They teach us what kinds of situations and energies one should avoid, and how to integrate the lessons of life in order to transform misfortune into fortune. It should also be mentioned that these stories tell of people who manifested these qualities in their lives and thus set an example for posterity. By becoming familiar with the stories and teachings of spirits, men, animals, trees and plants, we increase our own knowledge, and we pay attention and respect to our ancestry and environment.

We will now look more closely at Obatala, who made dry land and the body of everything that would hold a soul. We will also look at Ogun, who made roads throughout the earth and forged the spine and skeleton in man and animals; at Oya, the mother of wind, and the fiery Sango. The fertile and sweet waters of Osun will be commented upon, as will the capacity for sickness and healing held by Obaluwaye and the secrets of medicine possessed by Osanyin. Egungun, the bones of ancestry, and the crossroads of tradition will be considered, as well as the watery complex of Olokun, Aje Saluga, Osupa, and Yemoja; and before I conclude the presentation of drisas I will, of course, talk of Esu.

obatala: the source of consciousness

Obatala is often referred to as the king of drisas. His spiritual force was the bridge that brought consciousness and form to creation. As such, Obatala is equated with consciousness itself, specifically a calm and cool consciousness. Obatala is an extension of the spiritual power known as suuru, patience, and sdtito, truthfulness and faithfulness. Obatala has a deep resonance with early life forms; examples include reptiles, snakes, elephants and in particular the snail. The snail not only carries around a house shaped by the golden section in honour of cosmic perfection and wisdom, it is composed of mucus and muscle and represents the stage of creation prior to the forging of the skeleton. The snail prefigures the original form, with its primeval quadripartite brain and serpentine mucus muscle that shapes its body. The white blood of the snail has calmative properties, and the Ifa corpus tells us that it was the blood of snails which Obatala used to calm forces that threatened to wreak catastrophe upon the earth. The snail is also sacred to the im^le in its condition of perfect calm, that called upon the skeleton and spine to transform the dweller of peace into a determined warrior through the power of Ogun. It is when we gained a spine and skeleton that the human journey began from its peaceful and patient original state. Obatala appears both as a male and a female spirit in the stories of Ifa, depending on the traditions preserved in the different Yoruba districts. More frequently, Obatala is seen as the husband of Yemowo, a spirit of purity attributed to white clay and creativity, she who sculpts the world together with him. Some stories tell that Yemoja was born from this primordial union, while other traditions say that Obatala never had a child of his own; his capacity is the force that made the mystery of ovum and sperm merge, and as such he is the father of all, not of anyone in particular. This is a further reference to Obatala being the spirit who brought consciousness to the world in all its 256 different forms, as expressed in the Ifa corpus of Odu. Since Obatala is the sum of consciousness, we are all, in this sense, his children.

What might appear as a contradiction in the many stories is how the energy of Obatala works in our world. Obatala belongs to a class of spirits known as funfun, which is usually translated as ’the whiteness of white,’ or ’splendour.’ All these spiritual forces are related to ideas of purity, moderation, stability, creativity, and creation, whether in terms of bringing forth ensouled beings or forming a harmonious community. It follows that all the funfun spirits that came to earth became rulers over cities and districts, due to their extraordinary capacities for understanding the fundamental principles of creation and cosmic organisation. Funfun is a reference to what is concealed and mysterious; hence the divergent, and at times contradictory, stories and myths about Obatala. The whiteness of the funfun spirits is a field of tranquil peace that is contrasted with dudu, or blackness. Dudu refers to what is concealed, and it is this that the funfun spirits reveal in the form of a mystery. As such, we can understand funfun to be a force that reveals itself little by little, and thus carries the admonition that stability and peacefulness are necessary preconditions to make positive use of the revelation of the mystery. Glimpsed here are the metaphysical dimensions that bring forth day from night and a child from the womb. In addition to funfun and dudu is awon pupa, the mystery of redness. Awon pupa represents spiritual forces of fire and fierceness and is related to the blood, to the passions, and is the principle that actively infuses any form of germination with power.

In Ifa metaphysics the universe is a result of the power of expansion and of contraction. This cosmic pulse is frequently referred to as drisako, male spirits of whiteness, and drisabo, female spirits of darkness, a reference to the interplay between imo (light) and aimoye (the darkness needed for manifestation).

Obatala represents our journey through a world of paradox and mystery, to experience goodness and arrive at the harbour of tranquility. This is made possible by the accumulation of wisdom and understanding, as we cultivate our character and gradually increase our awareness, not only of ourselves, but of how we are connected to everything in this web of wonders.

Adura obatala

Obatala yemi

Ni mo se da funfun

Obatala yemi

Ni mo se da funfun

Sebi aso iyi

Obatala, look upon me with favour It is because of this you dress in white Obatala, look upon me with favour It is because of this you dress in white It is because of this he/she is renowned

Ohun le um sode i gbele It is what you use to start the festivities

Ase igben Costly garment

Ohun le um sode i gbele It was he/she you would use to start the festivities

Alagbada elewu etu Esama sotito Orisa mi gbemi o

Owner of the dress of the guinea fowl They do only good

My drisa looks upon me with favour

ogun: the fiery one who made the path

Ogun holds paramount importance in Yoruba cosmology because of his capacity to bring the awon pupa (the red mystery) to earth in the particular way necessary for the evolution and sustainability of every ensouled thing. He has mastery of iron and fire and is a blacksmith, a warrior and patron of hunters.

He is represented by the colour red, but more so by deep blue, which typifies the hottest part of a flame. He gives form to the fire itself, as revealed in the power of iron tamed by it. Iron is represented by the staff that can be bent into form, and iron is the vital component in blood, making Ogun the author of the skeleton and of the blood. Ogun is the force that keeps everything alive with vital essence, determination and motion.

Ogun is the only drisa who came from the left side, hence his capacity to exercise dominion over the energies that comprise its malevolent forces. Ogun is the spiritual intelligence who knows how to forge this overflow of sizzling energies into structures and paths; he is, correspondingly, the impulse for war, copulation and aggression. He is the force at play when the farmer ploughs his field and opens the earth to plant his seeds, as much as he is that which moves revolution, the military and the bloodlust of a killer seeking some form of justice. Even if he represents the control of this energy, the energy he controls is not so easily managed by individuals. In this way Ogun represents the force of fire and determination present in a society.

Whilst Ifa speaks of the descent of spiritual forces to the earth in several odus, in Ogunda meji we are told specifically of the manifestation of Ogun on earth and the organisation of human society. There are at least four variations of this story, and they all express the same principles. Ifa tells us that all the roads on earth were made by a spiritual force known as Tobi Ode, whose name means ’the hunter who possesses great skill.’ Before the success of Tobi Ode, Obatala made an attempt to clear paths so that the visible and invisible realms would be able to converge. He made a knife of silver and started to cut his way through the woods and wilderness. He managed to cut under the bushes to liberate roots and create some space, but when it came to the more difficult clearing of the brush, the silver knife became bent and broken. Through this action, Obatala inspired the roots of all plants with the power of dreams, and made communication with them possible. Realising that a stronger metal was necessary, he called upon Tobi Ode, who possessed the power of iron, to clear the paths between the visible and invisible realms, and he succeeded in doing so.

The accomplishments of Tobi Ode made possible the arrival of drisas and other spiritual forces to Aye; he was honoured, celebrated and elected to be king of the city of Ire. He was renamed Ogun Olori, meaning ’the power of iron owns the head,’ alluding to his absolute supremacy over all living beings. Ogun refused these honours, and went to the forest of mystery. He journeyed through it to the mountain where Obatala was resting in dream and contemplation. In Ogun’s absence, the population became unruly and quarrelsome, and it didn’t take long before he was called back to the city to restore order. He came down from the mountain and out of the forest, painted with efun (white chalk) and dressed in mariwd (palm fronds) in honour of the true king of whiteness and woods, Obatala. As a forest lord, in the image of Obatala, he entered the city of Ire and brought an end to all the hostile and negative forces. Yet again he was hailed as a king with the name Onire, meaning ’king of good fortune.’ From Ire, Ogun went from city to city, reinstating order, harmony and good fortune, until he came to Ile Ifb, where he set down his crown of kingship and placed a crown of iron upon his head, departing to the woods to wait for new adventures and new stages in the world’s development.

Here in the woods, Ogun established the first society, the Egbe Ode, the hunters’ society that became the model for many others, and also founded the Ogbqni society. In his capacity as a founding father of a closed society, he can be seen as the instigator of all forms of society, as well as of social advancements in the ebb and flow of civilisation. For the Yoruba people, civilisation is moved by the same powers that influence hunters - society reflects their social needs and vice versa. This is evident in the succession of chiefs in the hunters’ society. Ogun was the patriarch, followed by Osip-si, Ologun Ede, and Erinle/Inle.

As the patriarch of hunters, Ogun had an intense relationship with the powers of misfortune and unrest, aja and ajogun, and in particular with Onile, the spirit of the earth, and together they share a veneration - and taste - for black dogs. In several Yoruba traditions, dogs, especially female dogs, are regarded as guardians and messengers of Onile, given their loyalty and capacity for seeing both the visible and invisible worlds.

After Ogun, Osi-si was the next chief of the hunters’ society, and in him we see a refinement of the customs of the hunt. Osi-si is attributed with the power of astral travel for the purpose of tracking down prey. He is also associated with the bow and arrow. While Ogun needed proximity to the target, Osi-si could hunt his prey from a distance and with him came all forms of clever snares and traps. This advancement continued with the next chief, Ologun Ede, the sorcerer from Ede city who is reputed to have introduced magic and new ideas into the concept of the hunt. Ologun Ede is usually represented with a medicine bag in his hands; this reveals a relationship with Osanyin, the owner of herbs and medicine, and additionally the use of poisons.

After him Erinle makes his appearance, representing the healing aspect of the hunter and the fisherman. Both Ologun Ede and Erinle have strong ties to Osun who, in several myths, is said to be the mother of them both. The entrance of Osun into the development of the hunters’ mystery also brings Esu, her son, and with them we see the social layers represented by the advances in the hunters’ society providing a model of social evolution. Regarding these four powers, we can conceive of the social rhythm of a society or a civilization as ruled by the following principles: the power of Ogun, manifested through iron and smithing, clears the roads and makes the necessary structures for growth. Osqa-si enters the social design with focus and determination to develop the existing structures; as such, he represents the order achieved in a society by its population. Next, a creative element enters in the form of Ologun Ede, an enthusiasm and volatility that is resolved in a dance between poison and medicine, in which Erinle, the owner of medicines and remedies, steps in as a stabilising influence.

We need to understand that a society is born because of the efforts of Ogun. Ogun came from the left side, which demonstrates that both benevolent and malefic forces are necessary for the motion of a society that we perceive as progress. The key is to follow his example and dress in efun (whiteness) and mariwd, to acknowledge the peaceful nature of Obatala as being the force that should inform every social advance. Ogun is the honeyed sword as much as the bitter aftertaste in a sweet victory. Fundamentally he is the force that made the substance of life possible, as this onki imparts:

Onki Ogun

Orisa b Ogun

A ko roko

A ko yena

Ogun lo ni oko

Ogun lagbede

Ogun lagbe oun naa ni jagun jagun

Bi o si Ogun a ko jeun

There is no divinity that equals Ogun Without Ogun

We would not clear the weed and woods Without Ogun no path would be clear The hoe belongs to Ogun

Ogun is the blacksmith

Ogun is the farmer and the warrior

Without Ogun we would not have food

oya: the white wind that feeds a thousand fires

Oya is the wind, and as the wind is constantly changing so she is the power behind change. Her name is probably an elision of o lyd mesan, meaning ’Mother of nine.’ This epithet refers to the nine children she begot with Sango. The first eight were mute, but the ninth spoke with an outlandishly high pitched voice. This was Egungun, the others being the eight winds. As the mistress of the winds, she has an important function in how society changes, and the wanton and flickering ways of the human mind and desire. Just as the wind can take the form of breeze, storm and tornado, mimicking the stages in our life, it also mirrors the force inherent in a given society that moves between breeze and storm, pleasantness and destruction.

Oya is a warrior spirit, having her origin in the Niger river, and is often depicted as a fierce Amazon. Several songs and prayers to her state that she is to be feared far more than her husbands, Ogun and Sango, as her ’cutlass made of wind kills more than any sword’ (see her odu, Osa mejl).

Oya is a mysterious force of nature, present when the wind stirs up and presages the thunder. She is the wind that feeds fire and the force that excites passions. An object in rapid movement will generate heat, and thus the movement of Oya generates heat and fire, resulting in the atmospheric conditions that makes the thunderbolt possible. She is the wind that dresses in fire, because she is what controls, soothes, and excites it. But wind, the aerial element, is a reference to the spiritual domain, as the corporeality of spirits is formed of air. This association tells us that Egungun, the collective memory of ancestry, is the wind within the earth, and this is why he speaks with a windlike high pitched voice.

This is the dance of Oya in the world. Her praise names are (amongst many): Oya Orire: ’She whose beauty is so great we cannot look away’; Oya Oriri: ’the charming one’; Afefe lele: ’Great Wind’; Afefe iku: ’Winds of death.’ She is also Afefe lege-lege ti ^ da'gi I’oke-l’oke: ’The wind that severs the treetops’ and fyddmi arina bora bi aso: ’My mother who dresses in fire.’

The wind is the portent of empyrean wisdom. It is here we find the link between ancestral wisdom and what is hidden within the earth as a reflex of the original celestial wisdom. The stars are always right beneath our feet. This is why we bow our heads to the ground and ask Onile for what we need to stay strong and ardent. The one who listens is Egungun, the ancestral memory, the subterrestrial wind. Wind upon wind, layer upon layer, nine in all, forms the dress worn by Oya. Oya cuts the treetops because the trees are our ancestors, and she descends upon the crown of trees as divine inspiration. Her womb is the gateway of wisdom. She is the wisdom that flashes through the sky and ignites immediate understanding. She is the wisdom that makes us humble and, in humility, we fall to the ground. As we lie there with the ancestral winds murmuring beneath our backs, she flashes in the storms above us. She is the wisdom that touches everything with invisible hands and sets minds, hearts and the world aflame with passion. This is why Sango desperately needs her. He needs the spark of empyrean inspiration to accompany his thunderous presence.

She is the wind of death and thus she is divine justice, just as Obatala is the most ghastly of deaths, ’the white death,’ because when the sweet breeze turns into a tornado, devastation is as unavoidable as it is when the whiteness of Obatala scorches the earth with radioactive rays.

She is the wisdom of equilibrium resting upon the shoulders of Egungun. She is the womb that invigorates the earth and wind to speak its wisdom, because the wind carries seeds and pollen everywhere and is the unruly force that can shift fortune from one hand to another, from one nation to another. As one orin says:

E e e pa!

Oya o

Hee pa ri pa Oya o Eegun nla inu afefe Hee pa ri pa Oya o Odsa nla d

Odsa to tobi

A pani ma naga

Tii t ’oko re leyin o Omo re la nse

Awa loloya

Oh Oya

Oh, Magnificent Oya

Oh Great Ancestor spirit who lives in the wind

Oh great Oya

The great orisa

Orisa of excellence

Who kills without moving herself

Who supports her husband

Support us

We are your children, enflame us

We are your children

Oya wa, ti wa leyin o We cultivate Oya

E e e heepa o Oya that is ours, support us

Heepa! E e heepa o!

Sango: the twain sword of justice

Sango is a spirit associated with thunder. He was the fourth ruler of Oyo state; his rule was one of military and structural excellence and his kingdom prospered in woodcarving and wisdom. Under him Oyo state became renowned for its excellence in organization and trade as well as in violence and horror.

Sango is red in colour and is related to politics, water, and women. Oya, the wind that stirs up the passions, chose him as her ideal husband, while she herself is a power resting within the white cloth of Obatala. As we saw in the case of Ogun and what is implied in Oya, all red forces that possess sufficient understanding will realise that they need to venerate the whiteness of Obatala and thus submit their fiery passions to calm and clear mediation and evaluation. While Ogun is supported by the darkness from which he came, in his red force seeking whiteness Sango does not have this kind of fundamental cosmic support. With Sango we find a man born in ancestral memory who rises to godhood. It is in Sango that we find the divine state of humans, as spiritual beings on a journey to retrieve their divinity. Sango is a perfect example of the human condition, and in particular the nature of politics here in Aye. Sango is the lightning, and by this he demonstrates himself as someone who recognises their celestial origin. We are all born from the flashes of light and fire, the red expressions that give life to everything. It is with the flash of lightning that we gain a soul, and from this we develop our personality within the social climate it finds itself. Edwards and Mason say the following about Sango:

Lightning also symbolises his tongue, and it is his tongue which distinguishes the truth and the lie. The tongue enables Sango to live life on either side of reality; on the side of truth or on the side of the lie. He is an orisa of opposites and is represented as honest and dishonest, stingy and generous, kind and ruthless. (1985: 54)

Sango is a complex force who constantly strives to maintain a balance, which is symbolised by his double-headed axe. The spirit that inspired him was one of wealth, equality, and abundance, but in a world of contradiction the simple can become complicated. This is encoded in the persona of Sango, who began as a determined, kind and just ruler who, upon perceiving the wealth flocking towards him, also saw the birds of doom and paranoia following in its wake. This led to demonstrations of violent and depraved power towards the end of his rule.

Sango was removed from royal office by the lyami society. The same society of wise women that had crowned him ordered him to commit suicide, as was the customary verdict passed on any king who was dethroned for ruthlessness. Various myths tell us that he realised the entire condition and purpose of his life as he strolled around the woods, and that he committed suicide in a state of clarity and acceptance. This enabled his transition from human to drisa and made it possible for him to undergo the transition in whiteness and peace of mind.

I would say that Sango represents the ideal of human aspiration; he is the good spirit who wants everyone to prosper, as much as he is the lone wanderer seeking abundance for himself. He is the edun ara, the thunderstone, and is as such the lightning flash of divine inspiration and aspiration taking earthly form. Sango is ambivalent, but always focused on assuming the crown of destiny. He is the path all humans follow in pursuit of goals, temporal or eternal. He is not the instigator of battle, but the essence of battle.

The form of his thunderous manifestation varies. Oramfe seems to be more serene and Janus-like, while both Jakuta and Hevioso seem to be less boastful than the Oyo representation of the thunder spirit, Sango. In Ile Ifo, Oramfe is important in the Odun Ose festival dedicated to Omitutu, the deified spirit of cool water. Central to these rituals is the apparition of Orisa Ito, who manifests as the mudfish. The mudfish inhabits two kingdoms at the same time, both water and land, and thus reveals a secret of Sango’s nature. The same bi-morphic element is found in the nightjar and the okm (flycatcher)used to represent the spirit of thunder. These suggest the importance of anomaly and change in the animal world and are a reference to ritual and political primacy, representing the presence of difference in the natural scheme of things. And here we encounter the complex field of Sango where mundane politics reflect the order and structure of the perfect cosmic organisation, showing the wicked, weird and mysterious ways that make up all the inherent possibilities in the divine design.

From Sango we can learn much about the human condition. We see what an excess of fire can do when a self-centeredness is combined with political power. In Sango we find the lesson of humility and the secrets of divine presence upon earth mediated by the wisdom of ancestry and the spirit of our consciousness. Sango brings us the message that we can all gift abundance and wonder to the world as we take the crown of our destiny; equally we can bring devastation and dread when we fail to see the shimmering golden glory of our happy harbour.

Sango is a king who ideally dresses in female clothes, not because of his sexuality, but because he knows that woman gave him power, woman can take his power, and that woman sustains his power. He dresses as a woman to give homage to the source of power, because woman is the crown of kingship, and a king who has no support from women is no king. It is a reminder to men to always recognise that they are what they are because of odu, that the wisdom of the world belongs to woman. Sango teaches us that there will always be consequences impairing our good fortune when we deviate from what is good, true, and just. Sango represents the fierce warlord obsessed with attack and defence, because the sight of blood feeds his fire, although he will always be in need of good and wise teachers and advisors to tame his natural chaos. This being said, Sango is an expansive redness and fire, as is imparted in one aseofd (enchantment). It is the fire of determination we need to pursue our goals:

Sdngm-ldgm

Oldgiri-kakdaka-ki igba edun bd

O jdju mo ni ko to pa ni je

O ke kara ke kdro

S’olord di jinjinni

Eleyinju Ind

Abd won jd md jebi

Iwo m mo Sd di o

That which tears and whips the walls

He left the walls torn and placed therein two hundred thunderstones

He who looks at people in dread and inspires fright before punishing them He speaks with his entire body

He speaks like someone powerful

You should have fear in your heart

His eyes are red as burning coals

The one who fights people but never sees condemnation Because no fight is made without justice

In him I seek my refuge.

osun: the creative turbulence of a million sweet waters

Osun is the archetypical female force; she contains the seed of all possible manifestations. She is saturated in mystery, so rich in essence that we cannot envision the totality of her possibilities. Osun is said to be the first female force that came to Aye. She arrived on earth with honey, sweetness and the secrets of eroticism. The myths and stories about Osun are numerous, but we find a common theme in her being a free spirit who leaves her oppressors and critics when her freedom of expression is hindered. Her absence always brings devastation of some sort, because she is the mystery of reflection, the owner of dance, and the spirit of beauty. She is the erotic mystery, because it is desire that moves us onward. Osun is the force that turns iron into jewellery and necessity into elegance, because she is the spirit of elegance and seductive gentleness. Osun is represented by such animals as the quail, the peacock and the crocodile, and such metals as brass, bronze and gold.

Osogbo traditions, which are the origin of her cult, impart that she was a direct manifestation of Olodumare, and in relation to this we have countless myths telling of how she conquered every single male power that refused to acknowledge her. Emphasis is still placed on her attributes as the spirit who ensures successful trade, who brings money and wealth and who touches everything with beauty. She is omi tutu, sweet and cold waters. Crocodiles and alligators living in swampy freshwater represent her aspect when her cold waters are heated up.

One story, from Ogun state, tells how Osun was the child of Yemoja; it is an allegory of a deeper mystery, telling how the salty waters of mysterious inspiration gave birth to sweetness and cosmic grace. This story is important for understanding the vital role that Osun holds in Yoruba cosmology. It tells of how Yemoja experienced difficulties giving birth to a child because of constant miscarriages. She managed to become pregnant through the wise counsel of Orunmila, whose most important advice was to only take baths in cold water and to avoid any form of herb or medicine. The pregnancy was a delicate process, but the child was born, fragile and beautiful. She experienced severe bleeding from the umbilical cord, and Yemoja became distressed at the possibility of losing yet another child. She immediately called for Orunmila, who took her placenta, sixteen cowry shells, sixteen kola nuts, and sixteen bitter kola nuts, and made sacrifice to Onile, the owner of the earth. He called for Ogun to help him deliver the sacrifice to the deepest part of the river, where the water was coldest, on the following day. The cowry shells were separated, eight were kept by Orunmila and the remaining eight by Yemoja. The sixteen shells were then given to Osun, who rapidly grew in health and beauty.

There are several variations of this myth, but they all provide the same message. Orunmila gained a special place in the life of Osun and gave her the gift of reading the cowry shell oracle which led to Osun being seen as the original wife (apetebi) of Ifa. With the gift of oracles and natural power to beautify and bring increase through the power of cold and calming waters, she was assigned a unique place in the cosmology. Ogun can be viewed as her godfather, as it was he who took the necessary steps in completing the sacrifice Orunmila began, to ensure that her life would be fortunate and blessed. Osun came to Aye hallowed with strength and wisdom to support her beauty and elegance, and from this female perfection was born. Osun is the cold water that makes our consciousness calm and peaceful, but she is also the passion that lives in our heart, or rather, she is the river that connects the on with the heart.

Osun can be said to represent the planet Venus in its totality. She has a deep relationship with the aja, or witches, but her witching ways are very different from the cataclysmic and chaotic energies usually associated with them. Osun and aja do however meet in the concept of abundance (as related to passion). She, however, is a Venus thriving in beauty under the Sun, whereas the aja are Venusian powers who derive their power from the Moon.

Osun is manifested in Osa meji, which is related to victory brought about by possessing wisdom and intuition, which is seen as a formula for abundance. Osa meji tells us that Osun learned the secrets of abundance from Obatala, specifically, that she learned how to activate her potency for generating abundance and increase through his aid. The verse tells us that she achieved this by using her ase of funke, the power of attraction, which often has an erotic connotation. We need to understand that the erotic is about the sympathy between two forces which leads to the desire to merge. With Osun and Obatala, we see a field of desire generated by omi tutu, or cold waters seeking a calm disposition and joyous consciousness, which gives birth to elegance and creativity. Osun is the alchemical sulphur, the force that ignites. She ignites sexual passion and dramatic creativity, as much as she is the force that leads to increase and abundance.

Osun is powerful, although her power is particularly related to the fragile elements of creation. Beauty and elegance are at times debased and obscured by rudeness and bad character. One story from odiwori tells of a time when the people of the earth became upset with their queen, Osun, because of their greed and self-centeredness. They already had plenty, but wanted more, and Osun’s response was to leave her people and withhold the rain, the element which she commands. With their queen absent and drought causing hardship, they began to make sacrifices and placate her in order to persuade her to return, but Osun responded by stating that she would not return, but that they could use cold water and the plant known as ^dundun to solve their problems. They did as she advised, and abundance returned with the rains, but Osun never came back to them.

Osun is the principle that inspires artists and lovers, a force that wants our greatness to multiply for the benefit of ourselves and others. This same power can be reduced and limited, become objectified and wanton. When this happens Osun is no longer present, because she is the abundance of calm and soothing waters, as shown in the following onki:

Osun siginsi

Omi o siri

Omi gbegbe lulu

Omi a wowo ma da

Osun, omi a san rere wole ddale

Omi ya

Omi yu

Onimale odd

Oldde-kolu

Osun gbinnIkungbinnIkun

Lo la ile dele aldfojudi

Olowd jarara wokun

O san rere wole ddale

Kare o!

A fi ilu gba ase

Agbaja obinrin

A bimo mad bi ole

Ore Yeye o

Osun from Ijesa, owner of the beaded comb

The waters do not flow backwards

The plentiful river teaches that it is always abundant

Like the waters of the earth

Waters that flow without overflowing

Osun, the water that flows and invades the house of the traitors

May the waters go there

May the waters go everywhere

Osun, spirit of the waters

Abundance flows through your spirit

Osun, with your great power

Open the roads unto the house of the irreverent ones

Water that runs all the way to the Ocean

Currents of water that flow even to the house of

The traitor

Reverence to you, glorious mother, Osun

You who receive offerings to the beating of the drum

Woman who protects her own

Children of Osun are not lazy

Oh, glorious mother Osun

osanyin: the starry lord of woods and groves

Osanyin is known as the doctor of the drisas, a healer who possesses the knowledge of herbs, shrubs and trees. He is considered the brother of Orunmila, and his own origin is equally mysterious. Ifa tells us that Osanyin fell from Orun and sank into the ground in a city called Irawo. Irawo means ’star,’ and thus the deeper meaning of his fall is that he as a star became the first impulse of all life forms in the vegetable kingdom. As Osanyin was a star, so too is every plant a star growing out of the earth. His name is composed of san, ’increase of health,’ and yin, ’to boil or manufacture something with the aid of fire.’ It is further related to Osa meji, in reference to one of his praise names, which describes him as ’He who sets fire to the birds’ which, as we shall see, carries significant mystical currents. Osanyin is the root that brings forth plants and by virtue of this he is intimately related to the birds that rest in the crowns of the trees. These birds are associated with aja. Osanyin uses the essence of birds, in particular their heads, in the same way as he uses herbs. He is represented by the opa Osanyin, which is a staff forged from iron, bearing a disk and a bird, or a collection of birds. The staff is usually planted in the ground and is turned into Osanyin through secret rituals. Osanyin lives in the deepest parts of the forest, his isolation only broken by the twin, fairy-like spirits associated with the trees and clairvoyance, and two dog-headed helpers, Aaja and Aroni, who serve both as messengers and as the abductors of children chosen to learn the secrets of Osanyin. In some stories he is represented as a humble sage-like spirit, as befits a younger brother of Orunmila; whilst, conversely, in others he is presented as the embodiment of selfishness and arrogance. He is said to have a great fondness for gin and tobacco and is at times used as an example of the misfortune arising from the abuse of intoxicants.

He is found in several odus, but Oturup&n meji is particularly important in regard to him. The message in this odu concerns illness, inoculation and healing. Abundance is often brought about through enduring hardship, because hard work is needed to foster appreciation. When we work hard to achieve something, the human tendency is to grasp onto the result and become selfish over our prize. Osanyin did exactly this. One story speaks of how he obtained the knowledge of all herbs and medicines through years of hard work as a servant and gardener, and retired to the woods, isolating himself with his prize, and refusing to share it. Time passed, and the world had need of his wisdom, but he had no time for the world, so Oya, the spirit of the wind, came and shook the secrets of the leaves and medicines from his hands, scattering them all over the world. The wise spirit Osanyin was humbled through the intervention of Oya.

Another story relates how Osanyin was visited by Esu for the same purpose. Again he refused to share his wisdom, resulting in the loss of a leg, an arm, an eye and his voice. After this encounter with the Lord of Crossroads, his secrets were taken from him, and he could only speak through birds. Osanyin is the archetypical master of wisdom and knowledge who falls prey to selfishness and misanthropy. In his case, his sacrifice would be rubo, a change of attitude and ’active doing.’ He was tempered and forced by fate to examine his on and correct himself so that he could bring forth an iwa rere, a happy disposition, and be gifted with the spirit of sharing. Selfishness is an illness, and its remedy is generosity. We do not own our discoveries in the world; everything we discover belongs to us all as humans, divine beings venturing through our incarnations.

Other stories tell the exact opposite, and show Osanyin as a generous spirit who willingly divided the greenwood between spirits and humans in proportion to their need, and revealed the secret resonances between geographical locations and the mysteries of the woods.

Osanyin is a concealed mystery, and his cult holds the secrets of enchantment and sorcery. To some extent there is a tension to be found between Osanyin and Orunmila, similar to that between a sorcerer and a sage. Osanyin resorts to magical and sorcerous means in nature, whilst Orunmila uses ebo and oracles to comprehend the situation and generate solutions. Essentially, we are speaking of two different forms of ase which both possess the capacity to change a bad fate into a good one. Herbs are of paramount importance in Ifa, hence the proverb: ’without herbs we could do nothing, without herbs we would not have drisa.’

People well versed in the lore of plants and their use are usually onisegun or olodgun. These terms apply both to the practice itself and to the person with this particular knowledge. Also, babalawos are generally very knowledgeable about the properties of herbs, as well as the various ofo (words of power or incantations), epe (curses), and ape (prayers). In regard to epe and ape, Buckley comments perceptively that both ways of charging a medicine are related to speaking truth (dotd), not in terms of stating facts, but in the sense that one’s words have a positive or negative impact on the world and on one’s environment (Buckley 1997:141). With herbs one can cure or cause illness.

Osanyin is the spiritual force at the root of this mystery and this reveals his ambivalence. Ifa herbs are separated into elements and genders, as well as nocturnal or diurnal, calmative (ero) or stimulant (gun). We have herbs of air (ewe afeefe), of fire (ewe inon), of water (ewe onu) of earth and of wood (ewe igbo). From these basic properties are generated medicines, healing baths (omi ero), spiritual essences and magical proscriptions, in secret ways with the aid of the power of the birds.

There is a story which tells of how Orunmila bought Osanyin as a slave to help him on his farm. On his way to the farm, Osanyin was drawn to the woods where he met an ugly looking dwarf by the name of Aroni. Aroni was a spirit of the woods who entrusted knowledge of herbs to Osanyin and offered him his friendship (Prandi 2001:152). This itan suggests that this spirit was imported into the cult of Ifa. Mason (1985: 94) says that: ’Oyo benefited from the transSaharan trade during the period of the Songhal ascendancy (in the 1500s), which at its height held both Nupe (Tapa) and Borgu (Ibariba) in its sway.’ This is interesting to note, since some of the orikis to Osanyin are pronounced in a secret language, which is similar to tapa dialect. This is also the case in Cuba, where they even refer to Osanyin as mandingo or mande speaking. This suggests that Orunmila’s role as a pact maker is important. Orunmila goes to the dwelling of the witches to make a pact with them, and he buys Osanyin as a slave who ends up being his student. In Yorubaland the consensus seem to be that Osanyin is from the city of Irawo which is close to the border of present day Benin. The word irawd, as previously mentioned, means ’star,’ so it could additionally be that the story imparts the tradition that he fell from the stars to earth. This would harmonize with his epitaph of are, ’a stranger.’ Mason points out that Osanyin was not one of the sixteen companions of Oduduwa when they came to Ife. His outlandishness is further represented by his habitation, the dense woods where he is accompanied by strange creatures, converses with plants and is in communion with the spirits of trees. His helpers are Aroni, a disfigured gnome with the head and tail of a dog, and Aaja, his female counterpart. These two beings are reputed to abduct children, taking them into the forest and challenging them. If they prove to be fearless, they are instructed in the lore of herbs and medicines and then sent back to their communities when their training is finished. Other drisas close to Osanyin are Ogun, the god of Iron, OsipAi, the god of the hunt, and Erinle, a spirit who is considered to be Obatala’s physician and who is also connected to silent rivers and more mysterious forces of the woods. These three spirits use the woods by virtue of receiving tutoring from the owner of the woods, and since this is Osanyin, they must maintain a deep relationship and bond with him in order to use his kingdom. Osanyin has strong ties with Sango, to whom he gave support in his warfare, both by making magic, compounding cures and by healing.

Osanyin is a very complex figure, both in origin and function. Mason says that he: ’embodies the idea of coming to grips with the evil side of existence ... He is the balanced mind flying up and soaring over all adversity. He possesses the mind and is ever on guard against man’s inhumanity to man.’ (ibid. 98) The priests of Osanyin are usually referred to as Ol Osanyin, literally meaning ’owner of the spirit of the forest.’ Osanyin is one of the most important spirits of Ifa, little can be done outside the realm of this spirit. The following salutation to him emphasises this, as well as his outlandish nature:

Iba O!

Iba OlOdunmare Oba ate rere k’Aye!

Iba OlojO dm

Iba Esu Laalu Okiri dkd

Esu iwoni ilera abd igbega, ire, oro bem l Ow\o') re,

jdwO ki o wa fun mi ni nkan wonyi!

Iba Orunmila Bara Agbonmiregun

T"7 T • zA r

Iba lyaami Osdrdnga

T7 7^ x 7 r zA r y

Iba Baba Osanyin Iba On ewe

Agbemgi drdmu adie abidi sOnsO

Esinsin abedd kinikini

Kddgo egbdrd irm

Akepe mgba drd kd sunwdn

Tiolio tin, O gba aso dkunrun ta giegie

Elesekan ju eleseMeji lo

Aro abi-okO lielie

Ewe gbogbo kiki ddgun

Ewe d! Ewe d! Ewe d!

Agbenigi esisi kosun

Agogo nla se erpe agbara

Ogba won la tan, won dupe teniteni

Ardni jd si kdtd odgun mdya

Elese kan ti o le eleseMeji sare

Ewe gbogbo kiki ddgun

Ewe a je ddgun a je fun mi

Loni emi fe ire re

Osdnyin jdwo fun mi nire

Fun mi ni ola

Wa wo mi san

Ki o si fun mi ni abd, oro ali aladfia

A dupe Alagbo

Ase ti Olodunmare

Olodunmare Ase

Salutations!

Salutations to Olodunmare, the King who spreads out over the entire universe!

Salutations to the owner of the day!

Salutations to Esu, owner of the city and its gates!

Esu, you who are the owner of health, protection, advancement, good will and prosperity, I ask respectfully that you give me all of these!

I give salutations to Orunmila, coconut of great wisdom

I salute the Mother of the Birds of Night

Salutations to Osanyin, my Father

Salutations to the custodian of leaves

He who lives amongst the trees,

The crawling one who dresses in spikes and thorns

The fly that has a very small liver

He who is as strong as a tree made of iron

He who we call upon when things are not going well

Slender one whom when he dons the cloak of illness moves as if he were falling

He who has one leg, but yet is more powerful than those who have two

Weak one who owns a weak penis

All leaves that possess humidity can be used for medicine

Oh leaves! Oh leaves! Oh leaves!

Agbenigi, divine one who dresses in straw Great bell of iron who powerfully resounds He to whom everyone gives unconditional thanks after he has humiliated all diseases

Ardni who jumps into the well with amulets tied around his chest Man with one leg that causes those with two legs to run

For you every leaf is medicine

The leaves will work well for me

Today I am seeking your good will

Give me the honour

And heal me

Give to me your protection, give me prosperity and peace I pay tribute to the owner of medicine

So let it be Olodunmare

Olodunmare let it be so

obaluwayE: king of the world, owner of pestilence

Obaluwaye is honoured as the owner of the world, he is the force responsible for the beginnings of decay and our return home to Orun as our body inevitably returns to his element, earth. He was one of the spiritual forces that came to Aye with the task of creating stability, hence he is referred to as ebora, ’a force of stability.’ In order to effectuate this task he brought sickness and disease. Obaluaye is the fleshy earth that covers the bones of Egungun, which were erected as a compass crossroads at the core of the earth. He is the king of the world. When we come to earth it is because he permits our arrival, and it is because of him we merge with the earth when we depart. Obaluwaye is the life cycle itself. He is the fever that announces illness, hence he is praised as ’the scorching heat at midday’ and the ’boiling waters of earth’ and is associated with every disease borne by hot winds or stinging insects, especially the mosquitoes and ants that are his messengers. He is represented by palm trees draped in palm fronds, mariwd, in honour of his great age. He is a very red and hot force who rules the bloodstream in particular, whereas Osun is the owner of any fluid that flows in the body. We can understand him to be the guardian of Aye. Whenever the inhabitants of the earth become too abusive, or their character degenerates, catastrophes and epidemics often arise as a consequence. Obaluwaye is the spiritual force that controls and ensures the stability of the earth herself and is as such, seen by some as the power of retribution encoded in the earth and manifesting when she is ’heated’ by abuse. Edwards and Mason summarise Obaluwaye in the following way:

He was a bohemian who ran the gauntlet of experience, was afflicted, but found glory in the end. In his youth he was a dancer who was fond of drumming and music. He was said to be a womaniser, who over-indulged in the vices of men. He lives in the deep, cool forest with Osanyin and he has a close relationship with his brother Sango, Esu and Orisa Oko. (1985: 72)

Orisa Oko serves as a contrast to Obaluwaye. Each has a strong relationship with illness and the office of judge, and both exemplify the virtues of the latter. They are related to winds, but whilst Obaluwaye is the hot and scorching midday wind, Orisa Oko is the wind of night; and no one knows what that brings. They both have a connection with stinging insects, but Orisa Oko is the owner of bees, whereas mosquitoes are favoured by Obaluwaye.

To Obaluwaye belong all kinds of grains and seeds, and above all sesame seeds which are considered to have a relationship with smallpox. Peanuts too are sacred to him.

His colours are red and violet, which mimic the fever and strangulation caused by the illnesses that control the balance of the population of the earth.

His shrines are commonly found outside the compounds, near to the forest, and his rituals are serene and filled with awe. In general he is not spoken about often, in order to not agitate him, although he is praised as a great physician, because he knows the secrets of diseases and their remedies. It is advisable not to use his true name, Soponna, which might serve as an enchantment to bring about his presence, hence he is commonly praised as Obaluwaye, the king of Earth.

His healing powers are often said to be available through working with Nana Buluku, who is regarded as his mother. She lives alone in the woods, where she oversees all the freshwater springs in the world. She is represented by the African bowstring hemp (Sansevieria) and bamboo shots which symbolise an ancestral connection through spirit, the earth mound mimicking a termite hill.

She shares this with Obaluwaye, and they both have a preference for being covered in palm fronds. Bamboo is the plant that manifested her on the earth. This is quite proper, as it keeps the earth stable, preventing erosion and is benevolent to the wider ecology. Bamboo is a tree which manifests in Osa meji, and is associated with Osun and Oya. Osun is seen as the water that fills the bamboo, whilst Oya is the wind that moves its leaves, indicating their presence; which is felt as a sense of fragility, abundance and strength.

Some traditions tell that Nana Buluku is the celestial wife of Obatala, Yemowo, who manifests in the 28 stations of the moon, and is the owner of its light. It was Obaluwaye who first escorted her to the earth. She is said to walk with the spirits of fire, and in several of her songs she is hailed as both a poisoner and a perfect midwife.

We find here, in the powers of Obaluwaye, the presence of fire and heat in need of being tempered by the cold water of Nana Buluku. Just as we find pestilence being balanced by healing, and the starry spaces beyond the moon being mirrored by the earth. This represents the totality of a cycle that plays itself out in calm and agitation, by day as much as by night. Obaluwaye contains all of this, which is why one adura (prayer) says the following:

Adura dbaluwaye

Orisa jingbinni

Orisa tii mu omo ati iya

Bi o ba um nwon tan

O tun le pada wa um baba

Orisa bi aje

O mo ile Oso, O mo ile aja

O gba oso loju

Oso ku finrinfinrin

O so aje lerukale

Orisa jingbinni

A momo ohun

O pomoolomo ku finrinfinrin

O foju omoolomo gbedoro

Jowo ma se mi

Orisa of the blistering wounds

Orisa who can bring sickness to the child and to the mother

When he brings us sickness

He might return and bring sickness to the father as well

Orisa who is like a sorcerer

Who knows the house of the sorcerer, who knows the house of the witches He beat the face of the sorcerer

The sorcerer died without moving

The power of evil was taken away from the sorceress

Orisa of the blistering wounds

Takes away things with measured conscience

Killed the child of the other without moving

Used the face of the child of the other to nail down the pain

Please, do not harm us

OLOKUN AND YgMoJA: THE RADICAL WISDOM

FROM THE SALTY WATERS

Yemoja is a spiritual force known in the New World as the spirit of the ocean and is the patron drisa of Brazil and Cuba. She is associated with mermaids, sailors and fishermen and is considered to be the mother of the bloodstreams of the earth, namely the great salty waters that can be seen as preserving the mysteries of gestation in the womb. All marine life is sacred to her, as are birds that live at the ocean shore and thrive in water.

Legend says that she was born in the land of Takua where the mighty Ogun river begins and that she wed Ogun after her marriage to Okefe (better known as Oosaoko, an alternative name for Orisa Oko) ended. Yemoja is the patron of the secret society known as Gelede, which is said to have originated in the land of Ketu, but which is attested to in both Benin and Yorubaland.

The Gelede society originated when a daughter of the Yemoja, following several miscarriages, found ways of placating the spirit of the river with wooden dolls and spectacles. These enabled the mothers, the owners of the powers of aja, to be appeased, and released benevolent rays of the powers of irokd and Egungun to support Yemoja’s ase bringing blessings to pregnancies and opening the roads to wealth. Drewal & Drewal say of Gelede:

The etymology of the word Gelede reveals its central concern and its ultimate significance. Ge means ’to soothe, to placate, to pet or coddle’; ele refers to a woman’s private parts, those that symbolize women’s secrets and their lifegiving powers; and de connotes ’to soften with care or gentleness.’ Together these ideas convey the significance of Gelede, performances carefully conceived and executed to pay homage to women so that the community may partake of their innate power for its benefit. (1983: xv)

A story in Ogunda meji tells of how a manifestation of Yemoja with the name Mojelewo, ’she who owns the long breasts, she who owns the forest,’ married Okere, ’he with the bloodshot eyes,’ in preference to Ogun. He desperately wanted to marry her. She was truly looking for a good man and granted his proposal on the condition that he would never see her long breasts. He agreed, and they lived together happily and had several children, until one day Okere came home early with a smile, as his wife had washed all their clothes and was without anything to cover her breasts. Mojelewo became enraged and ran away from him. When she fled, she fell into the Ogun river and was transformed into Ofiki, which is the name of this part of the delta, because she was flowing towards the ocean to be owned by no one, and everyone.

Irete meji tells of the consequences of this plunge into the river. She sank to its deepest depths, and indeed, if you see the Ogun river it looks like a vast dark ocean that you cannot see the other side of. It was here that Mojelewo fell and realized the mysteries of aja. When she came to Olokun, the owner of the oceans, he told her that he had never seen such magnificent powers. She had managed to balance the red powers of witchcraft with the white powers of the irunmdle. It was her accomplishment ’to wash white rusty iron with the blood of sheep and snakes.’ Olokun recognized her arrival as the fulfillment of his destiny. His awo had told him that he would encounter a spouse who would make his life sweeter than honey.

Like Yemoja, Olokun is a complex spiritual force, the owner of all salty waters and wealth, as it says in this song for him, collected by John Mason (1996):

Olodkun lokun gbera nile Strong owner of stone beads rise out of the o   earth

Osin erupe gbera le Chief of the soil rise out of the earth

Omo omi Olodkun da owo Children of water, Olokun creates money

Yeye i daana Omo Mother(Olokun) gives children as presents

The concept of Olokun is one of boundless mystery, for he came to earth manifesting enigma itself as revealed in foresight and prophetic predictions. He is a funfun force, meaning one of the original spiritual forces that came to Aye. He was assigned the mission of overseeing and protecting everything below the consciousness of all living things. We find several stories in which Olokun challenges Olodumare and Orunmila in terms of supremacy and wisdom because his domain is the greater part of Aye after all, and his wisdom penetrates such depths that only he knows its mysteries and secrets. Because of this, Olokun is at times depicted as male and other times as female; he is, however, a male force and his bipolar expression is simply an expression of his mystery.

Yemoja is the archetypical witch, a force associated with the moon, with silver, lead, tin and with all that is white and transparent. This is mediated with green and blue (colours which are seen as shades of black in a Yoruba context), and associated with her original essence, which in turn relates to the greenwood and space, whether liquid or aerial. Thus her shrines are located either at the entrance of the woods or on the ocean shore.

Yemoja connects with Ogun in her love for pine, and with the ocean in her love for corals and pearls. She is the crown of Osumare when the rainbow appears, as the rain is another of her manifestations. Yemoja is the ’mother of sea creatures’ and is as such the mother of us all, in remembrance of the time when we made the transition from waters to dry land.

Yemoja guards the cypress and mangroves that seal this mystery as the ocean merges with the forest. She is the movement of the waves meeting land. She is a paradox which we constantly witness.

The ocean represents memory and beginnings and it is in this way that Yemoja became the queen of the oceans. She is associated with the womb that is always fertile, because her own womb resembles the ocean. She is both the continuation of what exists and the ase of new, alien and changing forms, being the spirit that oversees cultural adaption. Her prominence in the New World testifies to this, demonstrating her ability to span water and land; just as man is a composite of water and earth. Yemoja is truly the mother of all drisa. She is depicted in the Diaspora as a siren dressed in white, rising from the oceans with seven stars and a crescent moon adorning her head. These associations run deep, to the mysterious realms of Olokun.

Olokun is the owner of the ocean, and of waters in general. He is the mystery of riches as much as he demonstrates that richness is a mystery. Because of his wealth, he grew arrogant and full of hubris. Olokun is a demonstration of grandeur that reminds us that wealth and abundance without wisdom will only drag us into mysterious depths.

Yemoja and Olokun are powers tied to offspring and are considered to be extremely aggressive patrons of their children. Olokun, as owner of the ocean, owns all the creatures within it. Yemoja, being the ocean mirror itself, manifests as a shark, hurricane, maelstrom or siren, a dolphin, whale or a toad or frog. Yemoja uses everything in Olokun’s kingdom in conformity with her powers, her works aiming towards multiplication, growth, abundance and protection. Both she and Olokun are fierce protectors and warriors on behalf of their children, who are not only marine life, but everyone possessed of a deep consciousness. As one prayer in reverence of Yemoja says:

Iba Iya Yemoja mo juba o!

Yemoja ooo!

Wa gbo ebo mi

Iwo ti nfun eniti nwa omo ni omo

Jdwo mo pe o, fun mi ni omo

So mi di oloro

Yemoja, yeye awon eja, fi abo re bo mi

Ki iku ati arun ma wo ’le to mi wa

Iya mi jdwo so ekun mi dayo

Ase to Olodumare

Ase Olodumare

Salutations to Yemoja

Oh Yemoja

Listen to my lament

You who give children to whoever wants children

Please, give me children

Make me prosperous

Yemoja, mother of fish, I crave your protection So that death and disease don’t enter my house My mother, please, turn my tears and suffering into joy! So let it be Olodumare

Olodumare let it be so

egungun: the bones we are

Egungun is the collective memory of ancestry. It is often confused with egun, the notion of a specific ancestor. When we speak of more than one ancestor we can say that we are talking about Egungun, because this force is the sum of ancestral knowledge. Egungun are ara ^run, dwellers on the other side, whose task is to ensure the straight alignment of the crossroads of the worlds. It is a stabilizing force that can also manifest in earthquakes and eruptions as a sign that the stability they uphold is in disorder. We can appeal to these forces for understanding and appeasement, because we are the living continuation of ancestry.

Egungun is the link between Aye and Orun and reminds us of our dual nature as divine beings on a human journey. Ancestral memory is the red thread that makes this journey understandable. Egungun makes straight our connection to Orun as we walk the earth. Egungun is related to iku (death), because death is a divine blessing: it reminds us that life is temporary and that we are on our way back to the eternal. We shed tears of loss because we feel the separation. The experience of losing someone is the same as to yearn for the eternal. Iku teaches us that the world is a marketplace, an adventure and a journey through joy and experience in which we eat both bitter leaves and honey. They serve as a reminder of the cosmic design until he finally takes us home.

Egungun teaches that we are all unique and that no one destiny is identical to another. This should make us savour life on earth, celebrating our similarities and differences. However, experience shows that this is not always the case! This truth is evident in the songs, prayers, and reverential declarations offered to Egungun, which are linked to the deeds and misdeeds of a given family and its memory as a family acting in a community and in the wider world. Work with Egungun is always oriented towards an understanding of who you are within the greater web of events. Egungun is the structure of your memory. It is the three nails within your soul that spark into self knowledge.

Egungun celebrations in Yorubaland take the form of a masquerade. The egungun priests dress up in multicolored costumes, carefully covering every inch of skin, and commonly wearing a carved wooden headdress, often alien and grotesque in form. The masquerade is a play between the costumed priests and the celebrants, in which the egungun chase people around and try to beat them with their atori sticks. It is crucial not to get beaten by the egungun because this will bring the attention of death upon you, at the very least some difficulties will arise from being touched by a random egungun. It reminds the participants that death is always present, and can strike the one who deserves it as well as a righteous person who is simply in the wrong place. It makes us aware of this on a personal level as much as it calls our attention to the complexity of community. In the egungun masquerade, ancestry touches ancestry. When this happens we encounter sympathy as much as antipathy, which can bring generations of antipathy into sympathy as well as provoking the opposite. The egungun masquerade mimics the dance of life in a graceful mockery of our existence on earth, because the alien headdresses that speak of everything nocturnal and foreign that is not of this world serve to remind us of where we came from: the realm of mystery.

Egungun represents the mystery we constantly exist within, the meeting of friends, foes, and challengers and the way in which this always culminates in a dance of understanding that makes these relationships straight and understandable. With the left foot we give resistance and with the right acceptance, and in this way we dance through the world, taking three steps back or two ahead. It is through the dance of ancestry that we can understand where we are coming from and thus gain wisdom about ’who we are,’ as in the following prayer taken from Awo Fa'lokun’s Family Spirit (2006):

Orikl Egun

Ile mo pe o o. Egungun, mo pe o o.

Egungun, mo pe o o. Egungun, mo pe o.

Eti were ni ti ekuute ile o. Asunmaparada ni tigi aja o.

Ago kii gbo ekun omo re kd maa tati were.

Awa omo re ni a pe o; a wa lati se oun re.

Maa je M a pa odun je; mda je M odun o pa awa nda je.

Olodun kii pa odun esin run. Egungun kii pa odun esin run.

Maa je ki a ri iku omom mda je ki a ri iku obinrin.

Maa je ki a ri ija igbond. Lile ni ki a mda le si, mda je ki a pedin. Ase.

Earth I call on you. Ancestor, I call on you.

Ancestor, I call on you. Ancestor, I call on you.

House rats are very alert. Rafters never change their position.

Rat does not disregard the cry of its young ones.

We, your children, gather here for your annual ceremony.

Do not let us die during the year.

Those who give the annual offerings do not willingly abolish the practice. The society of mediums does not abolish its annual practice.

Prevent the death of children and wives.

Save us from disease. Let us multiply and increase. May it be so.

Esu: sweet magma that moves the crossroads of the world

Esu holds a unique position in the cosmology of Ifa. He is the divine messenger and the force that answers our prayers and makes our sacrifices effective. Esu is said to be a trickster, but this requires some qualification; he is merely the power of choice represented by the crossroads. He is the choice at each corner of the crossroads that initiates the decision that takes place at its centre. Esu was translated as ’devil’ in the first English-Yoruba dictionary, which is interesting, as the devil in European witchcraft traditions is associated with chance, luck and choice, a power close to God, but with an appetite for and interest in human affairs. There is resonance between the two figures, but the devil as the author of evil is a meaningless attribute to apply to Esu.

He is said to be the youngest of the spiritual forces that came to earth in the sense that he arrived last. When he got here all the other drisas had taken their powers and Esu accepted what was left over as that which he was meant to have: the ase of the vital force of Olodumare, which he became the custodian of. In other words, Esu was gifted with being the active extension of the godhead. He was given a magical staff that enabled him to traverse space and time at great speed, like Hermes. As the custodian of the vital force, he was given the office of the taskmaster of the drisas, as well as being their messenger. Esu is represented by his magical staff, medicine gourds and clubs. He is the erect phallus symbolizing the fiery lava at the centre of the earth. This gives birth to the volcanic laterite rocks which are the prime manifestation of Esu, as are any black rocks that give the appearance of growing out of the earth.

Esu might have been the last to arrive to earth, but he was originally the leader of the spiritual forces and was the power that brought light out of darkness. In this regard, a tale relates how he regained his original ase and was recognized as the governor of Olodumare’s powers, and thus became the acknowledged leader of all drisas. Orunmila challenged Esu, calling him a liar and saying that it was impossible that he, who was the youngest of them all, could be the leader of the drisas. Esu summoned all the other drisas to the house of Olodumare, where Olodumare said that they should accept Esu as their leader, but they refused to accept him unless he demonstrated that he could be victorious over them in battle. Esu accepted the challenge, and took the drisas to the crossroads where heaven and earth met and asked whoever wanted to fight him to step up. The first to challenge him was Ogun, but Esu cunningly managed to throw him to the ground. Ogun went to earth in shame and defeat, where he established a cult in his honour. Sango stepped up next, but Esu outsmarted him too, and threw him to the ground. Sango left for earth in resentment, and established his cult. Then Oya stepped up, but he defeated her, just as he had Ogun and Sango. The same went for the other drisas who came forward. When he had defeated all the challengers, he went back to Olodumare and said, ’I have proven myself, I have proved that I am the leader of drisas.’ Olodumare invested him with the ase of authority and respect, and additionally gave him the ase that would destroy the ase of any drisa who didn’t give him his respect.

The name Esu is subject to several interpretations, but one of the most widely repeated is ’he who gathers everything together,’ and it is in this capacity that he is known as ’he who challenges man, again and again.’ Esu is the fierce one who pulls and pushes us to pursue our destiny, and he is the whip across our back that drives us forward on the path of fate when we make choices contrary to our wellbeing. He is the force we unleash by our lack of good judgment and wise choices. He has many praise names and is known as

’the one who owns many names,’ ’the owner of the road,’ ’the one who parts the road,’ and a multitude of others. These reflect his enormous dynamic, which ranges from his feminine and benevolent aspect to the club bearing man with an erect phallus who hands out whips to a fighting crowd just to teach them painful lessons.

Ifa teaches us that the principle and idea of light is what makes the manifest world possible. The shades of light with their frequencies are encoded in the first sixteen odu pairs, or mejis, but Ifa tells us that a seventeenth principle comes into play in releasing their potencies. We can call this the +1 to the 16 mejis. This is represented by a combination odu known as Osatura, which brings Esu into manifestation, while he is gestated in Ofunwonrm, another combination odu. In this discussion of mixture and fusion, we begin to realize the complexity of Esu. The odu Ofunwonrm details the consequences of this mystery, in which Esu transforms the source of light and generates possibilities. When Esu mediates the powers of Ofun he causes diversity to occur. This diversity takes shape in opinions, people and situations. A plethora of opportunities and choice open before us. This is considered a good thing, though it may appear bitter or bad to us. The bitterness of light is our perception of its manifestation, not necessary a cosmic truth.

Owqnrin is the power of radical change and transformation, a force that turns night into day and manifests the inexplicable. Esu is a concentration of different powers, but it is within this energetic family that he claims the power of transformation. Ofunwonrm holds the secret of how to enable ourselves to walk the world gracefully and with dignity. This is caused by both accepting the state of the world and taking steps towards positive change. It is about how we approach the marvellous diversity of manifestation, whether with resistance or with interest. At every corner, threshold, door and crossroads we encounter Esu as the custodian of the vital force that creates movement, change and choice in the world. The combination of these forces, Ofun and Owqnrm, indicates that the powers that gestated Esu were concerned with how the source of light would generate radical change, while the odu that manifested him on earth, Osetura, speaks of maintaining a clear vision in the fragile web of the world.

One story in Osatura tells of how Esu was originally a female foetus, as we all are when we take shape in the womb, but that the spiritual forces found it necessary that he should be born a male. He was born to Osun, who was the

17th irunmole to come to earth, and the only female force amongst them. We shall look at the mysteries of Esu more closely throughout this text, and in particular in the very last chapter, but for now it is important to emphasise his enigmatic nature. It is also necessary to look more closely at his relationship with Orunmila in order to fully understand his essence, so for now he will be summarized in the form given by the following prayer:

Adura Esu

Ma pa okuta si ile ase mi o Whether people want it or not

our mysterious world

Our world, Aye, is endowed with an indwelling spirit just as everything in existence possesses a spirit and a consciousness. Ifa is a philosophy of consciousness and character that contains the wisdom and knowledge of all the shards or elements of consciousness that are spread throughout the visible and invisible world.

In order to make the philosophy of Ifa more intelligible to Western readers, we can refer to the consideration of the consciousness of spirits and plants in the works of Paracelsus, or read Giordano Bruno’s speculations concerning the energetic bonds between different forms of consciousnesses and his lengthy discourse concerning how images are endowed with the consciousness of light, which gives them form and direction. We might also see a tendency towards pantheism in Ifa, reminiscent of Spinoza. In relation to his pantheism, Spinoza introduced concepts such as ’thinking substance’ and ’extended substance,’ which he used to explain how dualism was an experience and not necessarily a real experience in the ideal sense. This form of pantheism presumes a division between the supranatural and the natural, in which nature is perceived as an extension of God wherein we can see God in every grain of sand and every rose petal. But there is a qualitative difference between the emanation of the godhead and the godhead itself, as there is a difference between the parts and the full picture. If we read Goethe, Schiller and Emerson alongside Spinoza, it is possible to find a philosophical field that resonates with Ifa to a certain extent.

Ifa places the utmost importance on on (consciousness) and sees everything that exists as possessing consciousness. Consciousness is associated with light, rays and dreams, and emanates from the source of everything that exists. Therefore we are in a deep communion with all kingdoms - animal, vegetable and mineral - as well as with the invisible world, because everything that exists contains the consciousness of its divine source and, as a result, all are made in the divine image. Thus everything that possesses consciousness can become as God when it is ’worked’ towards alignment with its source. This indicates that an awareness of the visible and invisible realms should be constantly trained and cultivated, as it is from this that a perception of how all things are connected will be gradually acquired.

We have seen that the presence of spiritual forces on earth came both from the right side and the left, which speaks of an inherent polarity necessary for creation to be sustained and to produce energy. This polarity is inherent in everything, to such a degree that Ifa philosophy maintains that everything that exists holds positive and negative reflexes of its singular consciousness. This is as true for plants and men as much as it is for spiritual beings.

We have seen how the spiritual beings known as drisa are extensions of higher and more pure forces. This is similar to the concept of the golden chain in Plato’ s Timaeus, as adopted by hermetic philosophers and alchemists in the late middle ages and the renaissance. The theory considered emanations as a chain descending from the pure realm of ideas to their manifestation on earth. As they descended their impurity increased, hence spirit in matter was experienced as a paradox and a dualism, when it was in truth a field established between source and reflection.

tradition and initiation

Ifa is a traditional faith, a philosophy and not a religion in the Western sense. The theology of Ifa is part of its philosophy; this lies at the root of any expression of drisa cult or religion in the New World, whether Lucumi, Sango Cult or Candomble. This is made possible by the theological idealism that forms part of Ifa philosophy. Ifa itself will always be defined as esin, ’to follow the ways of the land,’ and not as a religious institution. The custodians of the ways of the land are diviners and prophets who ensure that we maintain the traditional flow of wisdom. A tradition is not something that has been passed down for a few generations; it goes deeper than this.

Tradition must express some particular facets to be rightly referred to as such, or else it is a pretender to tradition, a pseudo-tradition. A tradition proper is lodged in primordial knowledge that reveals itself in a particular world view. The world view that rises from traditional Ifa is one that invites a certain hierarchy and order, where the extremes in creation are balanced by men and women as natural holders of the mystery of existence. It reveals that there is an order at play which we replicate in the simple structure of ancestry where the father looks to the grandfather for advice, just as the child looks to its parents. In this way wisdom is preserved by those living the mystery we know as life.

It is this succession of ancestral knowledge accumulated by experiencing life that enables us to connect with spirit and realize our divine potential, so that we can become drisa, a unique shard of consciousness. In the religious expressions which take Ifa as their philosophical foundation, we find a separation between the two ideas of ancestry, or egun, and drisa. The latter is usually deified into an unattainable ideal and takes the form of gods and goddesses, while egun is something murky, ancestral, often volatile and sometimes dangerous. There is nothing inherently wrong with these definitions, but it is important to understand that the two are intimately linked, because a human being who lives a remarkable life and harvests abundance will become drisa. This concept is not very different to that of the Greek heroes who were elevated to the status of gods, or the process of beatitude in which a human being was elevated to sainthood. Another parallel can be found in Boehme’s Mysterium Magnum, wherein we read:

... the creation of the angels has a beginning, but the forces from which they were created never knew a beginning, but were present at the birth of the eternal beginning . They are born of the revealed Word, out of the eternal, dark, fiery, and luminous nature, from desire for divine revelation, and have been turned into ’creatured’ images.

Or, as Rene Guenon commented in regard to this paragraph: ’fragmented into isolated creatures.’ This means that angels represent ideas in the divine reason that have been revealed as specific ’images’ or parts of the godhead. In other words: planets, stars, and spiritual forces such as the drisas possess a specific and restricted light that expresses its nature, just as animals, vegetables and minerals do.

Boehme appears to express a view of creation similar to that which we find in Ifa. The ’forces’ he speaks of are clearly synonymous with the energetic fabric of creation, which in Ifa is known as odu. Odu are the energy patterns of creation that cause the spiritual existence known as Imqle (splendrous brightness) to be brought forth in an invisible state. This gives birth to its visible condition in irunmole, which reveals itself in the light of stars and planetary bodies. On earth these energetic patterns, all 256 of them, express different types of consciousness. These take the form of different personalities which express a relationship with a particular drisa. From this, we derive the concept of all humans being sons and daughters of one drisa or another, a rustic aspiration that can be refined into a pure and unique expression of a divine form.

The concept of drisa must be understood as an ideal, and at the same time as a return. It is a specific field of consciousness that we aspire towards. The human condition is what makes this ascent possible. In light of this, ideas such as the drisas being angry with us, or taking punitive forms, are in reality the results of misalignment. Such situations occur because men tend to measure the world using their own ego and mundane station as a rule and compass for desire and accomplishment. Ifa, on the other hand, holds that developing good character will enable us to break out of this narrow perception of who we are, and aspire to become drisa. In summary, we all have the seed of drisa, and the way we walk the world will either bring it forth or drive us into forgetfulness.

These ideas are replicated in initiation in Ifa or to any given drisa. Initiation is usually referred to as igbodu, meaning ’forest of the womb,’ or ’forest of mystery.’ This term makes reference to a sacred place in the woods where the rays of odu are present in a such way that they effect a subtle change in the initiate which brings dramatic consequences. These sacred places can be created by those who possess the secrets to call odu to radiate at a specific location. The ritual is then conducted in a rhythm of concealment and exposure to the mysteries which are being worked, which literally washes the seed within in blood and herbs so that the indwelling drisa can start to take shape and grow in the individual undergoing initiation. He or she is introduced to the fundamental vibration of creation, as a specific ray is worked and then lodged within the initiate, who becomes the ol’ drisa of a given force when the ritual is completed. The fertilisation of this seed is completed with a dafa (reading) that specifies how the person can best cultivate this power in his or her life, and begin the process of becoming what he or she holds. Initiation is a beginning, it marks someone who holds a power and is on their way towards integrating it. The way in which life is lived following initiation either brings one closer to what one holds until one becomes it, or more distant until it is lost.

Awo Fa'lokun Fatunmbi relates igbodu to the idea of igdke, which we can translate as ’ascension.’ Igdke refers to our breaking through the limits of mundane individual consciousness towards the source, as a result of the process of initiation, which opens us up so that our divine seed and potential can blossom into a more mature realization of our divine providence/provenance. This is accomplished when on inu or the ’inner self’ forms a link with iponri, ’the higher self.’ When this occurs, the link with drisa is made on a supreme level and the ol’ drisa becomes a manifestation of one’s drisa. In metaphysical terms, this means that the ol’ drisa is looking upwards, towards the source, to form a link with the tangible expression of the divine ideas that rest in mystery. The ol’ drisa becomes a natural expression of a pattern of creation, a consciousness brought by drisa and expressed in unique ways through one’s alignment with the source, as one sets the process of becoming drisa into motion through initiation. The process is mediated by Orunmila, the spirit of wisdom, and Esu, and the matrix of creation encoded in the 256 odus.

Orunmila and the secret strueure of odu

Orunmila is the prophet of Ifa and as such he is the master of its configurations, manipulations and riddles encoded in the oracle, also known as Ifa. Orunmila means ’heaven brings the spirit of Ela to earth.’ Ela means ’salvation’ and ’destiny,’ therefore Ela is the spirit who reveals that salvation is your destiny. To be a prophet is to be a messenger, a vinculum and mediator between what is manifest and what is invisible. A prophet speaks with the voice of the source, the origin of the cosmic design. One iwaju (prayer) says the following about him:

Mo juba awo Orunmila.

Iwo ni iko Olodumare.

Iwo ni olupilese awo odu Ifa. Iwo ni Ifa.

Iwo ni oluwa awo igba owo-eyo. Iwo ni ohun idarisi.

Iwo ni oluwa asiri iwa.

Iwo ni drisa julo loye.

I humble myself before the mystery of Orunmila.

You are the messenger of Olodumare.

You are the author of the mysteries of odu Ifa.

You are Ifa.

You are the owner of the mysteries of the cowry shell.

You are the voice of fate.

You are the owner of the secrets of existence.

You are the most intelligent drisa.

Orunmila sees the future by looking backwards, and in this way we are the eyes of the Creator looking back on ourselves as the cosmic design expresses itself in its myriad variations. The origin of Orunmila is, like the meaning of the word Ifa, subject to several interpretations. I believe that all of them are true and speak of how the spirit of Ela manifested in various timeless, wise and prophetic forms across the spheres in order to uphold mystery, wonder, awe and wisdom.

One myth tells how Orunmila came from Orun (heaven) together with many other spirits and deities and settled in Ile Ife. He decided to move to the outskirts, to a place called Oke Igetf (Igeti Hill). After living there for some time, he decided to move to Ado Ekiti, where he stayed most of his life. While living in Ife, he fathered eight children, princes who took possession of various districts in western Africa. He taught his sons, as well as eight other students, the art of Ifa divination. One day a student insulted him, and Orunmila returned to Orun. The sons and students went to Orun as well and searched for Orunmila, trying to persuade him to return. He refused, and instead gave them the authority to use the sixteen ikm (palm nuts) so they could read the cosmic matrix themselves.

Another story is given in Johnson’s The History of the Yorubas, where he relates that the Ifa cult came to the Yorubas from the Nupe people by means of a blind sage named Setilu. His expertise had made the Muslims living in the area jealous, so Setilu left and found his way to present day Benin and then to Ife. According to this myth the progenitor of the Yorubas, Oduduwa, sought out Setilu and thus introduced Ifa to his people. A third myth tells that Orunmila was born at Ife and was a skillful diviner who became a king in spite of his crippled body and weak health. He was considered to be a great prophet and sage and many people came to study with him. Of all these students, only sixteen were chosen - a reference to the original sixteen districts in Yorubaland - for each sign in the oracular system of Ifa. These students became chief diviners. A fourth myth says that Orunmila came from the land of the Muslims and suggests that he was an Arabian mystic with great insight into the divinatory art of khatt al-raml, known as ’sand cutting,’ which is practiced amongst Muslim sages. There are indeed many similarities between these two oracles.

Thus Orunmila is known as Eleri Ipin, ’the witness to creation and destiny,’ and as Ibikeji Olodumare, ’second to the creator, Olodumare.’ Renowned for his wisdom and understanding of humanity and divinity, he is also called Agbonniregun, an elision of agbdn with ni ire gun, ’wisdom of the coconut knows no limits whether of mercy or blessings,’ thus emphasizing his omniscience and compassion. Consequently, he is knowledgeable about all human and divine matters.

Ela is the source of all knowledge, and Orunmila is the keeper of this knowledge. Its oracle, Ifa, is a binary geomantic system rooted in the contrast of negative and positive. This polarity is the mechanism that upholds life and enables transformation. When Ifa divination is performed, this binary pattern is always used as a tool for defining what sort of matrix a client finds himself within. Thus, advice is given by looking at examples from the past as they speak of the future.

This is because we repeat patterns already laid down in the cosmic design. The binary monism of Ifa might appear as dualism, but it is not. It is the necessary contrast that generates being in a mutual affirmation of the sacred and spiritual centre. This contrast, which we experience as ’chaos’ and ’order,’ as ’good’ and ’evil,’ is actually a manifestation of the binary ontology of Ifa that makes understanding possible, that makes a spiritual centre possible.

Orunmila is from the source of all beginnings and forms part of the divine consciousness. Both Orunmila and Esu represent the forces that bridge or, the human consciousness, and iponri, the divine consciousness. It is accomplished through the key and vinculum of emi, which is the divinized soul in man. The concept of consciousness is complex and beautiful, and speaks of a design in which man reflects the divine consciousness. Our consciousness is represented by the physical head, also called ori. At the crown of the head, we find our connection to source, laye laye , which is understood to be a state of expressive dreaming. The summit of consciousness is at the same time the cave of the source. At our forehead, we find iwaju ori, the third eye, the gateway for prophecy and clairvoyance. At the base of the skull, we find the crossroads of consciousness, called ipako, which, when aligned with atari, makes possession possible. Possession is therefore understood as a process that starts within man and vibrates outward in a spiritual frequency, or energy, that we recognize as a natural force, or drisa.

Ipako and atari represent two forms of memory; the latter is the natural memory gathered by the journey on earth, the former is the divine memory. These meet in ori inu, the inner head in which we find the seat of self resting upon ori apeere, the mirror of the cosmic matrix within the human consciousness. This construct of consciousness enables perfection and degeneration through its constant pull between the contrasts of this world, as it affirms the central axis of consciousness, which enables iponri, the illumination of consciousness caused by being in alignment with the source. The cosmic design is understood to mirror this structure in its binary dance towards clarity and understanding, and it is Orunmila who possesses the knowledge that can connect our consciousness to the cosmic. Orunmila mediates between each and every state of being and every realm, and it is these patterns which are read when Ifa divination is performed.

The priests of Ifa are called babalawo from baba nl’awo, meaning ’father who has the secret.’ These secrets are disclosed in myths and stories, prayers and songs. By manipulating the oracle of Ifa, the babalawo will reveal given signs.

These signs come with advice and procedures in order to resolve the situation in question. For Orunmila there are never any problems, just situations, and for every situation there is always a solution to be found within the corpus of odu Ifa. The corpus of odu consists of sixteen main signs, called meji, meaning ’twins’ or ’pairs,’ which are combined with each other to produce the full 256 combinations. These sixteen principal odus and their properties are as follows:

· 1 Eji Ogbe is the first of the energetic wombs in the cosmic matrix of creation, and represents expansive light. This odu represents the fullness of light and presence; it is where the realm of dream takes its first step into the field of matter.

· 2 Oyeku meji is the spirit of the Mother of Death. It is darkness, inhalation and the womb that gestates the light. This odu concerns the temporary absence of light as it undergoes a mystical transformation, the process by which all things are ensouled.

· 3 Iwdri meji is the power of transformation, the root of consciousness shaped by the poles of light and darkness, the blueprint of self and psyche, and the fire of passion. This odu defines nature, direction and the moment of realization and acceptance.

· 4 Odi meji concerns the transformative powers and their temporary results, the letting go of the past in order to appraise a new cycle of becoming, and establishing a foundation and one’s role in the world. Here we find the themes of security and temptation; and the mystery of rebirth and repeating cycles.

· 5 Irdsun meji shapes this potential in conformity with ancestry and destiny, and is the root cause of our dignity or disgrace. It is an odu in which we grasp our power and cling to the rope of fate; which can bring epiphanies and delusions, the energy of both the prophet and the charlatan.

· 6 Chvqnrin meji is the power of choice, and speaks of the need for chaos in the universe. It teaches that the mysterious powers in the matrix, which

· 7 we tend to look upon as negative, can be seen from multiple perspectives. It is from here that Esu derives his powers, a veritable crossroads, and the storehouse of change and choice.

· 8 Obara meji is the power that shapes will out of chaos and cosmic possibilities, leading to a cycle of inner transformation. This odu invites the refinement of what we are and is a power that weeds out hostile forces on all levels. It is the energy attributed to kings.

· 9 Okanran meji concerns the power of the heart. It enables balance between the worlds, with the heart as the spiritual centre. It speaks of the dark night of the soul and all the distress a heart can cause. It is the energy of contemplation as well as regret, as much as it is about setting good and fair goals and the failure to achieve them.

10Ogunda meji is the power of progress and the removal of obstacles. It is the disposition and constitution of seizing one’s fate and becoming its master. An energy denoting victory and strength, as well as the importance of force being supported by other powers in order to move elegantly and graciously in the world. It is the raw energy that rushes powerfully through the warrior.

11Osa meji is a sign that brought spirits of obstruction into the world and speaks of radical, yet purifying, change. It is an energy that brings cataclysm and disaster. All birds are found here, indicating the volatile and unpredictable nature of this energy.

12Ika meji represents the power of contraction, of gathering one’s personal power, which is then expressed in the form of words. It is the energy of deception and curses, of self sabotage and snakes. This odu represents the challenge within the challenge, and is the power that moves beneath our intentions and generates harmony or disaster.

meji is the power that brought sickness to the world, and also

medicine. It is a cleansing power. It tells of the inherent harmony of the worlds and the structure of earth. We must understand our own structure in order to discern between good and bad, not only for ourselves but for the world. It is a force that calls forth a sense of responsibility in a conscious continuum of actions.

14Otura meji is the power that makes alignment with the source possible. It reveals itself in prophetic vision and clarity. This odu creates the path for visions and realizations. Saints are shaped in this odu because it is a force of truth and hope that combats illness, opening the roads to personal power and prophetic visions.

15Irete meji is the power of determination. It promises change and transformation by killing the useless and nurturing what is benevolent and good. It is the call for war, either the war we wage upon our own shortcomings, or the senseless attacks in which we project our own suffering upon the world.

16Osa meji is the power of sweetness, abundance and the fragility of creation. It is here that we find the power of attraction. It is here that we find the memory of ancestry. It is an energy that reminds us how soft and delicate the heart of the world is; just like our own soft and delicate four chambered heart. This odu is a call to awareness.

Ofun meji is the grandfather of the odus and the source of light, which is understood as a dreaming whiteness. Here is the source of miracles and dispersion. Everything that exists began as a possibility in Ofun. We might say that this odu is the blinding chaos, the reversed black hole that offered up light as the source of beginnings before beginnings, a pre-Titanic energy that is the origin and end of all that exists.

Here we must touch on Osatura, the odu which gave birth to Esu. It is the force that causes the cosmic copulation that makes the 256 combinations of Ifa possible. It is the power that ties the serpent’s head to its tail and binds the alpha to the omega. Again, we are reduced to a binary expression, in which Esu as a transformative and expansive light uses the power of eros and vision to generate the worlds. This polarity is frequently understood to be rooted in the principles of ase and alafia. The term alafia signifies the desired outcome of life, and is perhaps better understood as a state of contentment embracing health, success and prosperity. Alafia reflects all possible conditions and situations that make life on earth good, and can include gifts, including money and children, as well as peace of mind and honour. Alafia is made possible by the movement of ase, a word signifying ’command,’ ’directive,’ ’power,’ ’may it be so.’ The same word in combination with ina (fire) makes ase ina, which means ’fiery power’ and is at times used to refer to menstruation. Ase is the force that pulsates in the totality of the cosmos, in all the worlds, the force that causes movement, that sustains and transforms. Ase is Esu. The sixteen mejis are as follows:

the crossroads of confusion

Esu, the loyal companion of Orunmila, is the most complex and mysterious of deities. He is simultaneously the youngest and the oldest, he deliberately plays with gender roles and fiercely attacks any attempt to establish dogmas. The missionaries, and later Johnson, saw in this being the image of the devil, and he became associated with misfortune and all kinds of evil. Esu is a trickster, but the mischief he causes is an effect of his presence as the power of chance, movement and transformation. When Esu is seen in the image of devils and demons, it might suggest that opportunities have slipped by.

The name Esu can be split into two phonemes: E, denoting something expressive and su, ’to make something spherical.’ If the accent is changed we find the principle of darkening that lies at the root of subu, ’to collapse’ or ’bring something to a fall.’ If Esu can be understood as the expressive power of the spheres, he is indeed the Lord of the Worlds and a metaphysical principle no different to Ibn Arabi’s understanding of Iblis, as the one who defines the limits of each circle of creative expression! Some have even used the second phoneme to ascribe his origin to the Egyptian deity Shu and locate him as migrating from the upper east of Africa to the southwest.

In an onki (prayer) to Esu collected by Awo Fa'lokun, he is praised in the following way:

Oro Esu to to to akoni

Esu ori mi ma je nko o

Esu ohun ni 'ma wa kiri

Esu ma se me o

The word of the divine messenger is always respected

The divine messenger guides my head on the path of transformation

The divine messenger has the voice that roams the universe

Divine messenger do not confuse me

Esu is symbolized by two things in particular. One is yang., the lateritic or volcanic stone which represents the essence of Esu. The mysteries of creation are rooted in magma and the central stone of the genesis of the universe, dyigiyigi, hence Esu is praised as the ota (stone) of the drisas. The other important symbol for Esu is a conical seashell known as dkdto. This shell, with its perfect, pyramidal spiral shape symbolizes transformation in time and by extension transformation in the life of humans.

The birth of Esu, and the manner in which he came to preside over this specific ase, is told in the odu Osaturd, which explains the type of ase the divine beings possess and what purpose they serve. Osatura is a direct reference to Esu, symbolized by one of his most important aspects, the one who transports the offerings, djise-ebo. This is made evident by his character as Esu Elebo, whose domain is to control and regulate the ebo (ritual offering). Esu is also called Eleru, ’Lord of Eru,’ carrier of rituals.

Esu is the spiritual force that reestablishes the harmonious relationship between the lyami (volatile powers of hexing and cursing) and the sixteen drtsd-agbd or the sixteen primordial odus, thus saving the earth from chaos and annihilation. He is the only divinity who can open the gates to Orun, and so the harmonious and dynamic relationship of drun-aye (the invisible and visible realms) is caused by him. Through this role, Esu is present in all activities that contain movement and transformation, as the same ltan says: ’Everything, every being could not be without its own Esu in its constitution, it could not exist, nor could it be aware of its existence.’

In all processes Esu is the element that simultaneously solidifies and transforms the ase. Esu is found in the lives of men when they come to dna pade, the ’juncture in the road.’ We can associate this with a situation where a choice has to be made. Ifa teaches that there are only two kinds of choices: those which are in tune with ayanno (destiny) and those which are not. Esu is the fork in the road, and Ifa possesses the answer. As the manifestation of choice, Esu can be considered to be man’s foremost teacher on the path towards his destiny. He is choice itself, being neither good nor bad, and therefore the very power of transformation, whether the choice made is a good one in which our decisions bring good fortune, or a bad one which brings us lessons that demonstrate a need for growth and understanding.

Esu is the one who carries the ase, and as such his position amongst men is mirrored in the cosmic design. Esu is the power of change - he is the mercury of transformation - and this is as true of the choices we make, as it is of the fusion of elements and energies that generates the 256 varieties of consciousness.

There are at least two ways of assigning odu to elements. One is to set up the

odus in the form of a 4 x 4 grid in relation to their celestial harmonies:

Baba Medahochi, a Bini babaldwo/bokono who founded the Akoda Institute in Atlanta, Georgia in the late 1980s, made a set of lessons available for students of Ifa, in which he addressed the metaphysical dimensions of Ifa, assigning the odus to the quarters in agreement with the Okonron eguntan. This understands the pulse of the primordial wombs, showing how powers organize themselves in matter along each different pulse.

Okonron eguntan is an odu that speaks of the establishment of powers in the world. It is the energy that manifests the force necessary to establish something. In this phase of evolution, it is Orunmila who is credited as the creator of the earth. The verse tells how Orunmila sat down in the middle of the island he had made and directed the first eight imple to take their designated places in the world. He gave the realm of sunrise to Ogbe and sunset to Oyeku. Iwori was given the north gate and Odi the south gate, and the remaining four odus were placed in balanced opposition to each other: IrOsun at ene, Owpnrin at wsw, Obdrd at nnw, Okdnrdn at sse, OgUnda at ne, Osd at sw, Ikd at nw, Oturup&n at se, Oturd at nne, Irete at sse, Osa at wnw, and Ofun at ese. This organization of power establishes the rhythm and pulse of the world as we know it, where whatever opposes a vibration is also what drives it forward. The medicine and poison is always the same, it is only the situation, the realm of Esu, that changes. The square, with its four sides, replicates the crossroads with its four arms. This reveals that manifestation of spirit in matter is always to do with the crossroads, Esu is always there. This is demonstrated in another design based on Baba Medahochi’ s presentation of this mystery:

If we add the directions, up and down, to the square we get the number six, which signifies an astrological trine, being a number of the perfection of Venus, a fundamental harmony brought to the world by Osun. If we add to this the tetrarch, the ten numbers signifying cosmic potencies, we have a matrix of sixteen; the sacred number of Ifa. Sixteen can also represent the dual polarity of the eight winds of the compass rose, a reference to the powers that support equilibrium. Again we are in the domain of Esu. We thereby arrive at this cosmological design.

The matrix of creation is rooted in the number sixteen and the cosmic design 4

is composed of 16 resulting in the 256 energetic combinations called odu, meaning ’womb.’ These are understood as points where energy flashes out in its creative permutations. The four elemental forces multiply to generate the basic 16-fold pattern by celestial copulation - or funke, a spiritual eroticism -generating the matrix of genesis which is authored by Esu and Osun. The 16 primordial potencies engage in another 16-fold copulation to generate the patterns of possibility, the arch, matrix and helix that lie at the root of every nuance of expression known in the cosmic design.

Ifa is rooted in a geometric harmony around the pole of existence. Wisdom is the ability to mediate the left hand and the right hand in order to support the polar axis. The left hand represents defence, denial and magic, whilst the right represents the powers of love, bounty and sharing. From the perspective of Ifa, an excess of either power will cause us to drift away from the centre of self and our connection with the source. Or& (poison) is inherent in the cosmic design, but is only brought forth by excess. Excess of any kind will eventually become a negative power, by which I mean any force or obstruction to our happiness. Or& has a linguistic similarity to dro, meaning ’words,’ hence words and breath are at the nativity of what shapes blessings and healings as well as poisons.

the origin of mystery

The matrix of the cosmic design is spoken of in the omo odu Osagunda. I will paraphrase the myth as told by Awo Popoola to Awo Fa’lokun. In the beginning was akamara, a word commonly translated as ’God,’ although it better denotes ’the origin of mystery.’ Akamara was a composition of dew, gases and humidity dancing in the darkness. The Imqlo (primordial spiritual being) called Origun shaped these dews and gases into stars and astral bodies. The name Origun means ’the consciousness that pounds symmetry’ or ’the one who injects consciousnesses.’ Stars were created as the dew cooled and generated ’houses of light.’ The astral bodies were, as yet, without direction; this was acomplished by hnqlo Baba Asemu Egun Sunwa, whose name can be translated as ’the father who lays down the bone matrices for the overflowing of character.’ The cosmos was given its design. Its matrix was understood to be a combination of the sixteen powers which engaged in a cosmic gun, or copulation with each other. Sixteen times sixteen produces a matrix composed of 256 energetic currents. These comprise the odu, ’womb of energy,’ in reference to their expansive capacity of ’stirring the darkness.’

Olu Iwaye, ’the chief of the dwelling of character,’ entered the matrix and solar systems were generated, including our own. All the planets were given to specific im^le to inhabit, and Earth was given to Aye. So in reverence to her, Earth was called Ile Aye, the house of Aye. Aye found her condition lonely, and sought other spirits to live with her. Here the creation myth has several variations. One story tells how Olodumare (chief of the heavenly rainbow) first sent Ogun (the power of iron) who brought several other hunter spirits to Aye’s dwelling to make it habitable. Ogun was not successful, so Olodumare sent Obatala (chief of the white cloth/dreams) who brought several other forces with him, known as funfun spirits, ’spirits of whiteness.’ But he was also unsuccessful, so Olodumare sent Orunmila. On his way to Aye he met with the babalawos in heaven, who provided him with the seeds necessary to make Aye habitable. Vegetation, minerals and animals sprouted miraculously from the seeds Orunmila planted, and beings called eniyan were placed in Aye’s habitat. At first everything was harmonious, then these beings started to destroy their home. Seeing this, Olodumare ordered the waters to rise and Aye was covered with water. Most of the emyan died, but a few survived, and those were the ones from whom witches, aja, and sorcerers, dsd, derived their powers.

The task of turning Aye into a habitat was begun again. Once more Obatala was sent and once more was unable to complete the task; so Olodumare sent Oduduwa. Oduduwa consulted Orunmila before travelling to Aye and came equipped with the necessary seeds to generate Aye’s habitat. The place where Oduduwa started to turn Aye into a habitat for plants and beasts was called Ile Ifo, the House of Love. In the House of Love humans were created in a variety of forms, which we call ’races’ today. This is the stage of creation we are in now and Ifa warns that human beings will try to control and subdue nature instead of living in harmony with it. The threat of global destruction will call upon the spirit of wisdom, Ela, to perpetuate the world, and a return towards traditional and harmonious living will slowly spread over Aye. There are some striking similarities with the Ifa creation myth and what is spoken of in Poimandres where Hermes Trismegistus speaks of the fall of man as his unification with the powers of nature, mirroring how the divine mind has ’fallen into creation.’ Man, being the result of the divine mind, is a spiritual being, a divinity veiled in matter and nature. It is from this matrix that the odu Ifa are born, and Esu is the mediator between these cosmic patterns that are ’born’ or manifested during Ifa divination. Whilst Orunmila reveals the matrix,

Esu moves it. The movement of Esu is understood to be like the magma at the centre of the earth, like rivers of lava in subterranean tunnels, and these caves and tunnels are the dwelling of the spirit of wisdom, Ela.

^la: the heart at the spiritual centre

Ela is the spirit of wisdom, understood to be the witness to fate, though the name is difficult to translate. Ela is a word that conveys expansion. What Ela expresses is its own self-expression, a rain of divine wisdom, which we recognize by its power to give imo, ’illumination.’ Terms like wa, ’to be brought to life’ and ifure, ’to be brought into consciousness,’ are further qualities belonging to the expansive and active wisdom of Ela. As such, Ela is the power that enables expression of any kind, the power that moves the matrix and helix of creation to bring forth all things. Ela is said to reside in caves and informs the network of subterrestrial arteries of Aye through its mysterious and concealed presence. Traditional symbolism equates the cave with the heart, and the heart with Polaris, the north where perfection resides. North is the direction given to the odu Oyeku meji, which signifies the darkness of the womb, meaning that Ela is the spirit that moves, in its expressive force, beneath mystery and transformation, and brings what gestates in darkness and concealment into becoming. As such the cave represents the spiritual centre, as reflected in the heart. Inu is the word that signifies every concealed cavity, whether physical or symbolic. The understanding of the heart and cave as spiritual centres of the world represents the concealed and mysterious character of Ela being the heart of the spiritual centre found in the cosmic design. Orunmila is a manifestation of this power in his capacity of understanding the oro, words/sounds/phonemes of the matrix of creation encoded in the 256 odus of Ifa. This matrix of 256 combinations and nodes can be understood as the mysterious laws of the cosmic design, its pre-established harmony which dances between the poles of light and darkness, healing and cleansing. This cosmic play is replicated in man when he builds iwa, or ’character,’ in conformity with the understanding of the particular combination of cosmic powers that constitutes the foundation of our consciousness and being. In this we can understand what fate really is.

Fate is a particular law born from a gathering of energetic vibrations brought into harmony by wisdom, and our ability to understand the transformative quality of the cosmos. Orunmila is the guide on the path of transformation, and transformation is at the core of being. This reveals Ifa to be an active philosophy of life, resting on a total understanding of the wisdom that comprises the lattices and matrices of the cosmic design. When a divination is performed, it is the spirit of Ela that moves the diviner into an understanding of the cosmic principles at hand, mediated by the memory which he or she possesses of each of the 256 energetic patterns encoded in odu, which will be considered in the following chapter.

ae art of divination

As we have seen, Ifa is rooted in a noetic philosophy, which psychologist William James described in The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902) as:

... states of insight into depths of truth unplumbed by the discursive intellect. They are illuminations, revelations, full of significance and importance, all inarticulate though they remain; and as a rule they carry with them a curious sense of authority.

Within this philosophical stance is found a cosmology of emanations that takes into account everything visible and invisible that exists in a cosmos of commonality, time and timelessness. Forces eternal and temporal, visible and invisible, enter into relationships in which influences, bonds and patterns are forged, made and remade constantly. It is a ’repetition of difference,’ to borrow a term from French philosopher Gilles Deleuze, whose empirical metaphilosophy might be applied to what actually occurs when dafa or Ifa divination is performed.

Deleuze questions whether difference depends upon identity, and whether identity is not in truth caused by difference. In doing this, he applies the hermetic axiom of ’as above, so below’ but in reverse. This leads him to conceive of the difference as being ’virtual’ in the sense of being real without necessarily being actualized as such. Deleuze takes the Platonic forms, the world of ideas, and makes them subject to experience, and through this differential relationships are generated, so creating space and time. The cosmos resembles origami in its constant folding and unfolding of a singular substance in a process of differentiation, which makes his idea of God a constant play of forces. Hence his paradoxical allegory: pluralism equals monism. These thoughts are interesting in respect to the principles at play in Ifa

divination, because it is an oracle that predicts by looking backwards and perceives differences playing themselves out. These differences are always ’virtual’ and need to be acted upon in order to bring out their possibilities.

There are several good books about Ifa divination, such as William Bascom’s seminal study, Ifa Divination, Fasma Falade’s fa: The Key to its Understanding and Fa'lokun Fatunmbi’s Awo and Dafa . Those interested in understanding the complexity involved in Ifa divination beyond what I discuss in this chapter are encouraged to study these books.

divining the past to read the future

Ifa divination is based upon recognizing a given cosmic pattern, which is revealed in a sequence of odu that provide a diagnosis of the situation at hand. The interpretation of the patterns is found in the corpus of Ifa, in the many verses that contain myths, riddles, songs, enchantments and advice of every kind related to each of the 16 meji odus and the 240 combination odus. The diviner needs to possess an intimate understanding of the metaphysical nature of each sign, as well as of the prayers, stories, allegories and recommendations pertaining to each of the 256 odus. This means that what is revealed are patterns that have precedents in the past. Ifa reveals both the original forces and the way in which these forces have been managed and understood through the lives of men and orisas over time, establishing a storehouse of ancestral memory that speaks of how cosmic patterns manifest and evolve. This means that Ifa is not an oracle that sees the future, but one that predicts the development and outcome of a situation through knowledge of how these energies manifested in the past. For instance, a large number of verses begin by stating the name of the client who came to a particular diviner for a reading. These represent encoded messages regarding the problem that are found in the name of the client, and its solution, found in the name of the diviner. These are expounded upon in the verse, where the diagnosis is affirmed and a solution offered in the form of a sacrifice. Let us take an example from one verse from Odi meji:

Atelew#- Abinutelu divined Ifa for Itere

They said his ideas would always materialize;

Therefore he must sacrifice nails

Three he-goats and three coss

Itere did as he was told and made sacrifice They prepared Ifa leaves for him to drink

Everything in the verse can be subject to exegesis. For instance, the name of the awo could be read as the ’richness of the palm tree disperses enemies,’ whilst Itere means ’a field that seeks to attract good fortune.’ We have here a preliminary diagnosis and solution already expressed in the client presenting his barren crops as the problem, the awo in identifying this problem as having its root in enemies, and that the solution in the palm tree. In order to know exactly what is involved in the solution, a profound knowledge of the qualities of the palm, its stories, myths and placement in the Ifa corpus is needed in order to bring forth what the client needs. In this, Ifa is telling the client that he has good potential for success, but that he needs something that restores his belief in himself. The solution is stated to be nails, three goats and three cocks. Again it is necessary to understand the force a combination of nails, goats and roosters generates; which in this case would be a reference to Ogun and Esu. A sacrifice should be made to Ogun, and then be left with Esu where three roads meet (ikorha meta), but goats and roosters also hold a specific ase of protection and strength, which is needed to help the client attract good fortune. The verse states that he did as instructed and was given Ifa leaves to drink. Whenever Ifa states that a client did as Ifa recommended, it demonstrates a person of good character with a willingness to perform the most difficult sacrifice, namely to change one’s attitude and accept advice. The preparation of the Ifa medicine, a herbal infusion in this case, would indicate that a part of the problem might also be biological, physical or psychological; hence the administration of a medicine to enhance the effect of sacrifice and thereby attract good fortune.

In other words, if a client comes for a reading and this odu appears, the client is repeating a pattern that people before him experienced and found solutions for, thus the solutions of the same problem in the past are applied to the same situation in the present. Ifa divination is a process in which Olodumare is looking back at itself.

The process of Ifa divination is carried out with tools from the forest, but all of these tools hold a meaning that surpasses their mundane function and reveals a mirror of a cosmic syntax and order at play. The awo can use several oracles like obi, dpele or ikm, and all are based on the same cosmic rhythm. Let us take the divination in which ikm are used. These are sacred palm nuts taken from a close relative of the palm oil tree called ope Ifa (Elaeis guineensis). This tree is of tremendous importance due to its inablity to lie or deceive; hence the ikm represents truth given from an upright character, symbolized by the firm and erect stature of the Ope Ifa. The ikm are stored in the ajere Ifa, a closed calabash, usually spherical, and are used together with the opon Ifa, the divination tray, iyerdsun, the divination powder, and oruke, the Ifa tapper. The opon represents the world, visible and invisible: Aye, the place we know as our world. The opon is a mirror of the heavens, and therefore we find the tray divided into four domains similar to those which we find in astrology, with the axis from ascendant and to the west and the axis from midheaven to the south, marking the four principal energies in creation. These four quarters are typified by Ela and Esu watching the divination from up to down and from down to up, which is why you find Esu at the top on some divination trays and on the bottom on others. What is done on the opon is subject to the attention of the watchful eyes of spiritual beings, the eyes of Olodumare.

The opon is sprinkled with iyerdsun, Orunmila and Ela are called as the oracle is manipulated, odus are traced in the iyerdsun as they are summoned forth, and the tongue of the diviner is anointed with palm oil and honey in the process. The manipulation of the ikms is carried out by rolling them back and forth in the hands; they are grabbed with the right hand from the left, until one or two nuts remain in the left hand. If two nuts remain, a single line is marked; and if one nut remains, a double line is marked. This process is carried out eight times until a double grid of four markings is formed in the iyerosun, which designates the reading ready for interpretation.

In addition to the ikm, another divination tool, the dpele, is used along with ibd, the pathfinder. The ibd is presided over by Esu, and consists of several items, such as broken shards, bones, knuckles, sacred seeds and cowry shells. This gives the orientation of the reading, meaning the source of fortune or misfortune. It also helps define the temperament of the reading, accurately indicating what type of fortune or misfortune is at play in the situation enacted on the opon. As such, the ibd is important in discovering the precise nature of a given situation and in doing so will give greater accuracy to its solution, helping to show what can be done to fortify what is good and transform what is negative into good fortune.

Ifa traces the markings from right to left and, as we have seen, the two sides hold great meaning. As well as being the side that denominates and calls forth spirits of strength and possible malefica, the left is also the female side, and the column of signs which speaks of the past. This female/male and past/present dichotomy is not only assigned to left and right but also to top and bottom. It is ultimately a reflection of the dynamic between absence and presence, as in this example:

I Ind (fire)

Masculine

I Afeefe (air)

I Omi (water)

Feminine

I Aye/Ile (earth)

As we see in this row of Eji Ogbe, all the elements are balanced, hence this sign is associated with an abundance of light. If the row was all double lines, we would have Oyeku meji, which denotes the absence of light. The presence and absence of light affects the elements and generates contrasts and a great variety of possibilities that manifest in patterns, energies, situations, ideas, sentiments and thoughts.

Four marks are known as a leg. An Ifa divination always calls upon two legs (meji), so we have a movement from past to present, from cause to situation. From this, an additional meji is marked to arrive at a firm identification of the situation and appropriate solutions to the matter.

Ifa divination works on the basis of randomization in conformity with the hermetic axiom ’as above, so below,’ but reversed. Hence the dynamic between one ikm left in the palm resulting in a double line, and two ikm giving a single line on the opon. The design that appears is then mediated by the ibd, which accurately defines the cause of the situation. For instance, a cowry shell can represent good fortune, a bone can mean death, a broken shard loss, an Ifa bead may hold a promise of abundance, and so forth. The ibds are manipulated with the same frame of mind as in the reading itself. There are various ways of doing this, and one of them is to have the client juggling two ibds, one representing good fortune (ire) and another representing its absence (ibi) and then hiding one in each palm. The awo will then cast the dpele or use ikin to determine which hand to open and thus reveal the path of the configuration of odus appearing on the opon. This is elected by throwing two odus, which will indicate which hand is to be opened by order of seniority. Again a reversal is noticed as, when the first odu, to the right, is senior to the second odu, to the left, it is the left hand which is opened to reveal ire or ibi, and vice versa. This is important because it reveals the state of mind which the client brings to the opon, and sheds light on the specific issues which should be addressed in the consultation.

An Ifa consultation is similar to having one with a doctor, philosopher, and psychologist, but all at the same time. The diagnosis of the problem is important, but so too is the good conversation about what the reading shows to the awo and the client. An Ifa consultation is a harmonious gathering of two forces, the situation and its solution.

the structure of the divination verses

Abimbola (1997: 43) states that ese Ifa is historical in content, and that its structure is derived from its historical nature. The ese (verses) commonly follow an eightfold structure, mirroring the eight signs that makes up an odu, although there are some that deviate from this either by contracting a verse into a smaller message, or extending the rhythm of the poetry to great length. Again, following Abimbola, the most common feature of an Ifa verse is the presentation of the identity of the diviner in its first part. The name of the diviner can be that of a human being, a spiritual force, a plant or an animal. Some of these names can be quite obscure as they represent the nature of the situation in terms of the form of knowledge that is at play in the verse. The second part names the client. This follows a similar idea: it can be a plant, animal, deity, human being, or even a community that presents a situation to be resolved. The pulse of Ifa is present in the names of the diviner and the client, which are meaningful for imparting an idea of the energy encoded in the odu. The right side represents the diviner and the left side the client in a meeting of solutions that represents the fundamental dynamic in Eji Ogbe and Oyeku meji, present and past, light and its absence. The third part of the verse gives a description of the situation, and the fourth provides the solutions. The fifth part states whether or not the client complied with the advice of Ifa, whilst the sixth imparts the consequences of the attitude expressed in the previous one. The seventh part brings a certain lesson, and the final part brings the moral of the verse into a conclusion of the events that played themselves out between two forces coming together to resolve a situation. Abimbola gives several examples of this, and I give one of his examples here to illustrate the inherent dynamic within the verses (ibid: 58):

· I: Friendship does not bind three, Friendship binds only two

· II: Ifa divination was performedfor Sooroye (a chief)

The son of those who practiced Ifa divination and farming

· III: He was asked to perform a sacrifice

So that he might have money

· IV: He was asked to offer as sacrifice

Two fast-moving rats,

Two fishes that swim with grace

Two hens with big livers

Two goats heavy with foetus

· V: He offered all these as sacrifice

After he offered the sacrifice

· VI: He became prosperous

· VII: He started to praise his Ifa priests

While his Ifa priests praised Ifa

As he opened his mouth

He utteredforth the song of Ifa

As he stretched his legs

Dance caught them

· VIII: He said

It is now time for Ifa

To turn my house into a market place

I practised Ifa divination

And I practisedfarming

My lot must be better

It is now time

For me to be prosperous

I practised Ifa divination

And I practisedfarming

My lot must be better

In this example, we can see that the name of the diviner implies that the client has a tendency to spread himself out too much; he should limit his activities to only two things, namely Ifa and farming. The problem is stated as being one of lack of money, and the solution is a sacrifice. The elements of sacrifice represent energies and harbingers of precise powers of good fortune that the client will attract to his life. In other words, the sacrifice of ’two fishes that swim with grace’ is not only about giving an offering to Orunmila, Yemoja, or Olokun, who are amongst the spiritual powers who elevate the sacrifice of fish into an energetic ray, but it is also a call for the client to be more elegant in his actions. Every sacrifice holds dimensions concerned with our behaviour and attitudes. For instance, in this case, the sacrifice of the two rats signals that a sacrifice to the ajas (witches) is prescribed, but it might also speak of the need for the client to sacrifice certain ratlike forms of behaviour, whilst maintaining the speed and agility of the rat. In this way, the recommended sacrifice in its multiple dimensions prescribes a remedy that always involves a change of attitude, or seeks to reinforce already present attitudes, as well as serving as food for spiritual forces and the community. In the sixth part of the verse, we see the consequences of his sacrifice, he became prosperous, and the last two parts impart the lesson and moral of the verse, which are quite straightforward here, but which can be cryptic in other cases.

All Ifa verses contain additional information, prayers, or enchantments, but they all follow the rhythm of odu and as such the intonation and the division of the words are always meaningful in so far as they replicate a very specific cosmic resonance and ray. This means that the diviner and client recreate a situation that has precedents in the past and bring them into the present so that predictions can be made about the future.

the importance of allegories and storytelling

We hear various accounts of the number of verses ascribed to each of the 256 odus, the most common being that each of them has sixteen verses, which gives a total of 4096 verses, although some say that there are far more. In other words, Ifa is a living tradition and its wisdom is still being accumulated. The repetition of difference is ongoing, and as each new tone and shade accrues to the basic energy, verses are added to the corpus.

This is rooted in the dynamic of the divination itself, in which a diviner who manifests a given principle in a particular way encounters a client who mirrors this dynamic. Hence it is vital for Ifa divination that the communication which takes place in the sacred space should establish new understandings upon the bones of precedence.

Some verses can seem enigmatic, such as when a plant, tree or weed represents the diviner, and the client is represented by an animal; or when Orunmila himself appears as the client asking advice from a spiritual force or a plant. We have many dimensions here, rooted in the belief that everything is connected, and that we can experience the entire variety of divine manifestations in the cycle of rebirth. To be reborn as a human being is significant, because in these incarnations we are ascending towards our divinity and treading the path of becoming drisa. This also means that we hold the memory of plant and beast, mineral and spiritual force tied into the energetic constitution of our divine becoming. A plant is not inferior to a human being, nor is a spiritual force superior in quality, but rather in function. The plant and the spiritual forces are always connected through accomplished beings, no matter what realm they belong to.

Everything is rooted in odu: a given energy can provide a great number of narratives rooted in the same cosmic ray. Actors, geography and time are factors of change, but odu remains the same. Nature is a flux and a pulse mediated by these secure poles of ancestral wisdom, anchored in heaven. We follow patterns that have already been laid down, and in this way we facilitate a variation of the same meetings that have always happened. And in this the beauty and wisdom of odu Ifa is to be found, because Ifa is a dance of energetic forms in meetings, benign and not so benign, with the purpose of growth and understanding so we can understand natural harmony better and live in accordance with it.

the meaning of sacrifice

Ebo, sacrifice, is routinely associated with life force offerings, but this is a very limited perception of what it entails. In fact, Ifa is quite adamant that effective ebo starts with a change in attitude, a realization of the necessity of change and of holding realistic expectations. Ebo is performed in order to improve something that is already promising, to bring about new opportunities, or to diminish the effects of negative currents.

Sacrifice can be made in order to bring good fortune to a journey or a business venture, or in the search for a good spouse, or for general well being; but it always comes with the direction to the client to pay attention to the signs. In other words, Esu is always present in the design.

Being so many things, Esu is the divine tongue, the seed of passion and desire that communicates with the world and between the worlds so we can accumulate wisdom. Wisdom, like sacrifice, is accumulated, like a divine sap which we allow to flow and that fills us with life and yearning. Ogunda meji says the following about ebo:

Igi gfogbe ma le ganrangun

Igi gbigbe nid m toto

Did fun Ebo

Tii s ’omo won lode

Ogbdlu

Alara, mbo l ’Eboo wa Enu eniyan l ’Ebod wa

A dried up tree stands upright but has no dignity

Dry trees have no sap

This Ifa declared to Ebo

The offspring of’The city of accumulated wisdom’

Creator, I ask where is Ebo?

Ebo is the mouth of human beings

Sacrifice starts with giving verbal form to what rests in our or. The mouth represents the portal, the door to our ori. It is through this door that we express our wishes, because words are expressions of our desires and thus are a vehicle for manifestation. On this basis Ifa initiates are advised to bless everyone, to always speak good things and to refrain from gossip and negative speech in general. This is tied in to the moral dimensions of Ifa, which are concerned with the importance of always being truthful and stating the facts. Lies, deceit and gossip are considered the beginnings of misfortune because what we give shape to in our words naturally seeks manifestation.

In this form of ebo, the irubo, we make sacrifice to fortify good fortune.

These forms of sacrifice can be as simple as a change of attitude and the offering of prayers and song to a given spiritual force, in which the tongue is directly fed with materials that sweeten our words or give them strength. This form of sacrifice is a constant theme in Ifa with its emphasis on prayers, songs and enchantments. All successful sacrifice starts with a clear verbal affirmation. There is a great difference between thoughts and words. Our thoughts are mere potentiality until they are given a voice and a name, and in this they hatch out into energies and forces that make them grow towards strength and materialization. This form of ebo is done by the awo every day when he or she gets up in the morning and gives praise to the on. The awo begins every day with verbal affirmations of his or her blessed state, because by doing so he or she can be a source for blessings and good fortune to others.

Etutu is the sacrifice for turning a wicked situation into a positive one. It can be performed for an individual or on behalf of a community. At times this transformation can involve complex passages and steps. This form of ebo is often given to malevolent spirits or to drisa who have expressed their negative rays, and it serves to appease them.

Ebo is the common sacrificial rite that involves adimu, food offerings, and life force offerings to drisa, and is the form of sacrifice usually associated with the word ebo.

Ipese are special kinds of sacrifice offered to the djas or witches. These are offerings aimed at appeasing these turbulent forces, which can also be used as a mediating act to gain their favour. Sacrifice can be made to witches in cases when someone is afflicted by the ajoguns, which takes the form of general misfortune, or by djas, which can be recognized by emotional and mental imbalance and turbulence. Ipese can then be offered as a way to remove these negative influences and thus restore equilibrium.

elements of sacrifice

The elements of sacrifice are many and varied, drawn from the mineral, vegetable, and animal kingdoms. They are carefully selected after a situation has been defined and its remedy established. All these items are related to odu as well as to drisa and imqle. The elements of sacrifice can be used both in their material form and as examples of attitude and presence of spirit that need to be enhanced or diminished. To put it simply, if an Ifa divination calls for the sacrifice of a sheep, it will speak of the need to focus on this energy, both as a communion and in the form of attitude and aptitude. In practice it can signify that the sacrifice of a sheep to a given spiritual force and the consumption of the meat of the sacrificed animal will open roads to good fortune and block misfortune, but it can also speak of a certain attitude associated with the sheep that must be addressed. It should be mentioned that the meat is used to feed the community, and that any lifeforce offering is venerated prior to giving up its emi, or breath. In this way, lifeforce offerings as made by the Yoruba people follow a similar pattern to that found amongst the followers of the Mosaic faith with their kosher sacrifice, or the Muslims with their halal sacrifice.

Elede (pig) is used to bring the blessing of children and an increase of comfort in one’s life, as it softens what is crooked and erratic. It is sacred to T~i r r z~x r \ 1 x T x r 1 z\ x x ZAI

Egungun, Orunmila, Kami and Orisa Oko.

Aguntan (sheep) is important for the funfun drisas and for such cults as Agemo, which is related to the Egungun cult, and for Yemoja. It is said to hold properties that ward off death, and can be used in rites for the temporary resuscitation of the dead.

Ewure (she-goat) is a very common sacrificial element which can be offered to all female forces, Obatala, Orunmila and Esu. It is considered to bring stability, protection and general good fortune to the community involved in giving the offering.

Obuko (he-goat) is used when force and fire are needed to invest one’s aspiration with power and direction. It is particularly sacred to the hunter spirits and is often used in initiations for male spiritual forces.

Eranla (cow) is sacred to Obatala and the lyamis. It brings prosperity and wealth, especially through trade, and is an energy that can stimulate pregnancy.

Erinla (bull) is used to bring stability to earth and is sacred to Egungun and Onile. Just as this energy stabilizes the earth, it also stabilizes our life.

Agbb (ram) has a very red nature and is used in works of defence, strength and transformation. It has deep connections with Oya, Ogun, Osanyin and Egungun in its capacity of appeasing the ancestors.

Aja (dog) is particularly sacred to Ogun and Onile, and induces serenity and

majesty in the hunter spirits.

Okete (rat) is used to appease nearly any form or force that has become turbulent. It can also be used to both placate and agitate red powers. It is a great sacrifice to give to the ajos and will, together with palm oil, appease any dissonance generated by them and thus provide blessings in place of ordeals.

Paipniye (duck) is sacred to on and Yemoja and calms the mind and nerves as well as neutralising the negative thoughts of others. It holds the ase of opening the gates of honour and recognition.

Etu (guineafowl) is one of the most praised sacrificial offerings, given its connection with initiation, elevation, position and prestige. It is a sacred bird for Obatala, Osun, Orunmila and many others. It is a symbol of the iyawo, the newly initiated, to whom it gives good fortune, prestige and fearlessness.

Adie (hen) is said to possess the power of transforming our perspectives and brings health and equilibrium to the material realm. It appeases hostile forces and it brings out the strength of benevolent ones. To some extent the colours of the hen are attributed to given domains in respect to the three colours black, red and white, but its essential properties remain the same.

Eyele (pigeon) represents prosperity, peace and long life as well as honour and loyalty. The white pigeon is especially revered, being sacred to hunters, eboras and funfun drisas alike. The wood pigeon is believed to hold quite different properties and is said to facilitate possession and bring the powers of ajo.

Akuko (rooster) is of importance to most male drisas, and in particular the hunters - Esu, Osun, Obaluwaye, Sango - and many others in its capacity of providing radical defence and protection.

Ijapa (tortoise) is a sacrifice that is made in order to be granted access to secrets. It is particularly sacred to Osanyin, Sango and Yemoja, and is said to induce supernatural powers and provide diligence and protection.

Igbm (snail) is sacred to all funfun spirits and in particular to OdU, OrUnmila and Obatala. It is the most esteemed agent for inducing peace and tranquillity and is the most highly praised food for consciousness and creativity. The snail also possesses medicinal properties and is a powerful antidote against infections and fevers, as well as being a remedy for even the most serious of situations in its capacity to restore tranquility where there is turbulence.

Eja (fish) and in particular eja aro (mudfish) are used to ward off death and to bestow longevity. Since fish live in shoals, they are used to combat loneliness and as a foundation for gravitation towards kin and peers. Naturally it holds the power of bringing wealth, being sacred to Olokun and Yemoja. The mud-fish is sacred to Orunmila in its capacity of endurance and its ability to live both on land and in the waters.

Eyin adie (egg) possesses cleansing and protective properties and is particularly sacred to the Kami and Ogburn. Eggs can be given to Osun and Osanyin when circumstances dictate; but are taboo for many spiritual forces.

Efun (white chalk) is sacred to all funfun drisas, such as Obatala, Olokun, Orisa Oko and on. It is used to attract good fortune, in particular luck and money. Osun (camwood) is a red powder that is used both for healing and to agitate spirits. It is sacred to Esu, Egungun, Kami and all red spirits.

Egbb (tubers) are sacred to Orisa Oko, Egungun and Obaluwaye. Not only do they possess stabilizing properties themselves, but they also remind the powers that uphold the stability of earth that we who eat them intend to uphold stability.

Ekuya (vegetables) are used for protection and to reinforce our allegiance with nature.

Emu (palm wine) is a cleanser and stimulant and is especially appreciated by Orisa Oko, Osanyin, Ogun and Esu. It can be given to Obatala in moderate portions in order to stimulate creativity.

Iy& (salt) is used to invigorate ase and to build a defence. It is sacred to most red forces and also to on., in which it serves to strengthen our connection with the source and firm up our determination.

On (shea butter) represents consciousness and in particular a good, calm consciousness.

Ireke (sugarcane) is particularly sacred to egungun and is considered to open doors through which prosperity may enter in the form of agility, good health and business opportunities.

Ogede (plantain) is sacred to egungun, as well as to Egbe, and provides the power of longevity and maintains our healthy connection with our peers in Orun. It is used to attract prestige and good partners, whether in marriage or

business.

Agbon (coconut) is seen as the vehicle of good character and induces stability and clarity. The agbon represents Aye.

Iru (cooked locust beans) are used in several adimu or food offerings that serve to placate spiritual forces and strengthen the ase of good fortune, like ekuru.

Amala (cooked yam flour) is used to appease hot forces. It is a food given in order to become more directed and focused.

Eko (cooked white corn flour) is used to attract good fortune and bring about a clear and calm state of mind.

Owoeyo (cowry shells) represent money. They represent sacrifice as much as protection and the need to give value and attention to what we are doing. This offering always involves the arrival of good fortune, but also the need to develop some form of protection, as good fortune coming to one person can sometimes cause the envy of a friend.

The elements of sacrifice that are regularly used, not only as a part of larger ebo but also for the weekly practice of Ifa, are as follows:

Ataare (alligator pepper) represents the power of the word and determination. It is particularly sacred to Sango and is used to feed the tongue when incantations or enchantments are used.

Omi tutu (cold water) is a healing agent, used as a libation to honour the earth and make her cool and calm. Cold water prepares the ritual space as it creates a calm ambience.

Oti (gin) forms a constant part of all work done with spiritual forces due to its capacity to quicken ase and allow it to spread out. Oti doesn’t refer only to gin, but to any high proof white spirit.

Oyin (honey) is used to bring sweetness to life, and as a reminder of fate and destiny. Honey is the taste of our destiny.

Epo (palm oil) is used as a substitute for blood and represents the invigorating flow of power in our life.

Oltf (kola nut) is frequently used, as it holds the virtue of warding off illness and death and for its ability to generate harmonious gatherings and stimulate friendships.

Orogbo (bitter kola nut) represents the closed calabash, the world united and perfected. In tasting its bitterness we are reminded that we can choose to sweeten the world with honey.

The practice of sacrifice makes us aware of being, life, rhythms and the soul of Aye. For example, if you offer cold water to the earth and pray for a calm mind as you sing to Onile, these simple actions involve a connection with water and earth as a means to still one’s thoughts and be present.

the practice of sacrifice

The cycle of earth is one of birth, gestation, maturation and death followed by re-emergence; everything that is found on earth is bound to this cycle, even human beings. Ajoguns are a part of creation. Baba Elebuibon commented in The Healing Power of Sacrifice (2000) that these malefic powers entered the world at the moment when the first person who could discern good from bad chose the latter. Sacrifice is necessary to maintain balance between the opposing forces emanating from the One, because it is only in opposition that the One is supported. It is only by sacrifice that we can maintain focus on our goal. The ajoguns are not our enemies, they are forces which appear in our life when we turn upon ourselves and embark upon the process of becoming our own worst enemy.

Ifa relentlessly stresses that we are born good and blessed, but as we enter the world and undergo socialization and conditioning, we gain the experience of struggle, evil and defeat. This constitutes part of the human journey, as does sacrifice. Sacrifice can be understood as an action performed in order to bring harmony and balance. Sacrifice can be a change of attitude, whether to give up certain negative patterns, to feed a spirit with food, drinks and blood; just as it can be about initiation from other spirits, which will then accumulate the necessary wisdom to bring one’s life into balance, so that one can pursue one’s happy fate. The very idea of sacrifice tells us that imbalance is unwanted, and also that everything in the world is included in this dynamic.

The greatest sacrifice is always about giving up patterns and attitudes that impair our good fortune, which was demonstrated at the beginning of this chapter by the example of Sooroye. His main problem was in the way he gave attention to the people around him, and so he was advised to change this. He did so and offered up ebo to spirit in order to align a particular spiritual flow with the change of attitude to which he had committed himself, and was thus granted blessings and good fortune. In other words, he sacrificed his attitude, and this attitude became his taboo, his way of ensuring that good fortune would flow.

All sacrifice starts with the mouth. It forms words to describe the pain or problem experienced and prayers or oaths. Words lead to action because words are symbols that bring together all kingdoms and all worlds, visible and invisible, to the place of sacrifice. Sacrifice is to give up something. When we call a plant, animal, stone or spirit to the place of sacrifice, it is in order to accomplish balance and harmony for the one who is in search of his or her good fortune. This gives us some perspective to the entire concept of ebo, where the one who performs it is asked to give up his or her bad ways, or to avoid certain things. Sacrifice is about engineering the cycle of life in the spirit of wisdom; the pulse of wisdom is found in contraction and expansion, inhalation and exhalation. If we have brought together representatives of all the kingdoms to partake in the sacrifice, we also need to share it with the community. The intent behind the sacrifice must be demonstrated, and the elements of the sacrifice must be distributed amongst the community, visible and invisible, to generate the necessary flow and flux that provides the anticipated return, manifesting in good fortune for everyone and everything involved. Sacrifice reminds us of how we are interdependent, we always need community, whether it consists of a few people or many, to enable us to spread our goodness. Community is important, and so is what we distribute in our community, so let us always spread goodness where we are, because to walk the world elegantly, gracefully and full of goodness is the greatest ebo we can ever practice.

the mystery of taboo

Eew& (taboo) is an important concept, which is often misrepresented, because of its closeness to the concept of ese, which means ’to chose to do what is bad in spite of knowing what is good.’ Eew&- is actually closer in meaning to sacrifice, ’to give up something,’ than it is to the word ’taboo’ as we use it, which has come to mean ’ something forbidden. ’ A Yoruba proverb states: Eew& dun ju oyin lo, meaning: ’Taboo is sweeter than honey.’ Taboos are given because they block the ways in which ajoguns may interfere with your life and create negative conditions. Therefore, when it comes to taboo, what is good for one person might be bad for another. Taboos can be permanent or transitory, they can be related to odus that arise in initiations, or be given in relationship to odu and the spiritual forces of ancestry, drisa and family. Taboos mark the way towards abundance.

Eew& can be given because it jeopardizes the health of body, soul or mind, because it impairs our bio-circuit, or because the forbidden food or objects serve as a gateway for inviting possession by spirits, and as such is set aside for specific circumstances. What is forbidden becomes part of the generation of a specific energy; through its deliberate absence, good fortune arrives.

Let us look at some taboos and the reasoning behind them. Let us say that a person going through initiation to Sango is told in his dafa that he has been given a taboo against wearing uniforms, dressing in red and eating chilli peppers. A taboo such as this has precedents in the corpus of Ifa in relation to the particular odu that comes up, which would speak of the abuse of power and the inability to keep one’s emotions calm. This follows a quite logical reasoning that Sango typifies the warlord, and that abuse of power is one of the traits found in his stories. While Sango most certainly possesses other more elegant and peaceful aspects, if these taboos come up, it will demonstrate that the iyawo (the newly initiated) has a strong connection with the fire that tends towards burning too hot. Hence the taboo against wearing uniform serves as a reminder of how power can invite the ajoguns in, and the colour red and chilli peppers serve as a reminder of not allowing one’s passions to get out of control.

There are taboos which are more difficult to understand, such as those against eating potatoes, peanuts, or beans. When they apply to the vegetable or animal kingdom, taboos are trifold; they can be given because of a spiritual force we are in relationship with, or because they generate a disturbance in our bio-circuit on a spiritual level, or simply because they are harmful to our health. If the food taboo is related to a spiritual force, it is given because avoiding the item will generate a more direct spiritual flow. This can be understood by realizing that drisa also have their taboos, for instance, Esu is denied hot peppers, as this will agitate his natural fire, and Obatala is denied palm oil, as it will invigorate his state of impeccable and stable whiteness in negative ways. To continue the example with Obatala, if we make ebo involving this force we can use white chalk, snails, water, yams - but never corn and rarely blood. If we add these items to the sacrifice we create a distortion in the communication and manifestation of the presence. It is the same for eew&- given in initiations, certain items are forbidden because they impede and cloud ipdnn, the link between the visible and invisible realms. In the Diaspora religions it is not uncommon to hear that the breaking of taboo leads to the anger of the drisa; this is not true, but it does lead to the vinculum we hold in many directions being shaken.

ae cosmology of Ifa

The cosmology expounded in Ifa is cyclical. Further, Ifa invites comparison with Pythagorean ideas, viewing Aye or earth as a body surrounding a central fire. If we go deeper into the metaphysics of Ifa we find geocentric and heliocentric, Ptolemaic and Copernican similarities, and even ideas similar to Al-Razi’s theories of the multiverse. While Boethius, Plotinus and Bruno have been mentioned as references for understanding Ifa cosmology, we can loosely define Ifa as a noetic consensus reality, and thus essentially a timeless philosophy.

Metaphysically speaking, Ifa sees the invisible and visible realms as categories in constant interaction. Any number of worlds or realms can meet and interact, and our own, Aye, is one of many possible worlds. Just like any other world, Aye is endowed with a divine immutable spirit which gives it life and a unique form, rhythm and perfection. Every planet and every stellar body in our universe is inhabited by a spirit with a particular consciousness. In the case of Venus it is a spirit called Aguala; the Sun is inhabited by the spirit called Ameka; and Sirius (the canoe star) is the dwelling of the spirit Irawq Al®. These ideas are not far from those which we find in Leibniz’s theory of the Monads.

Ifa holds that the beginning of everything is rooted in the presence of a mysterious light that began to move and, as it contracted and expanded, generated a variety of light forms. All of the rays that rose from the explosions caused by the pulse of light became conscious of its ray as their source. Hence the beginning of everything was an explosion of light. The director of the explosion was the intelligence inhabited by the primordial mysterious light, which we call Olodumare, a name which in its fullness means ’owner of the rainbow snakes that rose from the womb,’ but who is usually referred to as ’the owner of heaven.’ If we pursue the symbolism of serpents rising from a womb, we find that snakes represent primordial rays of being rising from the igbamqle, ’the calabash of light.’ This can be seen in the creator spirit Obatala who has the python (ere) as one of his attributes; the python is associated with the rainbow (Bascom 1969: 267).

There is no hierarchy of value as such in Ifa, as the hierarchy of beings is dictated by placement and action. The social order is regulated by the chief of a village, city or nation, but Ifa is also concerned with mastery over situations and skills. For instance, if a king seeks to learn the art of forging metal he needs to approach Ogun, but not as king, rather, as a student of metallurgy. While the blacksmith naturally gives due respect to the office of the king, the king must also recognize that, when in the hall of the blacksmith, he is not the master of the art he is being mentored in. If we are forging a knife, the one who knows best how to accomplish this task should be the one in charge, no matter what his social status. This sensitivity to role and domain, skill and wisdom, flows abundantly through Ifa, and these roles are not only assigned to human organization, but also in relation to plants and animals. For instance, a hunter seeking prey in the forest is not necessarily the master of the domain he is entering. However, the trees and plants in this domain can function as his teachers and allies.

In Yoruba societies, especially in the countryside, the exchanges between roles in a hierarchical dynamic occurs easily and naturally. This is because of the insistence upon building good character in Ifa. Alongside this is the recognition of what is being done, and the necessity of attuning yourself to the act performed. This attitude is possible because good character, awareness and gentleness are virtues of such enormous importance in traditional Yoruba society.

There is a hierarchy involved in Ifa and its cosmology, but this hierarchy is one of natural emanation and the proper assignment of a power for a given task. For instance, when Obatala was sent to earth to make dry land he was not chosen because he was more important, but because he was the embodiment of consciousness and thoughtfulness. His recognition as the most important drisa came about because of his character, which all beings in creation recognized. His prestige was the result of him demonstrating his worth through challenges and the way in which he resolved complicated situations.

a golden chain

Ifa tells of how spiritual beings descended a chain to make the earth habitable for humans. There are some variations of this story, but most commonly they relate how Obatala came down to Aye on a chain of gold (or iron) forged by Ogun. He carries a bag of earth with him and a guinea hen that then scatters the earth over the waters. This act announces the arrival of spiritual forces in great quantity on earth. These first powers that came to earth were the spirits called irunmole, spirits from the calabash of light. Together with these came also ajogun, ’strong ones who cause misfortune.’

In the corpus of Ifa we find some variation in the amount of spirits that came to Aye, but the most prevalent ones tell of 200 on the left side and 201 on the right side, or 400 on the left and 401 on the right. Ogun is the force of light that caused the ajoguns to arrive on earth, hence the slight imbalance in numbers that is necessary for movement.

Irunmole represent the spiritual blueprint of forms in the world. Infinite and mysterious, they might be described as the various forms of the godhead which we recognize in spirits, plants, animals, drisas and humans. These active potencies of conscious light ignite consciousness in all things. In their capacity as rays of light, like rainbows, they are also spirits whose inclination is one of communication.

It is amongst these 401 travelling irunmole that we find the manifestation of drisa and the ensoulment of every plant, beast and mineral. These travelling irunmole can take any shape they desire; it is these beings that are ’gods that walk amongst men.’ They are never what they present themselves as, rather, they represent vibrations, forces and energies that ensoul all things and bring consciousness to situations, conditions and memory. These irunmole relate to specific elements or vibrations, but we cannot say that they are these things, any more than we can say that the spirit of Ogun is iron, even though iron is experienced as Ogun because it is ensouled with his qualities. In the same way, Osun is sensed through sweet waters, rivers, and waterfalls, but she is not that which she appears within.

Irunmole always enter and leave the world in mysterious ways, hence we find the many conflicting stories of drisa. Some speak of particular irunmole walking amongst men, and others are stories of remarkable men and women who expressed a given vibration in a specific situation in such a way that the expression of this particular light led to a perfection, namely drisa.

Orisa is therefore a complex concept, because an irunmole ’walking as a god amongst men,’ will be recognized as drisa, but a human being under the influence of a given irunmole who lives his or her life in concord with fate and its natural vibration will through deed, death and memory become drisa in turn. This means that the dead (egungun) are often the foundation from which drisas arise. Orisa are a shard of consciousness, forces of nature that have become exemplary either as men performing remarkable feats or as gods walking amongst humans. This is the field of Aye, in which gods become men and men become gods. It is here that the visible and invisible worlds blend and melt in conformity with our perception and saturate the world with wisdom and potentiality.

the wisdom of the worlds

In his teachings, Baba Medahochi presented diagrams, which I will provide in a somewhat modified (and elaborated) form. Figure 1 shows the closed calabash of existence and how everything, visible and invisible, is connected.

When the calabash of existence is opened, there is a different cosmic rhythm, in which the calabash is as a still point which allows a flow of light and energy everywhere. The opened calabash releases forces of ’night’ and of ’day,’ forces that challenge us to develop good character and cultivate those forces which exemplify it. An illustration of our world within the worlds and the composition of forces we are subject to would look like figure 2.

These show that the visible and invisible world comprise a harmonious unit in which the spirit of Ela permeates all of creation, on all levels and on all planes. Everything in the world is infused with the spirit of wisdom. They reveal the tremendous potential we have in Ile Aye, our earth, to become subject to wisdoms of all forms, in many shades and frequencies of light. Our world would then look like figure 3.

sixteen wombs (and one more)

Some comment is needed before we embark upon the second part of the book, which will present the sixteen odu pairs and one more; the odu assigned to Esu, Osatura. Osatura was the odu Orunmila revealed to Esu when Orunmila and EsU became companions. As such the birth of EsU, which occurs in Osatura, will be used as a basis for a summary of the presentation of the sixteen meji odu. In this I have striven towards giving a comprehensive sense of the complexity of these original forces of creation. This involves a fair amount of storytelling, which provides multiple reference points for the poetic wisdom of the verses. I have approached this matter as an awo attempting to lay down the fundamental energies of creation, and in doing so I have made no distinction between ensouled beings, whether they are spirit, plant, animal or human. This means that in the presentation of odu you will find sages going to trees and animals for divination and you will find the lives and deeds of plants and beasts presented side by side with those of humans.

figure 1

figure 2

figure 3

I have deliberately avoided a stringent order in my presentation, because an odu meji is a complex concentration of diverse manifestation from a given vibration. Just as we in our human journey need to experience the totality of a vibration to define it, I have endeavored to do the same, to display the many facets connected to a particular ray of light or vibration.

The sixteen odus are a cycle, from the beginning of light in Eji Ogbe until its cosmic inhalation in Ofun meji. The sixteen pairs demonstrate how powers came into the world, and how all that is ensouled is mirrored in one of these sixteen odus. The cycle also speaks of the development of communities, whether cities or kingdoms. Birth, death and rebirth are encoded throughout creation: everything that happens and everything that exists is ultimately rooted in an odu. Each pair of odu possess a consciousness and hands, one marked with the sun and the other with the moon. Each vibration can protect or withhold, just as it can give and bless. But we would do well to remember that the blessing of a snake might be in its venom.

In all its stories, verses, proverbs, songs, prayers and enchantments, Ifa calls our attention to what we all share in common. Ifa presents the wisdom of the world in such a way that we can understand the origin of a given act, energy, word or situation, leaving no room for misapprehension and resentment.This discernment is fundamental to a deep understanding of Ifa.

Ifa insists that we are all born unique, that we carry a distinct quality that can nevertheless be identified as coming from a clearly defined ray of light. If we have sufficient wisdom we will naturally transform this into benevolence, if we lack wisdom we will engage in errors of judgment and establish a negative pattern. There is a question at the root of philosophical enquiry, namely: what is real? Ifa is a classical philosophy, and like any good philosophy it does not answer the question, but only points the way, and sends vibrations that enable a realization of what is good and true. The world is good, it is perfect. If we don’t see the perfection in the design we perhaps lack perspective. The increase in perspective is what the presentation of the wisdom found in the sixteen meji odu that follow in the second part will provide.

II

A FOREST OF MYSTERY

EJI OGBE

ae moist air of consciousness

Eji Ogbe is the flash of light striking the primal waters. It is an odu that contains the fullness of all things, whether they are desired or not.

Onile, the indwelling spirit of Aye, the earth, manifested in this odu and, in the next odu, came the dogs which are her wardens. Female dogs are considered her manifestation in some districts in Yorubaland because dogs are protective and territorial by nature and also have the ase of loyalty.

Eji Ogbe means to lift both hands to heaven and receive both the good and the bad. Hence the first irunmole to activate this odu was Suuru, the spirit of patience. As one verse in Eji Ogbe imparts:

K’ama fi kanjukanju j ’Aye

K’a ma fi warawara n ’okun or^

Ohun a ba fi s’agba

K’a ma fi se ’binu

Bi a ba de ’bi t ’o tutu

K’a simi simi

K’a wd ’waju oj^ lo titi

K’d tun b& wd r ’ehin ^ran wo Nitori ati sun ara eni ni

Let us not engage the world in a hurry

Let us not grasp the rope of wealth impatiently

What should be treated with mature judgment

Let us not deal with it in a state of uncontrolled passion

When we arrive at a cool place

Let us rest fully

Let us give profound consideration to the consequence of things

Let us do this because of our unavoidable passing

It is with patience that we shall accomplish all our goals, hence the snail, boa constrictor, chameleon and elephant are the animals associated with this odu. These animals are given to Obatala, who manifests the dynamics in this odu in a more tangible form. The elephant represents Obatala because of its associations with memory, nobility and kindness. In several parts of Africa we find the belief that the elephant is considered the manifestation of chieftaincy. Legends involving the elephant always place him as judge or chief, due to the great wisdom ascribed to him because of his old age.

The snail represents the quality of tutu, to be calm and at peace. Their blood is used to appease and calm aggressive forces. The snail also symbolizes patience. It is Obatala’s favourite food. One story in this odu speaks of how the snail walked the world in search of a good priest to help her out. This journey was riddled with disappointments, but she did not give up, and finally met a priest who possessed good character and was able to help with her afflictions.

The boa constrictor is another of the animals of Obatala. It shares his secretive and nocturnal habits, and the white skin it sheds is said to be the cloth of Obatala. Obatala is a solitary spirit with a fondness for the forest clad mountains and thus shares an affinity with this snake which prefers solitude in the treetops or thicket.

The chameleon became associated with Obatala because of its gentle way of walking in the world, and its ability to see everything from one point and to become one with whatever landscape it found itself in. However, it is not strictly Obatala’s animal, but primarily Orunmila’s. Like the boa, it is an animal which they share. Both represent the protective forces of these two deities, and it is upon the energy of these two animals that they base their protection.

Funfun (whiteness) is born in Eji Ogbe. Whiteness possesses a number of qualities associated with wisdom and iwa rere (a calm, good and joyful character). Whiteness is signified by maturity, clarity of mind and the power of dream. Dream is the prima materia used by the divine artisans to bring about manifestation. OrisaAlase is one of Obatala’s praise names and it means ’spirit who holds the power of dreams,’ a play on words between ala and ala, the former signifying ’the spirit of whiteness and purity’ and the latter ’the power of dream’ as symbolized by his white cloth.

In Eji Ogbe, we find such imfles as lyemoo and Ayala as powers that aid the process of bringing light into matter, using dream as a vehicle of transformation. Ifa places great emphasis on dream, as it is the beginning of manifestation. lyemoo is also known as ajafunfun which is understood to be a benevolent but mysterious force that holds the power of shaping dreams and nightmares. Iyemoo is said to be the wife of Obatala in some traditions. Her name means ’mother of my hands’ and this odu relates how the hands and the feet (Obatala) need to work in harmony.

Eji Ogbe tells that in the beginning all creatures were without on, they were without heads (that is, consciousness). Ayala, the divine sculptor of consciousness, is described as a drunkard, though one possessed of amazing artistic skills. He has the gift of molding wonderful consciousnesses, but all too often they turn out flawed due to his intoxication and his getting too creative with his work! Ifa tells us that we all need to go to his house to select our on before departing for earth, but since he is such a great artisan the imperfections encoded in the various heads we can choose are not evident, so many of us end up with an impaired consciousness. In the house of Ayala, at the moment we elect our on and set our destiny, the owner of heaven, whom we also call God, says, ’May you reap blessings on your journey.’ There is no judgment to be found in selecting a good or an impaired on', it just places us on different paths, with heavier or lighter challenges.

The secret of creation and creativity is found here, and this secret is encoded in consciousness. The spirit of consciousness is called on and Ifa says the following about on in the ese Ifa Ogbegunda:

Ort pola Ori, I hail you

Atete nran You who do not forget your devotees

Atete gbe ’ni k’ dsa Who bless devotees more quickly than other gods

Kd sosa ti i da ’ ni i gbe No god blesses a man

Layin ori eni Without the consent of his on

Ori is a fundamental concept for understanding Ifa and ori is born in this odu. The word ori has different levels of meaning, but it can be translated as ’to receive one’s self,’ from o signifying ’someone’ and ri denoting ’to receive.’ Ori can also mean ’head’ or ’summit,’ such as the mountain, the dwelling of Obatala.

One is confronted with a way of using the words that indicates that the symbol and what it symbolizes are one and the same, and that the meaning in turn depends upon context. Ori is the physical head, both what it contains and the spiritual qualities associated with it. First and foremost of these is consciousness. Without ori nothing can be accomplished, no evolution can be achieved, nor can wisdom be comprehended. This is why we find it as a theme repeated throughout the Ifa corpus; as an ese Ifa from Ogbegunda says: Eni t ’o gbpn. Ori o l’o ni o gbpn, that is ’He who is wise, is made wise by his orf’

The concept of ori is connected to the idea of our personal daimon or guardian angel. This is because there can be no perception without consciousness. More particularly ori implies the spiritual foundation of a healthy consciousness. Some say that ori reveals itself in the drisa that claims our head, but this requires some clarification. The drisa that we are initiated to, the one who claims our head, represents a particular cosmic colouring that replicates the essence of ori, but ori is also understood to be its own spiritual category, born from one of the 256 odus in the Ifa corpus.

Ori is seen as a gathering of factors with specific denominations. Ori dde signifies the physical head, the material covering of consciousness.Ori inu denotes the inner head, consciousness itself, and is seen as having a dual quality known as apari, a form of nakedness and openness of what is held and what is expressed. It is here in consciousness laid bare that we find the faculties which produce our character (iwa). Ifa sees iwa as a young and inquisitive female force. The parallels with Psyche and Eros in Plato’s Timaeus are too close to be ignored. In Plato’s vision Psyche (Soul) is also seen as a young and curious woman. In meeting with Eros (Love), she experiences growth and in this she finds identity, discovering the silent essence of selfhood. In the context of Ifa this growth is accomplished by being constantly aware, by approaching the world with loving interest and by being conscientious about discerning the good from the bad. Our bad experiences serve to firm up our integrity and character, they teach us the lessons we need in order to reach the fullness of our potential. It is how we conceive of these challenges that makes the difference, here we find the secret of how to turn vinegar into wine. This idea is intimately connected to a further concept, er okan, which means ’what the heart bears witness to.’ In other words, consciousness and heart need to be in alignment for one to prosper on one’s chosen path. What makes this alignment possible is the faculty of ori apeere that represents the natural connection with odu possessed by all of us, which invites perfection. So it is by understanding the energetic matrix of creation that we can generate this alignment between consciousness and the heart. This faculty is of an alchemical or transformative nature. It is the faculty that explains difference, as it is seen as being rooted in one of the four elements. The metaphor Ifa uses is that water is always water, but water from a thunderstorm, water going stale in a well, and water flowing free in a cold river are different, though they share something in common.

Ifa understands human consciousness as a naked field of consciousness which is attached to an elemental vibration and coloured by one of the 256 odus, which represent the totality of cosmic possibility.

The idea of the heart is always connected to the idea of love, but also to deception. There is a typical Yoruba play on words, where okan (heart) is contrasted with oka (viper), demonstrating the heart’s unpredictability. Ifa teaches us deeply about the constitution of consciousness, imparting that the on holds the necessary power to enable its perfect alignment with the heart.

The points of power in our consciousness are known as iwaju on', atari and ipakd. Iwaju represents ’the third eye,’ our capacity for vision and being receptive to divine inspiration. This is the entrance for prophecy and clarity. Atari is located at the crown of the skull, and is translated as ’sanctuary’ and ’temple.’ This centre of power is known as laye-laye and signifies a state in which one experiences the source of creation. One’s being merges with origin outside of the confines of time and space and is considered to be in a state of possession. It is this state which the awo of Ifa enters during prayers, divinations, and initiations; the state of wakeful dream. It is a mystical state in which the energetic circuit of creation is enfolding the awo, and he or she becomes a manifestation of the beginning of wisdom. Ipakd is the name given to the point at the nape of the neck where our ’animal’ brain is to be found. It is here that we generate a connection with life and nature. The dead, drisa and all the spirits of nature speak to us through this gateway. Possession via this point of instinct and arcane memory can be violent at times, and is very different to being possessed by the spirits of dream, as happens when the gate of atari is used to invite a spirit in.

The idea of the left and the right are found in Eji Ogbe. We lift both our hands to the heavens to receive. The left hand is for defence and the right hand for acceptance. In the stories of creation, spirits of the left are those of fire and restlessness, whilst the spirits of the right are those of benevolence. There is a balance to be found in this play between forces, and which calls upon skill to mediate between them. The hands belong to the body and the head should rule the hands. We need to aspire to become conscious of how we manipulate the forces of the right and the left. Any form of imbalance will throw us off centre.The two hands are represented by Obatala holding two horns, one containing aba (ideas) and the other holding ase (the power of accomplishment). Obatala is the only irunmole who possesses both aba and ase. This balance generates a need for otherness, and because of this Eji Ogbe speaks repeatedly about the importance of an harmonious gathering of forces. The balance of power can alter, as when a spirit of aba becomes the wielder of ase in relation to another force. For instance in the relationship that Orunmila holds with Esu, Orunmila is the force of aba, whilst Esu is the ase, the executing force. If we look at the relationship between Osanyin and Orunmila, we see the power relationship shift, as Orunmila is the portent of Osanyin’s aba, being the ase of Osanyin. When aba and ase find each other, they bring forth awo, meaning ’mystery.’ The concept of awo is constituted by two forces mingling, hence the importance of pairs, or mejis, in Ifa.

Obatala is the dnsa most closely associated with Eji Ogbe because he understands the balance of the two hands and the importance of conscience. It is not easy to define his origin - or his gender - as there are so many traditions. Eji Ogbe states that even if he is the youngest odu, he is the one who holds the greatest honour and who is destined to rule the entire retinue of cosmic vibrations.

Obatala belongs to the class of spiritual forces known as funfun, a word meaning ’white.’ The word fun, from which funfun may have developed, or is at least related to, contains the idea of ’giving,’ ’to impregnate.’ For instance, fun obinrin means to make a woman pregnant. Funfun refers to an ability of whiteness to impregnate matter and references spermatozoa and the mucus membranes.

The funfun spirits prefer the forest, as many of the praise names for Obatala testify. So we find Oluwo Igbo, meaning ’great prophet of the forest,’ Oosa Igbowujin, ’spirit that lives in a faraway forest,’ Oba Igbo, ’king of the forest,’ and Osaerem^gbo, ’source of goodness from the forest.’ The importance of the forest is evident in Ifa; it is where the worlds meet, and it is where we find places which serve as portals between dimensions of being. Hence the forest as a place of power is a reference to the process of initiation, igbodu, and the energetic womb of the forest is the place where we remake ourselves and initiate every new journey.

Funfun is contrasted to dudu, symbolized by the colour black. Dudu is not only the colour, but what is concealed and how it may be revealed. There is a third class of energy, the awo pupa or ’red mysteries,’ which are spiritual forces of the blood, heart, passions, and the possibilities for germination of any sort. The use of awo pupa is a reference to passion and fierceness. In Ifa metaphysics there are only these three colours, which denote the qualities found in creation as well as the potentialities inherent in Orun.

The funfun are ancient spirits who were involved in the process of creation. They are the luminosity before the first light, as spoken of in the last of the mejis, Ofun meji, which at times is called Agbababa odu, the grandfather of odu and the source of light. Here in the dynamic between the first and last odu is the alpha and the omega, the ouroboros devouring its own tail. Obatala manifests in the first odu, Eji Ogbe, which is the potential for illumination found in the powers held by the ’grandfather,’ Ofun. Eji Ogbe manifests this potential for light and illumination. Potential and becoming through the vehicle of dream and imagination are a constant theme in this odu. The condition of Ofun, pure consciousness, still and un-manifested, can be touched in dreams. Ifa teaches us that nothing that is not first imagined can become a reality; dream and imagination are the source of becoming. Our good fortune begins in dreams, in the invisible universe of spiritual denizens called imqle, ’house of light.’ These spirits transform spiritual potential into physical reality. Such is the origin of the substance of creation and accomplishment we recognize as ase. Obatala is the one who brings this light of possibility into the world and therefore his votaries say of him: Obatala sun ninu ala, Obatala ji ninu ala, Obatala tinu ala dide, Iba Obatala, ’The king of the white cloth sleeps in white, the king of the white cloth wakes up in white, the king of the white cloth rises in white.’

Light is the building block of being and creation. The interaction between light and darkness constitutes the cosmic pulse and is replicated in man by breath. When we inhale and exhale, we move between life and its absence. On a cosmic scale, this takes the form of light and darkness. It is these extremes that generate the stability of the earth, and these contrasts that make our world a mystery. The source of light manifests in several ways and is a source for abundance, blessings, wealth and what the Yoruba people call on rere, a calm conscience. Being in the world should be as soothing and comforting as caresses from the rays of the sun. When light is exalted, it burns and makes all things barren. It does this while it remains in the glory of its own being. These cosmic and mystical phenomena can be replicated in people as well, and give what can be understood as a negative vibration of Obatala. When light turns negative, it implodes and dislocates our sense of self importance. Our indecisiveness becomes a tool for allowing the scorching sun to burn the fields and people around us. Using the light for personal ends can, in its positive manifestation, lead to natural authority, in its negative manifestation it will generate arrogance. Ultimately arrogance will lead to the sense of total supremacy, in which one’s words are experienced as weightier than even the word of Olodumare, the creator. At this point, light will collapse and implode and the bright scorching sun make your spiritual life barren and void of light. In regard to this complex interaction, an Ifa proverb tells us that Sango needs Obatala in order to be a just ruler, as strength without a clear and enlightened mind leads to tyranny. The red powers of strength and the whiteness of light need to be in harmony. But we are not perfect, and at times even the accumulation of wisdom and understanding can ignite the illusion of supremacy within us. When the redness, the enthusiasm of strength, has overcome a person the remedy is calmness. In Eji Ogbe, the presence of Sango is symbolized by the thunderstone, which contains his ase. It is, however, made clear that this came from the cone shaped summit of the mountain of the world, and formed the foundation for the rule of the first o&ni (king) of Ile Ifo. The verse that speaks of the thunderstone establishing kingship on Earth calls upon Orunmila to counsel the king, in order that gain and abundance be part of the royal rule.

It is in Eji Ogbethat we also find the importance of the chest and genitals. The chest, in which the heart resides, symbolizes our capacity for love and friendship, and the genitals the source of ancestry and continuation of lineage. In this complex of consciousness, love and lineage we find truth. In Ifa, sdtitd (truth) is considered to be one of the forces that upholds mystery. The other pole is to be righteous, so that truth becomes truly immutable and a silent witness to creation, an observer of the many rays of light. We recognize this in beauty, and when we are touched by beauty, we are touched by truth. This dynamic is expressed in the Yoruba proverb that tells us: ’when your life gets better, my life gets better.’ Truth makes a way for truthfulness, but will always remain awo (mystery). Truth is not about facts; it is about the recognition of mystery, a recognition that shakes the bells of truth in our soul.

Irokd (Chlorophora excelsa) is the sacred tree in Eji Ogbe. It is sometimes referred to as the African oak, although it is actually a type of teak. It is also known as ala, in reference to the white cloth of dreams in which it is sometimes shrouded, as a sign of reverence. It is told that Iroko came to earth along with his sisters, Iyami Osor^nga and Ogbori. Ogbori means both ’the beginning of wisdom’ and ’the consciousness of flax,’ a reference to common people, that is, those who are unaware of their supernatural constitution. Iyamri Osoranga, on the other hand, means ’Powerful mother who owns the birds of night,’ and is the spirit who holds the power of aja, (witchcraft).

A story tells that Ogbori had ten children and Kami Osoranga only one son. One day, Ogbori needed to go to the market, and asked Kami Osoranga to look after her ten children. She agreed to this and took good care of them. A few days later, it was Iyami Osoranga’s turn to go to the market, and she asked her sister to look after her only son. While taking care of him, she became intrigued by a bird in the bushes and her children hungered for its meat. Ogbori decided to catch it, telling her children to treat lyama Osoranga’s son well. The bird led her far out into the woods. In their mother’s absence, her ten children decided that they would kill lyami Osoranga’s son and eat him. Through her supernatural powers, lyama Osoranga realized that something was wrong at home, so she terminated her journey to the market and started to walk back. When she came home to see that Ogbori was not there and that her sister’s children had eaten her only child, she despaired. Iroko heard lyami Osoranga’s cries and came to aid her from his isolation in the middle of the forest. He appeased her by saying that from this day they would feed on Ogbori’s children, but Orunmila intervened and established a pact based upon the protocol of sacrifice, which succeeded in pacifying the vengeful blood thirst of iyamtf Osoranga, Iroko and the ’Elders of the Night.’

In this story we find the origin of the violent temper of Iroko, and its complicated relationship with children and abikii. Ifa tells that there are thirty six aje living in the branches of Iroko, many of whom call upon our most vile and destructive passions. We find here the spirits of wasps, of mothers who kill, and of cruelty. Despite Iroko’s reputation for aggression he is considered to be a wise judge, the first tree spirit to come to earth, a recluse with a unique perspective upon the activities of the world. For the Yoruba, Iroko is the origin of the solution to barrenness, in particular through the cults known as Gelede and Egbe.

The story that tells of the beginning of the Gelede society is as follows. At the beginning of time the first tree that took root in Aye was Iroko, and with him came spirits older than time that found solace in his branches. Iroko loved the night and possessed amazing magical powers which he would sometimes use to spread confusion amongst the humans who had started to appear - just for his amusement. The hunters gradually recognised his powers and came to him for aid and assistance, and it is from the Iroko that the hunters were gifted the power of dsd, the capacity of allowing the soul to go out of the body in order to track prey. Iroko became sought after for advice and help with various problems. He just had two rules: no one could look at him directly, and those wanting his help had to give something in return. It so happened that the women in the villages around Iroko were all barren, and so they went to him to see if he could help them. They formed a ring around Iroko with their backs turned towards him and petitioned him for children. They promised animals and agricultural gifts in return, but one woman, Olurombi, had nothing to give, so she promised to give him her firstborn. Nine months later, they all gave birth to children and went to pay the agreed offerings, all except for Olurombf She decided to keep her baby boy at home and avoid any confrontation with Iroko. Time passed until one day she was on the way to the market when the spirit of Iroko appeared in front of her, reminding her of her promise. She pleaded and cried, but Iroko was not interested in excuses or explanations and turned her into a bird, saying, ’So be it, may you then be a prisoner in my branches.’ He took her to live with him forever, and she did indeed stay there for a long time, singing her sorrowful songs. But one day a woodcarver came by and hearing her song understood her plight. He used his skills to make a perfect wooden boy. The wooden doll was sanctified with herbs and perfumes and beautifully dressed. The woodcarver brought the wooden doll to Iroko, saying that this was the child that he had been promised. Iroko was so taken in by the beauty of the craftsmanship that he accepted the wooden doll in place of the firstborn of Olurombi and gave her back her human form. In return Olurombi and her family went back to Iroko with many gifts and offerings and in this way secured his help whenever fertility was a concern.

Olurombi frequently figures in Eji Ogbe as a symbol of ingratitude. Her name means ’She who in her wealth turns fortune into misfortune.’ Several stories use her as an example of someone who has everything but is still not happy, or someone who always wants something more or different to what she has. A story tells of Orunmila approaching her after she has decided to give up on her Ifa prayers, and wishes her ’good morning.’ She grumbles and murmurs in return, complaining that the wealth she asked for never came. Orunmila rises to the challenge and prepares a medicine that brings wealth to her. She does not respond to this with gratitude or thanks, but with fresh complaints.

Egbe is a complex mystery in Ifa. On one hand it speaks of the phenomenon known as abiku, and on the other it refers to mysteries which are taboo. There is a cosmic dimension here that indicates the thin veil between Aye and Orun. Egbe means ’gathering’ or ’society’ and refers to the grouping of spiritual doubles in Orun. When we are born our spiritual double can either release us to experience our journey on earth, or it can summon us back. When this happens, we experience accidents and illness that seek to end our life. This situation is caused because the ties connecting us with our spiritual double are not completely severed after our birth as humans. Such children are called abiku and are recognized, apart from illness and accidents, by sleeping with their eyes open, playing with invisible friends, and many possess clairvoyance and supernatural skills. In order to stay healthy and have a full life span, a pact is made with Aragbo, the chief of Egbe. This involves the construction of a spirit house which is regularly tended in order to secure long life. The abikfi phenomenon is also related to twins. A Yoruba proverb tells: Ibeji re, omo edun ibeji re, omo edun kerekere-yan, ’Behold twins, children of the monkey, they do not die.’ This mystery belongs to Osanyin, the spirit of herbs, and Egungun, the collective spirit of ancestral bones, in their capacity of working both sides of the veil. More will be told of these ’bones and arbours of sweetness’ in the chapter on the mysteries of Oturup&n meji. What is important to note here is Eji Ogbe as the beginning of this mystery, which unfolds in a different octave later on in the corpus of Ifa.

The greatness accorded to this odu rests in its power of acceptance, the recognition that creation is a structure that is upheld in a dyadic manner. It concerns perceiving the totality, the perspective of the landscape and how the parts make a whole. Hence, in this odu we find the image of the sphere, expressed by the calabash, the obi (kola nut), the drdgbo (bitter kola nut) and the agb^n (coconut).

Ifa lo di en

Mo lo di eni

Eleeni

Dia fun Lameni

Omo at ’ ^run la, gbe ’gba Aje ka ’ri wa ’ye

Ifa says: ’It is now one’

We respond: ’It is now one’

Oneness it is

He was the awo who made Ifa divination for Lameni

He who carried the calabash of wealth and success from heaven to earth

Lameni means one who covers long distances in the form of a dragonfly. It was this aspect of Obatala that brought the calabash of wealth and success from the summit of the mountain (i.e. heaven) to Aye. The story continues, telling how Obatala stumbled and dropped the calabash and at this instant success and wealth were dispersed across the world. Next an important declaration is made:

Afin lo gbogbo ara h ’ewu

Aro ni o na wo

Ko gbe gba Odsa l ’aja

Dia fun Emi

Tii s omo Orisa Gbdwuji

Eyi ti yoo je Oloja l ’awujo ara

Ebo ni won ni ko waa se

O gb’ebo, o ru’bo

Nje Orisa t ’ Emi lo sdro o o

Orisa t ’ Emi lo soro

T’ Emi o ba bo o

Kd si oun ydo nu

Orisa t ’emi lo sdro o

An albino is one who is covered with grey hair over his body

A cripple is one who never stretches his hands

And carries the calabash of drisa from the upper abodes

This Ifa declaredfor Emi (breath, spirit, vital force of the soul)

The child of Orisa Gbdwuji (he who veils himself in enigmas)

Who will become the most important part of the body

He was told to make sacrifice

And so he did

Behold, Orisa Em^ is most important

Orisa Em^ is most invaluable

If Emi is not removed

I say, nothing will be lost

Orisa, Emi is most essential

Emi is the spiritual breath that ignites the soul. Understood to be infinitesimal, it is the very essence that serves as the seed of becoming, and the divine spark that kicks the soul into motion. Eji Ogbe reveals that everything that exists originated as dreams in the godhead and was brought into being by illumination. Whiteness carries all these ideas of purity, dream and light. It is because of this that Ifa maintains that we are all born good and blessed as beings of light venturing into the world. The world, the role of Esu as the great magician of creation, and all the bitterness and sweetness of our journey are spoken of in Oyeku meji.

OYEKU MEJI

ae mother of the spirit of death

When Eji Ogbe speaks of the need for patience, tranquility and walking gently in the world, it says that this should be done because of our eventual passing. In the odu following Eji Ogbe, the birth of light, we find darkness and annihilation. The human journey is here revealed to have an end.

Oyeku meji manifests the marketplace as a symbol of life in Aye. The marketplace is the site of fortune and misfortune, giving the good deal to the bad man and short changes the honest seeker. Chance and opportunity arise as a consequence of light being caught in matter and taking on a myriad of forms. Seeing the results of this, Oyeku meji has the following to impart:

K’d md s ’eke ogba

K’d md da ’le ^gba Ntton ati sun ara eni ni

Let us not deceive those with whom we make community

Let us not break oath with our companions

Let us not do this, because of our eventual passing

Oyeku meji speaks of being trustworthy, of retaining the light of Eji Ogbe so that we are always fair, honest and honourable. But it also speaks of how people will succumb to the temptation of greed. The seed of corruption is found here. This odu speaks about materialism and avarice; it speaks about the meeting of friend and foe. In the verse cited, we should take notice of the word egbe, which denotes the community we belong to, whether in heaven or on earth. It is an admonition to recognize our shared humanity.

The marketplace is the field of Aye, the earth, which is why the opon Ifa, the divination board, is also born in this odu. The opon Ifa is a symbolic representation of earth and manifestation, the full circle of the human journey. It is upon the opon Ifa that the awo reveals the patterns of creation as they unfold.

Eji Ogbe taught that the calabash of consciousness was dropped when it was brought from Orun to Aye, and that the wisdom it contained was dispersed, but Oyeku meji reveals that much of this wisdom was gathered by Onile, the spirit of earth, with the help of Esu Odara. That which had been gathered was composed into Igbadu, the calabash of creation as the spirit of earth.

As she had been able to gather the wisdom that fell to earth, Onile was declared the ’owner of the womb of earth.’ Her ability to gather wisdom continued as the world moved on and replicated the 256 patterns of cosmic wisdom Onile had secured. Because of this, it is necessary for a babalawo to receive this spirit vessel, the igbadu; to do so is to be given the power of the womb, a power that woman holds naturally in her capacity of gestating the greatest mystery of all, life. The womb of woman is the manifestation of the cosmic womb of possibility, replicated in the womb of creation, which is understood to be the nature of Aye as mediated by Onile. This teaching is of the concealment of light, the secret gestation of life from ovum to birth. When light meets matter, a third element arises which is always a transformative power. This power is given to Esu in one form or another. I believe this is due to one of the more mystical interpretations of his name; that he is a ray or flash of light that generates a sphere, temporal order, or confinement.

The class of spirits known as ajogun (spirits of obstruction), iku (death), and Esu Odara, represented by the volcanic laterite stone known as yangi', are born in this odu. Odara means ’to disperse’ and what he disperses here is chance, luck and opportunity. The potential for fire was born with this stone, and through this, movement and transformation became possible.

Oyeku meji explains the causes of human misery and why death is a natural phenomenon on the human journey. It represents the unknown, the mysteries of night, the accumulation of wealth and the end of any cycle. It is the power that seals the calabash of wisdom and existence. The Yoruba idea of magic is lodged in something that happens in seemingly unnatural ways, or that interupts a natural course of action. This power of transformation is attributed to the interference of stars, either manipulated by magic, or as a consequence of grace, in which case it is termed a miracle. These secrets go far and run deep, but in the context of Oyeku meji they refer to the unstable nature of the human being. Transformation is an integral part of humans, replicated and preserved in the concealment of night as a power which it is possible to manipulate. Nearly everything in creation is subject to manipulation and alteration, but one force lies outside their reach: death.

Iku, the power that ends the human cycle, was born in this odu. An oft quoted Yoruba proverb tells us that this world is just a journey, whilst Orun is our home. So iku is the power that brings us back home. It is easy enough to accept this realization intellectually, but our feeling is often quite different when actually confronted with death. We fear death and we fear the darkness, just as we fear adversity and depression. Darkness is born in this odu. Oyeku means that we pay reverence to the mother of the spirit of death. This reverence signals an acceptance of cycles, and the knowledge that every end is also a new beginning.

By daring the darkness, daring yourself to enter a new cycle, you can witness the closure of negative cycles, a death to the old in the spirit of change. Oyeku is the space of contemplation and promise. She is the wisdom of the pole, the point that stretches out in the landscape and makes divination possible. Mankind approaches her with fear, not because of what she is, but because of what we are. We are shifting and unstable, an unruly creation mediating between stormy passions and calm reason, often identifying ourselves with the flux of the passions. The key is to seek a balance between okan (heart) and on (consciousness) in which they are brought into dialogue. If we accomplish this we will be making divine hermeneutics, as one verse tells:

Biribiri l ’ok&- da

Baenani niomo araye

Constantly shifting is a boat on water

And so are human beings

This was the teaching of Ifa for Ona

A difa fun Ona Is&kun

Is&kun

Ti ise omooba l ’ode Oyo

Enid o ba ns ’akin

K’o ma m ’ohun ojo

Enid o ba ns ’ojo

K’o ma m’ohin akin

Oba kd ja:ki a s 'ogun si ilu obinrin

K’a ba w^n lo

K'a:ni huwa gbedegbede

K'a:ni le ku pela: polo:

K’omoeni le n Aw\f gbogbogbo

L’ani sin

Who was child of lhe king of Oyo

One who is brave

Should nol assume lhe voice of one who is shy

And one who is shy

Should nol lalk like one who is brave

The king does nol allow us lo make war on a

lown of women

So lhal we may perish wilh lhem

Lel us conducl ourselves wilh genlleness So lhal we may pass peacefully, And so lhal our children can slrelch forlh Their hands fully on us in burial

The verse speaks of the silence of contemplation, the need for reflection in order to allow our self to become known to us. This brings a recognition of who we truly are through the death of false ideas and ideals. It comes with an admonition to conduct ourselves with gentleness, in other words, to be true to ourselves. It always has the effect of bestowing kindness upon our surroundings, so that our children can bless our memory and feel pride when they remember our legacy.

This odi is the root cause of melancholy, a condition referred to by the multiple meanings given to the word dudu (dark/black). This is the colour of mystery and concealment. Not knowing who we are or where we are going invites ’blackness’ into our life. The challenge lies in not falling in love with one’s depression or dark moods, but in using this condition to reach our potential. Dark moods lead us towards the edges of our being, a condition where we feel alive because death is so close. This is the fire of protection rising within: it tells us that we are mud and clay in a process of metamorphosis. This is the spirit of the mother of death, the wise compass that directs our way. We should show caution, and not mistake the spirit of death for death itself. Death, iku, is a dread power, the end of the human condition, the grim reaper himself.

The role of Iku is important, being concerned with balance. One of the many versions of this odu imparts that Iku was most happy with the creation of humans, because he found them to be delicious and made them his favourite food. But he was insatiable and always lacked satisfaction or pleasure. The people of earth went to Orunmila to find a solution to the wild ways of Iku, and he advised them to prepare a meal with one chicken, camwood, yam, red cloth and pebbles. The chicken had to be tied to a post alive and the pebble rich meal should be placed in front of it. Iku came and saw the food and tried to eat it, but the hard pebbles made it impossible for him to consume his meal. Discouraged, he went on and found the chicken clucking. The sound frightened him. The frightening sound and the unusual food led him to believe that the humans had gained possession of magical powers, and so he took his leave from Aye. The world entered a time in which no one got sick, no one died, and chaos and confusion arose. Seeing that the natural balance was upset, the elders of the city went to Orunmila and presented the problem to him. Orunmila made offerings to Esu with kola nuts, bitter kola nuts and a bottle of gin. Esu came and told him that he would take care of the imbalance, but Orunmila needed to stay indoors for the next 24 hours and prepare some good food for him. Orunmila did as instructed. The next night, Esu called Iku to dine with him. Iku came and complained to Esu that he had been tricked by Orunmila, and had come to enjoy some time with Esu before going out to kill all the votaries of Orunmila. When Iku had eaten his fill, he complimented Esu on his cooking, and told him that it was now time for him to kill off the Ifa priests. Esu replied that the meal had been prepared for them both by Orunmila, to ensure that people would not die in their youth. Iku became annoyed, but respectfully agreed to the terms of the offering, and swore to not devour Orunmila and his followers. Death returned to the world, but now he would only take those in ripe old age.

Although Iku returned to heaven after the initial offering, he sent his emissaries to the world to catch food for him. These were his wife, Sickness, and his children, Loss, Despair, Poverty and Turmoil; the spirits we know as ajogun. These are forces that impede good fortune, and we often consider them to be evil. Ifa states that we attract these powers of obstruction through our choices, our attitudes and general carelessness. It is here that the concept of taboo enters. The concept of taboo is understood to be something we renounce, set aside or treat as something ’other’ in order to attract good fortune. Every taboo given - whether concerning food, colours, attitudes or actions - is to avoid attracting ajogun into your life. Taboo serves as a conductor of good fortune if it is respected, something that will bring rewards as we embark on our human journey in this marketplace we know as the world. This is a place where good and bad trade can be carried out, where thieves and truth mingle. The journey itself signifies a progress from one place to another; it is in the spaces inbetween that the unexpected can occur. Ifa teaches that a bed of tranquility and peace awaits those who take iwa rere (good character) as their compass. Hence the Yoruba proverb ’If you don’t know what road to take, develop good character.’

Ifa teaches that creation was caused by the dream of light which was made visible in Eji Ogbe. With the birth of light, earth and darkness also entered the design; Oyeku meji forms its support and contrast.

Oyeku meji speaks of how Orunmila descended upon a golden chain, the same as that which is used to tie together the dpele seeds for divination, and landed on top of a palm tree. The palm served as his guide as he travelled around Yorubaland seeking his fortune. This took some time, as he was met with constant ingratitude and greed, though finally he was made king of the city of Oketase. The palm tree was rewarded with great prestige because of the help it had given him. The palm tree, ope (Elaeis guineensis), gives epo (palm oil), while its close and royal relative, the king palm (Elaeis guinensis idolatrica) gives the sacred palm nuts, ikm, which are the most dignified tool used in Ifa divination. The ability of ope to direct one through challenges towards destiny and fortune became the symbol of knowledge of the earth. Thus, the ope or its loyal friend the peregun (Dracaena arborea), should be planted in any place where Ifa is practiced.

In this odu we find the okun beads. These beads were originally of glass and ceramics and used to beautify kings and nobility. Today okun are synonymous with beads in general and are used as tokens of kingship or queenship in relation to drisa and Ifa cults. They preserve the idea of authority, conquest and ascent. In a profane context, these concepts turn into those of social class, and in this we find an important lesson of this odu. No ascent is about being better than anyone else, it is always about realizing one’s own destiny. One should be humble before fate.

Strictly speaking, Oyeku meji is the twilight, from the word &ye, which is used of the two magical junctures when there is neither day nor night, representing liminal times which are extremely benevolent for petitions and prayers. The twilight is the gateway for possibilities, where polarities blend into one another. The twilight is understood as a wondrous and beautiful contrast, because it was the foster parent of Orunmila.

A story relates how Orunmila was adopted by Oyeku’s parents, the triple crossroad and the dumpster. His foster parents were rich and obese, always searching for food, delight and things of beauty. His foster father was gentle, but deep down greedy, while his foster mother took an obsessive delight in the witches’ mysteries. They were good people, but had wholly material and selfish inclinations. Orunmila found them lacking in character because they did not seek to develop good character, which showed itself in their disregard for moderation. Hence it is because of Orunmila’s foster parents, the parents of Oyeku, that the seed of greed and selfishness was planted in the market of the world. Because of this, Ifa insists upon the importance of moderation, of nourishing body, soul and spirit. Moderation is the key word here, as there is nothing wrong with the gluttony of the generous foster father, just as there is nothing wrong in the witchy interests of the foster mother. After all, it is in this odu that Orunmila marries Oja (prosperity) and Aje (wealth) a marriage that was the direct consequence of his generosity, hospitality and kindness to his community.

Illusion was born in this odu, symbolized by the spider that connects the points of creation into a web of deadly beauty in which we can all be caught. The spider is magic incarnate. She represents the essence of possibilities in the world. She spins the web that covers the womb of mystery. The spider’s silk is of the nature of the Moon, and silk is the ladder to the other side, whilst cotton is what embalms humanity.

All trees and plants that fold their leaves at the onset of night belong to this odu. The tree known as ayunre is chief amongst them. It is said to give protection against death because iku found itself defeated in front of it. This tree has more than 150 relatives, and one of these which represents the full force of ayunre is Mimosa pudica. Its leaves will retract and coil up when touched, demonstrating a reclusive energy that appears magical and dramatic. Most of its relatives react in this way to night and the moon, but this one does so in response to touch. Papyrus has the same virtue, but shares an affinity with the palm tree in its upright stature. This family includes a wide range of Albizia and Acacia species, some of which are rich in DMT.

Oyeku meji speaks of how the ayunre stood up against Iku’s lust for human flesh and how he tried to subdue it repeatedly without success. This tree is complex in its virtues. It is good to plant it on your property and dress it in red cloth to ward off death, but the use of its leaves and flowers can equally provoke the presence of iku.

Several black berried plants, such as various solanums and the eggplant, are born in this odu. These are plants that give the final solace; death is found in these who herald the end with their beauty. The essence of the solanum, to give solace, is related to men and woman with a mission of bringing an end to suffering. It is an odu that inspires misguided prophets. The biblical story of Jesus’ mission is found in this odu. It tells how Jewesun (the name of Jesus in Orun) came to earth on a mission to destroy the powers that inhibited human happiness, in particular he wanted to take down Esu. He made divination in Orun before coming to earth, and was advised to make ebo to Esu to ensure that his mission would be accomplished, but he refused. Jewesun saw no point in making ebo when he was going to earth with such a just cause, and certainly he would never make ebo to Esu. Jesus was given a final chance to make ebo to Esu when the King of the World (the devil in the Bible) showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and declared that he would make them his if Jewesun made the prescribed ebo. This he refused to do, and consequently brought about the premature end of his human cycle. Curiously, given the importance of the fish as a Christian symbol, it is in this odu that the fish was born and given as food for humankind.

This odu carries the energy of dispersion, and because of this, harmonious gathering is crucial:

Orunmila ni ba di igbo

Mo ni o di ba igbo ni

Igbo ni aa ehan

Igbo ni aa ba esi

A ki ri anikarin nadunadu

A ki ri anikarin nadunadu

A ki ri anikarin yunre

Ifa ni a ba di igbo, kd si n atom rin

Orunmila says there should be a gathering

Together like trees do to form a forest

I say there should be a gathering together

We find monkeys in groups

We find wild pigs in groups

We don’t even find ’one who keeps silent’

Walking alone

Nor do we find the greedy one walking alone

Ifa says we should gather together and not walk alone

We should come together as in the harmony of many voices bringing forth a song. We should call upon the benevolent gathering of human forces so that we can support each other in our pursuit of fulfilment and happiness. In the end, the one who walks alone, really does walk alone.

In this odu the importance of iwa pele is signalled as clearly as it can ever be. Iwa pele means good character, but particularly the good character that arises because we pay reverence to Aye. When we pay reverence to the earth, we also reverence our ancestors; those she brought to her bosom by the intervention of iku, and those she took in mysterious ways. Iku makes reincarnation possible. We repeat our cycles, and our character/soul constantly experiences the joy of the human journey, and undergoes growth and illumination. Iku is the one who takes us back home when we reach our destination.

This odu represents the memory of who we are. Every babalawo will tell you that it is important to remember your ancestry in order to have a notion of where you come from. Looking back, you will be able to see your own growth and to heal family curses. These are negative patterns which have evoked ajoguns in the course of your family’s history. In recognizing these patterns and making a declaration of change we are greeting the earth in reverence, and through this we generate a fire that infuses our ancestry with life. This odu concerns the deeds we perform which bring honour to our lineage, and to ourselves as the living embodiment of our ancestry. Ifa refers to ancestors as egun, a word that means ’bones.’ These bones preserve the memory of the ancestors who, upon leaving them behind, once more become ara &run, meaning denizens of heaven; the word ara also signifies ’embodiment.’ This odu further expands on the concept of drisa. An drisa is one who has mastered the human experience, guided by immortal and natural forces, and becomes deified; becoming an aspect of the natural principle which they lived out in their human journey. In doing so, each of the 256 odus gains marrow and structure and becomes more salient in the world as we expand the consciousness of our ancestry.

Ancestor reverence is born in this odu because it brings riches, and darkness. In remembering your ancestors, you access the energetic circuit that makes you who you are. You can count your blessings and rectify dysfunction. The memory of ancestry is used in Yoruba society as a compass for the newly born; in ancestry we find guidance. We need to understand that an ancestor who made a bad journey can be a good, albeit often difficult, advisor on our own journey. At core, we are our own ancestors, we are all connected with one another through the presence of egun. Blood and spirit are equally important, which the notion of the extended family demonstrates. To be bound to a family in spirit and recognition is as important for the Yoruba as to be bound by blood. This is evident in all forms of iba, prayers of gratitude, which honour one’s ancestry. We find here names of blood relatives and spiritual relatives recited side by side. This concept was always kept alive in African societies and made possible the succession of legacy after the dispersion caused by the transatlantic slave trade. It is a concept that should serve as medicine for those who are adopted or otherwise alienated from their ancestry. We are all children of the forces that inhabit Aye, and kin can be recognized both in blood and in spirit, the attraction between souls.

Life is a mysterious condition. So many of us struggle to find self and identity in a world of demands and flux where we constantly search for the quiet place, the oasis of comfort in which we can centre ourselves. It is in soliloquy that we speak with source and our attendant daimons and spirits. Such a communion with self is a meeting with death, who makes us question not only who we are, but also what legacy we pass on. To know yourself in the embrace of death is to gain a vision of legacy, a flash of what you leave behind. Selfhood is an axis around which the world dances. Yet that axis, that starry pillar, is the marrow of this fluctuating self which takes on masks and forms out of conformity and necessity, whilst that core, the substance, shines through. Self is unique to self and fate reveals itself to those who are true to themselves. True selfhood is the path and gate towards fulfilment and bliss. Whenever we pretend to be what we are not, or allow ourselves to be driven to achieve goals that are not truly ours, we see only despair and hopelessness.

Death is our constant companion as we walk the paths of life. Death is our legacy, the mirror that shines with beauty or disgrace as we end our journey. It is always possible to conduct our self in this world with gentleness. It is our capacity for gentleness that will inscribe our legacy in ink of wormwood or roseblood.

Living our lives in mindfulness of our legacy will constantly temper our tendencies towards vice and anger. Though we all must meet death, it is death that makes us immortal, that brings forgetfulness and testaments of shame. It is never enough to merely have good intentions, these pave the road to Hell. Those who walk the path of self-deception grow strong in anger, resentment and pride. Those who have ventured down the path of lies and deception will cry out that they don’t care about what they leave behind: they say this because they, and their foul legacy, are already dead. Oyeku meji is the mystery of death and decay, it holds the secrets that promise renewal through the flux and intervention of one’s ancestry.

IWORI MEJI

Celestial agriculture in the land of transformation

Iwdri meji is an odu of fire that combines consciousness and character in order to shape our identity. While Oyeku meji is the world itself, Iwdri is the lifespan of all sentient beings. It is in this odu that the essence, substance and character of all things in all kingdoms takes form. We might understand Iwdri as the conscious force that etches characters upon all things, the force that gave all things their ’name’ and uniqueness. This force is represented by waft (true indigo, Indigofera tinctoria).

Waft represents the hottest part of the flame. Indigo is thus the colour of the fire of transformation. It is the power of waft that is used by the blacksmith to forge metals into tools of agriculture and war. The same energy makes the seed of ogbe (father) and &yeku (mother) bring new life into manifestation. Here, a play on the word waft needs to be understood. In Yoruba society, when a king passes away, his death is never announced, rather the word waft is used. The word means to ascend to the upper realms, and is used instead of saying that the king has died. Literally it means that ’character returns home,’ whereas waj refers to ’character being born’ or ’pushed out’ into the world.

It is only proper that it was in this odu that the world took its shape with the formation of solid land. Here in the union of light and darkness ojum^ (daybreak) and oji[ (the 24 hour cycle) were also born.

The adan (bat) was born in this odu, an animal that can navigate in darkness. It was this power that became the basis for the skills in hunting given to the lion, and to hunters. It was here that the concept of oju (the eye) was born. In this we include the act and art of seeing all dimensions, as well as the physical eye. It is with the eyes of Iwdri that Ifa sees the cosmic patterns which are about to unfold and provides predictions and interpretations. Perspective upon the mystery of life came with the birth of the eye and with it the sacred palm nuts of Ifa, the ikm, representing the eyes that see into all the dimensions of existence. Hence we have one of the praise words of this odu, ’four eyes,’ the number of ’eyes’ on the part of the ikm that opens when it sprouts. A perfect ikm has four eyes: one pair that look outwards, and another that looks inward.

In this odu, we contemplate Olodumare, expressed in the enigma of the spider web of choices and consequences. Here, we find the spider, with its eight legs, which is involved in the mysterious work of the divine architect and sculptor, Ayelala, who shapes the consciousness of men. It is from this conjunction of powers that the seer and diviner is born.

Iwdri meji is endowed with the power of prophecy and clear sight, granted through the aid of certain birds. These are alukd (woodcock), okm ologe (peacock), agbe (blue parrot) and ekodide (red parrot). The feathers of these birds became symbols of authority and wisdom through Obatala. Ifa speaks of a time when he his supremacy was challenged. Instead of fighting back or reasoning with his opponents, he repeatedly took refuge in the forest and sought advice from the birds, with the aid of Esu and Orunmila. Through applying the wisdom of the birds, this critical moment was turned into a triumph, which brought him recognition. In honour of the powers that provided the solution, he adorned himself with their feathers and gained the respect of these birds that were revealed to be bringers of wisdom, good fortune and authority. The story of Obatala and his battle for authority is related to a proverb ascribed to this odu: ’the father of mysteries speaks with a heavy tongue.’ An admonition not to throw pearls before swine, to guard the secrets of possibility and its matrix, and to impart it only to those worthy of it. Equally, it is a call for moderation in speech and discernment in what we impart, and to whom.

Iwdri meji, being the capacity for foresight and prophecy, is deeply related to knowledge and understanding, and in possessing these faculties we find the importance of loyalty, tact and consideration, qualities praised in this odu. The idea of loyalty is tied in with the idea of fidelity, and also to the idea of ’patiently weaving sweetness’ (aiyehun) and possessing a consistent and truthful character. These ideas concerning loyalty and care towards people are found in the following verse:

Eni a ba wa de lad bad re ’le

Eni aja ba wd l ’aja nbaa lo

Dad fun Eleji Iwdri

Ti yoo te ju ire mi[ Akapd o re girigiri

Ebo ni wipn ni ko se

The one we follow out is the one we should return home with He who the dog follows out is the one the dog should return with This Ifa divinedfor Iwdri meji

And told he should look with benevolence, and scrutinize his Akapd He was told to practice sacrifice

The verse tells us that we should learn the mystery of loyalty from dogs, which are sacred to Ogun and Onile, and are considered to be messenger spirits and guardians. Ogun was assigned dogs to walk with him, and Osanyin, the spirit of herbs, has two dogs as assistants. Hence dogs represent loyalty, commitment and dedication, and demonstrate the necessity for these virtues to be cultivated so they can become part of the person possessing good character.

The verse also tells that we should scrutinize our akapd, because the student might not always be as loyal as a dog. Akapd is an interesting term, it denotes a student of Ifa, but it also means ’treasurer’; in other words, an Ifa apprenticeship is considered to be a charge to be approached with sanctity and care. The student is someone to whom secrets and treasures are entrusted, but the breaching of trust is always a possibility during the process of developing good character. Iwdri tells us that the worthy apprentice is the one who possesses dedication, honesty, humility and faith. These are traits associated with good character, and truthfulness (sdotito) in particular. It is in truthfulness as a source for developing good character we will find the source for good fortune. So, on the one hand this odu is about truthfulness and loyalty, and on the other about the absence of these virtues, which manifests in rash judgments and deception.

Iwdri is an energy that warns against judging something hastily or rashly. It is fire that is at the core of this vibration, and we need to understand the ways of fire in order to direct it well. It is an odu that calls for intense scrutiny and contemplation before any judgment is passed - we should walk the world gently, but we should also be careful in dealings with other people:

Kcr.kcr.nkcr. l ’cwoo k(Ek(Enk(E

Gegenge l ’cwoo gegenge

Dia fun OrimonikocE

Omo at ’ drun kE ’ri keke wa ’le Aye

Ebo ni wyn ni ko se

Take care of whoever deserves to be taken care of

Cherish the one who deserves to be cherished

This Ifa divinedfor OrimonikeE

The child of heaven who brought the beauty of on to earth

He was told to perform sacrifice

Here Ifa advises Onmonikocr, ’the beauty of character and consciousness,’ to make sacrifice in order to be appreciated in the world. Situations in which one is not appreciated for one’s good deeds originate in this odu, which draws our attention to the importance of protecting one’s good fortune. It was this predicament Bernhard of Clairvaux had in mind when he said: ’the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.’ Just because what you have and want to share in the world is a good thing doesn’t mean it will be appreciated. The world is after all a marketplace and there is room for everyone in the marketplace, the scoundrel and thief, the oath breaker and oath maker as much as for the drunkard and sage amidst merchants both truthful and deceptive. Understanding the fire in this odu will lead to discernment so that we will speak with a heavy tongue when necessary, and share in the bliss of generosity when it is proper and worthy.

The concept of discernment is found in several taboos concerning trees that originate in this odu. When this odu says these trees are taboo, it means that they are set aside for specific purposes, or to serve as reminders for specific situations and conditions. Three trees are of particular importance in this odu. The first is idi (Terminalia glaucescens), which was chosen to serve as the irokcr, the Ifa tapper. It has medicinal properties, in particular antifungal and antiseptic ones, and these qualities are honoured in the making of the irokcr. This instrument is used to call the attention of spirits to the tray of Ifa and also to dispel negative vibrations. Then we have the apa tree (Afzelia africana), which was given to the world as a cure for illness, and to serve as the material for the djembe drum and for shipbuilding. Lastly we have the orupa tree (Hymenocardia acida), which was the son of Orisa Igbo (Obatala). This tree yields a heart shaped bitter fruit veiled in a hymen, which is the very symbol of this odu.

We see in these taboos a reminder to use discernment and to ascribe proper use to appropriate elements. These trees represent a call to spirit in various ways. Idi does it by calling the attention of spirit, apa does it by replicating the rhythm and heartbeat of creation, and finally orupa reminds us not to let our heart turn bitter in our human journey.

The sacred plants in this odu are mostly what we would consider weeds; they spread in spite of obstacles and resistance to their growth. Chief of them is tete, of which we have two types. The one mentioned most often in this odu is amaranth, also known as pigweed (Amaranthus hybridius), which eases slow flowing menstruation and is said to aid conception. The other is meadow foxtail (Alopereus pratensis), a weed said to make the spermatozoa stronger. Some farmers add this to the hay given to their cattle, as it arouses the cows just as it does with mares. It should be mentioned that spinach, considered a father plant, is also found here and accorded similar properties. What they all have in common is a rich concentration of iron, and in this they mimic blood and fire; hence it is in this odu that the spirit of iron, Ogun, began his apprenticeship.

Aja (the witches), Aje Saluga (the oceanic spirit of wealth) and Aye (earth) can all be found here, together with on (consciousness) and Ifa (wisdom). These powers shaped akun, the coral beads worn as a regal adornment first by Olokun and then by kings and chiefs. It is significant that the akun is born here, because it is solely a product of beauty, the kind of beauty these forces can create. But adorning what is ugly will not make what is ugly beautiful. Hence beauty which lacks substance is born here, as is self-centeredness. What both have in common is their focus on outer adornment when wisdom and consciousness have been abandoned. It is a constant theme in this odu, that you should never be distracted from seeing clearly that which you are capable of.

This is an odu that speaks of the nature of consciousness. Consciousness is a conglomerate of the spiritual forces most present here: Oosaoko, the spirit of the farm, Ogun, the spirit of fire and iron, and Obatala, the spirit of dream and purity.

One story tells how Obatala gave Oosaoko the yam to plant, but he found the work difficult. He managed to obtain the secrets of smithing and the forging of metals from Iwdri meji and started to make agricultural tools, and thus became the first farmer, hence his name, Spirit of the Farm. His origin is obscure, some say he fell from heaven, and others that he was a virtuous king in the city of Irawo. What the stories of Oosaoko emphasise is that when he was a young, handsome man, he was lazy and given to drinking and was often found in bad company. However, he changed his ways, and was appointed chief and king of his city. He represents the beginning of Ogbiyni justice. This is based upon the lessons Oosaoko learned in his younger years. He proclaims gossip taboo and stresses the importance of allowing both sides of a case to be heard. Gossip here refers to speaking, well or ill, about anyone who is not present. If a person is accused of something it is of paramount importance that the accused should be given the opportunity to state his or her side of the story in the presence of their accusers. The judge will then assess the testimonies that are sworn to be truthful in the name of Ogun. Again we are confronted with the issue of being truthful, but also being gentle. It is about finding a middle path where consciousness and wisdom inform you how to take the right course of action in between the three ’ayes,’ being red as witches, white as abundance, or black as earth. A verse in this odu says:

Bo o ri o wi

Aiwi I’ese

Bi o ba wi ran fun won l ’dwiisiwo A dabi eni pe two ld n se wqnu Did fun Obuko

What you see you should tell

To keep quiet is almost an abomination

But speaking out relentlessly

Doing this will give the impression that you are the author of misfortune This is what Ifd told the Goat

This is the story of Obuko, the goat. He was considered to be very truthful and wise. He was always called upon to voice his opinion about important matters in the community and he always spoke the truth no matter whether the people involved ranked high or low in society. For the goat, the importance of any case was found not only in the facts but in the wisdom that underlay the facts. Goat was praised for his wisdom and clarity, and this inspired him to repeat himself constantly and to show no sensitivity to those who gathered to hear him talk and offer his wise insights. Goat loved the sound of his own voice, and didn’t realize that he was making enemies by being truthful. But he did notice the resentment in the community and how people left his company when he started to speak. He went to an Ifa priest who told him that he should show caution, that truth doesn’t need to be repeated or broadcast. Goat should be satisfied with telling the truth once; it was not his obligation to convince anyone. The Ifa priest told him that he had provoked two people close to him, mischievous people, who decided to blame him for their misfortune. They felt that every truth Goat told was targeting them, and so they made a plan to destroy him. These wicked people were Ekun, the Leopard, and Ikooko, the

Hyena. There was nothing bad that these two had not already done. In his truthful way, Goat always condemned the actions of Hyena and Leopard, and so they felt they were the target for his talk in the town and marketplace. One day they decided that they had enough and went to an Ifa priest with their concerns and the Ifa priest told them that they should turn bad into good and never do anything when they were in a state of passion. They became furious and left the priest’s house, vowing to lure Goat out in the night so that they could kill him. However, Goat had made his prescribed sacrifice and had placed raw beef, pork and palm oil outside his door as the Ifa priest had advised him to give to Esu. Night fell, and Hyena was diverted from his planned meeting with Leopard by an intriguing smell coming from the house of Goat. When he saw the food placed out he considered himself blessed and started to eat it. Meanwhile Leopard grew impatient, and went to the house of Goat where he found Hyena eating food. He fell into a fury, believing that Hyena had killed Goat and started to feast on his flesh without him. The leopard attacked the hyena and killed him. But Leopard was wounded gravely in the fight and died a few days later.

In this story Obuko demonstrated humility. He noticed the resentment building around him and he sought advice; he wanted help to see what he couldn’t see. Humility brought him rewards. Goat did not confer judgment on either adversary, he simply asked questions about the situation, he was not looking to blame anyone. Goat followed the advice in this odu that says:

A g/bi t ’enu emkan da ’ jf

Aremo (^ka

Did fun Orunmila

Nijf ti baba nlo ree j djf Akdpd l ’ &d& Olodumare

Ebo ni wqn ni ko se

He who passes a judgment listening to one perspective

He is the ruler of the wicked ones

This was Orunmila’s declaration through Ifa

When he was going to defend himself against the accusations

His students had presented to Olodumare

He was told to make sacrifice

Perspective is born in this odu, the importance of which is told in the following story. One day, Obatala, old and stubborn as he was, decided to travel to Oyo to visit his friend Sango. His friend Orunmila told him that he should not travel, that it was not a good time for it, and that bad things would happen. But Obatala had set his mind on this journey and would not be dissuaded. Orunmila told him to at least take three pieces of white clothing, on (shea butter) and osedudu (African soap) with him. Obatala accepted this advice and set off on his travels. On his way to Oyo he met Esu, who was carrying a large load of palm oil and charcoal. Esu asked Obatala if he could help him carry the load. Obatala accepted, but when Esu handed over the palm oil, he spilled it all over Obatala’s clean white clothes. Obatala went to a river to clean himself and change his clothes. Again Esu asked for his help, again Obatala accepted, and again Esu spilled palm oil over his white clothes. Once again he went to the river to clean himself and change clothes, and a third time the same thing happened. After the third time, Esu was sure that Obatala would abandon his dangerous journey, but he did not. He continued on to Oyo. Upon entering the gates of Oyo, he saw a beautiful, lost horse and decided to bring it as a gift to his friend Sango. He caught the horse and as he walked into the city the king’s soldiers arrested him, believing he was the horse thief they had been looking for. They threw him in jail and forgot about him. Any appeal to be allowed to explain his side of the story was refused. Obatala decided to teach Oyo a lesson and with his mysterious magic he brought drought, barrenness and sickness to the kingdom. When he saw the misfortune, Sango went to his diviners to find a solution and they said that the origin of the misfortune was an old man kept in his prison. Sango immediately went to the prison and saw his old friend Obatala there. He ordered his immediate release, took him to the river to clean him up and ordered everyone to dress in white. Sango also dressed in white to honour Obatala, and together they became Oosaoko. A banquet was held in Obatala’s honour and stability returned to the kingdom.

At this juncture, we should note that Oosaoko, Esu and even Orunmila - as well as the odu giving birth to Obatala, Eji Ogbe - were considered younger on earth, although they were elders in heaven. Ifa teaches that good counsel comes from whosoever has a good conscience and character; it is not about age. As the verse tells us:

Owty ewe kd to pepe

T’awon agbalagba kd wo keregbe Isa: ewe be agba Ko ma se k—

The hands of the young ones cannot reach the shelf

The hands of the elders cannot fit through the neck of a bottle If the young ones call upon the elder

The elder should not refuse

This verse is a call to gather together in harmony and mutual respect. In the end, humility is a matter of being great enough to consider another person’s opinion as useful and worthy. It holds implications for our legacy, the young should be taught in a spirit of wisdom and reason, our experiences in this journey will benefit their growth as much as those which they undergo. We make our world, heaven and hell together, and so we should consider wisely and discern the steps to take with a good mind and heart.

In a way it all goes back to the egg, a potential awaiting birth, which we can influence for good and bad, both in its gestation and when the divine life form hatches from it. In this odu the egg was born, a medicine that could both remove and create obstacles. The egg was seen as a mercurial medium resting in the womb of the moon, waiting for daybreak. The egg is a product of the five-footed hen that scattered earth across the waters in Eji Ogbe, and a symbol of on (consciousness) and r^vd (character). Iwdri meji is the child of its father and mother, in this odu it is exposed to the marketplace and a whole range of influences. The egg is alternatively called ase or eyin, depending on whether it has been fertilized with Iwdri or not. The egg needs at— (sperm) to become something other. The word at- can be used as a prefix, in which case it connotes something ejected from afar. What happens here is the basis of Ifa alchemy, in which the whiteness of the sun represented by the sperm is fused with the lunar redness of the egg and allowed to gestate in the concealed blackness of earth. It is in this odu that alchemy was born. The main metal for this process is dje (lead), which represents longevity because it doesn’t rot or rust. We find the same word, oje, used in reference to hormones that generate change, as well as any protective plasma. Lead when subjected to heat will behave like mercury, but is less volatile. Lead is considered the metal of character and consciousness because of its quality of softening under heat,

which is considered a sign of humility and hope. It ignites the idea that no matter how hard our consciousness is, the right amount of fire will lend it a more dynamic shape and fluidity. The result in this odu is the foetus; it is the merging of white and red gestating in the black, it is the alchemical essence, it is the mystery of new beginnings. It is the milk of the sun and the blood of the moon:

Ogan dade When the crown of an anthill is destroyed

Baeni kd gbocG joba It will retain water in its stem

Oruru no. wewu eje kanle Oruru (redflowered Peltophorum) is the tree who

Orubu efun bale

O ko rumu rumu rumu A dia fun asa taara Omobinrin &run A bu fun atd taara Omokunrin isalAye Asa taara A wa o ku

O d de mi[ O lawi[ lase Lo domo Gbejebi A fao ku O d de m[ O law[ lase Lo ba domo

dresses in clothes of blood

When white chalk falls on the ground It spreads its fine dust in all direction This Ifa divinedfor the weak menstrual flow Who was a daughter of heaven

This Ifa divinedfor the weak semen

Who was a son of heaven

We searched for you in vain

You refused to return

But you grew arms and legs

And turned into an infant

You are the offspring of blood We could not find you anymore You would not return

But you grew hands and feet And turned into an infant

Here is the very essence of Ifa, every human is a divine being on a human journey. The egg and the sperm came from heaven, and they refused to return -instead they commingled and grew hands and legs around the upright character of the palm tree or the bitter heart given forth by the orupa tree.

^D^ MEJI

ae house of deep comfort

^d^ meji is symbolized by the buttocks, representing the meeting of equals. It is an odu focussing on what is hidden within you, deep down at the centre of your essence. The odu affirms the importance of the society in heaven, our divine reflection, and how our actions and attitudes on earth can obstruct this connection. bd^ counsels us to be solidly planted in truth in order to erect the axis or pillar that generates a connection between earth and heaven. Truth in this context means knowing where you come from. It speaks of firmness of character and identity. We see this in the various spellings of ^d^ where the accent shifts, giving ideas of enmity, malice, abnormal or errant behavior and muteness as the negative vibrations found where the two halves of the buttocks do not meet in agreement. The buttocks, the two halves that join into a comfortable whole, are a symbol of peaceful union, a place of rest and comfort, for the meeting of soul-mates and the frustration that causes enmity. Yet, it also announces discomfort, as this odu is also concerned with giving birth.

The child of the first four odus is called Mayami, meaning ’Do not abandon me,’ and represents the condition of receiving good fortune in its totality:

Ile ni mo jokdo s^

N gbogbo ire n wi-[ tuurutu wa ba mi

Mo jokdo ainaro

Mo rire or& to nwi-[ tymi wa Did fun Od^

In my home I sat

When all good things came marching towards me

In my home I sat and I did not rise up to stand Prosperity came walking towards me This Ifd declaredfor Odi

This verse speaks of the great ease with which good fortune comes through this odu. It highlights the importance of being grounded and steady. Odi also tells us of the challenges that come from having too easy a life and stresses the importance of practicing sacrifice in a spirit of gratitude and humility. In this story Mavami practiced sacrifice, and blessings continued to come to her. She was never abandoned by the spirits who brought good fortune.

Another story tells of Oniki Ola, who was profoundly blessed. She was repeatedly told to make sacrifice to keep her good fortune, but considering herself so amazingly blessed, saw no reason to do so. She travelled from city to city and made her fortune, but her good fortune caused envy, and in each city was driven away by accusations of witchcraft. Yet in each city she found good men, and she became the mother of four children by four different men. But each time the pattern repeated itself: at some point she was forced to leave the city, under the accusation of witchcraft. Finally she returned to her city of birth, Ile Ife. Here she sought out an Ifa priest to make the sacrifice she had been told for many years she should perform. She was now very wealthy and her children were young men and had moved away. She didn’t know her children anymore, or their fathers, nor did her children know one another. She wanted to mend this situation, but the Ifa priest said it was too late: the dispersion was too far gone.

This story serves as a warning that wealth is just one of several blessings and that we should not let it overshadow the others. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of building healthy community and relationships in conformity with the sign of this odu, the buttocks. The importance of love, generosity and friendship are implied here as powers that counteract the development of pride and selfishness that are present as a negative vibration in Odi.

In the example of Yungba, who like Omki Ola was surrounded by wealth and good fortune, pride and self centeredness caused her to ignore advice and close relationships. She ended up very lonely and sad in her wealth. The positive reflex of Yungba is associated with the rat. Odi tells that Rat was of royal descent, handsome and not afraid to work hard to achieve his goals. His underground home was a magnificent and cunning structure. Rat was very friendly and liked to show off his accomplishments and victories to his relatives - after all, he worked hard for everything he had, and he thought his efforts would inspire his relatives to build their own good fortunes. But his relatives did not become inspired to work on their good fortune, instead their envy and resentment grew daily. One day his relatives, consumed by envy, decided to report him to their king, Leopard. They went to the king and told stories coloured by their envy, stating that Rat should be expelled from the kingdom. Leopard considered the allegations serious and summoned Rat to defend his case. Upon receiving the summons, Rat went to an Ifa priest who told him that there was a plot amongst his relatives to cast him out of the forest, and he advised him to make sacrifice so that the matter would end in his favour. Rat made sacrifice and embarked on the journey to Leopard’s palace. The allegations were about the habits of Rat, that since he looked like a squirrel, he should dwell in a nest, and that living in a hole was not appropriate for him. Rat defended himself cleverly against these absurd allegations. He pleaded his case well and it was found in his favour, he was free to live where he wanted and in whatever way he found pleasing.

The story tells us about the condition of the world, how good fortune does not necessarily inspire kindness and benevolence in people, but quite the opposite. Envy is a complex energy in itself. We tend to see envy as the desire to possess what someone else has, and this is correct enough, but it is also followed by the feeling that people blessed with good fortune do not deserve it. One verse says the following about this:

IO bd ndun ’ ni

Kd mi-[ pe ndun ’ ni

That which hurts someone

Must be recognized as something hurtful

Or& dunni dunni larankan eni

Or& to ndun babalawo

Nil dun Ifa

Or& to ndun Omsegun

Nil dun Osanyin

Ohun to ndun Aja: Na dun Omusu idii ra

Diafun Oriinmila

Ifa nsawo rele Elaju Ebo ni wH_ n ni ko waa se

That which hurts someone rises from one’s

malice within

That which hurts a babalawo

Will also hurt Ifa

That which hurts the herbalist

Will also hurt Osanyin

That which hurts the witches

Will also hurt their votaries as they make good fortune

This Ifa declared to Oriinmila

When he was going on a spiritual journey to the kingdom of Eleju

He was advised to practice sacrifice

First and foremost, this verse teaches the importance of always thinking and speaking with benevolence if we wish to attract good fortune. On a deeper level, it speaks of the nature of attraction - that good thoughts and words will attract goodness, while negative ones will affect our soul, and malice will take shape within us. The presence of malice shows itself in the desire to be hurtful towards other people.

Ifa tells of three spiritual powers in particular: the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of medicine and herbs, and witches. These three are the usual scapegoats when people experience misfortune and seek to blame someone else instead of understanding a given situation. Going deeper, we realize that whatever is hurtful for someone will also be hurtful for that person’s spiritual double, the society of heaven. Malice breeds more malice.

Ifa considers words as statements and statements are declarations of desire and wishes; a form of prayer. Words reveal who we are, and have the power to generate both good and evil, hence we find the taboo against gossip. Idle talk about people not present in a conversation is considered to be malicious. Gossip reveals malice, a desire to hurt someone, and is often motivated by envy.

On made sacrifice in this odu because it felt lonely, and so was given mouth, tongue, ears, eyes and a nose to bring about a harmonious gathering of the faculties. But as we all know, these can also lead to dispersion; for example, misunderstandings through hearing and hurtful words uttered as a result of errors of perception can occur. It is of paramount importance that we allow wisdom to be the guide of consciousness. Words can bless and they can curse, but intelligence, which was born here, can make the difference.

All aspects of Odi, both good and bad, riches and selfishness, generosity and envy, wit and seclusion, can be found in the many narratives that speak of Olokun, the owner of the marine waters. This spirit represents mystery and intelligence and is said to live at the bottom of the ocean. The bottom of the ocean is considered the buttocks of creation. Olokun is considered male in some traditions and female in others, and is said to manifest as dragons and snakes of the ocean, and as mermaids and mermen.

One of the stories of Olokun tells that she was the source of amphibian creatures, and was unhappy with her condition, being neither earth nor water, but a bit of both. The story recounts how she fell in love with Oosaoko, the spirit of the farm, a quiet, wise and reserved spirit. Olokun went to an Ifa priest to see what her options were. She wanted to marry Oosaoko but was ashamed of her appearance. The Ifa priest told her not to worry and that she should make sacrifice, but she chose not to. Instead she assumed an earthly form and went to work for Oosaoko. In a matter of days Oosaoko and Olokun developed a friendship and she told him about her dual nature. Fascinated by this, Oosaoko told her secret to his friends and soon everybody knew about her strange condition. She became very upset and left the farm and decided to make the ocean her permanent home. However, at times she showed herself as a mermaid, a dragon, snake or other marine creature. She swore no one would know her true nature and in this declaration we find a vital theme of this odu; the balance between making yourself known, and how the world tempers this wish, leading to concealment or revelation and the act of demonstrating strength and prominence in the world.

In relation to this theme we find the story that tells of how Olokun challenged Obatala to a battle of wits and strength for complete rulership of the world, the waters and dry land. Obatala sent his messenger, Chameleon, to speak on his behalf. When Chameleon entered the palace of Olokun he saw that he was dressed in rich and costly garments and jewels. In keeping with the nature of

Chameleon, he dressed in the same fine clothing as Olokun. When Olokun saw this, he became upset and went to change into even more beautiful clothes; and so did Chameleon. This happened several times, and on the seventh time, Olokun gave up and told the chameleon that the challenge was over: he was not interested in fighting someone whose messenger was dressed as beautifully as himself, and accepted the dominion of the ocean as being a kingdom sufficient for him.

These two stories tell us about the presence of mystery in the world as much as they tell us about the dangers of pride and the nature of fame. Olokun represents the power of wealth and mystery, but it is also the spirit that brought intelligence to on. Intelligence is represented by the crab because of its hard shell and claws that protect its mystery. Also in these two stories Olokun was advised to practice sacrifice, but he ended up not doing so because he saw himself as being so powerful and rich that it was not necessary. Here is an admonition to protect good fortune by practicing sacrifice and a reminder to avoid gossip.

As we see in the narratives of Olokun, deception and plotting came into the world through the possession of riches and fame. This is the negative reflex to forming healthy partnerships and honourable concords. As we saw in the story of Rat, envy is the author of much of the plotting and deception in this odu.

Odt who was a great warrior in heaven, brought the thunderstone (Sango) and the furnace (Ogun) to earth, and thunder became Odi’s loyal protector. Odks helpers in heaven were playfulness, pleasure and dance. When they came to earth, they constantly gravitated to the outside; they wanted to disperse themselves everywhere. Hence we see how division and scheming are born, but also the ability to spread out, to generate increase and growth. Before Odi came to earth, he accomplished astonishing deeds in heaven and we find him victorious in all his works. One story speaks of him challenging death, who was a many headed beast, a dragon. Here the story reads like a version of St George’s battle with the dragon, but the battle does not end with Odi slaying the dragon, rather he discovers that communion, generosity, and understanding is the key to making benevolent alliances. In an extension of the motif of St George and his pilgrimage through the Campo Stellare, it is interesting to see that it was in this odu that the sun (ajigunwa) was born. Odi tells us that the sun and its 200 needles were spread across a white cloth and turned into the starry heavens.

Stories of Omki Ola (who we met earlier in this chapter) appear in verses warning against setting one child against another. Brothers who don’t know each other end up fighting, a motif similar to the biblical story of Cain and Abel. These stories are concerned with how a solid foundation is generated by the harmonious gathering of two halves, and how dispersion, envy, wrath and egotism are born by refusing to allow this gathering to take place. This concept is similar to the symbolon we find in Plato’s Symposium. In the Symposium we learn that the world is broken, that we are parts gravitating towards one another to a primordial union, joining what was sundered in order to generate completeness. In Odi, we see the consequence of the broken calabash as told of in Eji Ogbe where consciousnesses were spread all over the world. Odi emphasizes the challenge in bringing this primordial dispersion into a harmonious whole and as such, Odi is the pulse of the populated world with all its challenges and blessings.

The gun was born here. Gun was a son of Ogun. A story tells how Gun was consumed by feelings of dread and threat, of being surrounded by enemies. He was unaware of his powers and his father told him to speak if he wanted to avoid death. He spoke and a gunshot sounded and then many more, enemies died and the threat was dispersed. The manifestation of the gun in this odu speaks of a crisis in human society where dispersion has become antagonism and enmity.

Salt comes to the world as a reminder of sweetness. But the neglect of sweetness and the adoration of salt brings about more bitterness, feuds and dispersion. As a consequence of this, we find epidemics coming into being, especially diseases that travel through the air and water. This world, the marketplace, is a place in flux where honey and salt provide the contrast that enables us to manoeuvre between these poles through the use of our senses and intelligence. The idea of human life as a journey of contrasts comes into manifestation here.

The journey of life is represented by the spirit of ’the children of fishes,’ Yemoja, the spirit most associated with this odu. She is a popular drisa in the Diaspora and is found as patron in both Cuba and Brazil. Mother of the ocean and the lunar nights, the stella matutina, she is found as a protector of motherhood and as a solution for barrenness. She is the spirit of wealth; the author of the energy from which money was made, as well as a warrior and a sorceress. We can see in Yemoja the archetype of the independent woman. We find her as a co-creator of the world, as mother of the drisas and as the author of the deluge that wiped out the first humans. She is portrayed as a witch, a diviner and mother of the stars. She is connected with children and family. She exemplifies the human condition, and the essence of this odu. When she decides to go and live with Olokun, the spirit of the ocean, she exemplifies the fluid, emotional temperament that moves humanity: inconsistent, peaceful, wrathful, hungry and full of all forms of abundance.

Yemoja is a free spirit, a symbol of the one who travels and finds good fortune, as in the following story which addresses the human journey and such phenomena as jealousy and freedom. Yemoja was going to visit her fiance Ogun. She left her village and went through the forest where she accidentally fell into a trap designed for catching antelope. Orunmila rescued her from the trap and helped her gather together the gifts that had got broken when she fell, and mended them for her. A sweet atmosphere arose between them there in the woods, and they made love. In the morning she headed off towards her meeting with Ogun and paused in a village to eat and refresh herself, but a thief stole all her gifts. When she broke out in tears over their loss. Sango showed up, and asked her what the matter was. She told him that all her presents had been stolen, but Sango told her not to worry, and they went to the market together where he bought her more items than had been stolen from her. Once again a sweet atmosphere arose, and they went to his house to make love. The following morning, she was given a horse to carry all the gifts, and went on to meet with Ogun, her fiance. She was very happy; she had many fine gifts and even a horse to give to her beloved. She arrived at the city of Ogun and walked proudly and happily to the market in search of her fiance. She did not notice that Ogun was sitting in a tavern with his friends Sango and Orunmila. When she appeared in the market, Orunmila exclaimed to his friends that he had a night of love together with this woman that had just entered. Sango said that he had as well, and, on hearing this, Ogun rose to his feet, red with rage, and declared with thunderous determination that his friends had been making love to his fiance. He went over to Yemoja and confronted her aggressively over the matter. She dropped everything, and told him that she was not interested in this abuse and would rather go to live with Olokun, the spirit of wealth who dwells at the bottom of the ocean. And so she did.

There are several variations of this story and the themes are always the same. Yemoja is a spirit who attracts wealth and riches, and wants to share herself. The story speaks of judgment and the freedom of the individual, of how Odi created individual differences, and of how what might be good for one person could prove bad for another. It is a call to harmony through observing the beautiful diversity we find in the world. Not only this, but Odi meji as manifested in the form of Yemoja is the very power that brings the penis and vagina together. She is the power of passion and sexual attraction, which is the harmonious gathering that does not only bring forth offspring, but also erotic pleasure. In this we find the root of dispersion and union. The erotic imagery typical of this odu is even stronger in the following verse:

Admcd OcE

Adduti OcE

Did fun OcE

Ti nlo sqja Ejigbdmekun

O nsunkun aldilobinrm

Wqn ni ki Eji OcE o rubo Kin ni dun o hd ru bdyu?

Won ni ki o ru npnlopn oyin O si ru u

Ninu oyin ti o ru nda

Ni awon awo rea ti mu

Ti wqn fi se Ifd fun um

Bi Eji Odi ti doja Ejigbdmekun lydloja lo ki[ digbd lu

O si ta nkan mnu awon igd oyin

Ti won fi se Ifd fun um si i nidli

Leyin nda lo bd iydlqja ld pq

O si gbdduun re fdpn

Lo ba di pe &p& eeyan bere sii jijadu

Lati ba lyalqja ld pi

Igba ti inuu gbogbo wi]n dun tan

Orin ni wqn nko

Wqn nwi pe

lydlqja se ka lo

Oyinmomo

Kd m&- jo a lo lqja

Oyinmomo

Great and powerful ()di

Powerful and great ()di

This Ifa declaredfor ()di

Who was going to the market of Ejigbdmekun

Who was in distress because he had no wife

It was for this ()di made sacrifice

And what did he offer as his sacrifice?

It was told that he offered an abundance of honey

He made the sacrifice, an abundance of honey he offered

His Ifa priest took some and made Ifa medicine from it

It was in this way Eji ()di entered the market of Ejigbdmekun

He met the owner of the women of the market

And he poured one of the bottles containing the Ifa medicine

All over his private parts

And he made passionate love to her

In great joy and ecstasy he enjoyed her

And as a consequence agitation was stirred

Amongst many others who also wanted to make love to her

When they all had made love to her and were satisfied andfull of joy

They begun to sing

Owner of the woman of the market, we say

You are the embodiment of sweetness

We shall never leave the market

Embodiment of sweetness

This market chief, Oosa Oja, is the same spirit as Aje Saluga, because dominion over the market is assigned to the spirit vested in either of these names. Like Yemoja they are funfun, meaning that they are connected to the world of dreams and the beginning of the world. In this story it is Od^ as the archetypical warrior knight of heaven, who enters the market and passionately makes love to Oosa Oja. This causes a ripple of desire, in which everybody else wants to make love to Oosa Oja, who appears to be dripping with honey and sweetness.

In a related verse, we learn that Aje Saluga defecates everywhere, but that her defecation is always money or a sign of coming wealth. One verse says that if you are touched by Aje Saluga, abundance and riches will shower on you like ’the droppings of pigeons.’ This signals that dreams of defecation are as much an omen of coming riches as a reminder not to embrace wealth too fondly. Aje Saluga is an important spiritual force. She is the sister of Egungun and the first wife of Olokun, and is said to comprise part of the faculty of intelligence. In fact, another verse of Odi meji erases the distinction between Aje Saluga and Olokun and says they combine to form the ’most ancient crown.’ When Olokun, the mystery of the bottom of the ocean, wishes to be known, he is declared by the presence of Aje Saluga in the marketplace, as the mother of sweetness and wealth. This is a reminder about the importance of togetherness, that it is in togetherness that we make sweetness.

The greenwood is sacred in Odi. Naturally we find all water plants, like lotus and lily, here, but the sacred trees of this odu are the coconut palm (cocos nucifera) and mangrove. Mangroves are sacred because of their remarkable ability to isolate salt, and coconut fruit because of their inner sweetness and rich water beneath their dark and hard surface. The odu also holds a particular affinity with Psychotria viridis and Banisteriopsis caapi, a shrub and a vine, that together generate yage or ayahuasca. All these plants remind us that togetherness is what breeds beauty, health, long life and contact with one’s spirit double.

The importance of togetherness is also demonstrated by the spiritual force known as Oge, who is born in this odu. One story tells of how Sango was poisoned after preparing a meal of pigeons using a ’secret ingredient’ he was given by someone he met at the market. He didn’t realize that it was a poison, and as it started to work through his system he curled up on the floor in pain, crying for help. Oge came to his aid with the antidote. She is represented by the two horns of the antelope, and is believed to be the force that influenced the formation of the Gelede society. Her horns are both a remedy against barrenness and an antidote to malefica. The horns of the antelope, which are considered the presence of Oge, are associated with the cornucopia, as nearly all songs and prayers in her praise mention her infallible ability to bestow blessings. They emphasise how she is a dynamic and upright force which tempers people’s character. An Ifa proverb says: ’When things are going well for them, that is when they start to misbehave.’ It is in this context that Oge enters as a power of rectification.

Odi reminds us that the human journey should be a good one: if it is not, the problem is in how we choose to walk in the world. We all want blessings and good fortune, riches and all good things. Blessings take shape as a result of togetherness, a kind disposition and through the cultivation, and finally possession, of good character.

Mo de rere

Mo rin rere

Emi nikan ni mo md rin arinkdorin

A sese nkohun oro sile

Ni mo wole wara bi omo olohun

Emi ee s ’omo otyhun

Irin arinkd ni mo nh>i[ rin

I arrive well

I travel well

I am someone who travels and often finds good fortune

When riches were placed all around

I entered without hesitation, as if I was the child of the owner

But I am not the child of the owner

I am only someone who knows how to travel

And find good fortune

The sentence Mo de rere at the beginning of this verse is tied in with iwa rere, a good, calm and joyous consciousness, which is the spirit in which we should travel in order to arrive well. Odi speaks of the importance of making our human journey as heroes in our own lives, possessed with the intelligence and wisdom to distinguish between wormwood, salt and honey. We must appreciate that gathering together in harmony is the basis from which abundance sprouts. When your life gets better, mine does too.

Quite simply, this odu says: do good and you will be recognized, not as a man or woman with a mission, but as someone with vision. In doing so, the judgment of others and the gossip born from envy should be forgotten, so that our thoughts and words will always be the thoughts and words of goodness. We can accept the mysterious journey we share with all our fellow voyagers, no matter the form within which their consciousness resides.

IROSUN MEJI

ae rivers of consciousness

Whilst Odi meji manifests in powers such as olokun (ocean), olosa (lagoons) and dsu (moon), Irdsun meji represents the rivers that flow from these bodies of water and thence through the landscape. It leads us to the idea of creating a summit of truth and stability as a focal point, to guard the stability of our consciousness in the midst of this fluid landscape. Irdsun implies that good fortune will be ours as long as we understand and take control of all that flows forth from consciousness, whether it be in the forms of streams, rivers of lava or waterfalls.

The menstrual flow is one of the most important of all rivers and flowing elements. This is expressed by a variety of river deities, such as Oya, Yemoja, Osun and Oba. The menstrual flow is not only a token of fertility and renewal, but it also announces the mystery of the lunar cycle, and hence two concentric circles are sometimes used to represent this odu. The circle within a circle, the dream within a dream, the serpent rainbow and its colourful hues of light, are symbols which express the dynamic of this odu. The light born in Eji Ogbe is subject to transmutation in Irdsun; the one becomes two and from this they multiply. We have a transition from the light of the sun to the light of the moon

in this odu, as this verse says:

Ina ku feeru boju

Osupd ku, o fircw>i[ le

Iraw&- saasaa nn saldiilayin fosupd

When the fire withers and dies it covers itself in embers

When the moon fades away and dies, she leaves a trail of stars behind

Few are the stars that shine like the moon

This verse captures the great alchemical mystery of Irdsun, that everything changes, everything dies in the process of transformation, but the light that generated our unique consciousness, our ori, should always shine. It should shine like the moon, which is the heavenly luminary of possibility in this odu.

In this we find an even deeper mystery, because it is here that we find the birth of the principle and im[le known as Ela. Ela is understood to be the son of Irosun by Ojiji (shadow) in Orun, and it is this power that unfolds during the process of initiating an awo. A babalawo/iyanifa is considered a child of Ela in the image of Orunmila. The name Ela denotes a connection, a link, a circuit - a river if you will - that is rooted in the divine storehouse and is said to be the witness of destiny. This power is viewed as an invisible mist that permeates all emptiness with divine rays, a mystery that dwells within caves, and infuses the entire Aye with wisdom. The power of Ela runs through the earth as it does in the heavens, and is the force that gives us the memory of our fate. We remember our fate by developing good character, by insisting that doing good will allow the remembrance of who we are to flow like rivers of light from the shadows and spread goodness upon earth. This is not always so easy, because the human condition brings pain, trials and shadows and this is why a guardian of our consciousness is also manifest in this odu.

Irdsun meji is also known as Olosun meji in reference to the spiritual force known as Osun. Osun, also said to be ’the one who listens carefully,’ serves as the guardian of our consciousness. This irunmole is represented by the rooster, because of its defensive and watchful nature, and is the mediator between our wishes and our destiny:

Ohun Ori wd se

What Ori came to accomplish

Kd ma m s ’alai se e o

This is what it needs to accomplish

In Irdsun we find the crossroads where we, as spiritual beings, set out on our human journey. This journey is not always easy, it can be hard to

rediscover our destiny. This is why we are given a warden for our

consciousness here. Osun never experienced a human journey, and thus he and

Ela

retain the memory of that goodness which we came to earth to bring. It is in

Irdsun that we find the mysteries of tribulation and forgetfulness, the reasons why we have no recollection of our true home and why the human condition is the way it is: a balance between the powers of the right and those of the left.

Ifa tells that when irdsun first came to earth he failed, because he had not made the necessary sacrifices. When he made a second attempt, he performed the sacrifices, offering a rooster and a tortoise for Yeye Mu\\\>, the spirit of misfortune, and a he-goat for Esu. In addition to this, he brought yams, water, palm oil, peppers, okra and tobacco and went to the palace that stands where heaven and earth meet. He found his way to the divine chamber where he met Yeye Mu\\\> and asked her to listen to his wishes and grant him blessings. Yeye Mu\\\> told him that it was too early in the morning to make any wishes because there was no food in the house. irdsun replied that he had brought a rooster for her, which she accepted, but then she added that she also needed okra, which he also gave her. One after another she asked for all the items which he had with him - except for the tortoise - and he gave her everything she required. She finally asked him to kneel down to state his wishes and be granted blessings. Knowing that it was forbidden to kneel down on the floor in the palace, he wisely knelt upon the tortoise and stated his wishes, while Yeye Mli\\\> went to the kitchen to start preparing the food.

While irdsun was on his knees, stating all the good fortune he wanted on earth, Olodumare blessed him in Yeye Muw^’s absence, and said that everything which he asked for would be his. Yeye Mli\\\> heard that something was going on outside the palace and, as she started to walk out from the kitchen, Esu appeared to irdsun and told him to get going fast. When Yeye Mli\\\> came out, she asked Olodumare where irdsun had gone, and Olodumare replied that he had left for earth with all his good wishes granted. Yeye Mli\\\> became furious and said that he could not go before he received a portion of bad wishes and choices as well. Olodumare responded that it was not his place to interfere with the wishes of people. Furious, Yeye Mli\\\> ran after Irosun, singing a curse. He sang back that he had brought everything and that nothing was left out. As he neared the golden rope that would bring him to earth, Yeye Muwo realized that she could not stop him, so she stretched out her claws and damaged his spine with a curse. She said that, just as the eyes cannot see the back of their own body, so will he fumble around in darkness on earth in search of his good fortune. Irosun fell to the earth with a resounding crash, and he found himself unable to recall his life in Orun. The injury to his spine caused him to forget about the wishes he had made in Orun, and to this day, we carry the furrow in our spine as a memory of Yeye Mu\\\>’s anger and our forgetfulness of our divine constitution.

This odu imparts another consequence of Yeye Mu\\\>’s curse to us - namely that her children, the elenini, came to the world of humans. These are elemental spirits generated and summoned by fear. They can be understood to be our own thwarting demons, as it is our worries, our anger and our depression that call the attention of these spirits of misfortune upon us.

Yeye Mu\\\> is the mother of the spirits of obstruction and misfortune, and we invite her children into our lives through arrogance, greed and ambition. Ifa understands the presence of these spirits to be rooted in fear. Fear is an emotional state born from the sensation of being in peril; an expectation of hostility, danger and failure. Fear abounds in the modern world, because its worldview is formed by negative conditioning. For those of a Christian persuasion, this negative conditioning goes back to Augustine’s dogma of original sin. The weight of this curse even surfaced in Freud’ s psychoanalytic model of human development. Freud concluded that all actors in the Western world would enter adolescent life with a certain level of neurosis, which would impair their good fortune in a host of ways. In effect he described the elenini becoming integrated into the social fabric and thus affecting the individual life.

Modern Western man finds himself in a hostile world and his solution is to control and dominate it. But the truth is that it is ourselves who have become hostile and hateful in a world of abundance, generosity and kindness. We dominate nature, society, strangers and whatever we find alien in an attempt to diminish our fear. This fear is the result of the forgetfulness which we have suffered from since we took our first breath. Ifa constantly advises us to build good character, because through goodness and kindness, by believing that we are born good and blessed, we will spread goodness upon the earth and in doing so we will deflect the elemm and welcome good fortune. We will be a source of positive change in a world infested with the children of the spirit of obstacles.

In several of the stanzas in this odu, we find such phrases as: ’Let them hear around the world that I am a good and blessed person,’ and ’When I wake up this morning I greet my on', so I can receive all good fortune.’ These are about maintaining a constant remembrance of our good and blessed state, no matter how painful the trials life gives us might be. As we see from the story, Irosun came to the world good and blessed but with a challenge to realizing this state, which was caused by his considering himself too wise and great to make ebo, or sacrifice.

It follows that arrogance is considered an impediment to good fortune in this odu. People under the influence of this energy can at times be perceived as wicked, and it is important that they should be attentive to the needs of others and avoid being boastful of their intellectual superiority, because this makes people feel bad, which in turn generates a negative energetic circuit.

Irosun thought he knew everything, and considered himself to have no need for others, but Ifa repeatedly tells us that this is a fallacy. No man or woman is enough in themselves, we need community, friends, spouses and children to sustain our good fortune and bring equilibrium to our lives. We always need those who are, or who we call, family, be they visible or invisible.

Emporoporo lad g’odo

Ep poroporo lad g ’osun

Did fun Baba boo lajf o ba Ipm rewi

Ti nbe nigba nrdye osoko

Eboni wpn m ko se

O gb ’ebo o ru ’bo

Kd pa, kd jinna

Ire gbogbo wd ya de tuturu

Ore d kan Egungun o

Kd kan drisa

Elcr.ddd eni l ’erran kan

One at a time we pound the mortar And in twos we pound camwood

These were lfd s declarations to he whose name was ’If you have a problem consult your destiny’ When he was in utter dilemma and confusion He was advised to offer ebo

He complied and before long

All Ire came to him in abundance

This matter does not concern Egungun (ancestor) Neither does it concern the drisa

It is one’s destiny that the matter concerns

This verse speaks of the importance of bringing ancestors and drisa into one’s life, but before this can be done in a good way it is imperative that we should be conscious of our eladda (destiny). The verse begins with the image of hard substances being pulverised, and calls our attention to the fact that some part of the work on self comes from our own efforts, while the rest comes from acknowledging that we need the help of others to forge our destiny. This image is a symbol for how a dificult life gives way to tranquillity and satisfaction, how it is beneficial to be turned from a hard substance into an aerial and distinguished powder of magic and possibility. It is a call to become more agile and to operate in more dynamic ways in the world, just as a powder can seep into anything anywhere while still retaining its essence.

The verse states that when this work is done, ancestors and drisa can enter and fortify one’s destiny. The mystery of destiny belongs to the realm of and Ifa as the powers that guard against the inherent confusion of mind in this odu. Our consciousness needs to be calm to perceive the design of its destiny. Here the ability and intellectual strength to forge one’s destiny becomes a possibility. To forge one’s destiny can be hard work, which is why Irdsun also comes with a call for patience in this great work of self discovery. This mystery is encoded in the stories about a diviner called Igba.

Ela

Igba was an awo in a small village in Oyo. He was not appreciated, and struggled for money and recognition in spite of being a very knowledgeable priest. When the kingdom was plagued with smallpox, the aldafin (king) called upon his assistance. Igba gave a sacrifice of okra to the river deity Osun, along with other small sacrifices, and retreated to his humble farm in the secluded village. As a consequence, not only did the epidemic pass without causing deaths, but the kingdom experienced great success in all matters. The king went with his entourage to Igba’s village and rewarded him with gifts, recognition and esteem.

In the various versions of this story, we find that Igba started his work as a diviner with enormous expectations of the amount of success he would experience. After all, he knew everything possible to know, but he found no success, because he came across as wicked, selfish and arrogant. Over the years he was humbled, but this didn’t make him doubt himself or his work: rather a change of attitude occurred in which he decided that whatever he did, no matter how small, he would do well. It was this change in attitude that eventually brought him the esteem and fortune he was destined for.

The name Igba refers to a calabash of mystery, like the vessels or igba that contain the secrets of drisa; and it also means ’time’ and ’history.’ A calabash of mystery, as in the case of a vessel for an drisa, is a divine ray made manifest. It is created from a particular energy with a particular history. This history is directed by Egungun as the holder of ancestral wisdom. In this understanding we encounter ideas such as transition, lineage and succession taking place as each igba that is passed priest to priest generates its unique history. Therefore egungun lies at the root of the mystery of drisa, because drisa takes its shape upon the bones of ancestry and wisdom.

If we feel that our intellectual capacity is outstanding compared to that of others, we can easily believe that we are superior to them, and this creates distance between ourselves and other people. Physical beauty can cause similar negative reactions. An example of this is found in the tales of the beautiful woman Awojigi (the mystery of reflection), who rejected all of her suitors because she found them inferior in beauty to herself and therefore not worthy of her hand. Awojigi' used her beauty to manipulate her surroundings and gain favours by cultivating this separation between herself and others. When she was confronted with the possibility of the extinction of her memory and the loneliness which lay ahead, she changed her attitude. Her awo told her that: ’No matter how big the mirror is, it cannot perceive the reflection of one’s future. One’s true mirror is one’s spouse and children.’ Reflecting upon this wisdom, she decided to marry one of the many men courting her and gave birth to a baby girl, just as beautiful as her, and thus her legacy was continued and she embraced a happy destiny of love.

Irdsun is the odu of Oyo state in Yorubaland. Oyo gained prestige through woodcarving and military excellence. Countless wars and invasions and many ruthless rulers occur in the history of this state. By extension, this odu is the energy that sparked the birth of the famous fourth alaafin (king) of Oyo, Sango. Intellectual activity is typified by ajagunmala (the starry house of the power of the warrior), the oluwo in Orun, which is the origin of this dynamic energy. It is in truth the energy that infuses the warrior with skill, determination and power.

Sango was directly related to Oranmiyan, the alaafin of this state. Oranmiyan was the son of Oduduwa, who became the first alaafin of Oyo, followed by Agayu and then by Sango himself. These are all famous drisas in Yoruba mythopoetics, which underlines the importance of egun (ancestry) as a prerequisite for becoming drisa. The igba of Sango will consequently be the product not only of the powers of lightning, but also of this particular history and succession, going back to Oranmiyan, just as it stretches on to the present day priests of Sango.

An important metaphysical principle is encoded here: that our on is directly related to egun in such a way that we can become drisa through our human journey. Sango is a great example of how ancestry, on and destiny are the components that make drisa possible. In this case by transformation through fire, and we see here the blueprint of the original ’rite du passage.’

Sango is conceived of as an idea in Iwdri meji; in Irdsun he gains his powers, thunder and lightning, and he sets out upon the path of destiny. In Obara meji, he assumes kingship and he abuses his power, leading to his ritual suicide and elevation in Okanran meji. The essential nature of Sango demonstrates a coming together of energetic forces in time, and lead to the unfolding of his history, to generate his igba or calabash of mystery.

When we discuss Obara meji, we will see how the power of the warrior king, exemplified by the ideal form of Sango, can turn into a poison in which power can arouse and intoxicate in such a way that one forfeits one’s destiny and instead reaps misfortune. In many respects, Sango typifies the fiery essence of the zodiacal sign of Aries, of which Bonatti said: ’And this is the first being by which the fiery signs are said to act, and they even act in the fiery element’ (i.e. they act in a fiery way upon all things) (Bonatti 2007:30).

The spirit known as Olqgbun (the owner of the deep grave) came to earth as a consequence of Yeye Mu\\\>’s curse, and manifested the potential for danger and games of chance. The verses describe this power as red, hot and dark, and say that its redness has a dry quality. This spirit represents the pit prepared for those who venerate their arrogance in such a way that they lose contact with the earth and turn their attention solely towards their inner divine fire as a solipsistic glory. It is also a warning that accidents can happen to anyone.

One story tells of how Orunmila fell into the clutches of Olqgbun when he was travelling to a city to help the inhabitants. He had however made ebo before going, and so he went on his journey with a large amount of cotton, as his diviner had told him to do. As he ventured through the woods he fell into a deep hole and was saved by the cotton he was carrying. He shouted out for help as he lay there, and it so happened that three women heard his lament and helped him from the grave. Some stories say that these women were Aburu, Aboye and Abgsiso, who became Orunmila’s wives. Others say that they were Oya, Yemoja and Osun, and both accounts are right. Aburu, Aboye and Ab^jhso are of a similar essence to Oya, Yemoja and Osun, but in this case they appear as powers of elevation and blessing. The phrase ’Aburu, Aboye, Ab^so’ is used to greet an awo, in reference to the female powers that elevated Orunmila from the grave. These three names are a call for the awo to take the burden of the person greeting him upon his shoulders - a burden which the awo then lifts to Orun. It reminds us that the female powers elevate us from darkness, a remembrance we find in the attire of Sango, who wears his apron in the manner of a woman to remind himself of the source of his support and aid; a remembrance worthy of any man.

Danger in all its forms is made manifest in this odu and symbolized by the colour red, which we assign to anger and emotional turmoil. Red metals (gold, copper, bronze), red clay and osun (camwood), as well as the colour red itself should be used with caution, in case they lead to accidents, anger, fire and thunder. Redness is a token of the appetite of Olqgbiin, and thus should be avoided when one sets out to find one’s self and pursue one’s fate.

In the forest of mystery we find two trees that bring the good fortune promised in this odu. The first is the akdko (Chamaesyce olowaluana/Newbouldia laevis), a relative of Croton (Croton dictyophlebodes), which has the power to reveal treasures and good fortune. This tree is crucial for initiations into Ifa, just as it is for Egungun, and it is often used to decorate the groves of Ogun and mark sacred places. It represents bounty and victory, and has remarkably calmative properties. The tree itself might not appear glorious, but its orchid-like flowers bear witness to its glory, as does its ability to adapt and remain healthy even through ruthless climatic changes. It is the very symbol of the odu, standing strong and bestowing medicinal bounty; irrespective of the conditions surrounding it, and whosoever decides to partake of its gifts.

The other sacred tree in Irdsun is the banana palm (Musaceae family), which is a symbol of everlasting safety and truthfulness. The banana palm is the mirror axis between the society in heaven and that on earth, and is the tree spoken off repeatedly in this odu. What is curious about the banana palm is that it is not a true palm, it procreates by the mother axis rising from the centre of its roots to spread her children around her feet, giving the illusion that it is the same plant producing fruits again and again, while it is in reality a series of mirrors stemming from the mother. This natural capacity, to mirror, lies behind its association with cibikii. This speaks about the society in heaven that mirrors the society in Aye. Ifa believes that we all have a double in heaven, who can either call us back home or bless our journey on earth. It is at the foot of the banana palm that we renew our pacts and agreements to live long, and see our hair turn white.

The idea of balanced opposites finds its form in this odu. An example is Crocodile, who complained about having only its big jaws and slow armoured body, and so it was given a tail to move more effectively. Another balanced opposite is in the mystery of our two hands, we need to have the hand of welcome as well as the hand of defence in order to realize our blessings. Irdsun is the odu of paradox, and the spiritual force of contrast and paradox finds its expression in dsumdre and the spiritual concept of ebora as related to

Egbe, the society in heaven to which we return through uniting our flesh and body with Aye and ascending on the bones of egungun. Ebora is also a term used for our spiritual doubles in Orun. Ebora are commonly understood to be either spirits of misfortune, or spirits that underlie the aggressive aspects of the warrior spirit. These are reflections of a deeper metaphysical mystery concerned with the stability of the earth. Ifa reveals that when Aye endowed the earth with her spirit and soul, there was a need for forces that would stabilize it. The first of these spirits that would ensure stability was Egungun, which gave a bonelike structure to earth and marked the four seasons. Esu, Ogun, Osqp-si and Oranmiyan/Sango came to this crossroads of bone as powers to protect this stability.

Osumdre is the rainbow, symbolizing the bridge between Aye and Orun. In some districts in Yorubaland, he is also known as Ol^j^. This is a term of some ambiguity, as it means the ’owner of rain,’ but it can also refer to him being the owner of time, as in the changing days of a week. It contains a further reference to his eyes showing themselves through rain; hence, when the sun and the rain appear at the same time, we have a manifestation of Osumare in the rainbow.

Here is the power that influences all cycles and shifts in conditions, whether temporary or permanent. As such, this force influences the phases of the moon, the menstrual cycles, the night turning into day and even the biometric polarity inherent in Ifa divination as the active presence of Olodumare. Osumare is at times considered an ebora, and given a particular alchemical secret that makes part of its calabash of mystery. This secret consists of turning mercury into a solid stone with the aid of five secret herbs flanked by seven metals. This mystery is related to that of Ol^j^ as time keeper and historian.

One story tells of Ojo (rain), who was a dark and sombre, but very generous man who gave his waters to friend and foe alike. He was reputed to be as ruthless as he was generous. He had a beautiful wife, Jojolo, who gave beauty to fog, moisture and dew, and was his constant companion. It so happened that Ina (fire) came to earth and tried to seduce Jojolo. She was intrigued and decided to have a divination. The babaldwo said that there was no need to try a new husband just to discover that the one she already had was perfect for her, and advised her to make a sacrifice to Esu to avoid calamity. Jojolo was very beautiful and much loved, so she decided to take a chance and didn’t make the sacrifice. She and Ina became lovers. The relationship was enormously exciting, but also uncomfortable, because the fire suffocated Jojolo, and made her dry. After a time she tried to avoid Ina, who became infuriated and captured her in a ring of fire to make her his forever. Finding herself in peril she cried out to Ojo, who heard her and gave abundantly of his gifts. The fire disappeared and, rejoicing, she set off to reunite with her husband. As she embarked on her journey home, she fell into a pit of burning embers, to which Ina had retreated, a place where rain could not fall. She was burned and crippled, and from her ashen body were born the earthworms that go forth in search of moist soil.

This story imparts many mysteries to us, one being the importance that Esu holds in the divine design and in that of our lives. It speaks of how generosity and kindness always defeat even the most fiery of opponents, and it also speaks of the need for sacrifice. In this case Jojolo believed that her beauty and erotic appeal would save her from danger, and so she set out to follow her passions, discarding concern because of the arrogance born from her beauty.

Many of the stanzas in Irdsun teach us to be careful in our actions, in case we do something that we will regret for the rest of our lives. Because of a feeling of superiority, whether of beauty or intellect, disaster strikes and humbles the self-centred traveller. This is poignantly illustrated by a story that speaks of how rats and mice became so fertile. They had become accustomed to do as they liked, there were few threats in the world which they could not hide. One day Cat arrived on earth. When Mouse saw Cat for the first time, he immediately recognized the danger, but instead of succumbing to fear, he walked past the cat and said, ’What works for me might not work for you, what works for you might not work for me.’ Cat stopped Mouse and engaged him in conversation, asking what he meant by that. Mouse said that Cat might look upon him as food or something to play with, but this would make him lose sight of the greater picture. Cat just laughed and told him that he could end him any day with his sharp teeth and fierce claws, that it was in his nature to kill and eat - or play - with the mouse. Mouse questioned Cat, asking if that was all he was, just a hungry killing machine, or could there be more to their predicament than this simple logic? Cat became annoyed by the philosophical rhetoric of Mouse, and told him that we all do what we are designed to do. He was larger and far more lethal than Mouse, so it was natural that Mouse should serve as play and food for him. Mouse responded that it might be true, but it was still important to pay attention to the bigger picture. Cat became even more annoyed, and was about to finish this conversation when he felt a sharp pain in his neck as the watchful viper behind him struck. Arrogance, and its repercussions, is the constant theme in Irdsun.

In this odu, Ifa states the importance of setting aside a piece of land that remains untouched, so twin can reside there. This is a testament of respect to Onile, and a call for harmonious coexistence. Everything begins and ends in igbddu, the forest of mystery. In this we find the lesson of taking what is ours and respecting what does not belong to us, we are the keepers of Onile’s mysteries.

Having understood these lessons, we can come to appreciate a key stanza in this odu, which speaks about the beginning of the human journey:

Funfun ni iyi eyin

Gbagba ni iyi oyan

Kd r ’ogun ma ma sa ni iyi okunrin

D ’Ifa fun AidegbcE

Omoeje Idgbd Idgbd, ti i gbe Ikun d’omo

Ni ’jd to f’eyinti ti nsunkun ai r ’rmio bi

Yeye, yeye ohmo

Osun fi iwdrdjd weomo re

Whiteness adds to the beauty we appreciate in teeth

A full and sumptuous chest adds to the beauty of breasts

When war comes and one rises to the challenge one proves manhood

This Ifa divinedfor AidegbcE

The blood of beginnings, her womb of beginnings that would give forth children

When she was lamenting her lack of children

Oh mother of mothers, mother of all children

Osun is the cool water of dew we bathe our children with

It is from here that we set out on our human journey bathed in honey, sweet water, and the goodness of the morning dew. It is also here that we need to bring confusion to rest and accept the lot that is ours; while we respect that which is not ours to take. Irdsun explains why the human journey is the way it is, and that inspires a desire in us to gather together in harmony and respect.

OW^NR^N MEJI

ae sweet and bitter track

Ow^nrtn meji is one of the most important and enigmatic energies amongst the pairs of odu. Its importance is derived from it being the repository of energy from which Esu Odara takes his ase. Esu Odara is the transformative power of Esu that shapes miracles and tragedy, and the matter he uses for shaping these great magical transformations is found in this odu. In other words, every manifestation and form of Esu will always have something to do with Ow^nrm.

It is one of the most enigmatic odus because of its potency for cataclysmic change, and is the power that promotes deep equality as the principle that sustains creation itself. While Irosun denotes the good and blessed condition in which we start our journey on earth, Owqnrin manifests hardship, and the ability to endure in times of want. One’s track towards good fortune is taken with determined and measured steps.

Owqnrin is represented by two triangles standing on top of each other, each with three points marked on their three sides. These represent the magnetic poles of Aye, each pole bearing an imprint of the fiery and magnetic source of earth itself. The triangle marked with three points at each corner is a reference to the mysteries wielded and secured by the Ogbqni society. While Irosun brings the forces that ensure stability to Aye, Ow'qnrin brings the subtle magnetic forces that uphold this stability or annihilate it.

The power of this odu is found at the nape of the neck, which is where the powers of Esu reside. The reference to the nape of the neck announces the importance of the cerebellum, which is also known as the primitive or reptilian brain. The cerebellum is responsible for motor control, coordination and precision as well as basic reflexes. When an organism is confronted with something that threatens it the cerebellum is activated. The cerebellum is intertwined with the central nervous system, the arbor vitae, a name referring to the evergreen tree of life in the garden of Eden which is also given to other evergreens, especially ferns and Thuja species in general. On a biological and metaphysical level, these parts of the brain, together with the pineal gland, enable us to experience a world outside ourselves, whether visible or invisible. The magnetic and electric current in the brain mimics the relationship between the core of the earth and the magnetic poles, and this explains why Ifa defines this odu as ’the owner of cosmic cataclysm.’

Owqnnn is clearly an energy that speaks of hardship, of the kind of hardship that sustains creation and good fortune. It is an energy that possesses immense knowledge and wisdom of the fundamental structures of creation, and in particular the secrets that cause Aye to possess a regenerative stability that shows itself in death, decay and the promise of new births.

The story of Mol'chcrni is pertinent to this energy. He was a strong man, intelligent and resourceful, but nothing worked out for him in spite of all his skills. Nonetheless, he worked on and kept faith until his mother died. Her death brought him many responsibilities, and he had no resources available with which to fulfil them. He saw no way out of this situation except to borrow money from a local pawnbroker. Before going to him, Molcr^ni went to his Awo and asked for advice. His awo told him to give a rooster to Esu Odara and a pigeon to his on. The awo also advised him to get some chickens and make a coop. When Mofrrni borrowed the money, the pawnbroker demanded that he should stay on his farm and pay off the debt with work, which he agreed to do. Mofrrni was a hard worker, and made the farm beautiful and lucrative. In the meantime, his chickens started to lay eggs. From the eggs came more chickens and even more eggs. His chicken coop became abundant, and promised to bring in enough money for Mofrrni to buy his freedom. But the

pawnbroker had no interest in loosing such a good worker and so one night he accidently fell upon the fence that secured the chickens and killed them all. When Mofaanl came to take care of his chickens the following day, he saw that they were all dead, and he broke down in tears. It was then that Esu Odara came to him, and told him that he should roast all the chickens and store them. Mofaani did as Esu recommended and stored them in a safe place. That same day there was turbulence at the royal palace because the successor to the throne had fallen gravely ill. The diviners said that the remedy lay in finding 10 chickens from the same mother, that had been hatched on the same day and died on the same day. This was crucial for making the Ifa medicine that would save the life of the successor to the throne. Esu Odara entered the assembly of diviners and told them where to find what they needed. He then went to Mofaani, and told him that someone would come asking for his roasted chickens and that he should charge a great deal of money for them, assuring him that they would be willing and able to pay. Not long afterwards, the royal retinue appeared asking for chickens. Mofaanl told them that the only chickens he had were already roasted because they all had died on the same day. The royal convoy told him that this was exactly what they were searching for and asked him the price for ten of them. He gave the price Esu had told him to give, which they gladly paid. The pawnbroker had watched all that occurred from a hiding place. When he saw that Mofaani had gained far, far more money than he owed in debt, he broke down in tears, knowing that he would lose his magnificent worker. Not only did he lose his magnificent worker, but, as he had been obsessed with Mofaanl’s good fortune all this time, he lost his own. He was forced to work for Mofaanl, who from this day onward experienced only prosperity, wealth and increase.

In this story, Ifa discusses the importance of need, which is understood to be a fire that moves us to do what needs to be done. In the tale of Mofaanl, we see the spirit of endurance fused with faith. Instead of sinking into failure, becoming depressed and falling in love with his misery, he didn’t give up.

Owi-pi irin nil mu aba:ra:wo ’nd

Own omi nil mu akeregbe sonu Ownn omo nn mu omo wnn j ’ate Tf wi]n fi npe ebi to n pad l 'ode Ido Eni i p^ ti kd gbpn

Kd kuku fi wqn we yunyun mnu oko

Da fun Ow&n

Ti won o fi j ’oye ilee baba re

Ebo ni wqn ni ko se

It is when iron is scarce that we melt down needles

It is lack of water that causes the calabash to get lost

It is lack of ability to raise children that causes the child to steal

So they could say that hunger drove the child to look for food in the city of Ido

Those who are manifold but lack in wisdom

They are like the yunyun grass on the farmer’s land

This Ifd divinedfor Ow&n

Who was elected to take over the throne of his ancestors

He was advised to perform sacrifice

In this odu, we meet the irokd tree again. A man’s two wives had a quarrel over the cause of the younger wife’s child falling ill. A divination was performed, and it turned out that the senior wife had complained about the junior wife to some other women she had met in the market under the Irokd tree. It so happened that a great gathering of witches was held in the crown of the tree that night, and they heard the complaints and lamentations of the senior wife and decided to give the younger wife’s child a critical illness. She was advised to make ebo with a rabbit to the witches dwelling in the irokd, and the child recovered because of the senior wife’s efforts. The message here is that we need to be careful of what we wish for and that we should exercise caution over the kind of words we allow mind and heart to give shape to. Negative words call upon negative spirits by means of their shared element of air, just as good words call upon spirits of benevolence. In Yoruba the word for a sentence is &r&-. We find here a play on words so typical of the language, and even more typical of how words and meanings are expressed in paradoxes and contrasts in Ifa, as there exists a cult which is intimately related to this idea of the word as a formulation of will, desire and character, namely the cult of Ora-.

The cult of Ora is a nocturnal cult that walks with machete and bird wings on the bones of Egungun and holds the power and authority of purifying cities, homes and districts of negative energies and presences. Not only this, but Ora represents the very soul of Yoruba justice and the members of this cult execute judgments made by the Qgbpni society. They play an important part in funeral rites, and possess the secrets that rejuvenate corpses for a short time after death. They are an extension of the Egungun society, and hold the bullroarer as their sacred symbol, which gives them access to the various types of wind that brings life to bones. One particular set of winds holds tremendous importance: they are said to be the winds that make one disappear into igbodu, where one is taught directly by irunmole. This secret is so profound that it has caused Ora- to be associated with the lava at the centre of the earth, through typifying a similar hot wind that we find in the presence of lava. On subtle levels this is true, but the owner of lava is Esu Odara, who manifests in the laterite rock, the volcanic product turned into stone. It is the presence of these mysterious, subtle and destructive forces that causes this odu to be that which Esu models his ase upon, and which constitutes change and transformation. As such, we can say that it is here that secrecy has its root, along with the secret societies that guard the mysteries of nature.

Esu is often understood to be a trickster spirit, but this is a simplification of his role: he is the divine linguist who was given the power of making our prayers, sacrifices and supplications acceptable. He possesses the necessary ambiguity of a power that challenges us to make choices in his capacity of being the very nature of transformation. Esu is the principle that makes choice possible, rather than a trickster spirit. There is always a code of honour in our dealings with Esu, a call to nobility in the fundamental sense of the word. By this I mean that a noble stance is one of excellence and dignity, an attitude towards life that enables us to accept and use the changes in the world stoically.

There are many stories of how Esu came into the world, and one of them tells of his being the child of Osun and Orunmila, meaning that he was the product of wisdom fertilizing the potency for sweetness on earth. But the womb of Osun also represents the period of mysterious transformation which any foetus goes through during gestation. The tale of Esu being gestated by the power of sweetness and honey would indicate that all trials and challenges we are confronted with in life will ultimately have the wisdom of sweetness as their goal. This fusion of Osun and Orunmila is also the particular combination of powers that constitutes the concept of ase.

Ow^nrm is not the odu which gave birth to Esu, as some claim; that was dsatura, the subject of our concluding chapter. In Owynrrn, we find that Esu’s expressions and his praise names, Ehrgbara or Alagbara, are related to the type of power he draws from this odu, namely as the one who uses the scent and heat of what is as yet unformed (ala) in the essence of fire to shape life. This leads us to the root of a warrior ethos, as is told in one of the combinations of Owqnrin, Owynrin-Osa:

Elogbara kiisa lojo ija

Ajdgbuyi ni ti Elegbara

Aara kiisa lojo ija

Ajagbiiyi'i niti Adra

Ekun kiisa lojo ija Ajagbiyi niti Ekin Emi ko maa sa lojo ija Ki awon omo (ogun)ehin mi ma le sa lojo ija Ki a gba iyi jiagba ola nini ija naa

Elogbara will not flee on the day of the fight

A glorious fight belongs to Elogbara

Lightning will not flee on the day of the fight

A glorious fight belongs to Lightning

Lion does not flee on the day of the fight

A glorious fight belongs to Lion

I do not flee on the day of the fight

So that my soldiers do not flee on the day of the fight

We do not flee so abundant glory can gather around us

This stanza carries a deeper message than standing fast, because the combination of forces we find here speak of being certain of who you are as you venture into the unknown, and of accepting everything as a challenge. Being fully aware of who we are requires us to use our skills and abilities to our benefit and to our opponent’s detriment. The stanza conceives of ’the fight’ in a wider context. It is about the fight for self acknowledgement, and the fight against what threatens who you are. If we are true to ourselves, we will reap glory, but the way to make this discovery is to enter onto the battlefield, not only to answer the challenge of the enemies waiting there, but also the enemy within.

The ideal of the warrior is most poignantly represented by Ogun himself, the blacksmith and forger of metals. Yet, in this odu we meet a different kind of warrior, one refined by the rustic and fiery beating of Ogun. Erinle is an drisa who takes part of his ase from this odu. He is associated with the elephant, and is said to have been a very successful warrior, fisherman and herbalist. He is a renowned healer who works both the medicine of the forest and that of the waters. A certain finesse and facility in regard to nature is found in Erinle, as it is in Osumare, who also surfaces in this odu, turning his head and tail into a full circle. Like Esu, they both hold a particular attitude towards life that turns the hardness in this odu into sweetness. Erinle represents a balance between water and earth, just as Osumare holds night and day in balance. One must accept the cyclical nature of creation as one walks onwards, and extract the necessary blessings and lessons from steps already taken.

Ow^nrin gives the lesson of being present in the moment, and receiving the moment in a state of calm anticipation. This is the spirit of the adventurer who does not linger in cities that bring ruin, but who has the ability to find rest when good possibilities in life open up, allowing wisdom to guide the way. Doing this, one’s very being will become a blessing not only to oneself, but also to others.

As the bridge between worlds, Esu Odara represents the very vehicle of salvation, hence his association with crossroads. He is the one who brings the morning dew which serves as food for Onile, and the air and fire that stir the world and influence our choices so that we can pursue our good fortune and grow wiser on our journey. He is the author of energetic currents, and, as the power that is present in the moment, he always oversees balance. An example of this is that good deeds receive financial compensation. Esu prevents us from getting something for nothing.

The vehicle for EsU’s power, the mouth, is found in this odu. It is born here, and said to be the father of all sacrifice. The mouth is the organ we use to utter our sentiments, thoughts and desires. It is the messenger of wishes, curses and blessings, shaping thoughts and emotions into words. It follows that our words carry power and we should at all times watch what we say. With words we can hurt or elevate our fellow travellers. With words we give promises and our character reveals itself. The mouth is the father of sacrifice, because our words are the product of what we have digested in our hearts and minds.

Owqnrin constantly brings the importance of other people to our attention. We will always find our fortune - and misfortune - amongst them. One story that highlights this concerns dgbigbd, the hoopoe, which is a bird sacred to Erinle, OsUmare, Osun and EsU. Ogbigbo was the leader of all birds and enjoyed everyone’s respect, but also someone’s envy. It so happened that ^wiw^ (owl), a handsome, wealthy and debauched man, plotted to steal the wife of Hoopoe, his king. Even though he was constantly bedding beautiful women, he fixed his desire upon his king’s wife and managed to seduce her. They moved in together and were immediately scorned by all the other birds. Whenever Owl left his house, there was always someone there ready to beat him, or throw rocks at him. He became more and more nervous, and started to go out only at night. All his charm was lost to his anxiety, and his lover left him to contemplate his fate. Owl became resentful and started to blame his diviners, his friends, and everyone else for his plight, until one night when he realised that he was the creator of his misfortune. He tried to change his ways, but was too proud to offer the necessary sacrifice, and hence he became associated with bad omens and wicked business transactions.

This odu comes with the message to not ’wear another man’s apron,’ a warning not to steal another man’s possessions, and in particular not to steal his spouse. Owl lusted after what was not his, even though he already had more than enough, which caused him to become a harbinger of bad omens. This odu also comes with the counsel of not being disappointed by people; rather, we should try to understand what is going on in the world and choose our confidantes wisely. We should be mindful of the importance of public opinion and how other people’s words can have an effect on our lives, because we never know who will lend an ear to negative remarks and complaints.

This odu also brings the powers that sustain harmonious relationships. It speaks of the idea of soulmates, those two people who enter into a benevolent and beautiful unity when they find one another, such that one will suffer without the other. This is illustrated by ope eluju, the wine palm, who wanted to marry the man she had loved from the first moment she laid eyes upon him. This beautiful man was the calabash tree (Crescentia cujeta). The wine palm went to her awo for a divination and was told to travel to the city of her beloved. At the same time the calabash tree went to his awo and asked for advice on exactly the same thing: he wanted to locate and marry the woman he had met in his younger days, as he had been in love with her ever since. His awo told him to go to the city of Palm Vine and so he went to her city to find her. Midway between their cities they met, and received all possible good fortune and everlasting love. This love is seen in how palm wine (emu) needs the gourd (akeregbe) to hold it. This story also warns against people who try to separate the two, who are considered foolish and witless in trying to separate what is meant to be together forever.

Agbqn (coconut) was created as a promise of good fortune to a very wealthy couple who wanted children but who had experienced problems conceiving. It was the falling of the coconut that announced the happy news of fertility. The couple went to an awo to see what they could do about the issue and were told to perform sacrifice. One part of the sacrifice was &ga (chameleon), which they were advised to rub over the woman’s pregnant belly for sixteen days in order to ensure the birth of a gifted and healthy child who would receive all good fortune. The pregnancy was an easy one, and she gave birth to a child who they called Oganrara in honour of the chameleon who facilitated his birth.

Oganrara was most unpleasant to look at, his health was fragile, and he only provoked disgust and resentment in people. As he grew up it only became worse. He could not get work, nor make any friends. One day he decided to go to the babalawos and see what was going on. They cast opele for him and told him that he had forgotten to bring his promised good fortune from heaven with him. He made ebo after ebo but with no result. He went from awo to awo to find a solution, until one day he found a conclave of six babalawos who he approached for a solution to his distress. They took out their ikms and divined for him, and asked him about the circumstances of his birth and gestation. He told them what had occurred with his parents, and how no good fortune came his way despite his being rubbed with the chameleon for sixteen days. The conclave of babalawos immediately realized what had gone wrong. They told him that he was a child of Olodumare himself, because the chameleon is the power of God on earth. He was advised not to try so hard, but rather to go home and wish for good fortune to come to him. He was advised to draw up a list of priorities and make his wishes in a realistic fashion. And so he did. Upon returning home he planned his wishes and desires in order of need, the first being to be liked by people. Soon after, he started to experience the goodwill of people, and found good friends. Wish after wish was fulfilled as he stated them, and it didn’t take long before he was surrounded by all the good fortune that he had been promised. The chameleon is important in this story, because he knows how to blend in with society and recognize red as red and black as black. He is not a turncoat; rather he is characterised by his capacity for discernment.

One stanza is interesting in regard to this ability of discernment, as it concerns the influence of ’the elders of the night.’ Oganrara goes to a wide variety of wise ones and he always receives good advice, but somehow he never manages to get the desired results. When he goes to the witches, or ’Elders of the Night,’ we read the following:

O to Oge eye Aye lo

O to Kowee eye Orun lo

Oge eye Aye, ko maa sq je, ko maa sq je

Kowee eye Orun, kq maa sq je ko maa s^ ja

K’aye Obarisa Meji me baa f’oju kan ’raa won

Ebo ni wqn ni ko se

He went to Oge (Egyptian plover, Pluvianus aegyptius), the bird of the world He went to Kowee (Egyptian nightjar, Caprimulgus aegyptius), the bird of heaven

Oge, the bird of the world, should be selective about where he looks for food

Kowee, the bird of heaven, should be careful about who he associates with Lest two birds of Obansa come into contact with each other.

He was advised to perform sacrifice

This verse pinpoints the problem; Oganrara was not selective enough, and was not careful enough about who he associated with. As a child of Owynrin, he had a direct link with these two birds associated with witchcraft, which carried a lesson that he needed to pay particular attention to. An admonition to take care is also given: ’lest two birds of Obarisa come into contact with each other.’

Here we touch upon another deep mystery in this odu, namely how Obatala (Obarisa) is the mediator and owner of the two forces in the world that generate movement, ase and aba. The sum of these is dsd, the term denoting the presence of the sorcerous powers of night, but which also forms part of the mystery which an awo must understand in order to be effective in his divinations. The mystery of mysteries, generically called awo, is supported and understood through respect. It is about respecting one’s parents, elders, ancestors, friends and even one’s foes. In particular, one’s mother needs to be respected, which hints at the importance of the legacy one inherits through her side of the family, and further suggests the presence of very demanding and complicated mothers in one’s life, who must be seen as forces that help to mould our inner wisdom. There is a constant admonition to understand any challenge, to do whatever you can, and to take opportunities when they present themselves. But opportunities should not be taken greedily, but with care and understanding so that they may bring good fortune. It is in this odu that the idea of quality is born. Quality is forged through dedication, attention and care. It follows that this is the sort of slow fire we need to cultivate in order to forge our good fortune with measured attention.

This odu comes with a warning to not take the easy route towards embracing good fortune, as thwarting the current conditions might impede one’s destiny. We must recognise these forces, but care must be exercised, as there is a tendency in this odu to associate with the wrong people and to hold unrealistic expectations.

The two birds clashing is also an allegory of gossip. They must be kept apart. On a practical level this is an admonition to strive towards positive public opinion, meaning that one should not encourage birds to fight. If one avoids this, one will attract the favour of the Elders of the Night, who will defend you against negative public opinion rooted in gossip and prevent unfair trials. But this demands an upright character, as given in the mystery of the ’broken stones that did not bleed.’

Okula la pad mo sojo

A d^fd f’Owo

Omo abarunjarun

Wjn ni o rubo fun omo ro

Nilori iku

Gbogbo omo maraarun ti Owo

Bi naa lo rubo fun

Gbogbo awon omo naa si ye

O ni: omo Ow^ ki ^ l ’oju Owo ku

OmoEso ki l ’oju Eso r&run

Kee pa o

Kee jina

E tele wad ba ni laiku kangiri.

Slone is whal breaks suddenly wilhoul bleeding

This Ifa divinedfor Hand

The child of one who is given five fingers and keeps lhem all

Hand was advised lo sacrifice for her children

Because dealh was lingering

Hand performed lhe sacrifice for her five children

And all lhe children survived

She said: lhe children of Hand will nol die in lhe presence of Hand

The children of Fool will nol die in lhe presence of Fool

Very soon

Nol far from now

Come and you will find us alive

Slrong and heallhy will you find us

This verse speaks about the securing of one’s legacy, of difficult beginnings that give way to miracles and good fortune. It is as if the invitation from the Elders of the Night is a constant temptation in this odu; there is a temptation to thwart bad fortune by taking shortcuts of impermanent good fortune, rather than forging a skeleton of fiery power in the cauldron of life.

This idea is further expressed in the importance of hands and feet, which represent balance and stability, the integration of arbor vitae and cerebellum moved to action. It is by our mind, heart, hands and feet that we are recognized as human beings. Still, there is an ambiguity here: the two triangles that form the symbol of this odu, which speak of a central balance for the actions of the right hand and foot with the left hand and foot, are in this case represented by the mystery of on and okan (heart), which must be in alignment if we are to function in an effective and good fashion. This alignment between ori and okan mirrors the dynamic between Orun and Aye.

This mystery is encoded in the ambiguous plant known as etipqnla (Boerhaavia diffusa) which is, in this odu, both taboo and a teacher plant. Etipqnla possesses the properties of making land and people barren, but at the same time it is a sorcerous plant which possesses the power to attract what one desires, and is said to be especially powerful in attracting males. It also has remarkable medicinal properties: it is antibacterial, and fortifies the immune system. In this way, it represents the fine line between danger and destruction, healing and fortune, that is embedded in this odu.

The idi tree (Terminalia glaucescens), a relative of almond, is also found here. Its leaves ward off death and the negative influences of ajoguns. But we find a certain ambiguity here too, as it is reputed to be a haven for twin, spirits of nature similar to fairies and, to some extent, ghosts. It is antiseptic and generally useful for maintaining the hygiene of the mouth and soft organs. The idi also attracts elephants, the animal of Erinle, which speaks of it being a tree of wisdom. There is an interesting dynamic to be found between these two trees, in terms of how they represent the energy of this odu.

One verse gives us the following proverb: Idakisi ona na re ejo t’eyin, which means, ’the hollow part of the well trod track is where the back of the snake turns crooked.’ This proverb is tied to the story of the horse (eesin) and the ram (agbd) who were called to go to the court of the oqni (king) of Ife. Before departing, they went to their awo and consulted him about what awaited them there. The awo told them that the king had been creating his own misfortune by neglecting tradition; that he had entered into such hubris that he saw no need for venerating ancestors or drisas, in fact he saw himself as being equal or superior to God himself. The awo told them to tell the king that he needed to change his attitude and give sacrifice to Ifa, his on and the ancestors, and change his ways. Horse and Ram set out with some anxiety over what would come from giving the king such a message, but when they came to Ife they saw a city in shambles and a palace in distress. It was then they knew the king would listen to what they had to tell; that it was he himself who had brought this unfortunate condition upon his realm. The king prostrated himself before Horse and Ram and immediately made the necessary sacrifices. He fed Ifa, his on and the ancestors, and he changed his ways that very night, and started to treat his people with respect and generosity. It didn’t take long before the kingdom experienced growth and good fortune.

This story tells of the importance of keeping one’s on balanced and of continuing the legacy of one’s ancestors. The diviners coming to the king of Ife to set things straight are represented by the Horse and the Ram, animals that have a marked relationship to royalty and in particular to Sango. We find here a combination of the spark of spirit, represented by the ram, and the wise consideration of this spark, in the form of the horse. Ram and Horse represent a call to embrace traditional values and to be humble towards those whose shoulders we stand upon, namely the dead, egungun, the sum of ancestry. This story speaks of the importance of lineage, succession and the traditional world view that need to be in place to truly understand the powers that are active in the world.

This odu speaks of the mystery of alignment as the source of balance, of the importance of solid foundations and balanced understanding as what supports the equilibrium of the world. It is the power that supports the magnetic poles of the earth inviting alignment and harmony of heart and mind so we can discern what is good and bad for us and accept the existence of both.

OBARA MEJI

ae fork in the road

Obara meji means both a rope and the state of being in possession of a dual consciousness, ’two-headedness.’ This condition is represented by all animals that belong to this odu having cloven hooves. It also speaks of the delicate balance between the ruler of a kingdom and the population. It is an odu of immense prosperity and wealth, both material and intellectual. We find the umbilical cord and the hangman’s noose here, symbols that bind destiny with both grace and disgrace. One proverb from Obara meji says: ’Disgrace (kasakasa) is the father of success (kesekese),’ meaning that our early failures should teach us wisdom so that we can understand the path to success. The ’devil’ truly resides in the details. It is essential to order our passions and actions with a calm mind to achieve success.

From Obara meji onwards, we find a subtle meta-mathematic, a particular dynamic of reverse reflexes is played out from here until the last odu, Ofun meji. The odus pair up in a mutually reflective way. In the case of Obara meji, its reverse reflex is the following odu, Okanran meji, and the same applies to Okanran meji in relation to Obara meji. This means that Okanran meji holds the remedy to what might be problematic in Obara meji and vice versa. The next four pairs of odu meji have a similar relationship; it is in Obara meji that we find the keys and clues to this relationship between the remaining odus in the many proverbs relating how one needs the other, and how we cannot accomplish our destiny in solitude. We must embrace other travellers on our journey, and this journey comes with the potential for disgrace as much as for success. The importance of interdependency for achieving success is emphasized in the following stanza:

Otunwesin, Osinwetun niowqse nmo

Li o difct fun Ondero

Nigbati igi Awun mbowa we on re

Won ni: on re a d’on rere

Nitorinaa ki o ru

Agutan eyele ati iyun

O g/bi o ru

W&n niki o so iyun na mi[ kanrinkan

To oun yo maa la fun wiwe ara re

’The right hand that washes the left,’ ’the left hand that washes the right’ These are the riches of increase that make the hands clean These were the awos who made divination for the Awun tree On the day Awun was going to wash Ondero’s head

They said he wouldfind prosperity

They said he should offer

A sheep, a pigeon and beads made from coral

He did as he was advised

They told him to tie the beads to the sponge

He had set aside to clean himself with

This verse speaks of ondero, a bird that prefers to stay on the ground despite being able to fly. It abandons its eggs to be hatched by the sun or volcanic heat. The young birds fly immediately after hatching, and are left to defend themselves against snakes and predators as best they can. This bird symbolizes the individual stepping into the world. It is a symbol of one hand helping the other, as air and earth help this bird to find itself, support it and challenge it. The verse speaks of a perfect order and balance, and the serenity and wisdom necessary for discernment.

The sacrifice consists of a sheep, a pigeon and coral beads. In Ifa doctrine, the sheep represents our connection with ancestry and is usually given when we seek to ward off death. The pigeon represents the power of loyalty, long life and creativity, whilst the coral beads represent royal achievements and glory. The awun tree was told to use these to clean the consciousness (or head) of a bird who lives simultaneously in two habitats, earth and air. Awun is an ambiguous spirit, being considered both a ’devil tree’ and a ’god tree.’ He represents someone who already possessed a double or divided consciousness, and so was ideally positioned to solve a similar issue for another. Awun is an impressive tree that can grow as tall as 60 metres and possesses great medicinal properties. The bark can be used to make a tincture that expels the afterbirth, but its most impressive property is as an antidote to poisoning by snake, scorpion and rat. By extension it can be used as a treatment for most microbial venereal infections and also malaria. It has recently been discovered that it contains large amounts of anti-HIV antibodies.

In Obara, the royal palm (Ceiba sp.) came to Aye with his sisters, Frog and Coconut Palm. Like the royal palm, both Frog and Coconut Palm made sacrifice in order to be fertile and prosperous.

Obara meji brought prosperity to the world, but people’s envy, jealousy and bad manners surfaced with it, because it challenged poverty, teaching that no one was destined to be poor in means, spirit or in resources. Each of us can pursue a road to wealth by understanding our qualities. Obara gave the world the fire that enables us to set goals and pursue them, which for many is a provocation, as people tend to choose suffering in preference to pursuing unpredictable possibilities. Obara meji, more than any other odu, admonishes us to make our lives better, so we can make other people’s lives better. Shared prosperity will accumulate just as much as shared suffering.

Iyere, who is born in this odu, is one of the enchanted children of Orunmila activated through the recital of the divinatory chant known as iyere. These enchantments are odu Ifa poetry sung in a specific metre sacred to Ifa, which enables specific ase to be activated. Iyere is similar to ofe and dgede, which are rhythmic chants following specific tonal structures with the purpose of activating ase, often with dramatic and instantaneous effects. Ofo is used to activate plant genii, medicine and can be used as a vehicle for enabling all forms of possession. We might loosely refer to these tonal poetic songs as invocation. As such the function is different to that which we find with onki

(praise chants) and adura (prayers), which are used in homage and supplication to spirit.

This odu speaks much about Olefin, commonly understood to be an epithet of Olodumare, like eladaa (the force that creates/generates) and drisa (the consciousness of all parts). This subject is quite complex, and it is important to gain an understanding of it when we seek to comprehend the mysterious energy of Obara meji. Olefin is commonly considered to be associated with the sun and to represent the concept of divine law, and, through this, it is intimately related to Oduduwa as well. Some traditions see Olefin as a form of Oduduwa. In the force needed to generate creation, and the shards of consciousness needed to generate an intelligible and ensouled creation, we find the principle of divine law. The idea of divine law in Ifa is similar to that which we find in the concepts of dharma and rta, the forces that uphold cosmic order. Indeed, the following passage from Rigveda speaks of this: ’O Indra, lead us on the path of Rta, on the right path over all evils.’

Indra has similar traits to those of Sango, who came to power in this odu. Indra was a leader of gods/devas, and he possessed the powers of the thunder. He rode on a white elephant and was the brother of Agni, the fire. As Vajrapani, Indra was appointed to be the one who should guard the dharma, in spite of his tendencies towards womanizing and drunken and aggressive behaviour. In this image, we recognise Sango, a prominent military leader who enforces justice by the use of thunder and fire. Sango is always called to stand close to Obatala, whose animal is the elephant, so that his military and royal power can be ruled by a wise and tempered consciousness, rather than the fiery ways to which he is more prone. Obara conferred immense amounts of power and knowledge upon Sango. However, it is the odu which enforces divine law, as we see in one of the praise names of Esu associated with it -Esu Olefin apeka luu - translated as ’ Esu is the one who enforces the law.’ This means that deviations from the cosmic laws established by Olefin provoke a confrontation with Esu, as he is the spirit set to enforce and guard the cosmic possibilities and ensure that their unfolding is in conformity with what the cosmic law permits.

Ifa is adamant about the rich possibilities within the cosmic order and encodes them in the 256 odus, representing the cosmic matrix and helix. When we speak of cosmic law and concepts such as dharma, we need to recognize that Ifa is preoccupied with living our life so that we can experience ultimate fulfilment and happiness. It follows that we are born with a given constitution that leads to some courses of action bringing fortune to us, and others misfortune. We are reminded to act in conformity with this constitution and not to defy it. Doing this, we notice that when we make our destiny and walk the world with measured and gentle steps, our good fortune will tend to spill over and bless others as a consequence. Hence Ifa tells us that Obara’s name in heaven, which represents a perfection of this energy, is ’He who sits quiet and does not commit offence.’ Obara came to the world to show us that material wealth depends upon the efforts of the person in question. He came as a force to fight poverty by making us realize that worth does not lie in the material world, but in the effort and thought behind it. This action of Obara stirred up the resistance of Iku (Death), who plotted to kill whoever was bringing prosperity to the world. He was not aware of Obara’s identity but, knowing that whoever had angered him was a skilled awo, he arranged for a trial of the most prominent diviners in heaven, in which death would come to whoever failed the test. He sent out a message to the awos, one after another, concerning a horrible illness which had affected him and which no one seemed able to cure, and he invited them to heal him within seven days. But there was nothing wrong with Iku, he had deceptively dressed up in the clothes of his wife Arun, the spirit of illness. He gave the awos kola nuts and wine, which were in reality eggs and sheep’s urine, as part of the trial. Those who failed to recognize the true identity of these substances had violated taboo, and were consequently sent to Iku’s prison: it wasn’t too long before he had a fine gathering of diviners there.

When the invitation came to Obara, he immediately went to his diviner for advice. His diviner said that he should offer a goat to his on and another goat to Esu and give each of these drisas a ladder. He was told to wear his ide, an enchanted necklace. Obara did as instructed and went to Iku’s palace, where he found the king of Death on his throne, reeking and in a horrible state. Iku invited him to have some wine and kola nuts. Obara sang an enchantment over them to affirm that they were really what they seemed. As he did so, the putrid smell of urine rose from the calabash, and the kola nuts turned into eggs. Obara became upset and told Iku that he would not put up with this sorry excuse for hospitality. Iku apologized for the incident and pleaded with him to stay, as he was truly in need of his healing. Iku brought true wine and good kola nuts to him and served him generous portions of food. As Obara was sitting there eating and drinking, Esu came to him. Obara shared his food with Esu, who told him to continue with the healing of Iku, and to agree to whatever terms Iku might offer. Obara did as advised, and embarked upon his seven day attempt to cure Iku. Obara made many medicines, magical soaps and charms for Iku, but Iku didn’t take any of them, and appeared to become worse each day. Esu had however climbed to Iku’s bedroom with a ladder, from which he could see that he removed the dress of illness every night, and was in fact remarkably healthy. On the sixth day, Obara became upset, as Iku was looking even more sick than ever, but that night Esu came to Obara, and told him that he should climb the ladder which he had placed outside Iku’s bedroom. Obara did so, and saw that Iku was healthy and possessed of great vigour. Obara became furious, but Esu told him to take the clay gourd from the side of Iku’s bed, because it contained the vestment of his illness. Obara did this and went to sleep, so that he could be well rested before the fatal seventh day. Iku woke the next morning and reached out for his garment of illness, but could not find it. He looked everywhere in desperation, but had to conclude that someone had stolen it. Meanwhile a great crowd of people had gatherered in his palace awaiting the result of Obara’s medicines, but Iku was reluctant to show himself. It was only when Obara went to his bedroom and threatened to bring him out that he emerged and took to his throne. He was very, very healthy, and acknowledged Obara to be the conqueror of his illness and rewarded him with great amounts of precious stones and jewellery, kola nuts and many other things. On his way back home, Obara encountered Esu yet again and shared his newfound wealth abundantly with him, and gave him another goat in gratitude for helping him with this most delicate situation.

Another story telling of the presence of death, dread and terror concerns the hoopoe (agbigbdmw&nran), who was famous for bringing loss and disaster to households. Hoopoe would take his coffin and place it in front of the door of the house he sought to destroy. Calamity would affect the household, and the death of the owner of the house would follow. After ruining several households, he felt that it was time to target Orunmila, but before setting off with his coffin he decided to make a divination. The awo told him that he should abandon his plans, because his wicked desires would undoubtedly rebound on him as a curse. The awo told him that he needed to make ebo to Esu with a he-goat and money to avoid disaster befalling him. Hoopoe ignored the advice and decided instead to plan his attack on Orunmila more carefully.

Whilst Hoopoe was contemplating the best moment to bring his coffin to his victim’s door, Orunmila was visited by bad dreams of death and agitation, and when he awoke he rushed to his awo for a divination. It so happened that his awo was the same one that Hoopoe had been consulting. The awo could tell that the dreams were true, that his life was in danger and the stability of his household threatened. The awo gave him a description of his enemy, without revealing his identity, and told him to make ebo with a goat and some money. He advised him to be careful of people who protended to be his friends. Orunmila made the sacrifice, and in the night he had the same dreams. He awoke, and knew that something wicked was on its way to his door, so he sat down in his gateway awaiting the destroyer. Sure enough, in the darkest hours of the night, Hoopoe flew to Orunmila’s house, and landed in front of him. Hoopoe told Orunmila that he had brought him a gift, and asked his permission to set down the coffin. Orunmila denied him permission with powerful words and incantations. But Hoopoe insisted that he should have it anyway, so he tried with force to lift the coffin off his head, but was not able to do so. The coffin had become stuck there, and his wicked adventures came to an end, along with his reputation. This is one of many stories speaking of the importance of dream and it was in Obara meji that dreams came into the world, as did clairvoyance and second sight.

Obara is the odu in which the atmosphere was created. The atmosphere is known as oyi oju-aye, a dense substance composed of gasses that generates vertigo which is understood to be enclosed by a membrane that serves as a covering and container; the igba, if you will, of the unfolding of the spirit of earth. Atmosphere is the vehicle that enables powers, spirits and prayers to move around, hence ’vertigo’ is here synonymous with spiritual atmospheric activity. The ajoguns are among the powers associated with this. In the following story these hostile forces are tied to the faculty of dreaming

Ifa tells of a time when three ajoguns were wrecking havoc in all Yoruba cities and inflicting them with illness, loss, despair and many other negative conditions. These ajoguns were sent in the form of a he-goat, snake and a pigeon by the king of witches in Orun. Their prime target was Obara, but first they made a trail of terror in order to reach him. When they were about to reach his city, Obara experienced dreams warning him of death and danger. He made a divination, and Ifa told him to make a sacrifice of a rooster, a rabbit and mashed yam and to give a he-goat to Esu. Obara did as instructed, and when he had prepared the sacrifice and gone to leave it in the designated places, Esu went to the ajoguns and told them that Obara was outside, and that this was their chance to get him. As the three spirits made ready to confront Obara, Esu went to him, as he was in the process of offering up prayers over the sacrifices at a junction in the road, and told him that he should get going because evil was on the way. Obara immediately got up and went to his house. Soon after, the three spirits came to the junction and met Esu there, who told them that Obara had run away like a coward before he had offered up the sacrifice to the irunmoles and invited them to eat. The three ajoguns accepted the invitation, unaware that what they were eating was taboo, and thus they were slowly poisoned. When they had finished eating, they asked Esu where the house of Obara was and Esu pointed them in the direction. They went on their way, full of determination, but became more and more ill until they fell dead in front of Obara’s house. When he saw this, he sent a message to all the kings in Yorubaland that the threat was over, and he was rewarded handsomely in return by all sixteen kings.

This is a key story in Obara, because it ties in the main factors which made Sango become an example of how the powers of Obara can influence a person for good or ill. It so happened that Obara was very gifted: he could predict events, and because of this he managed to take advantage of situations and became a much respected man. But he had one weakness, alcohol. When he drank, the spirit of boastful self glorification entered him and he revealed his friends’ secrets to anyone who would listen. A sure way to popularity and also to disgrace. This odu reminds us over and over again of how important it is that someone destined to become a king should always placate his or her ori and stay away from confusion and trouble. As the proverb says: ’The fly that keeps itself high up in the air will not be caught by traps on the ground.’ Obara, being so full of wealth and movement, can easily lead to confusion, and the proverb given above is usually followed by another that says: ’A fly who knows no greed will never die in a calabash of wine.’

Obara is closely associated with Egungun and Egbe, and because of this the banana palm is important in this odu. The banana palm is a symbol of long life, a tree ascribed with the knowledge of the visible and invisible realm and of how human beings move from one realm to the other. Popoola recounts the following odu (2008: 446) about applying wisdom in one’s pursuits:

Ise l ’omi aro ni pHpon

Iya l Egi iu lil^

Kd l ’&gi l ’&gi

Kd re nu igbe bi[ fe we Kd fi 'gba bonu bi asegi Obi l 'omo eeydn n ta Da fun Osmf'iinunlaym TH s ’ey a Agbonmregun Ti dun ati Orunmila nsawo re bi ajo to jin gbooro bi ojo

Eboni wipn ni ki wipn se

Tribulatiom accoumts for fetchimg blue-dye water

Amd sufferimg accoumts for grimdimg soaked corm

After grinding the soaked corn without end For one to go to the forest to fetch leaves And then break into a howl like a wood-cutter Kola nuts are what responsible people sell This Ifd divinedfor dsunfununlay& The wife of Orunmila

When she and Orunmila were going to travel

in order to gain prosperity from Ifd

In a faraway place, far away as the end of a day

They were advised to perform sacrifice

Obara introduces the restless desire to acrue wealth and fame in the world, but this urge is accompanied by the need for patience. This theme is encountered in a story which tells how Obara was respected as a diviner in the court of Olefin, although this never took the form of any significant financial reward. Obara did what he was asked by the king, no matter how meagre the reward, in the knowledge that he was destined to be wealthy. He was sure that doing the right thing would eventually reap its rewards. His wife, however, was not happy with the situation, and constantly harassed him over the modest condition of their lives and their lack of progress. Obara tried to reason with her, but her impatience just became more feverish. In spite of the erratic restlessness in his home, he diligently studied Ifa, and went every fourth day to the court of Olefin to perform divinations for him. One day, Olefin decided to give Obara a reward. He presented him with four giant pumpkins and a trolley to carry them on. The pumpkins were enormous and insanely heavy, and they were not what Obara wanted. Yet in spite of this, they were a gift from his king and food for his household. He came home late that day because of his heavy load, and found his wife standing in the doorway of their simple abode, cursing him from afar. Obara entered his house gently with the four giant pumpkins and made a happy face, saying, ’Look, what an abundance of food we received today,’ but his wife was not interested in the pumpkins, and started to berate him with an intensity he had never experienced before. He tried to reason with her, but it was of no use. At last she calmed down, and in the state of peace and tranquillity, which was perhaps mere exhaustion after harassing him for hours, he asked her if she could go to the kitchen to prepare one of the pumpkins so that they could eat. She flew into a rage at this, and told him that she would not prepare any of those pumpkins and that he could go to the kitchen to make food himself if he wanted to eat that useless gift. Discouraged and hungry, Obara went to the kitchen and took one of the pumpkins and cut it open, and from it there came a flow of jewellery, money and costly things. Astonished, he took the second pumpkin and cut that open, and the same thing happened. It turned out that Olpfin had filled up all four of the giant pumpkins with all the valuables and money he could fit into them. This made Obara a rich man, in both wisdom and wealth.

It follows that the pumpkin is particularly sacred to Obara; it represents peace, patience, comfort and progress. This story is about giving value to everything. It carries a message about blessings, and how they can come from things that we find insignificant, and do not give much value to. As such, it is a call to be appreciative of everything, because fortune moves in mysterious ways. In a commentary on this story, Popoola (2008) speaks about the attitude of Obara contained in the idea of adibd, which we can translate as ’covering one’s strength,’ or possessing a power that is not necessarily used. In spite of the torments Obara’s wife subjected him to, he never became aggravated with her. He tried to reason with her, but he never used force to bring an end to her complaining, cursing and accusations. Adibd references the Yoruba proverb: ’A house without a wife is not a home.’ Adibd is a word of restraint and patience, of holding back passion in favour of acceptance of one’s condition, not allowing it to colour you black with grief or red with anger but rather white with understanding. Obara tells us that for the wise one, no wife is problematic, it inspires one to understand the outcome of the friction between a calm male and an agitated female, and how this can lead to failure or success. Obara represents the idea of choice that is balanced between self doubt that masks itself as arrogance and self certainty that needs no mask.

In some versions of this story, the wife of Obara realizes her irrational ways, and in others she leaves him in shame, whereupon he takes a new wife who supports him in his ebbing and flowing, but constantly comfortable, situation. These variations need to be interpreted symbolically, because in relation to ’home’ and ’wealth’ we also find the spirit of eriwo, which is literally the filth that generates blockages and is expelled by the body. Our clinging to the filth of error, our desire to hold onto our failures, our urge to make our trespasses a part of our personality, all form part of this concept. For the Yoruba people, this term is a vernacular way of speaking about the assumption that the result of a bad action has not been caused by your personality, but rather by a situation that plays itself out. Your involvement in the failure is related to an inability to recognize the filth you have expelled from your life as somehow being related to you.

Eriwo is explained as residing in a hunger or thirst: a thirst and hunger for being more than you are, an appetite which makes everything dry, like the dead skin cells that your body constantly sheds. We are in a state of constant renewal, and need to accept our mistakes in order to avoid greed. We should expel what does not pertain to our own person and path and acquire a more precise focus. We need to give up the ’dross’ even if it has value, because what is worthless for you might be your friend’s road to success and vice versa. This is why Orunmila is the spirit that possesses the concept of eriwo. It is as much about one man’s poison being another man’s remedy, as it is about acknowledging that my road to fulfilment is not yours, even if our tracks might occasionally cross.

The Western world assumes, if not demands, that if you are rich in the realm of matter, you should be poor in the domain of spirit. Obara says that you can have both, but in a way that is appropriate for you. It reminds us that if one person speaks well of you, you may be sure that there will be two others who mutter envious curses. People do not like to see others outshining them, and it is in this realization that we make a knot in our own web of fortune and misfortune, each according to their cunning, as masters and mistresses of our fate.

Obara speaks of the community’ s responsibility to set an example for the next generation. A Yoruba proverb tells: ’It is when the irokd tree is young that we should prune its branches,’ a reference to being diligent in the education of the coming generation. This is only worthwhile if the educators are conscientious in the example which they present.

Obara is concerned with politics, and is the odu that incarnated Sango as a chief. In the records of the historical Sango, the alaafin of Oyo state, we find a great general with brilliant tactics, a man given to fascination with sorcery, and possessed of great appetites for women, food and beauty. Here is the immense prosperity which Obara brought to the world. With the success of Sango came hubris. The force that gives birth to a Julius Caesar can also produce paranoid and despotic tyrants, such as Idi Amin. In the case of Sango, one of his last noted feats was the execution of one of his many wives who he, as judge and jury, found guilty of infidelity. The verdict was also executed by him alone, a demonstration of ruthless power and total solipsism. He took the convicted wife to the centre of the market, tore out her heart with his bare hands and consumed it. Shortly afterwards, he was himself judged by his Ogbqnis and lyamis and was commanded to commit suicide. Sango fled into exile, and only Oya followed him to the gallows from which he returned to Orun. His ritual suicide, which is the way to remove a bad king in Yoruba society, took place in the odu Okanran, which follows Obara, but all the choices leading to his end were generated in this odu. Prior to his demise, we find that Sango, through hard words and even harsher judgments, ensured his father’s suicide and his mother’s near suicide, when he wrongly accused her of being a slut, which she turned into a ’curse of the mothers’ upon him. This odu generates greatness, and greatness requires a calm and contemplative consciousness. Hence, one Yoruba proverb states that Sango without Obatala begets tyranny.

This idea is also found in the earth sign of Obara, which begins with the influence of Eji Ogbe in the first single lines, which calls upon accumulation in the three lines that follow.

Obara holds the power which enables us to use everything at hand to our advantage, and as a means of generating wealth. It comes with the accompaniment of backbiting, slander and enmity, and holds out a constant invitation to participate in this negative energy, which leads one to lose prosperity for the sake of arrogance and rash choices. Obara counsels thinking before taking action: Sango needs Obatala as Obara needs Eji Ogbe. In this we find the formula for ideal political power in Ifa and Yoruba society. It is necessary to possess the power to spread abundance and prosperity, but to balance this with an acceptance of all things. This calls upon generosity, and a recognition that a community is more than one person. A balance must be found between one’s personal needs and the good of the community. This larger perspective finds its microcosmic reflex in the individual balancing his or her own needs and the desire to be loved by the world.

OKANRAN MEJI

ae crossroad the heart gave

Okanran meji is often conceived of as a dark odu because it was here that Sango committed suicide and that Osip-si accidentally killed his mother. Okanran means ’what flows from the heart.’ It can be interpreted as a combination of dkan and oran, meaning ’difficulties and problems are bound to happen.’ Okanran is a reflex of Obara, just as Obara is a reflex of Okanran. These two odus have a strong symbiotic relationship, in which Okanran is both the explanation of Obara and the sum of the wisdom which it brings us.

As we recall, Obara is a very active energy, the force of the impaired head that invites confusion. This state is reflected in the proverb which says: ’We have consulted Okanran meji, so I am getting up from where they are speaking badly about a friend and I am going to sit in a better place.’ Okanran is concerned with how to avoid wickedness. This odu teaches us how to avoid wickedness and how to reap the blessings of wealth and authority in Obara.

We always exert attraction in relation to where we are on our path. Bad people will find bad people and good people will find good people, but sometimes it is not easy to distinguish a friend from a foe, and we might find ourselves entertaining friendships with the hyenas of the world. Even as we grow wise in knowledge we can make such errors, and sometimes we are loved because those who love us do so from selfish love. As we see gatherings of wicked people who seem to accumulate followers, we can grow frustrated in anticipation of the disaster and cruelty being prepared for us. But wickedness only sprouts wickedness and before too long it will collapse upon itself like a dead star.

The wicked tend to raise flags because, driven by the spirit of gluttony, they seek to dominate through associations, councils and various confederations. They come with pure faces, playing upon people’ s desire to make the world better, which is the bait they use to invite good people into their company. Goodness calls out as well, but rarely do we see it putting out flags. Goodness speaks softly. Goodness never insists upon changing the world before we have changed ourselves. Where the wicked seek to establish societies, they also seek to conceal their wickedness in the skin and lustre of what they are not. The sweet talk, the favours with a price, and the constant talk of needing to defend ourselves against evil, to become a closed group in order to guard our interests; these are steps on the road of intimacy that should be trod with care. Goodness does not need protection. No council is needed to ensure that goodness is done. It is like the sun, that sees no wickedness where it blazes and shines in its fiery purity.

Okanran is broadly about discernment, it is deeply related to the heart and emotions, but more than anything it explains the mysteries of any dyadic relationship or polarity. This is why a metaphor for Okanran is a pair of magnets, in opposition or conjoined, or two pieces of iron joined together, a token of a strong bond being the best defence against enemies and negative forces. This odu tells us how sadness can help us master difficulties. It is here that remedies for a barren womb are sought.

The araba tree (Ceiba penantra) is an aphrodisiac having major associations with spiritual forces such as twin and egbe; it signals the meeting point between two worlds or forces. Araba was subject to the envy of the other trees. He was a melancholy spirit who did not have belief in his own greatness. He came across as arrogant, and so the other trees wanted him eliminated. But Esu saved him and the conspirators against him were chopped down. Most trees arrived on earth in this odu. Many of them refused to make ebo, but this was not the case with Araba. He made ebo before coming to earth, but his enemy Iroko did not, because he felt omnipotent and strong, and was sure that his intimidating presence would protect him from any danger. When they arrived on earth, Araba was rewarded with prestige, but Iroko on the other hand was turned into timber. It so happened that Iroko’s hubris and refusal to make the necessary sacrifice caused Esu to decide to end his fierce reputation. He went to several cities close to where Iroko was living and told people that this strong and beautiful tree was not dangerous, but that it was excellent material from which to make doors and woodwork. At first people were reluctant, but when Esu took up the axe and led them out to show them just how little they had to fear, they followed him to Iroko. His majesty was truly intimidating, but as Esu struck Iroko with the axe the people realized that he was only a tree after all, and they took up their axes and turned him into timber and artworks.

Okanran speaks of the presence of enemies and traitors, and warns us of the negative effects of taking punitive actions. One has more to gain in complicated situations by limiting oneself to threats and intimidation in order to mark boundaries. There are two stories of interest in this regard. One speaks of how Sango and Agbo (Ram) decided to take up farming together to make their fortune with yams, bananas and tubers. Ram was quite well off, but Sango was not in a good financial situation, so Ram decided to enter into this partnership more to help his friend than himself. When they found a promising spot, they went to an awo to ask if the land was good for planting. The awo told them it was excellent, and so they embarked on their venture together. The land was bountiful and before long, large amounts of fruits and vegetables were ready to be harvested. They were both full of joy at these great results, but when they came to make the harvest, they found to their dismay that somebody had already been there in the night and stolen more than half of their crops. They went to the diviner to see if they could find out who the thief was, and the awo said that it was someone very close to them, and told them to make a sacrifice to Esu at the farm. When they were about to leave, the awo took hold of Ram and instructed him to watch the ebo throughout the night. They made the prescribed sacrifice to Esu, and stayed watching the crops as night fell, when both got hungry and decided to end the vigil and go home to eat. And so they parted in the night and agreed to meet the next morning. But once he had eaten, Ram decided to go back and complete the vigil. He returned to the farm and what he saw overcame him with a great sadness; for there he found Sango and a bunch of bandits taking away the entire plantation. Ram became infuriated, and ran screaming at Sango challenging him to fight. They fought until daybreak, when Sango decided to run away from this shameful situation. But the rumours of his disgraceful acts ran faster than his legs and from village to village he was confronted by people asking why he had treated his best friend in such a disgraceful way. The charges and gossip did not end until Sango decided to end his journey and return to Orun.

It is in this odu that Abiafin descended into the world from Orun, and became known as Sango. Abiafin was born into the royal family of Oyo, and in his naming ceremony (ikosedaye) it became evident that he was very close to the irunmole Sango, both in fate and personality. Ikosedaye means to ’place one’s feet on the earth,’ and consists of a reading for a child’s destiny in which its name is discovered. The name given reflects the fate and aspiration of the person.

As Abiafin grew up, he demonstrated such excellence in leadership, and so many similarities to the irunmole after whom he had been named, that people ceased to be aware of any difference between the king who became drisa and Sango himself. It should be mentioned that the success of Abiafin was due to his friendship with Obatala and the importance he gave to always keeping his on calm. But there are other spiritual forces that must be discussed in relation to Sango in this odu, as they will more clearly illustrate the dynamic between irunmole, drisa, eniyan, and egun.

Jakuta (the stone thrower) and Qramfcr (saviour of Ife) represent wrathful and protective aspects of Sango directed towards the annihilation of enemies. Although these powers are sometimes seen to be the same as Sango, they are not. Jakuta and Qramf® are irunmole, and are the primordial powers that resonated with the spirit and vibration of Sango and caused him to become a divinity. As such Sango, the fourth Alaafin of Qyo, was elevated as an drisa in the likeness of the celestial power known as Sango upon his death.

In this we see the traditional Yoruba idea of what an drisa is. An drisa can be a shard of a greater consciousness in itself, but drisa is also a state reached by living a remarkable life in harmony with the celestial forces. It follows that in order for a spirit engaged in its human journey to become drisa, he or she must live life in a conscious and active way, in harmony with celestial ideas and vibrations, so that death brings the moment of transfiguration. This means that drisa is a spiritual force, established by death. It is from the bones (egun) of one’s experiences that one rises into recognition as drisa. This is a metaphysical dynamic that involves a spiritual afflatus, the human condition, death and rebirth. Rebirth can involve a return to earth where the journey is taken yet again, or it can be a reincarnation in the form of drisa. It is necessary to attain the condition of egun in order to become drisa, but not all eguns actually become drisa.

Esu, Lord of the Crossroads, is active here as the divine linguist. Thus, language is born here as a vehicle of communication, prayers, curses, blessings and confusion. The following verse addresses several of these themes:

BceIceIiq d pe ni

Asefin d ye ni:

Oran ti d sunw&n

Konko nsoju

A did f’ Eji Okanran

Ti nrele Itile

ITT' r 1 7^ y A\1 \ \ r

Won ni ki Eji Okanran o rubo

Nipa nkan baba re kan

Ti wOn f(E(E gba lpwpo re

O ru u

Igba O rubo tdn

O si m isagun

O m bae gaga ni awon dun wf

Balabo d pe ni

Asefin d ye ni

Oran ti d sunw^n

Konko nsoju

A ir r Pr A\l x x

A dia fun Eji Okanran

Ti nrele Itile

E saa je o mqo rin

E je o mqo yan

Eji Okanran donile

E ja o mqo rin

E ja o mqo yan

If there is someone the host does not invite to his festive gathering

It is not his right to go there anyway

When a man does shameful things

He shows a hard and shameless face

This Ifa divinedfor Eji Okanran

When he was going to the city of Itele

It was said that Eji Okanran should make sacrifice

So that certain belongings of his father

Would not be taken by thieves

He made the sacrifice

And after making the necessary sacrifice

He became victorious against his enemies

He said it was exactly as the priests of Ifa had predicted

If there is someone the host does not invite to his festive gathering

It is not his right to go there anyway

When a man does shameful things

He shows a hard and shameless face

This Ifa divinedfor Eji Okanran

When he was going to the city of Itele

Leave him alone so he can walk calmly in peace

Leave him so he can move freely and with dignity

Eji Okanran became an owner of his city

Leave him alone so he can walk calmly in peace Leave him to walk freely and with dignity

This verse has an alternative rendering, found in a story about a struggling awo with a good heart. In the alternative we learn that awo Okanran had divined for a person and prescribed the necessary sacrifice and set a time for him to come and make the ebo, but the client didn’t show up. Instead of accepting the client’s decision, he went to his house to confront him. It caused embarassment to the client, and damaged the awo’s reputation. Clearly this has an admonition not to charge people with their shortcomings. It also speaks of the finer nuances of personal interaction, both on a professional and social level. Not only this, but such behaviour also calls upon the attention of the Elders of the Night (the lya Mis) and Esu’s negative vibration in a way that can often block our good fortune.

This is illustrated by another story that speaks of Akuko d^e Otangalanja, which means ’The big and solid rooster.’ He was a very talented awo, but he was also very young, in his early 20s. In spite of his youth, his reputation was already quite legendary, and he always experienced success, which brought him even greater popularity. He grew so confident about his great talent that he decided to challenge the diviners of the king to a competition of knowledge and skill. His main objective was to force the elder babalawos to let the younger ones take on prominent positions amongst the royal diviners, because some of them, like himself, were clearly more skilled and talented than many of those holding important positions at court.

Before he set out on his mission, he went to his awo and asked for advice. His awo told him that he should approach this mission with humility and respect lest he would be disgraced. He was asked to make a sacrifice, not that he needed to humble himself for anyone when he knew better and was more skilled. His awo told him to think better on this and blessed him. Akuko d^e Otangalanja grew offended with the elderly babalawo, and swore never to set foot in his house again. Nevertheless, he had someone deliver the materials for sacrifice along with some money for him on the following day. A few days later he went to the king’s court, convinced that his greatness would be recognized. Once there, he lost no time in showing off his great skills, and he took control of every aspect of the diviners’ work, in a patronizing way, to call attention to his own excellence. The diviners at the king’s court let him act out his great hubris until he was satisfied with his display of knowledge and skill. As he was about to take his leave, confident that he would soon be called to be the chief diviner, some of the awos at the court gathered together and cursed him (though some accounts tell that they blessed him). Akuko d^e Otangalanja went home, but already on the road things started to go badly for him. Rain damaged most of the goods he had been given by the king, and at home his work as a diviner started to fall apart. Nothing he did led to the desired results and clients were leaving him, along with his good reputation. Seeing the negative turn his life had taken, he went back to his awo, whom he had sworn never to return to, and asked in a spirit of humility how his situation could be rectified. His awo told him that he should change his attitude and demanded that he give up his beautiful tail feathers to be used as a part of the sacrifice. He did so. His awo called upon Obara Meji, and from that moment on, his disgrace was turned to recognition and he regained his reputation.

This story demonstrates the theme of not going where you are not invited, as well as the deep relationship that exists between this odu and Obara. In this case Obara is the lucky charm of Okanran. We can understand this relationship as being represented by the left and right eye, and the manner in which these are connected to second sight. The right eye sees only wealth and possibility, while the left sees only gloom and negativity. Second sight is the power of discernment, which arises from intuition that pulsates through the heart. It is only with the eye of the heart that we truly ’see’ the world. When a human being does not have this capacity, the world is perceived in terms of black and white, good or evil. Second sight and intuition invite the shades and nuances necessary for understanding that everything is as it is supposed to be, because we are, after all, the authors of our own fortune and misfortune. The concept of the dyad and of polarity is further explored in the relationship between Sango and Oya, as exemplified in the following verse:

Okanran kan nih'iin

Okanran kan l^huun

Okanran di meji, a dire:

A dia fun Sango, Oludrojd

’Bambi, omo Arigboola sagun

Nigba li nloo gbo Oya myawo

W?[n ni ki Sango o se suuru o

W[n ni obinrin ti o nloo fa:

Ni kadara ju dun gaan akara lo

Sango ni dun d nii rubo

O ni boo ni kadara obinrin dun

O se ju ti din lo

Bi Sango ba ti ju edun si ibi kan

Gbogbo araye a si figbee re bonu

Siigbiyn bi Oya, obinrin re

Ba pa eeyan Meji li[ji[ kan soso

Eni kan kd nii gbo

Bi o wu u

A fe lu igana

A wo pa eeyan mi[lo

Bo wu u

A wo pa eeyan lo beere

Sugbyn bi Sango ba pa eyoeni kan soso

Gbogbo araye ni o gb&[

O ni bae gaga ni awon awo dun

Nsenu reree pefa

Okanran kan nih'iin

Okanran kan lohuun

Okanran di Meji, a dire

A dia fun Sango, Oludrojd

’Bambi, omo Arigboola sagun

Nigba ti nloo gbo Oya myawo

Aya rord joko lo d

Aya rord joko lo

Oya lo rord ju Sango

Aya rord joko lo

’When we see one Okanran on the road

and we see another Okanran on the same road

The sign is Okanran Meji which means good luck.’

Was the awo who consulted Ifa for Sango also called Oludrojd (’The king who doesn’t see the rain’).

(Olu) Bambi (’Mighty one who aids before the child is coming’), the source of those who use two hundred thunderstones to overcome their enemies.

When he was going to take Oya for his wife

Sango was told to be careful

Because the wife whom he was going to marry

Would be more successful than him

But Sango refused to make sacrifice

He was curious about how his own wife

Could be more successful than him.

If Sango threw thunderstones at some place

Everybody started screaming his name

But if Oya, his wife

Killed two people on the same day,

No one would know about the incident

Unless she wanted it to be known

She would blow a strong wind against a wall

And the wall would fall on people and kill them

If she wanted to fell trees upon people and

In this way kill them.

But if Sango kills one person

Everyone will hear of the incident

He said it all came to pass exactly as the priest of Ifa had said

They were using their voices to praise Ifa:

When we see Okanran on the right,

And we see another Okanran on the left

The sign is Okanran Meji, which is a sign of good luck

Was the Awo who consulted Ifa for Sango, also called Oludrojd

Bambi, the source of those who use two hundred thunderstones

To destroy their enemies

When he was going to take Oya for his wife

The wife is more dangerous than her husband.

the wife is more dangerous than her husband.

Oya is more dangerous than Sango

The wife is more dangerous than her husband.

It is important to observe the balance between partners in a relationship. The reason why Oya is hailed as stronger than Sango is not only because of her more subtle methods, but because she is related to the im^le known as Ayelala, the sum of the ancestral mothers who manifested the tornado. Because of this, Okanran is particularly concerned with respect for woman and insists upon her importance in a healthy marriage or partnership. This includes the need to be careful and selective over who one chooses as a companion in general.

Okanran is an energy tied in with twin births, the sensual and the erotic. We see this in how omu (the female breast) came to earth, not with the sole purpose of feeding infants, but also to be caressed and to ’enjoy life.’ Omu went for divination before coming to earth and was told that she would do well to attach herself to woman exclusively, and that if she made the necessary sacrifice she would not only be given the gift of nurturing infants, but would also be adored, caressed, cherished and admired. She complied with the diviner’s recommendation and so it was that the breasts became a source of pleasure, lust and satisfaction. The principle of seduction is found in one story recounted by Popoola (2008:554), and in a different rendering in Osamoro (1986:142), in which it is portrayed as a power related to snakes. The story speaks of Nini, the daughter of Boa Constrictor, who was amazingly beautiful and even more seductive. She decided to put her charm and beauty to use, and became notorious for her skills in seduction. She was not interested in keeping a man for marriage, for her seduction was just about conquest, and man after man fell for her beauty and charm. She just wanted to be adored. One day she went to the local diviner to see how she could become even more seductive and beautiful, but the awo told her that it was time for her to change her ways before it got too late for her to have a man and children. But she was not interested in that, and saw his recommendation as a judgment on her free and easy way of life. Beside this, she was a very fertile woman and was constantly pregnant with someone’s child. As she rarely knew who the father was and also because she didn’ t want a child, she used her herbal skills to end pregnancy after pregnancy, venereal affliction after venereal affliction. Time passed, and sure enough, the moment came when she wanted to settle down and have children, but it was too late. All the strong herbs which she had used over the years had left her barren, and she had difficulties in finding a man who would stay with her. Eventually she found one, but no love, and life was a lonely journey for her.

It follows that we find here herbs of venereal properties and also abortive ones, and the odu also comes with advice to take care in using and administrating them.

The story recounted by Osamoro Ibie is a different one, but with the same idea, a beautiful serpentine wife, who refuses offspring in favour of maintaining her seductive powers. And here an Ifa poem is quoted that reads:

A snake begets a snake

Like a witch begets a witch

From its mother’s womb

The snake inherits the venom sac

Just as the witch sucks

Witchcraft from the mother’s bowels

This poem brings woman, snakes, witchcraft and the power of seduction together into an important principle of odu. In so doing, it emphasizes the importance of carefully assessing those we keep company with. Like Okanran, it has much to say about the quality of woman and how erratic a woman can be, because she is a force of nature in touch with the ancestral mothers. Those who one verse describes as ’liberated women, who are like tornadoes’ are not to be blamed for their behavioural pathology. Rather, if a man is experiencing problems with his wife, he either made a poor choice (i.e. he married someone not compatible) or he is demonstrating his incapacity to placate and appease her. This makes reference to Ayelala, Kami and Onile as powers of possible devastation which are constantly appeased, venerated and cherished.

The same point is made in another story that speaks of how Okanran married a very beautiful, very talented but very jealous woman, namely Odu, but his patience, care and love tamed her jealousy

Twin births are prominent in this odu, which are related to Edun, the Columbus monkey, that came to earth as a beautiful and serene woman. She experienced problems in becoming pregnant, but with the help of Ifa and herbs, she became fertile and gave birth to several pairs of twins. Twins are related to the mystery of Egbe, the society in heaven, where our double resides while we undertake our human journey. In essence, we are all twins, as eniyan is the reflection of the heavenly double. This metaphysical condition can lead to good guidance as much as it can lead to the phenomenon known as abiku, infant death syndrome. Abiku means ’born to die,’ and signifies a state in which the human being is constantly being called back to his or her Egbe in heaven, thus bringing the human journey to an early conclusion. Since the human experience is seen as a field of teaching and a blessing, it is important to make the necessary sacrifice in order to establish a pact with the Egbe in Orun so that the child may stay on earth and complete its journey. Monkeys represent the presence of the supranatural in the world, a mystery that goes deep within the secrets of egungun.

Okanran is an odu that speaks of ’heaven upon earth’ as much as it speaks of the condition of the world at large. Many stories in this odu use allegories related to chickens and roosters to describe this marketplace we know as our world, in particular when showing how fertile it is. It here that the melancholy Rooster made sacrifice in order to find a good spouse, and he did indeed find Hen.

However, it is also here that we find the ants making sacrifice so that they can freely bring destruction and devastation on households by taking and consuming what they want. Dogs are important here too, as guides, friends and protectors. But above all, we find the concept of funfun leke, the wind, manifesting in all her forms, such as the tornado (Oya) Ayelala, the sum of the ancestral mothers.

In Okanran we find all the sadness in the world. We find the idea of enmity in the presence of snakes and the arrogant attitudes of people. We find the dark side of ambition and power, and death at the end of the rope given by Obara meji. Okanran is the darkness that calls upon the light, the misfortune that insists on fortune, the bitterness that reminds us to go out and seek honey.

Okanran is Lamurudu’ s (the biblical Nimrod’s) tower of Babel as much as it is the spirit of any renaissance or renewal. Okanran is truly about what comes from the heart, as we realize that we are the authors of our own misfortune and fortune. Okanran assumes that we are the general of the legion of souls that makes us who we are. A good general sees only situations, and exploits their possibilities to his or her benefit, in order to achieve victory.

In Okanran, we find confusion brought on by lack of understanding, and by the nature of language; we find the accumulation of the wickedness initiated in Obara meji through greed, ambition and wordly power; and we find Sango coming to earth to deal with this wickedness, and create space for the arrival of Ogunda meji, which brings war, victory and clear roads.

OGUNDA MEJI

ae relentless pathmaker

Ogunda meji is the power that manifests the spirit of strength and iron. It is the power of the organization of groups, such as the society of hunters. Ogunda meji means, ’that which cuts into two equal parts’ in reference to a story in which Ogun resolved a quarrel between two men over which of them best deserved a fish they had obtained. Ogun took his cutlass and cut the fish in two, giving half to each of the men. It is in reference to this story that Ogunda is said to be made up of half of the strength of Ogun, and half the wisdom of Orunmila.

In Ogunda we find the secrets of life force offerings, blood, fire and virility. Ogunda is passion and virility as found in war and the act of lovemaking, as well as victory over passions and war. It is an odu that tells of the importance of the oath, and of the importance of honour for the warrior and hunter. The dog is the symbol of the loyalty expected from a true man, a skilled hunter and an accomplished warrior.

Ogunda meji is also known as Oko meji in honour of the Yoruba city of Oko, where Ogunda manifested suddenly in the form of Ogun.

Baba do l ’Oko

Baba ba l ’Oko

Baba f’oym t ’igi akdko pdrdpdrd

Baba set up a dwelling in Oko town

Baba descended to Oko town

There he rested in comfort against the akdko tree

Ogun came to earth by virtue of the akdko tree (Newbouldia laevis), a tree sacred not only to him, but also to Egungun and Egbe. It is frequently used in rites of initiation to Ogun and any of the spirits associated with hunting and in childbirth, as it possesses the property of facilitating delivery and expelling the placenta. This tree was found in the city of Oko. The centre of the cult of Ogun is the city of Ire, although it was in Oko that he first manifested. We find an interesting play on words and place here that will help us understand Ogun better with oko (the penis), dkd (a projectile) and oko /bon (the trigger of a gun).

Ogunda imparts that Ogun suddenly appeared on earth. This is related to other stories that speak of him not having a mother or father, but of being adopted. These are themes that indicate the presence of irunmole and not a human being. The conditions surrounding Ogunda’ s arrival on earth, are meticulously detailed by Osamoro in Ifism (1986). This account speaks of how Ogunda had to run from Orun after accidently watching Olodumare eating; to watch the owner of Orun engaged in this activity was a huge taboo. Consequently Ogunda ran away from Orun, snatching one of Olodumare’s flags with him as he went to descend into a womb of his choice. He chose to be born in circumstances in which he could express Ogunda meji in the best ways. Hence he was born in the form of Ogun.

Ogun incarnates Ogunda on earth. Ogunda represents virility and creativity in the guise of the first blacksmith, who forged tools to clear paths in the wilderness and to hunt, tools also used for warfare. Ogun forged the spine that enabled the human being, whom Obatala had created, to stand erect and gain muscles and strength. Ogun became the father of fire and he shares the compulsiveness and tendency of destruction found in the passionate essence of fire. Ogunda opened the way for soldiers, butchers and thieves. As the first blacksmith, he also became the first surgeon, a trade ruled by intellect, creativity and metal, and so became associated with the force that cuts the umbilical cord and enables the infant’s journey on earth to begin.

This odu holds the power of making roads in the wilderness, in reference to finding a solution even if the situation appears to be impossible. It is a power that brings fast results, because Ogunda moves with the enthusiasm of fire. Ogun is represented by any weapon and any product forged by a blacksmith. Palm wine, efun (white chalk), obi (kola nut), gin, roosters, snails, turtles, dogs and roasted yams are amongst his favourite food and drink, together with oguro (the palm wine from the pako tree); whilst he is antagonistic towards ejo (snake), adin (palm kernel oil) and adie (hen). His preferences tell us of Ogunda meji; so we should take notice of the loyalty of dogs, and the help they can provide in hunting; the hard shell of the tortoise and snail, and their longevity; and how these three animals are attributed to Onile (the spirit of earth), Osanyin (the spirit of medicine) and Obatala (the spirit of purity and calmness). We should observe how Ogun rejects adin, the oil made from the sacred ikms of Ifa, which represents ignorance; and the energy of snakes, which symbolizes betrayal. By analyzing the sacrificial items benign to a power and its taboos we can gain an idea of the essence of a given energy. Here we have an energy that is steady and calm, directed towards healing and wisdom, but the presence of alcohol denotes a fire that adds to a force that is already the source of fire. As a result, strength and courage can become boastful and ill directed.

Ogunda speaks of how a road was opened between Orun and Aye, to provide the invisible and visible world with a means of communication. It signals the beginning of order and organization in social communities. Another consequence of the road being opened was the arrival of all good things in the world, but obstructing forces also entered by the same route; human society welcomed both.

The odu tells how Orunmila and Esu discovered that the guardian of good fortune was a cripple placed at the junction between Orun to Aye. When they found this guardian asleep there, they began to summon all good fortune to descend upon the earth. After they had spread good fortune across the earth, the spirits descended. One group, in particular, Orunmila wanted to bring to earth; these were all students of Ifa and were said to bear horns on their heads. This group of students were inclined to mischief. Orunmila wanted to give these beings a chance to experience good fortune, so he gave them a task. He set eight rules that should not be broken. He told them that if they accomplished this, and refrained from what was forbidden, they would not only reap good fortune and joy, but they would also become powers of fortune for others. They accepted his terms. But upon entering the world they announced to Orunmila that each and every promise had been broken. And so it happened that the Abiwo Konko opened for the arrival of the spirits that we know as ajogun to come to earth. There is more to this story, but this should suffice to explain how the spirits of conflict, misfortune and suffering came to earth and how they called upon the spirits of aja, which will be detailed in the next odu, to follow suit in order to work upon the passions of men.

In Ogunda, we find the story of the second attempt to turn Aye into a suitable habitat for human beings. The story goes that Ogun was appointed to lead this second attempt. He was accompanied by 400 spirits who would inhabit the world, but Ogun did not make any ebo or consult with Ifa before going, he relied solely upon his own strength and cunning. When they arrived on earth, the 400 eniyan he brought with him became hungry, but he had no food to offer them except for the bark of trees, and so they started to slowly die of starvation. Ogun went back to Orun and declared the task impossible. Olodumare then sent Olokun, another self assured and proud irunmole, who was also given 400 eniyan, 200 men and 200 women. Olokun did not make any ebo or consult with Ifa and thus came equally unprepared to earth. When they arrived, the eniyan that came with him became hungry, but he had only water to offer them and so they started to die. Olokun returned to heaven, declaring the task impossible.

Orunmila was then given the task. Seeing the failure of Ogun and Olokun, he decided to proceed with caution, and asked his faithful companion Opolo (the divining chain) what he should do. Opolo advised him to bring a variety of seeds and plants and foods to earth, and told him that he should also make a sacrifice to Esu so that he could follow him on his mission. Hearing about this, Esu went to Ogun and Olokun, telling them that Orunmila was about to travel to earth. Ogun ran to the crossroads of heaven and caused a thick forest to grow in the path he had made from Orun to Aye in order to hinder Orunmila. As Orunmila came to the crossroads of heaven, Ogun challenged him, but after some discussion, allowed Orunmila to pass, on the condition that he would support the few followers of Ogun that remained alive and feed them with trees and greenwood. As Orunmila started to descend, Olokun challenged him, closing the path with waters, but that complication was resolved, as Orunmila promised Olokun that he would find sources of nutrition and water for his devotees on earth too. When he arrived on earth, Orunmila instructed his followers to make straw huts, plant the seeds, and place the animals he had brought in places fertile with greenwood. From one day to the next, the seeds gave forth harvest and the animals produced young. It was a miracle. Soon enough, the followers of Ogun and Olokun appeared, searching for food, but they were first given sticks to chew on and water to drink and it is in memory of this story we all begin the day with chewing sticks to clean our teeth and rinsing our mouths with water.

It so happened that Orunmila completed his task. He fed his people and expanded their lands, but as they were increasing he told Esu to go to heaven and bring back his faithful wife Opolo. Esu did as he was bid, only to find upon returning to earth that a hut had been made for him in his absence and that his favourite foods were waiting for him there. Esu danced in joy and praised Orunmila and his kindness, promising loyalty to him.

Seeing that Orunmila did not return to heaven, Ogun and Olokun became curious, and decided to go to earth to check up on what was going on. At the crossroads of the earth they met Esu, who told them of Orunmila’s success. They both became humble and went to Orunmila, and greeted him on their knees and swore to support his cause.

Naturally we find many plants assigned to this odu, and we also find Osanyin here, where he is given the rulership of plants. Ferns are important in Ogunda, as are palm fronds; the latter are said to be the material first used to make clothing. Sugarcane is said to be the first food of mankind, symbolizing victory and sweetness; it is sacred to both Obatala and Osun. The willow is assigned to this odu in memory of Olokun and his attempt to create a habitat and share the properties of comfort, endurance and wealth with the catfish.

The iyd tree (Daniellia oliveri, also known as the African Copaiba Balsam tree or Gum Copal) came to earth in this odu. It is used for incense and the oil that protects and shines wood. The gum wards off mosquitoes and is a protection against bad luck and malefica. The tree has a variety of medicinal uses: it is diuretic, a painkiller and a bactericide, and used to treat everything from depression to venereal diseases and menstrual pain. It symbolizes the ascent from poverty to wealth, and is related to finding solutions to any situation. Isin (Crotolaria retusa) is a complicated plant found in this odu, representing loss of fortune, as is kanranjdngbon (Soleanum sisymbriifolium and related species) which is reputed to steal people’s luck. Hence these are both ajogun plants and are of a malefic disposition.

This odu is about victory, but it also about relying on strength alone to achieve victory. One verse imparts the following message:

Gbdngbd se w&r&k&fi w^r^k^ Jana

A dia fekun

Niji[ ti nlo oko ode

Oko ode ti dun nlo ya

Oun le rise b& mbe?

Ni ekun dafd si

Won ni ki o rubo elenim

Ekun ni ta ni o seleriini dun ekun?

O ni dun d nd ru

Lcnpcnekun kori soko ode

Esu di ala-gun

O tele e

Igba ti ekuun doko ode

Lo bd ri ird

O si pa d

Nri ki ekun o mda dd ird ni inu lu

Ni Esu bd jd eso igi afon kan

O soil mqekun ni bard idi

Bi o ti bd ekun ni bdrd idi tdn

Escukeso ni ekun sd lo

Ki o too pada de

Esu ti gbe eran lo

Igba ti ekun pada de

Ti o wa ird titi ti kd ri i

Lo ba tun wd eran mif lo

Sugbqn bdkanda lo jd si

Igba ti eb wdd baro sti pa ekun

Ere lo sd rubo

Igba ti o rubo tdn

O tun pada lo si oko ode

Esu kd si daru ba d mo

Ijo ni njo

Ay& n ny&

O m gbdngbd se w^r^k^- fi w^r^k^- Jana

A dia fakun

Njo ti nlo oko ode

Wqn n o kdaki Molo

O jare

Ebo ni o se

Kee pa o

Kee jina

E wdd bd ni ni tisegun

The wooden trunk is crooked in such a way that it

Coils across the road

This was the Ifd divination made for the lion

On the day he was walking in the forest hunting

For animals

He asked if the expedition which he was going on

Would give good results

He made divination for this reason

He was told to perform sacrifice so he could triumph

Over the powers of misfortune

But the lion boasted that no one was sufficiently brave to go against his goals

He said he would not make sacrifice.

Soon after, the lion went into the forest to hunt

Esu turned into wind

And followed the lion

When the lion entered the forest,

He saw a deer in distress

And he went to kill it

But as he was about to slaughter it

Esu plucked a fruit from the Afdn tree

And threw it against the lion’s thigh

As soon as he was able to move his leg

The lion ran away

Before he returned

Esu had removed the prey

When the lion returned

He searched for a long time without finding the prey

He sought out another animal

But the same thing happened

And he grew increasingly hungry

He decided to make the sacrifice

After he made the sacrifice

He returned to the forest to hunt animals

And Esu was not there to torment him

He began to dance

He danced in rejoicing

He said, ’The wooden trunk is crooked in such a way that it

Coils across the road’

Was the diviner who cast Ifa for the lion

On the day that he was going into the forest to hunt animals

He was told to take care of the gods

They said it would be a great help if he practiced sacrifice

It was not long after

Not far away

Come and see us victorious

This odu is about patience and strength, as shown by the lion, but also recognizing that this is not always sufficient. By taking the shape of the wind, Esu sabotages the success of the lion in order to teach him the lesson of humility. It stresses the importance of recognizing that the world is a mysterious place, that our success is never only our own. The lion is hunting in the field called Ode, which signifies a wild and untamed territory, but is also a name given to the hunter as someone who can dominate this territory; hence the first chieftain of Ode was Ogun, who is both the woods and their patriarch. Divination by reading entrails was born in this odu. The fisherman’s net also belongs here, as do all traps set to catch prey.

Rabbits, which represent the restlessness inherent in Ogunda, are born in this odu. Snakes are also given their poison here, except for the boa constrictor, which represents the presence of Obatala, and invites tranquillity and patience in contrast to the raging attack of vipers. This constellation of powers counsels the need to measure strength, and the importance of tempering one’s internal fire. Internal fire cultivated in a calculated and serene way can be harvested as understanding, but fire acted upon without contemplation leads to attack and eventually to war. One of the medicines used to help cultivate this fire is osedudu, accompanied by other magical soaps known as oseerd. These are made from the ashes of plantain, cocoa and other plants, which have a soothing effect in themselves, are used to carry medicine and magic, prepared and turned into powders that are then fused with the osedudu. With the aid of calmative medicines, the inherent fire of the warrior and hunter is turned into a diplomatic force.

Fire is important in this odu. Ina (fire) was the child of Ogun. Ogunda tells us that when Ina was born, he was destined for fame, renown, friendship and power. Ina however only made a part of his prescribed sacrifice, and asked for renown and fame. He was at first quite happy with his renown as a destroyer, and enjoyed his fame and took as much advantage of it as he could. But as time passed, he realized that everyone feared him and no one dared to come close to him. He found himself lonely and angry and finally decided to make the remainder of the sacrifice, but his fame as a dangerous person still stuck with him.

The lesson extracted from the story of Ina indicates that in order to balance the energies of this odu it is important to give attention to on and to take the necessary time to consider our actions. Acting in haste is always a recipe for disaster, or at least for unwanted consequences to manifest.

A proverb in this odu says: ’The stone you throw at a palm will return and hit you.’ We should not allow the recklessness of youth to disgrace our old age.

The proverb speaks of the nature of the one we seek to harm; an upright person will repel mischief and aggression and return it on the wicked one. Ogunda advises one to be the erect palm and not the thrower of stones. One onki to Ogun speaks of this condition with a lament typical of the iremdje, which are the special chants of his cult (Barnes, S. (ed.) 1997: 129):

OjU Ogun

Si lo, si lo, silo ni ma se aiye

Dugbe dugbe a gba ode odrun keke

Ipe npe ju a si kun fe kun

Otdpakd a si kun fe je

Paranganda ni da fomo odd

Abiri, abihun a simu drisa

Mo ri faaji re

On the days when Ogun is angered

There is always disaster in the world

The world is full of dead people going to heaven

The eyelashes are full of water

Tears stream down the face

A bludgeoning by Ogun causes a man’s downfall

I see and hear; I fear and respect my drisa

I have seen your (bloody)merriment

Such descriptions and praises go hand in hand with songs and prayers acclaiming his excellence as a hunter and his skill and wisdom. We also find songs to Ogun which are impressively sexual in character, praising his huge and long member, as well as his equally impressive capacity for producing semen. These songs naturally emphasize the concept of virility conjoined with blood and fire. Rage, bloodlust and the killer instinct belong to this odu, but so too do the diplomat and patient hunter who has learned the art of ’astral travel.’ Ogunda warns that we should not behave in such a way that doing good becomes tiresome. We must appreciate the good deeds which people perform, or even attempt for us:

Gunnugun soore mapaldn mapaldn

Akdldmdgbd soore mayogege mayogage Ojl mii j&&mi bii k’eni oma tiesoore mi[ Or^soore soore ori-[ d l ’ewe l ’ori Afdmi[soore kd l ’egbo

Did fun Okete

Ti nlo ree te Oka n ’ifa

Ebo ni wqn ni ko se

The Vulture did good deeds, but got bold doing the good deeds

The Black Vulture did good deeds, but got gout doing the good deeds When we wake up some days we do not wish to make the good deed The cactus also did good deeds, but he was not given leaves as a reward The bird weed did good deeds, but was never given roots

This was the Ifa divined for Rat

When he was going to initiate Cobra into Ifa

He was told to practice sacrifice

The tension between rodents and snakes is a familiar theme. Ifa advises us to be careful over who we are helping, because lack of appreciation will make good deeds tiresome to perform. The stories which expand upon this verse tell that eventually Rat was eaten by Cobra. Ogunda is rich in stories speaking of ratlike and snakelike persons, and advises us to be careful with people because both offence and forgiveness are born in Ogunda.

The shadow side of victory is that it inspires hubris, excessive confidence in one’s abilities, as demonstrated in the story that tells of how Ogun lost the igba iwd (the calabash of character) to Orunmila. The story relates a challenge given to several irunmole: the first who managed to reach Olodumare on a given day would be gifted with the igba iwd, the secret of creation. Ogun was one of the many irunmole preparing for the contest. When the day came, he was the first to wake up and readied himself to go to Olodumare to claim the igba. As he was preparing, he remembered he had previously set that day aside for an elephant hunt, and so he decided to send a slave in his place. The slave was called Ida and was a very good runner. Ogun gave him a rooster, corn beer, kola nuts and cowry shells, and told him to hurry off to Olodumare and present these gifts from him. Ida started to run, but after some time he decided to take a break at the foot of the Isin tree. The fruit appealed to him and he started to eat - and he ate and ate, and the more he ate the more hungry he grew. He stayed there all day and only when evening came did he realize that his mission was a failure. He jumped down from the tree and ran off as fast as he could to Olodumare, but when he arrived it was far too late and the igba iwa had been given to Orunmila, the first to approach Olodumare that morning. At first Ogun blamed his slave for the loss of the calabash, but when the slave pointed out that of all the 400 irunmole that took part in the challenge Ogun was the only one who sent a slave in his place, Ogun realized that he had brought this upon himself and he accepted his loss. Ogunda speaks of worldly ambition and how success can also invite recklessness and self-serving attitudes. Ogunda is certainly victory and strength, demonstrating its glorious prominence, as much as the shades of restless passion it invites into our lives.

OSA MEJI

ae mysteries of the birds of night

Osa meji means ’run away,’ and it is also said to be the screech or cry of mysterious birds. Osa also signifies restlessness, nervousness, the flickering field of the soul and emotions. It is a dramatic odu that tells of the merging of the visible and invisible world in Aye, and the capacity for spirit or astral travel.

Here we find Oya; and the winds are born here, be they breeze, storm, tornado or monsoon. Because of these phenomena, Osa is associated with dramatic, if not cataclysmic change. These winds are what enable the power of the word to become effective in the form of enchantments. They also have a relationship with breath itself, but in this odu they have more cosmic dimensions. This wind is known as ajalaiya, and refers to the winds that can result in tornados. The concept of aja is found here, both as a force of abundance and royalty and as something destructive and outlandish, but it is always powerful. Osa announces the arrival of the stranger, and given that Orunmila was himself once a stranger, this odu imparts the importance of welcoming what is strange and unfamiliar and understanding the wisdom it possesses, rather than rejecting it.

The dramatic and destructive qualities of this odu are detailed by Osamoro Ibie (1986), who tells us that Osa was named Ubiquitous Wind and ’He who does what he wants and means what he does.’ The aja came to earth by chasing after Osa, screaming ’ dsasa ’ after him, and trying to devour him. Osa decided to take refuge in the forest and gather food to give to lyami Osdr&nga, their queen. He prepared the food for them to eat so they would leave him in peace. The aja flocked around the offering, but as Osa was sneaking away from the aja, he was spotted by them and the chase resumed. However, Osa had prepared the sacrifice close to the gate that led to Aye and so he entered the visible world; but the aja came after him. He ran and ran until he found a womb he could hide within. As he jumped into the womb, awaiting the moment of gestation, he realized that he had chosen that of an lyami priestess. Ibie tells us that this situation was caused by Osa neglecting to make sacrifice to on and Esu, which led to him being stuck at a river that marked the crossing between the worlds.

The river crossing is the location for another story detailing how the aja came to the world. Orunmila invited the aja to reside within his entrails as he crossed the river, to bring them into the world. They agreed to this, but upon arriving at the other side, Orunmila the spirits told him that they would rather stay in the moist warm comfort of his entrails and feed upon him until he died. In distress, Orunmila sought the counsel of Esu, who told him to prepare a meal of intestines and raw liver, rich with palm oil, and offer it to the aja. He did as Esu advised, and managed to expel them from his intestines. In this way the aja arrived on earth.

The Yoruba word aja is associated with movement and trade. We might understand it as a marketplace of night unfolding in silver rays. This nocturnal marketplace is conceived of as a gathering of long beaked and predatory birds. The wood dove (kuku) also enters this marketplace to bring the blessings of wealth.

In the New World and the modern West, the concept of aja has been equated with ’witch.’ This is true, if we understand what a witch is, in African terms. Aja is considered to be a power which some people possess by inheritance, initiation or by birth. It is considered to be an excess of ase (natural power), and therefore it must be kept under control and in balance to avoid damage to its wielder and the community alike.

We find the word eniyan being used in relation to dja. This term is applied to human beings, and usually defines a person who has awakened to his or her spiritual capacity. The word is also applied to one who possesses the power to cause catastrophic change, as encountered in Osa. Such a person is known as elaye, ’woman of the birds.’ They are for the most part women, although men can be adopted into these mysteries on rare occasions. If we look at the folklore connected to elaye, we find a host of sinister traits, such as anthropophagism, like the ghouls. These are people born with special powers, they have an innate capacity for spirit flight, and they tend to be oracular and clairvoyant.

Aj® is the primordial emotional depth of womanhood. It is not a generative force, but quite the contrary. Honeysweet Osun represents the generative powers and fertility. Aj®, and their mother Kami Osoronga, are barrenness and otherness, femininity prior to the first blood, and the lament upon the last. Aj® is rhizomatic, like the fungus, manifesting in peaks of power here and there, whilst its true essence is a phosphorescent network of subterranean possibilities that may or may not come into manifestation.

fya mi toto, Aja

Onepo mle feje rdfo lya mi toto, Aja o o, iba

My great mother, who knows Aja

You who have palm oil in the house, but prefer to fry

Your vegetables in blood

My great mother, who knows Aja, we salute you

This odu tells of how two male drisa, Obatala, and Ogun, and one female, Odu, came to earth to sculpt and mould it. Olodumare gave the power of 1 j • 1 j j j Al \ A r 1 r 1 J r* j11 j zA r FTX Z~X 1 x 1

sculpting and artistry to Obatala and that of metallurgy to Ogun. To Odu he gave the power of giving life: he gave her motherhood, and told her that she was the sustainer of the world. She would sustain the world with a particular calabash. Inside this calabash was a bird. She declared that she would use this magnificent dse to fight those who disrespected her and to defend those who adored her. This bird was aja, and when Odu takes hold of this bird, she becomes iyaml OsOronga, which means ’My mysterious mother, owner of the birds of night.’ Mothers’ milk was born in this odu, ascribed to the ase of the collective of the spirits of mothers, Ayelala, which means ’The earth/world is dreaming itself.’ This is why Obatala declares the following in this odu, which announces the descent of the birds of the otherworld upon the earth:

Obdrisa ni ki wqn o mad fi iba fun obinrin

O ni ti wi]n bd ti nfi iba fun obinrin

Ile aye yio mad tdrd

E kunle o e kunle f’dbinrin o

Obinrin l’o bi wa

K’dwa to d’eniyan

Ogbi[n aye t ’obinrin ni

E kunle f’obinrin

Obinrin l O bi wa

Kawa to f’eniyan

Obdrisa (Obatdld)said that people should always respect women greatly For if they always respect women greatly, the world

Will be in right order

Pay homage; give respect to women

Indeed, it is woman who brought us into being

Before we were recognized as human beings

The wisdom of the world belongs to women

Give respect to women then

Indeed, it was woman who brought us into being

Before we were recognized as human beings

Naturally, the gift of motherhood comes with the intense field of ensouled emotional variables that take place during menstruation, gestation and the menopause. These are peak tides for the secrets of motherhood to rage and rave in its raw state. Hence, aja are ’birds’ that dwell, infest and feed upon our emotions and taint or heal our soul. In this lies the admonition found in numerous verses and proverbs which advise us - and especially males - to prostrate ourselves before odu (the womb) and woman, pay her respect and make ipese, the sacrifice that calms the womb. There is a proverb that speaks of the nature of the otherness represented by women in their menopause and the powers which they acquire at this point: ’As long as a woman can generate, the womb owns her, and later, when barren, she owns her own womb.’ This means that she is no longer a woman, but ’something else,’ the powerful other.

It is said that iyami is ’seated upon Odu,’ that she crowns the feminine powers, or that Odu is an iyamh She is also referred to as Kami Eloye, ’The owner of the birds’; iya Agba, ’The elderly woman is respectable’; and iyami Osor^nga, ’My mother the powerful sorceress or witch.’ This raises some controversial issues, since witchcraft is associated with antisocial acts, as well as a natural power accessible to women and members of societies such as Egbo Eloye and Egbo imule, in which the secrets of manipulating supernatural powers are preserved. Antisocial witchcraft is said to stem from aja buruku, but there is also another type of ’witch’ referred to as aja rere. The difference is one of character. The word buruku refers to everything that is bad, broken and corrupted. For instance the term on buruku signifies a person incapable of making choices which are good for him or her, who is considered bothersome and destructive to themselves and society. On the other hand, rere, used interchangeably with iwd pele, refers to a state of contentment and happiness, in which one’s character is good and one is a benevolent part of society. The Nigerian historian Lawal comments in this regard that, because women were less physically strong, they were blessed with a special form of cunning, ogb^n aye, which carries the further connotation of deceit or slyness. Still, the importance of character, and of maintaining a calm and good consciousness is stressed at all times. Even today we have proverbs amongst the Yoruba referring to the influence of aja being like ’birds nesting in a person’ s hair.’ This is most telling because hair has the symbolic meaning of something untamed and wild, that which entangles and must be directed if a positive growth is desired. Because of this, the on (consciousness/the physical head) is often adorned by beautifying the hair itself and fashioning it with care, as a way of appeasing and calming it.

iyami is considered the ancestral progenitor of the female sex, just as Oso is the progenitor of the male. This would perhaps mean that while iyami represents supreme and transcendent womanhood, so Oso represents supreme and transcendent maleness. Oso is said to take his ase from the realm of Esu, placing this deity in the realm of transformation and change. One can understand Ajo and Oso to be the same essential power, but drawn in different directions by the rhythm of creation and so becoming differentiated, as primal maleness and primal femaleness. One can see this in their cults: Oso is deeply related to the cult of Orisa Oko, the drisa of the farm and is said to serve as a judge and middleman in cases of accusations of witchcraft. He is considered to be a calm and tranquil force, just and wise with a deep knowledge of witchcraft and sorcery.

The birds of lyami are predators, whilst the vulture is sacred to Oso. They are forces of cosmic balance which Lawal (1996) sees as: ’a dynamic interplay of such opposites as heaven and earth, day and night, male and female, physical and metaphysical, body and soul, inner and outer, hot and cold, hard and soft, left and right, life and death, success and failure and so on.’ The birds and animals especially sacred to Kami Osora-nga are: asa (the dusky thrush), akalamagbd (the vulture), owiwi (the owl), eluulu (the larkheaded cuckoo), parapandu, (the pennant-winged nightjar), agbigbdniwdnran (the hoopoe), k&l&b&- (the white spotted black bird), alatagba (the grey backed hawk), koUkoli (the plantain eater), eye igbd (the egg eater); ologbd (cat), aja (dog), aguntan (sheep), asm (smelly rat), dkete (giant rat). These animals are revealed in Ofun meji, the last odu, in a tale about the greedy man Eruubami. In this story, Kami Osoranga used these animals as messengers for various disturbances that provoked overwhelming dread in the greedy one.

There is a belief in the New World that some form of enmity exists between the aja and Ifa - but, in his capacity as the great peace maker, Orunmila understood the necessity of such powers and how this abundance of ase can benefit mankind. This mystery is guarded in the society of Ogb^ni, where the traditional dynamic of power between the left and right hands is understood and used. Further, the weight and quality of colours is also preserved here, because the potential for all manifestation comes in the colours of red, black and white, which are degrees of mercy, coldness and fire.

Why is it important to understand these powers, why are they so integral to the work of Ifa, and why are these disruptive forces present in the world? The explanation of this mystery is marvelous and wonderful, and one ray of its magnificence is found in the following verse:

Ogbon kan nbe ni kun omo asa

Imoran kan nbe kikun omo awddi Okan

ninuu re Okan ninuu

mi Ok&&kan mkun

ara wa Sefd

fun Orunmila Ifd

nlo bd aja mule M^roro

Wrjn ni mtorii kinni

O m nitori ki nkan dun legun gogoogo ni

The hawk has one wisdom

The falcon possesses a different knowledge

One in my mind

One in your mind

One in each mind

These were the declarations of Ifd to Orunmila

When he was going to enter into a covenant with the witches at M^roro They asked him why he was doing this

He said that it was for his life to be perfectly organized

The odn[ tree (Drypetes sp.), also known as &sd, is a source of success here, and we find this name as an alias for plants like or^ (Nesgordonia papaverifera) and aye (Sterculia rhinopetala). All of these are said to initiate cycles of success, even though they grow at a slow pace. Traditionally, veneration is made to these plants by giving up some of one’s body hair to them, especially from the armpit and pubic region. This giving up of hair represents a renouncement of wickedness. We find toxic and hallucinogenic plants here, as well as strange and unusual, i.e. carnivorous, ones. Daturas and lilies have their place in this odu. These are all plants that challenge us to approach them in a spirit of understanding; reckless use of them can bring insanity or death, though in truth they possess a unique wisdom.

Osd provides several stories about the kind of trouble and turmoil the iyamis or Elders of the Night can cause. One of these speaks of how Ile Ife was haunted by all sorts of problems. People became both poor and barren for apparently no reason, veiling the city in unhappiness. The citizens of Ile Ife called upon Egungun to come to their aid, after all, he was the straightener and held the wisdom of ancestry. Egungun came to earth and, as he was about to start the work of sorting out the problems of the people, the ajas flocked around him and attacked him. He sank to the ground and declared that his mission had failed. Realizing that Egungun had been defeated, the people called upon Ogun to help them. Ogun heard their call and went to an awo for divination. The awo told Ogun that the situation was very delicate, and that he would be defeated unless he made the necessary sacrifices, one of which was to feed the aja. Ogun saw no reason to feed the Elders of the Night and went to earth; only to be defeated in the same manner as Egungun. Seeing the defeat of Ogun, the elders of the city called upon Orunmila for help. Orunmila went to an awo for divination, and was told that he needed to feed the aja and his Ifa before dealing with the problems in Ile Ife. Orunmila did as the awo advised and went to earth and managed to sort out the situation through his prowess in establishing pacts, limits and agreements between the Elders of the Night and the citizens.

This story is related to the importance of hospitality in Osa, and the need to avoid judging people based on their appearance and social position. Ile Ife suffered because the citizens were not interested in appeasing hostile forces nor in recognizing the embodiments of radical ase represented by the Elders of the Night.

These spiritual forces are more hot and intense than any others, therefore it is important to understand how to relate to them in ways that release the milk of mothers and the fertility of the womb; rather than causing catastrophe by mistreating or ignoring powers that can harm as much as bless.

P&&kl nidii

O fiha jokdo

A dia foge

O nsunkun omi rode Igbonna

Oge id dun le rimo bd lode Igbinna bayiti.

Win ni ko rubo

O si ru u

Igba ti o bmo tan lode Igbinna

Ti inuu rea dun tan

O ni bae gaga ni awon awo dun wu

P&&ki nidii

O fiha jokdo A cda f’ Oge

O nsunkun omi rode Igbinna

Yoo gbe ym o

Oge

Bi a sai gbomoo re jcr.cr.jcr.cr.

The calabash where we keep the osun

Is supported at its base

And there she is seated on both sides

Was the Ifa cast for Oge

When she was crying from lack of children in the city of Igbonna

Oge was told that

If she someday wanted children

She must practice sacrifice

She did as she was told

After she had made it she gave birth to children in Igbonna

She was happy

And she said, it all came to pass just as the Ifa priest had said

The calabash where we keep the osun

Is supported at its base

But is dependent on the two sides

This was the Ifa cast for Oge

When she was crying for the lack of children in the city of Igbonna

She will bless them all

Oge will bless them

With ease she blessed their children

Osa warns against being ruled by passion and allowing arrogance and hubris to develop. In relation to the latter we find the story of the &sin (cormorant). Osa speaks of a time when the birds came together to elect a leader, who had to be chosen on the basis of the traits he possessed; courage, intelligence and elegance were deemed especially desirable. After debating the election for a long time, they finally decided that Osin was best suited to be their leader. When this declaration was made, Osin rose to the challenge but it didn’t take long before his head became swollen with pride. In his self glorification, he started to issue laws and commandments, such as proclaiming that his tree was for his use alone, and that no bird was allowed to rest there unless duly invited. He also declared that no one should ever challenge his pronouncements, because he was after all, the most intelligent of all birds, so how could anyone possibly add anything to whatever he decided? After this, he started to issue impossible and tyrannical taboos of food and dress, and became intensely rigid in his commands. Naturally this stirred unrest amongst the birds, and before long a conspiracy started to form. The conspirators decided to cover his tree in gum arabic so that he would become stuck there and die from starvation and neglect. However, on the very night when the conspirators decided to act out their plan, Osin was plagued by nightmares and ill omens and at the break of dawn he flew to the house of his awo to consult with Ifa. His awo told him that he had offended all the birds with his behaviour and that only a change of attitude and a demonstration of humility could solve his problem. His awo told him to give sacrifice to the ajas. Osin immediately made the sacrifice, and called the birds to a conclave in a grove in the forest. Here he humbled his pride and asked forgiveness for his behaviour, declaring that all his laws were no longer to be observed. Seeing that Osin genuinely repented, the birds responsible for the conspiracy came forward and forgave him. The others followed suit. They warned him not to go to his tree, because it was coated with glue, and advised him to take up residence in the iya tree along with the rest of them instead. Osin agreed, and declared that the birds needed a council to discuss the matters that affected them, and from that day he demonstrated the qualities he was elected for and reaped respect. It is from this story that we have the Ifa proverb: ’Hard green bananas will eventually become sweet and soft.’

Pride is one negative ray in this odu and another is the excess of passion and the justification that comes with it. We find this theme expounded on in a story in which Obatala takes a lover, which goes like this: Opeh®, the seventh child of the leader of the witches, was spoiled by his mother and they were very close to each another. This was because he was the consequence of the great sacrifice she had made in giving up the other six children that came before him. Opeh®’s mother was very influential, and ensured that her son lived in fine conditions, and arranged a marriage for him with a wonderful and beautiful woman. As mentioned, Opeh® was very close to his mother and he spent more time with her than with his wife. Time passed and Opeh®’s wife became increasingly sad, lonely and isolated. She started to go out more, following the advice of one of her friends. And so she went in ever greater frequency to the market and to visit friends and relatives. Before long, she met Obatala in the market and it was love at first sight. Obatala was married to Yemoo himself,

but that relationship was not going well, so he found himself in the same situation as Opoha’s wife. Hence they allowed love to develop between them and as their passions became stirred, they grew more and more careless and greedy in their infatuation with each other, until their desire became so strong that they decided to move in together. Before doing so, Obatala went to his awo for divination. His awo told him that he was about to take something that was not his, and that even if it was easy enough to take, holding on to it would cause tremendous problems. He was advised to make sacrifice to save his life and to give up on the project, but in his lovelorn state he was incapable of giving up Opoha’s wife, although he did offer the sacrifice. The lovers moved in together in a hidden place, but when his wife did not show up that night or the morning after, Opoha became worried and started to search for her. After two days, he met Yemoo, who had been left by Obatala, and she told him where his wife was. Opoha went straight to his mother and reported the disgrace and it didn’t take long before all the witches knew that Obatala was in big trouble. Opoha’s mother, however, refused to do anything or to comment on the case, and this made the other witches weary and upset. They called a secret meeting and there they decided to destroy Obatala and his house. They declared that anyone who tried to help him would also be destroyed and so they set out to tear Obatala to pieces and feed upon him. As the witches arrived at the house where Obatala and his lover had hidden themselves, they started to chant and sing curses upon him. Obatala looked out from the window and saw the witches flocking, and decided it was time to flee. He took his silver cutlass and his lover with him, and ran to the house of Sango for help and protection. But as they entered the house of Sango, the witches were already too close and so all three had to run. And in this way they ran from house to house, drisa to drisa, until they came to the house of Orunmila. Orunmila was awake when they arrived, as terrible nightmares had disturbed his sleep since the ajos approached Obatala for the first time that night. In order to expel the bad dreams, he had put out food for the ajos covered with gum arabic, as instructed in his dreams. As Obatala and his lover came to his house along with a host of drisas, and with the ajos in pursuit of them, Orunmila realized the meaning of his dreams, and told Obatala and his lover and all the drisas to enter his house and to rest assured that nothing ill would come to pass. The ajos flocked around, screeching, cursing and chanting. All this convulsion and noise caught the attention of Esu, who came to the house of his friend

Orunmila. Esu immediately understood what was happening and went to the ajos and greeted them. They greeted him back and Esu told them that Orunmila had prepared food for them, and suggested that they take their fill before the fight, so they could rip apart the drisas with full force. The ajos laughed and took delight in the fact that Orunmila would feed his enemies before being ripped apart by them, and so they descended upon the food and became stuck in the glue. Seeing that the witches were trapped, Esu knocked on the door of Orunmila s house and told him that the ajos were stuck in the sacrifice and that he should come out and take care of the situation. In gratitude, Obatala gave Orunmila his treasured cutlass and he went out and beheaded all the ajos. He came back in and announced the victory and Obatala gave him his cutlass as a gift. Orunmila had used the iya tree (Daniellia oliveri), which came to earth in Ogunda, and its gum, to attract and bind the ajo.

The story uses Obatala as an example to illustrate the gravity of hubris, that when it comes to passions, even the spirit of purity can succumb to temptation and err. Knowing that such forces exist in creation should inspire a certain modesty and care in how we conduct ourselves in the world. Osa carries the message that it is not the fault of aja that we attract them, they are simply acting in accord with their nature, rather, it is we who attract them through our acts and choices. This message also imparts a piece of advice, that borders upon taboo, namely never to blame a woman for one’s misfortune. This is because all women have a natural connection to these forces, and a constant practice of sacrifice that will appease aja is performed by treating women well.

A tale of Ogun and his marriage to Mpbowu gives an example of how accusing one’s wife of being the source of misfortune leads to disaster. The story tells how they were both struggling to make ends meet before their marriage, and how this situation became even worse after they were wed. Ogun experienced diminishing success in his hunting, and could find no buyers for the products of his forge. He grew increasingly frustrated with the situation, and came to believe that it was his wife who was the source of his misfortune. His wife experienced an equal lack of success in her trade and she similarly blamed Ogun. She began to remember her other suitors and, in recalling them and envisioning how successful she could have been with any of them, she began to hate Ogun. One day Mpbowu reached the end of her patience and started to harass, hit and finally scar Ogun with a nail, to which he responded by beating her up. She decided to leave him, but first went to an awo for a divination. The awo told her that it was not good to leave her husband, and that she was so preoccupied with money that none could enter her life. The awo pointed out that she was blessed with all other good fortune but that the good fortune of money would only come if she and her husband were to treat each other with love and pay attention to their relationship. Only this would attract the good fortune of money. She was advised to give sacrifice to the Elders of the Night, which she made without delay, and decided to give the relationship another chance. Ogun followed suit and in their togetherness they slowly created a path for abundance to come to them. In a short time their relationship grew in love, harmony and wealth. The message in this story is found in the following verse, woven into a greater wisdom of Osa:

Osa ydod, babalawo aye

Lo difd faye

Won laye o febo olaa lo

Ebo ajogun ni o se \ja: awd mbe A mbo

Awa md md mbe laye o

Aye d nii parun

Osa, the vividly bright, Ifa priest of the earth

Was the diviner who made divination for the earth

He said that the earth had to stop practising sacrifice under the pretence of becoming wealthier

He said earth should instead make sacrifice for protection against enemies We are certainly living, And we’re imploring

That while we remain on earth

The earth will not be destroyed

Osa is conflict, but also its resolution. It is an odu that addresses the essence of flight. The flight from bad fortune, the flight from good fortune, the flight towards confrontation and that away from complications are all spoken of here. They call for calm meditation upon our actions, especially in situations that affect our passions and our pride. None of us are free from being boastful or overcome with passions, which is why Obatala is used as an example here, to underline that even the best of us can fall prey to them. Don’t be the cause of your problems, but rather be like akese (cotton), which was born in this odu. If we are like cotton, we will find a solution to every predicament and will appeases what is destructive. Cotton is associated with kindness and the ability to delicately bend in the wind without being destroyed. This provides the way to resolve the situations caused in Osa.

IKA MEJI

ae wicked cobra of fire

Ika meji means ’wickedness.’ The source of this wickedness can be found in the word ka which signifies a movement that brings together something or someone. Awo Fa'lokun understands this concept to be related to the act of gathering personal power in the use of breath and words. Ika is the power present when we try to make sense of our selves. It is an odu that speaks of the implications of self affirmation and how this directs accumulated personal power, or ase. This power has the potential to be a source of tremendous protection and abundance when directed by a person of good character.

It was in this odu that Oke (mountain) came to earth. Before he set out, he was advised to make sacrifice, as he would surely be surrounded by enemies. He did so, and stood rock solid no matter how much his detractors tried to throw him down. Although Oke came to earth in this odu, he was really from Ofun meji, the beginning of light, and represents uprightness, truthfulness and forgiveness as the protection against evil plots.

This is a complex odu that speaks of the consequences of being subject to hostility and of how bitterness can fill our heart with vengeance, hatred and mischievousness. Ika speaks about the very premise for the existence of wickedness lieing in a negative use of personal power. This makes us attract a type of spirit known as alujonu, meaning ’to beat what is dwelling within,’ whose presence manifests in emotional sickness and the presence of selfgenerated ’demonic’ forms that encourage hostility. These spirits are attracted by the sensation of fear that compels us to perform wicked acts; acting in this way we invite them into our soul, which they start to torment. Scapegoating and blaming indicates the presence of these ghostly spirits. When someone is deliberately engaging in gossip, cursing and plotting the demise of others, the negative presence of Ika is full blown.

Ika represents someone who points fingers and toes at others and seeks to harm them. Toes here are a reference to snakes, because it was in this odu that snakes acquired fangs filled with venom. The big toe, which is similar in shape to the head of a snake, represents our connection to our ancestors. Ika speaks of lost opportunities, of how the experience of good fortune slipping through one’s fingers starts to feed resentment as a vital part of the gathering of personal power. It is an odu in which you win the battle but lose the war. We find here (more correctly in Ikawori) the presence of inukdgun, the self injurer, he who is crooked within. He is described as someone who throws ashes at other people without realizing that he is gradually becoming more and more black through his self hexing. Ika denotes a lack of strategy and lack of horizon. Its energy is of acting on an impulse of unwaranted self protection, perceiving the world as a hostile environment, and yet declaring victory in a war with self in which you defeat yourself and prevent good fortune from entering your life.

Ika is the odu in which Obaluwaye brings the hot and fiery winds of disease. It is here that the vengeful aspects of the powers of Ogun and Sango are unleashed. It is not an energy dealing with justice, but vengeance and retribution, rooted in a misconceived need to protect one’s soul and self. Many stories tell of how the drisa expressed this quality, but we always learn that their attitude only led to sorrow and disgrace. Ika is like preparing poison for your enemies - and friends - and consuming this poison yourself in an attempt to take down your detractor. Iwa (character) is crucial here, so attention to developing good character and ori is what balances these forces and brings forth their benign rays.

Naturally it was in this odu that bloodshed, war and warlords came into being; as one verse says: ’Nothing was enough for the world, except for suffering.’ This observation is related to a man called Ekrnmysq. whose name refers to birds dwelling in the ose tree (baobab). This person represents the spirit of the warlord, and Ika speaks of how he went for divination. The reason for his request was that he found so much pleasure in war and bloodshed that he wanted to know if he could always delight in it. His awo told him not to worry about this, because the world was so agitated and unruly that only unrest and suffering would satisfy it:

The spirit of the warlord came to Ifa

For divination

He wanted to know if there would be enough

War and battles for him to delight in

The awo said he should not worry

With shedding blood andfinding glory in battles

There would be plenty for him to do

Agitated and unruly is the world

Only unrest and suffering

Will satisfy an unruly world

Wickedness brings more wickedness and to take delight in it excludes good fortune from your life. This is due to the principle of increase, so prominent in Ifa; you attract what you are, and the types of energies prominent in your life will multiply. So, the same energy that breeds discord and wickedness is a vibration that increases fear and confusion. In regard to this, Awo Popoola recounts the story of a city known as Ikamogun in the following verse:

Akke-so gi saa, awo ile Orunmila

Did fUn OrUnmila

Nip I ti Baba ns awo re ’le OnikamdgUn

Omo a kd worpko ori eja mu bo nu

Ebo ni won ni ko wad se

’The axe that penetrates the tree with great force,’ the awo of OrUnmila

Was the one who cast Ifd for OrUnmila

When he was about to go to the city of the king of IkamdgUn on a spiritual mission

The children of’He who eats the head of a fish in one go’ He was advised to offer sacrifice

This city was famous for its wickedness, which was exalted as a virtue even in the names that its inhabitants gave to each other. They were constantly in discord, and had gone from making witty and piquant remarks about one another to elevating offence and provocation into an art form. When Orunmila came to the city and saw how the people addressed each other, and the cruel and demeaning ways in which they treated one another, he immediately addressed the issue and told them that this was a part of their misfortune. Orunmila went on to the palace of the king and was invited in. He was told that the king was making sacrifice to his on and that he should go and find him. Orunmila went through the palace and in the seventeenth room he found the king feeding pangolins (akika) to his on. The king welcomed Orunmila and asked him to cast Ifa for him, and Ifa revealed that wickedness was ruling the city, and that this was caused by the inhabitants’ love of it. Orunmila said that they should immediately cease treating one another in such demeaning and hurtful ways to no longer attract wickedness. The king was told to never feed pangolin to his on as this would brew a wicked consciousness. The king did as Ifa advised and, in turning away from wickedness, the people invited sweetness into their city. The king established a cult for AWke so gi sa, ’the forceful axe that penetrates trees with one blow,’ a praise name for Sango.

The story is full of deeper meanings, which will be addressed. It speaks of an environment of hostility, where everyone was pointing fingers at everyone else. Sarcasm and cruel jokes were abundant, a situation represented by the king offering pangolin to his on. The pangolin, or scaly anteater, curls itself up into a protective ball when threatened, and is protected from attack by its hardy scales. Feeding pangolin to his consciousness reveals how even the king felt threatened by the climate in his city, that he was constantly seeking to defend himself and develop a thicker skin against the offence given by his citizens. He was carrying out these activities in the seventeenth room, meaning in the house of Esu, utilizing the powers of magic and transformation to protect himself from his own people. This story is contrasted by another which demonstrates how on should be treated in relation to the energy of Ika.

This story tells of a man called Kerennasi. He was a careful man, always cautious in his conduct and always mindful of his actions. He stayed away from any form of conflict, confusion and wickedness. He did what he could to ensure that he would live long and peacefully, but he was troubled by witnessing all the worlds turmoil and difficulties. This made him wonder if he would ever manage to not invite wickedness into his life. He went to his awo and asked what he could do to ensure a long, peaceful life. The awo told him that this would be his lot and made 201 ritual incisions (gbara) on his head, which he filled with Ifa medicine. Ika meji tells us that Kerennasi outlived all of his contemporaries. The only sadness he experienced was that of seeing his friends and loved ones grow old and pass away, but his own life was calm and placid until his equally peaceful end. The verse tells that he grew to be 3000 years old. Ika associates him with the sasara (raffia palm) on account of the endurance and strength of its fibres which can be used to make ropes, houses and even bridges. The message is clear, live life in a calm and measured way, in which one is merely a spectator and not a participant in wickedness; this generates a calm space for the on.

However, this story also places great emphasis on the need to pay attention to one’s consciousness. Ika is clearly an energy which is inclined to generate turbulence for the on. This is demonstrated in the need for Kerennasi to receive 201 incisions on his head, indicative that he was in need of the protection and attention of the 201 irunmole to be able to fulfill his goal.

Ika meji came to earth with three oris, or a triple consciousness. One was said to be lodged in the neck and the other two at each shoulder. Ika speaks of this condition as one of instability and a lack of consistency, in which our perception of self and others is distorted. This leads to self deception and disorders of perception typified in the condition we know as schizophrenia. On a cosmic level, Ika represents the ikonta meta, the great crossroads where Orun and Aye meet, the place where Esu dwells, and where we make decisions and choices. Hence fear, indecisiveness and confusion appear to be the negative elements in the presence of choice that spawns wickedness. In short, wickedness is caused by making choices that cause our consciousness to be overcome by negativity.

Negativity and wickedness is often illustrated by the presence of hair and creeping plants in the corpus of Ifa. This association is one of several reasons why initiation to drisa or Ifa usually calls for the iyawo to give up their hair. It is a symbolic declaration of giving up one’s evil ways. This is further emphasized in how the Yoruba people - and African nations in general - have an almost intuitive response to treating the hair well and ensure that it is either removed altogether or serves as a decoration for the consciousness, a way of beautifying one’s mind by decorating the ’calabash’ that served as its house. Hair, weeds and creeping plants, in fact anything with the capacity to besiege and dominate a place, belongs to the vibration of Ika. Some of these plants need to be discussed in greater depth.

Peanuts (epa) are born in Ika, and are associated with subduing what is good. Ika tells how Epa wanted to find a place in which she could reproduce in peace, because wherever she went she was cleared away. She went to her awo, made divination and the necessary sacrifice, and was told that she would indeed take dominion over any place where she decided to settle. Hence one verse in Ika speaks of how she took control of the farm and caused the demise of the farmer’ s land, making it impossible to plant anything but peanuts.

Epa is a symbol of besiegement, as is the creeping plant known as aagba (Stachytarpheta indica), which wanted a quiet life in the forest. It made ebo, and, like Peanut, took domain of everything in the forest. Ika represents the powers we find in any creeping weed that seeks to control a domain by subduing and suppressing all others. It is a symbol of domination, but a weed is still a weed, and having the ability to extend yourself over a wide area is not synonymous with being wanted, useful or beneficial for anyone other than yourself. Similar symbolism applies to the aforementioned aagba (Stachytarpheta indica), which is a type of vervain that has proved efficient as a blood cleanser and in regulating high blood pressure, and ijdkun (Mucuna poggei), a type of climbing vine with oblong seed pods, a relative of peas and beans. Both of these have a tremendous capacity for besieging the environment into which they are introduced.

So, if we examine the plants associated with Ika, we see the tendency of wickedness to spread across the land and strangle everything good and fragile, noble and worthy, in its self centred appetite for dominion. But because of this, the peanut has a quality that makes it a ward against evil plots. The peanut represents dominion and, conversely, resistance in its capacity of entering the earth as a flower that breeds underground. So naturally, Ika meji is, like any meji, both medicine and poison, just as the peanut symbolises both the spread of wickedness and resistance to it. The capacity for endurance, however, is represented here by eruwa (the fresh grass) and the &paera: bird (the browneared bulbul, Microscelis amaurotis), both of which serve as symbols for surviving war, devastation and antagonism.

Ika is a vibration that signals the presence of detractors and enemies, and a power that uses these debilitating forces to our advantage. We take advantage of these forces when we are able to use opposition and hostility, criticism and negativity, as means to define our station in life. Ika speaks of a condition in which we are surrounded by enemies, but the work at hand is to see oneself as dke, the mountain. It is about forces that demand that we make informed and considered choices, to possess a clear consciousness and act in conformity with who we are, no matter what. We must stand strong in the midst of enemies - and we can only stand strong when we are true to ourselves - and the truth of self is always a good truth.

By extension, we can allow wickedness to enter, or shut it out. This idea is represented by the door, also born in this odu. But the door was weak, it needed three nails and a frame to become truly solid. The power of Ogun is needed in the form of the nails that attach the door to a frame. The house the door is attached to is a reference to on', which raises the question of what the door affixed to the house of your consciousness is hiding and protecting.

I It 11 U LA

Kd gba d nibuu

Ka gba d lodro A dia fdase gaga Ti nlo ogun Ilurin Won m ki Aase rubo O k&-

Kd ru

Ldipe ni adre ba ko lu u Igba ti o di pe kd lee dide m[ Lo bd lri[ sare rubo Wi[n m ki o ru &ruko& kan Ati sarin marin

Serin nda ti o ru

Ni awon awoo re ko si i Idra Ti bem Idraa re ddnioldnli O id ka gba d nibuu

Kd gbd d lodro

A dia fdase gaga Ti nloogun Ilurin Gbarin ko o dide

Aase, gdga

Gbarin ko o dide

Let us travel by extension

Let us travel by width

Ifd divinedfor the Door

When he was going to war in the city of Iron

Door was told to make sacrifice

He refused

He did not sacrifice

Before long, he became ill

When he could no longer stand

He ran to make the sacrifice

He was told to offer a goat

And four pieces of iron

The pieces of iron that he offered

Were nailed to his body

And they are still there today

He said: Let us travel by extension

Let us travel by width

Was what Ifd divinedfor Door

When he was going to war in the city of Iron Take the pieces of iron and stand up Stand tall, Door

Just as Door made sacrifice to become strong, so did the cat. Cat was bullied by everyone and was pushed around all the time, especially by the rats who never gave her a minute of peace, trying to eat her and disturb her. One day when she was particularly tired, and so upset that she was contemplating suicide, she went to her awo for divination. She told her awo that she was miserable, fortune was always slipping away between her paws and she had no means to defend herself. The awo told her to make a sacrifice of razor blades and knives to Esu to enable her to stand her ground. She did as instructed, and was given claws; in this way she was able to get back at the rats that were terrorizing her.

Ika is about gaining tools for defence, but when defence turns to vengeance we need to question if we are applying the right tools to the situation at hand. The story of Cat is associated with Ina (fire). Fire was the child of Ogun, but he was not appreciated. He was always feared for what he was. Over time, people started to use him for their own ends and it is actually in the story of the sacrifice Fire made that we find the kernel of Ika, because this odu is fiery and nocturnal. It speaks of fire given form through words and action. It is a force of denigration and protection, an energy so complex that humankind finds it difficult to use constructively.

Ika speaks of the challenges which confront each human being on their journey on earth. It speaks of the wish for recognition, the search for self and identity, bound to the gathering of personal power. It emphasises how misdirected this energy can be if we don’t ensure that our character and consciousness are good, in the sense of attracting good, because Ika is also concerned with increase. Ika is the energy that reveals itself in wickedness, procrastination and misanthropy as much as it is the force that generates endurance and determination.

Another story from Ika illustrates these matters well. It is the story of Tenle Olu, who was so plagued by misfortune that he considered going into the woods to hang himself. This man had nothing but a simple shelter and two sets of clothing. He had no money, no wife and not even friends. He went to his awo and asked when his misfortunes would end. He was told that luck would come his way, but that he needed to sacrifice two pigeons. He had no money and so he decided to sell one of his garments and purchase the pigeons. His awo made the ebo for him, and told him that good fortune was surely coming his way. Tenle Olu waited one month, two months, three months, but when nothing occurred in the fourth month, he decided that his awo was a liar and went into the woods to commit suicide. He went into the forest with a rope in search of a suitable tree to hang himself from. As he entered the forest he met Esu, who asked him what he was about to do. Tenle Olu said he was going to hang himself, and Esu responded that he thought it was an excellent idea and that he knew a perfect tree for this purpose. Tenle Olu accepted the guidance of Esu and together they went deeper into the forest. The further they ventured, the stronger a rotten odour of decay became, and Tenle Olu wanted to stop and find a tree close by to kill himself, but Esu urged him to walk on just a bit more. Tenle Olu accepted the advice of Esu, and went deeper into the forest, and the stench became more and more intolerable until they came to the source of the rotten odour. Two elephants had died there after fighting one another. Seeing this Esu said, ’Perhaps it is time to reconsider your suicide and instead take all this ivory and build your fortune?’ Tenle Olu wasted no time and took all the ivory with him to sell at the market, and this was the turning point for him, where misfortune turned into good fortune.

In this odu the elephant is important, as it is a symbol of Obatala. Obatala is in turn a symbol of the power that brought consciousness to the world. The importance of consciousness, and particularly the type of consciousness ascribed to the elephant/Obatala is important in Ika.

Another story relates how a city in chaos needed to sacrifice an elephant to get out of its misery. It seemed an impossible task, but the tortoise came up with a plan that was actually based upon deceiving the elephant to come to the city to meet its death. The elephant was naturally reluctant to go to a city of wickedness, but after being seduced by the talk of the tortoise, he went along and found his death. As a result of this, the city prospered and wickedness evaporated.

The story tells how Tortoise managed to bring the needed sacrifice to a city in violent trouble. The tortoise was not accorded much value, being slow, old and awkward, but it was nevertheless this creature protected by a hard shell (representing wisdom and cunning) which enabled the capture of a ’good consciousness’ for the city. The lengthy narrative tells of how the city managed to mobilize itself in a positive way around the tortoise to help him in his plan. It is a tale that speaks of cooperation and respect, especially for the elderly and weak, as the tenets for gaining a good on. It is only when we work together that we can bring goodness in abundance, symbolized by the elephant. When we work together, we can make the impossible possible and reap its benefits.

Community is about recognizing individual talents and refraining from judging anyone as useless, as everything has its place, if we have a wide enough perspective to see how everything fits together. Ika teaches that positive reinforcement is a far better incentive than punitive action. And yet, the verse speaks of the mystery of control, direction and what we should do in order to reach our goals. It is only proper that it was in Ika that the eniyan, the first humans, made sacrifice in order to gain control of their environment. So we find that the same energy that brings the fire of the individual, the fire of ambition and finding position, is the same energy that motivates us to take dominion and control, whether of self or others. Fire is the son of Ogun, it is a child of strength with an elemental nature and it is our constitution and character that directs this force, whether in useful or destructive ways. One verse expresses this dilemma:

Opopo nuEla ile Ila

Opopo nuEla &nd Ojumu odd Meta de ’le, m(Ela d de ’le

There are three roads to Ila town

And there are three tracks towards the village of Okumu-odd

Three lead home, three do not

Choice can invite procrastination, selfishness, stubbornness and wickedness. These are born from hopelessness and self hatred. Ika is an odu that speaks of this feeling of being lost, and warns against self sabotage, which takes shape in negative behaviour or indulging in useless pursuits. One verse is of interest in this regard. It tells of the king of Iwere, who was encouraged to make ebo because death was after him. The king however had other things to do, and always put it off, finding excuses for not doing it. One day when he was walking towards his palace, he suffered a heart attack on the road. He was found in time, and taken to the house of his Ifa priest who immediately produced the necessary material for ebo, ensuring the survival of the king. The first part of the verse is as follows:

Eeydn werewere a la iyere

Eeydn radirddi a .d maa l 'ddi

Eeydn bii were na ba asinwin pdde

Did fun Onweere

Won ni ko waa s ’ebo

Ko ma baa se deede iku oju ^nd

The person who sells iyere (locusl beans) is awkward The person who sells ddi (palm kernel oil)is quaint

It is an encounter between a mad man and a lunatic

This was the Ifa cast for Onweere

Who was told to offer ebo

So Death would not find him on the road

This verse hinges on a play between what is popular in the market, the locust bean and what is far less popular (and actually an Ifa taboo) palm kernel oil, suggesting that the king was not taking anything seriously, but rather indulged as much as he could in whatever pleased him, not caring whether it was good or bad for him. In a way, the king displayed an attitude of someone who had given up on life, someone who concluded that life was just a game of chance. But luck is something we prepare ourselves to receive by forging our fate. The verse speaks about taking responsibility for our life and choices, and of community. While the king neglected to do what was necessary, his diviner intervened and saved his life.

This verse is sometimes applied to Osanyin, the spirit of herbs, who comes to fruition in the next odu. Nevertheless, the fire embedded in this sorcerous spirit originated in Ika. Being born in Ika reveals that he too came to earth with the need to learn his place in the world and to learn humility so that he could pursue his destiny with fervent ardour and concentration. The need to find one’s place is prominent in this odu. Here we find the adan (bat) making ebo in order to be fertile and find a place where she could be free from harassment. She made the ebo and became fertile. She became a symbol of the good mother, and the love of children and the protective power which a mother holds. Fire here is conceived of as protective.

Okuta ni d see salegba

A dia fun yindinyindin

Ti nfomi ojuu sdgbere omo

Won ni yindinyindin o rubo

Wijn ni &p& nire omo fun um

O si ru u

Igba o rubo tan

O ni bao gaga ni awon dun wi

Okuta ni kd seasalegba

A dia fun yindinyindin

Oun sa ni tidin

Aya m^m^ mbi o

Okoo re np^n

Yndinyindin sa ni tidin

’The stone is not an appropriate tool for working on the artistic craft of an artisan’

Was the awo who made Ifa divination for

The ant larva hidden in the anthill

Who was crying for the lack of children

The ant larva was told to make sacrifice

So she could have many children

She made the sacrifice

After making the sacrifice

She said it all came to pass exactly as the priest of Ifa had told

’The stone is not an appropriate tool for working on the artistic craft of an artisan’

Was the awo who made Ifa divination for

The ant larva hidden in the anthill

That was the relative close to the worm

The wife is giving birth

And the husband is carrying it all on his shoulders

The ant larva is certainly a relative of the worm

From the stories of the ant larva and the bat, we see that Ika speaks of finding your place in an environment that does not necessarily appreciate you. In both cases it speaks of endurance as much as it speaks of battle, fear and revolt, as when ants invade a garden, or a bat confusedly enters the house. It is about finding your place, and the turmoil that occurs when we are dislocated, such as when a warlord invades a neighbouring land, or simply being somewhere detrimental to one’s good fortune. Ika is commenting on social positions, as much as of individual destiny. These elements are encoded in the spirit of Ora- and the concept of taboo.

Ora- came to earth in this odu. His parents were told beforehand that a great spirit would be born, that he would be renowned for good and for ill, and that upon his birth they had to give the child a hand of Ifa to ensure that his travels in the world would be for the sake of good. The cult of Ora is the nightside of that of Egungun, the ancestors. By nightside, I mean that it is related to the communication with ancestors as it takes place in the enigmatic environment of night, which symbolises what is hidden. His name, Ora, means ’word’ and is hence a reference to the power composed of breath, intent and direction. This ’word’ is also related to Osa, which holds the power of sorcery, by using the word in secret ways. Osa is a secret cult of sorcery, as is that of Ora. The former uses the power of the word found in Ika, but this power is exercised in another odu, Irete, which will be detailed two chapters hence.

The stories of Ora reveal a clear and directed force, loyal and somewhat rigid in his insistence on law and character. One tale imparts how he was betrayed by his wife, and his rage was so great that she had no choice but to run away with her lover, never to be seen again. This exemplifies one of many incidents that identify Ora as the embodiment of justice, law, ethics and morals. These are quite simple in a traditional Yoruba society: develop good character, adhere to taboo, and be a person of your word.

We can understand Ora to be the force that executes the content of our words in relation to our ancestry, because his cult is deeply tied to that of Egungun and funerary rites. His function is to purify society and to re-establish the straight way of Ifa when crooked ways have proliferated. The masked processions of Ora use the bullroarer to announce their nocturnal and purifying dance through the village, calling upon snakes and aja (in this context related to Oya, or rather her mother, the tornado) to reinstate order and oath. Hence, taboo is a mediating force that establishes a code or law. So, in Ika the concept of taboo and law is established, while in the following odu, Oturup&n, the reason for it, and its remedy is divulged and explained.

Chief Fama (1993: 10-13) has given an excellent presentation of these matters. I will therefore resort largely to her work in presenting laws and taboos. A taboo is largely a negative law that aims to compel good fortune to manifest. If what is taboo is avoided it encourages one to be open to good fortune, as what brings misfortune is not a part of one’s actions and thoughts. A taboo is something that we deny in favour of something else; it is the rejection of what impairs good fortune. The principle of taboo presented in the form of laws is from Ikafun, and the verse reads as follows:

A d'ifa fun agbaagba merlndinlogun

Wqn nrele Ife wqn nlo ree toro ogbo

Awon le gbo, awon le tq IA Olodumare ti ran wqn ni wqn da Ifa si

Wqn ni wqn a gbq, won a to sugbqn ki wqn pa ikild mq

Wqn ni ki wqn ma fi esuru pe esuru

Wqn ni ki wqn ma fi esuru pe esuru

Wqn n ki wqn ma fi ddiclo pe oode

Wqn ni ki wqn ma fi ewe irokd pe ewe oriro

Wqn ni ki wqn ma fi aimdwo ba won de odd

Wqn n ki wqn ma fi Ailokd ba won ke hain-hain

Wqn ni ki wqn ma gba dna eburu wo ’le Akala

Wqn n ki wqn ma fi ikoode nu idi

Wqn ni ki wqn ma su si epo

Wqn ni ki wqn ma t& si afr

Wqn n ki wqn ma gba dpa l ’qwq afoju

Wqn n ki wqn ma gba dpa l ’ qw^ ogbo

Wqn n ki wqn ma gba obinrin dgboni

Wqn n ki wqn ma gba obinrin ^ra:

Wqn n ki wqn ma s ’ &r& imula l ’ehin

Wqn n ki wqn ma san-an ibanta awo

Wqn de ’le aye tan ohun ti wqn ni ki wqn ma se ni wqn nse

Wqn wa boro sa ku

Wrjn fi igbe ta, wqn m Orunmila npa wqn

Orunmila ni dun kq l ’dun npa wqn

Orunmila ni aipa ikil^ mqo wqn lo npa wqn

Agba re d’owq re

Agba mi d’owq mi

Agba kn w^fun ni talo ki o to kan ni

Ifa was divined for the sixteen elders

They were going to the city of Ife to ask for long life

Would the secret of long life be revealed to them, was what they asked of Ifa It was revealed that the sixteen elders (awos)would live long and enjoy good health,

But that they had to observe the sixteen laws of Ifa to ensure their goal

The awos were told never to say that a yam is a yam

The awos were told never to call special beads special beads

They were told never to call the parrot a bat

They were told never to say that iroko leaves are oriro

They were told not to swim if they didn’t know how to swim

They were advised to be humble and never self serving

They were advised never to enter the house of Ifa with deception in their heart

They were advised never to use the sacred parrot’s feathers to clean their behinds

They were told not to place their faeces in the palm oil

They were told to never urinate in the calabash in which palm oil is made

They were told not to take the walking cane from a blind man

They were told not to take the cane from an old man

They were told to leave the wives of the elders alone

They were told to leave the wife of a friend alone

They were told not to discuss secrets in hidden places

When the sixteen elders went to earth they did all the things

They were told to refrain from

They started dying, one after another

They cried out in despair, accusing Orunmila of murdering them

Orunmila said they were dying because they did what they were not supposed to do

Wisdom is upright, abundance is found in proper conduct

The wisdom to comport myself properly, to be upright is my responsibility

A wise one does not announce his arrival

The verse gives advice on how to succeed in our human journey. If we summarize it, we end up with some simple guidelines, which will attract good fortune when they are followed:

· Don’t claim to possess knowledge you don’t have

· Don’t give your opinion unless asked

· Don’t make what is common appear special for the sake of advantage

· Don’t allow your personal and limited truth to contaminate others

· Don’t pretend to be someone or something you are not

· Be honest with yourself and with the world

· Don’t pretend to be a friend when deceit lives in your heart

· Don’t make what is sacred profane and filthy

· Don’t be a menace to the weak and old

· Don’t take what is not yours

· Don’t indulge in gossip

· Don’t betray your word and oath

· But do recognize your enemies

If you do break these laws and find misfortune hunting you down, don’t accuse God, don’t accuse your friends or your enemies, but rather accuse the enemy within, the wickedness in your soul. In confronting the challenge, rise above all this and attract what is good for you, which is done by paying attention to two rules of life: don’t entertain slander and insult; and be conscious that you are here on earth because you desire a long, happy life, and so make choices that affirm this choice and desire.

OTURUPON MEJI

ae secret path of truth

Oturup&n meji is concerned with ancestral wisdom, the mystery of gestation, and is by extension the energy of endurance and health. The name Oturup&n is composed of the words dtu, which means ’endurance’ and ’hidden or secret paths and ways,’ and p&n, ’to be in truth’ or ’to manifest truth.’ This odu teaches us to possess the necessary endurance to pursue the path of truth, no matter how veiled it might be. The guiding force of this search is found in the alternative name of this odu, Ol^gb^n meji, meaning ’the owner of the wise one,’ in reference to the use of the intellect. This odu details the contrasting forces that make it possible for wisdom to develop. The central message of this odu is presented in the following verse:

Ol^gb^n kand ta koko omi serf aso

(Oilman kan d moye eepee le

A dia fori

Abu funwa

Ori ni ire gbogb^ le to dun tyw^ bayii?

Wqn ni o rubo

O si ru u

Igba ti o rubo tan

O si ni gbogbo ire ti o nfa

O ni bae gaga ni awon awo dun

Nsenu reree pefa

Oli]gbi[n kan d ta koko omi sell aso

Om&ran kan d moye eepee le

A dia fori

Abu funwa

On pela o

On abiye

Eni on ba gbeboo re

Ko y&

Not even a man who owns wisdom can tie water into a knot

At the hem of his clothes

And no sage knows how to count the number of grains in

The sand covering the earth

This Ifa divinedfor On (Consciousness)

Who also divinedfor Iwa (Character)

Ori asked the awo if he would have all good things in life

He was told to practice sacrifice

He did as he was told

As he was practising sacrifice

He received all the good things he wanted

He said it came to pass exactly as the Ifa priests told

Use your good voice to give reverence to Ifa

Not even a man who owns wisdom can tie water into a knot

At the hem of his clothes

And no sage knows how to count the number of grains in

The sand covering the earth

This Ifa divinedfor On

Who also divinedfor Iwa

On we salute you

You are the one who allows children to be born alive

He who practices sacrifice is accepted by his on

In the blessing of plenty he will rejoice

This verse calls upon us to practise humility, which we do by paying attention to consciousness, character and the practice of sacrifice. The underlying idea is encoded in a part of an onki from this odu: ’Be truthful, do good, be truthful, do good, it is the truthful ones who the divinities support.’ This verse also implies that achieving this goal involves conscious attention and the practice of sacrifice. To practice sacrifice in this context, applied to on (consciousness) and iwa (character), means the constant work of developing good character through truthfulness and endurance. It is through this type of sacrifice that we can eventually possess wisdom.

The verse also comments that on is responsible for children being born alive, a mystery of the funfun (white) spirits directly related to gestation, such as Koori and Ooge, spiritual phenomena such as abiku (infant death syndrome) and ibeji (twin births), which are in turn related to Egungun, Osanyin and Ewa. It is an odu encoded in the placenta of the gestating womb. It stresses the limits of what we can know and at the same time it emphasizes the importance of seeking wisdom and truth, no matter how occult and evasive the paths towards them might be. It is about establishing a balance between endurance applied to good goals and the arrogance born from feeling intellectually superior.

One story tells of how Orunmila was asked to travel to the people of Aanu. At the time of the invitation, he was going through a rough patch. He didn’t have much money, nor a wife or family that might help him on his journey. Consequently, he went to the house of his students for divination and the above verse appeared. His students told him that no matter how wise he was, he now needed to attract compassion, so he should not be too eager to show off. He was told to feed his Ifa and to make a sacrifice to Kami Osor^nga. He sold some of his belongings to gain the funds to perform the ebo and ensure a successful journey. The sacrifice being made, he went to Aanu and gave his full attention to the help required by the people there, and the city prospered. Orunmila always made it clear that he could not have done this for the people there if it hadn’t been for their compassion and help, which led to them showing their appreciation for his work in such magnitude that he became a very rich man.

Oturup&n is about servitude and it is a lesson in humility. The humility spoken of is not a matter of abasing yourself, but of modesty. It is about realizing that we all have our battles and anticipating this in sweet comprehension when we meet other people. We can realize the blessing of a good intellect, whilst acknowledging that it has its limits. A good mind might know how to plan a garden, but other forces are needed to actually make it manifest.

In this odu we are called to remember our heritage, and this memory rests not only at the feet of Egungun, but also in the presence of the frailty of gestation. Gestation is a delicate matter, an act surrounded by good will and hope, but at times death and deformity occur. The entire process is a meditation upon our own mortality and becoming, a phenomenon of creation that should inspire us to be modest and sweet in the content contemplation of our achievements. Indeed this odu speaks of the bones of the body as much as of the secrets of the placenta, and in this intuition and endurance is born.

The odu speaks of health and immunity, of plants that heal and herbs that kill. It is here that Ifa says the Elders of the Night took residence at the heart of the forest; or, in other words, at the centre of mystery itself. This mystery repeats itself in the commencement of menstruation on the 28th day, the lunar, or hidden, cycle of events. Surely, the blood flowing is spoken of in Irosun, the vehicle in Odi', but the reason is veiled in the night of Oturup&n. This enigma is glimpsed in a most mysterious verse of Ifa:

Paaka seyin kungii

O hogoji nle

A dia fun eniyan

A bu feniyan

Wr[n ni ki awon mejeeji o rubo

Eniyan ni bi dun ba dele aye

Oun o maa ba ti gbogbo eniyan ja ni

Eniyan naaa ni bi dun ba dele aye tan

Ohun ti o ba wu dun ni dun o maa se

Won ni ki dun naa o rubo

Kd ru

Igba ti awon mejeeji dele aye tan

Lo ba di wipe bi eeyan ba bimo sile tan

Eniyan o pa a

Gbogbo nnkan ti eniyan ni

Ni awon enyan mba a ja

Ni eniyan ba pada lo si oko alawo

O l&y rubo

Wyn m ki o lay da eegun

Ni o ba by sinu eku

O nlo koroo my awon emyan

O ni bae gaga ni awon awo dun wi

Paaka seyin kfingii

O hogoji nle

A dia fun eniyan

A bu feniyan

Awon mejeeji ntikdle ^-run bd waye

Eniyan ni

Eniyan ni

The paaka (Egungun masquerader)masked with a hump on the back

Took forty cowries from the floor

Was the one who divined Ifa for the witch

He also made divination for the human being

Both were told to perform sacrifice

The witch said that whenever she came to earth

She would destroy the work of human beings

The human being said that whenever he came to earth

He would do whatever gave him pleasure.

He was told to make sacrifice

But he refused to do so

When the two came to earth

If the human being brought forth a child

The witch would attempt to kill it

All things pertaining to human being

Were damaged by the witch

So the human being returned to the Ifa priest

To make the sacrifice he had neglected

The awo told him to do as Egungun

And he dressed up for the masquerade,

And began to sing using veiled and offensive language against

The witches

He said it was exactly like their priests

The paaka masked with a lump on the back,

Who took forty cowries from the floor

Said he who made Ifa divination for the witch

And also made divination for the human being

When both were coming from heaven to earth

This is a witch

Despite the form of the human being

The witch will never give rest to the human being

If we read carefully, we see that the witch was not asked to make any sacrifice. The human, however, was asked to make sacrifice but refused. Later, seeing that life was not as good as expected, the human decided to make the sacrifice, but did so with bad words, resentment and hatred towards the witch. Humankind seeks pleasure, and curses whatever challenges it. The reality is that the forces that challenge what we have are those which test us, so that we can retain what is good through endurance, and leave what is bad. But as we see, humankind desired only pleasure and not worth, and any force that challenged the hunt for pleasure was deemed hostile.

The pain announcing menstruation is a reminder, and signals the presence of the witches. This odu is not an odu of witches, but of their memory and mark. In the same way that the witches left a mark of monthly agony, Orunmila left his ikms and dpele, instruments of wisdom, in his place as he left the earth. That he left his tools of divination serves as a reminder that Ifa is a practical tool for solving situations and problems. Oturup&n meji tells that Orunmila left for Orun through Olokun Aloyo, meaning through the secrets of the ocean.

Witches in Ifa are related to our emotions, that which comes through our breath, thought and mind. It is these which call upon aja (witches) and ajoguns (spirits of difficulties). The Yoruba language does not have a specific word to designate stored up feelings; so the emotional part which Western man fills with worry, insecurities, pleasure and desire does not really exist in Ifa. There are really no Yoruba words to describe the emotional content of a human being, apart from pleasure and vengeance. Everything else is lodged in thought and behaviour as the faculties that generate emotions in the human being, and so it sometimes happens that aja and ajoguns will be invited in.

This odu, the truth finder, is about using the intellect and being calm about what we invite into our soul. Our soul consists of breath and thought, and it is through these faculties that we invite or deny entrance. What we invite with thought starts to grow in our hearts and takes the shape of emotions. The developing emotion takes on the quality of the thought that invited it in, meaning, if abundance was the energy beneath your thought this is what you will plant in your soul, but if worry and hatred is what you invited in, the child of these thoughts will be emotions that add to your obstacles.

Oturup&n meji directly follows Ika meji, which tells of wickedness, and therefore signals the importance of making our good fortune in the midst of hostility and wickedness. This condition is represented by the scrotum. The relevant verse speaks of how Obatala, Ogun and Osip-si wondered about where to place the seeds for regeneration in the design of the human being. Obatala said that they should place them between the thighs, because they would both be protected there and nurtured by the heat needed to keep the semen alive. When Ep^n (scrotum) was made aware of his destiny, he objected and said that he was a delicate being, and the legs would certainly crush him. Obatala said it would nevertheless be so, and assured Scrotum it would be fine, that his enemies would never be able to hurt him, that this was the best place for him. Ep-n made sacrifice to ensure his good fortune and indeed, he found what Obatala had said to be true. He was kicked left and right, but the legs were not able to hurt him. The lesson of this story is that it is important to realize who and what we are, and not pretend to be something we are not. Oturup&n meji contains a wealth of stories speaking of the importance of being true to yourself, no matter what that is, and to avoid pretence of any sort. We find a reminder of this in a proverb from the odu:

Ipapa idi lo fara jo akika

The bark of the Idi tree has the appearance of Pangolin

Bcecehi d lee se bi akika

But appearance doesn’t make it act like the Pangolin

The idi tree (Terminalia glaucescens) possesses antifungal properties and is widely used for oral hygiene. It is also associated with the story of two friends who were together in all things, through good times and bad times, and shared everything. One day they decided to go to their awo to ask if their friendship would always be this good, and what would come of it. The awo told them that good things were coming to them both, but that they should make sacrifice to ensure that these would not create a rift between them. Only one of them made the sacrifice and good fortune came to him in greater haste than to the other. Envy surged in his friend, who started to plot against him, reaping shame as his reward:

Eni eni ntun se e la When one S friend experiences success

Trinu ^fl.i bi mo? How is it possible to be angry?

Here the odu touches upon how selfishness, pride, egotism and arrogance are activated by one’s failure to use the intellect as a guide to doing what is right and good. What is right and good is to work upon one’s own good fortune and fate and not to occupy oneself in measuring the success of others and making judgments over whether they deserve it or not. We should instead learn from successful people. When you envy a friend, it is time to turn your gaze inward and interact with him, or her, as a teacher of prosperity and fate. This humble turn will bring about the greatest ebo, the change of attitude.

In this odu, we find the story of a man referred to as ’He whose mouth is as strong as the akika tree.’ This man was endowed with great strength and a great mind, and so he decided to abolish the world from his life, finding everyone else inferior and pathetic in comparison to his own greatness. He had no friends, nor a wife, no-one was deemed worthy of his company. He worked hard day and night, but saw no end to his efforts; no matter how much he worked, more work seemed to pile up. One day he decided to go for a divination, and his awo told him that he needed to change his attitude towards people. The awo told him that he was himself the author of his problems and told him to make sacrifice and welcome people into his life. He did as he was told, and his life took a turn for the better. He found a good wife and many good friends gathered around him. The story speaks of the need for community and the importance of avoiding focussing on people’s imperfections. Everyone has their own struggle, and the more we aim towards making other people’s lives better, the more our own will improve.

The akika tree (Lecaniodiscus cupanioides) is extremely hardy and prefers secluded and rocky terrain where it affixes its root betweens stones and rocks. The tree is a relative of yohimbe (Pausinystalia yohimbe) and is used in similar ways, namely to fortify erection and male sexuality, as its testicle-like fruits suggest. It has many other medicinal properties, including for oral hygiene. Nearly all trees and herbs in this odu have a relationship with the mouth and its cleanliness. It is a reminder to watch our words, because they are born from our thoughts, which are born in turn from our placement in the world and sense of identity. Just as this odu speaks of the importance of friends, it also speaks of the importance of measuring the people you associate with and the presence of bad advice - again, a reminder to keep the mouth clean in reference to the words you speak. It also speaks of deception by friends and disappointment in them.

This theme is demonstrated in the story of how 165 snails marched towards their deaths. The snails went to an awo and asked what was going wrong with their journey and were told that they had a friend, calling himself ’Slippery Road,’ who gave bad advice about where to go. They were advised to identify Slippery Road and not to listen to him any more. They did as the awo said, and the deaths ceased once Slippery Road had been recognized.

This odu deals with false friends, with arrogance and hubris, with people who turn themselves into victims of circumstance by not changing their attitude. It also speaks of ancestry and tradition in contrast to fluctuating and changing social norms. This is underlined by the many stories which tell of Orunmila and Kami Osoranga as the powers that secure balance in life. This balance is a mystery on several levels. On the first, of how wisdom balances forces that create chaos; on the second, of the importance of getting rid of what is useless to our progress; and on the third, of the tension between tradition and innovation, where what is obsolete needs to make way for renewal.

This tension between tradition and change is repeated in a story that tells of how Oturu (Truth-Walker) married Erin (Laughter), and another that speaks of how he married Eyele Owewe (Beautiful Pigeon). In both these stories the truth-walker married women who were extremely beautiful but also quarrelsome and deceptive. In the first story Oturu experiences great bliss and joy in his marriage, but it turns sour within a few months, because his wife refuses to take anything seriously. She doesn’t involve herself in building up the prosperity of their home, but is always searching out company and gossip. She is however very charming, and whenever Oturu asks counsel from family and friends he is silenced and told that he has the perfect wife. One day Erin leaves him and in her absence the truth starts to emerge, but alas, it is too late. In the second story the truth-walker turns into Otonporo, a selfish hothead who objects to his wife’s easygoing ways. The couple are advised to develop iwa rere and seek counsel from Egungun so that wickedness and selfishness can be abolished in favour of obtaining a better perspective on the situation; and the story ends happily.

Oturup&n meji speaks of the human condition, of the arrogance that develops as a consequence of living in an environment perceived as hostile, and of the hubris and hardiness of soul that can come into being when we exchange compassion for misanthropy. It speaks of this state as one in which bad decisions are made, and false friends given power. This is the root of deception and disappointment. These themes are found in the mystery of Egungun and its allied societies, Agemo and Ora-, as well as in the essence of Osanyin and Ewa.

Ewa, or lyawa, whose name means ’Beauty’ or ’Mother of Beauty,’ exemplifies the balance between beauty and wisdom. She is a reminder of iwa, as represented by a beautiful, and curious, woman. Ewa is a river deity, associated with springs, and is linked with Osanyin, Obaluwaye and Osumare.

She is described as both the rays of the sun as well as fog and mist and the colours of the rainbow. She is seen in the chameleon’s ability to change in conformity with its environment: she is not the change, but the potential for transformation. She is also associated with cemeteries; her physical beauty will decay, so it is necessary to develop inner beauty. In this she is related to Egungun as a force of mystery, symbolized by the fog and mist (which in Ifa represents the fertility of night), the mysterious dimensions we cannot fully understand, only perceive, appreciate and use.

A legend tells that on account of her beauty she was constantly visited by men who asked for her hand in marriage. None of them saw beyond her amazing physical beauty, no one saw that she was the mother of character. Time passed and the whole affair made her sad, and so she went to her awo for a divination. On meeting Orunmila, she realized that it was wisdom she wanted, and so she made sacrifice to become wise. Before long she started to dissolve into rays of sun and rainbows, mist and fog; she became wisdom resting within character.

In Oturup&n we find Osanyin and Obaluwaye together with all the powers of the forest. It is an odu of justice, strength and mystery. The mysteries spoken of here are those of gestation and what is hidden from full understanding by the placenta. Oturup&n carries the message that to know and to fully understand are not the same thing. It is here that Egungun speaks loudly, and it is here that the bones of Egungun and the secret justice veiled in words belonging to Oro maintain an association with the mysterious forest accessible to Ifa.

Ibaba awo Egungun

T1 1 zA

Ik^k^ awo Or&

Gbangba l ’ Ogedengbe n 'sawo l ’emo Ile Orunmila

The ways of Egungun lie in secrets

In a well guarded darkness we find the secrets of Or^ Open are the many roads to the house of Orunmtta

OTURA MEJI

Love’s gentle harmony

Otura meji is named after a man known as Otu. This man was a spiritual pilgrim, always searching for enlightenment. He was devout in his practice and kept diligently to his spiritual routine. Whenever he made sacrifice he always doubled up on what he was told to offer or do. As a consequence, Otu experienced tremendous abundance both from the dwellers in Orun and from those in Aye. He was blessed with abundance, prosperity and all the good things which life on earth would give, just as he was blessed with unparalleled understanding and insight about the ways of heaven. Hence, this odu is commonly applied to prophets. Chief Adewuyi says the meaning of the name Otu relates to an active search to gain freedom by attracting peace, love and harmony.

Ara, the second part of the word making up the name of the odu means ’body,’ and thus we have the meaning of the ensouled being searching for freedom and becoming filled with harmony.

The idea of a prophet in Ifa is related to the capacity of passing on foresight. The Yoruba word for a prophecy is asololo, which signifies ’matters concerning the future which happen beneath a veil or cloth where a given condition is addressed in mysterious ways.’

This odu announces the arrival of Muslims, or strangers, into Yorubaland. In the corpus of Ifa, the Muslims accomplished mastery of Ifa due to their spiritual discipline. The Muslim kasan (kaftan) represents the cloth of Obatala, which serves as a reminder of the importance of clothing yourself in whiteness and seeking contemplation and spirit communion to attract harmony and understanding. In relation to spiritual discipline, one of the verses in the combinations of Oturd (OtUrareto) says:

Tun ’ra re te

Bi a bi ni, ad tun ra eni bi

Amuwdn, Amuwdn

Eni mo iwon, /di te

Reconstruct yourself

Because of your birth you need to be

Brought into being again

He who knows the mystery of moderation and balance

Is the one who will not be disgraced

The verse stresses the inherent quality of this odu, that is, the ability to shed one’s skin and to ascend in wisdom and understanding through the possession of humility, direction, and an upright character. It is here that Esu came to be

praised as ’the upright one,’ which will be further addressed in the final chapter of this book. Oturd meji is particularly favoured by Olodumare, z~k r i-r-ix  j r” ji • j 11 j* n’j 1 ’j1j1

Orunmila and Esu on account of this constellation of virtues, along with the capacity to examine all things in order to disclose wisdom, power and destiny.

In Oturd we find several references to mythological themes and ages, for it is an odu of fairytales. One of these is referred to by Osamoro Ibie (1986), who recounts a lengthy story in which Otura fought a dragon in a way strikingly similar to the popular legends of St George and his chivalric deeds across the

Campo Stella and his slaying - or taming - of the dragon. It is significant that this legend is found here, in relation to another deed ascribed to OtUra -

11 j1 r* j x 711 1 j r* j j1 t^i \ t^i \

namely how the first im^lo he brought from Orun to earth was Ela. Ela is

commonly translated as ’the spirit of salvation,’ ’the pure one’ or simply

’grace.’ Ela is the spirit of Orunmila - in other words, Orunmila is an

✵ j • n f^i ' f^i ' 1 1 r 1 ’11 j 1 *1j1

incarnation of Ela. Ela himself is described as mystery and is said to be manifest in the sparkles of light found in caves and subterranean tunnels, which represent the mysterious and hidden dimensions of wisdom itself.

This odu also tells how Otura made ebo at the four corners of the world when he came to earth, and established the necessary equilibrium and harmony between the elemental powers which support Aye, symbolized by the four corners of the divination tray. In the practice of this ebo he established the presence of ori ala within Aye. The ori ala, or igba ala, holds the memory of the prophetic dream, and this is what was spread throughout the caves that were prepared as a dwelling for Ela. This being done, the veins of the earth became rich with wisdom and oracular potency.

In relation to this story, Popoola makes mention of ogba itord, which he translates as ’the Garden of Halcyon in Orun,’ that serves as a memento for what Otura established on earth. This refers to the kingfisher and to Alcyone, the star considered to be the leader of the Pleiades, and the ogba itord is the dream of the first Eden. And here, in the field of stars, is the theme of St George and his adventures, where the myths of the kingfisher and the Pleiades provide a stellar background for Otura and what it attracts. It is pertinent to take a closer look at these themes.

The halcyon is the kingfisher, a bird sacred in this odu. We know from Greek legends that the kingfisher represents abundance, peace, protection and love. The legend tells how Alcyone, the daughter of Aeolus, the ruler of the winds, upon finding her husband drowned, drowned herself in the ocean. She was resurrected as the kingfisher and upon her resurrection, her father decreed the winds to be still on the seven days before and after the December solstice. These are known as Halcyon Days and are associated with the mythical idea of the kingfisher making a floating nest on the ocean where its eggs could gestate and hatch without threat from wind or beast. Alcyone was adored by the Nereids, especially Thetis, and other sea nymphs and mermaids. Alcyone is the leader of the Pleiades, the seven sisters. Her name means ’The queen who wards off evil winds’ and is related to the Garden of Hesperides. These garden motifs are interesting because Otura speaks of a first creation of the world, a golden age infused with nymphs, beauty and love. Popoola comments that Otura is venerated by the irunmoles and Olodumare on account of his efforts in this first creation.

The original designer of the first creation was Orunmila. It was perfect, and the world was inhabited by eniyan, but these spirits in human form were taken back for a reason not clearly stated, and another type of eniyan was placed on earth instead. Otura was appointed to be the overseer of both these phases, and his efforts and wisdom in executing, planning and supervising the design led to his being celebrated and to his association with harmony, love and perfection.

Otura is first and foremost concerned with design, perfection and character, themes found in a story said to occur in the time when ’the trees were our ancestors.’ This odu speaks of the erinmodo tree (Ricinodendron heudelotii), also known as njangsa. It is a majestic tree with thick and deep roots and a prominent crown on a greyish trunk that can reach 50 metres in height. The seed kernels are used both as oil and as a flavouring agent, having a taste reminiscent of a slightly peppery groundnut. Its medicinal qualities are many; an infusion prepared from the bark is used to drive away poison and illnesses, such as fevers and malaria. The presence of the tree is beneficial for the soil and it is rarely plagued by pests and insects aside from a few types of caterpillar which exist in symbiosis with it, amongst them the moth Imbrasia obscura whose markings, reminiscent of two red eyes on its dark wings, make it the subject of legends which tell of what is strange.

The myth of Erinmodo tells of how her beauty and majesty attracted enemies, leading to her not having any success in spite of her many wonderful qualities. This was in the time when the trees were our ancestors. She didn’t perform any evil, nor wish ill upon her enemies. Time passed and the conspiracy against her became more serious, so she decided to go to her awo for divination to see what could be done. The awo told her to make a sacrifice so that she would become the queen of her enemies and rule them. She did as the awo advised, and in a short time her enemies came to her with their suffering and appointed her the ruler of all the trees, accepting her beauty and majesty to be eternal.

This story serves as a reminder that one should show exemplary character at all times and not wish one’s enemies ill, no matter how wicked they are, because often those who do wickedness do so because they suffer inwardly. We are told more of Erinmodo and the presence of wickedness in another story, in which we meet an irunmole called Alukandi, ’He who travels back and forth bringing news.’ Alukandi was appointed to be Olodumare’s overseer of human affairs and to report back on what was going on across the earth. Alukandi executed his assignment dutifully, and reported everything he saw. As time passed, Alukandi grew bitter and confused at the state of the world. He couldn’ t understand why these people were fighting and bickering, destroying nature and behaving in selfish ways. Why should they be allowed to live? He brought his concerns to Olodumare, but Olodumare told him that he should not interfere. Alukandi accepted Olodumare’s words, but his bitterness grew into hatred until, one day he asked for the power to kill and dominate. Olodumare gave them to him. He gave him the power of& ase, which is the power of the word, the power of enchantments and abilu (curses) represented by the ataare (alligator pepper). Alukandi assumed human shape and he took form in the midst of the market. Here he spoke to the people, telling them that mercy, pity and grace had come to an end, and it was now time for retribution. Having stated this, he started to kill them. He spread fear and havoc everywhere.

The day after the mass killing, people came to the market to collect the bodies of their loved ones. When they saw that Alukandi was still there, they approached him and tried to reason with him, but he responded, ’I, Alukandi, am here now, and whoever I want to kill, I will surely kill.’ Tragedy spread across the city as Alukandi killed off the population one by one in an attempt of rid the city of wickedness. The confusion Alukandi created drew the attention of Esu, who went to the market to see what was going on and tried to reason with him. Alukandi told him that his powers were given by divine decree and that he would do what was best for the earth. After an attempt at dialogue, Esu told him that his assignment was to oversee, not to interfere, and so he went to the irunmoles and told them about Alukandi’s misuse of his powers. Other irunmoles went to the market to witness what Esu had reported, and when they saw that Alukandi was indeed misusing his powers they made sacrifice to Esu and asked him to take the powers away. The very same night Esu went to the sleeping Alukandi and stripped him of his powers. On the following day, he went to the market once again with his intent to kill the wicked, but this time nothing happened. People rapidly noticed that his powers were lost and saw him for what he truly was, a man consumed by bitter hatred, and so they turned against him and sent him back to where he came from.

The story of Alukandi mirrors that of Erinmodo, speaking of the consequences of acting against wickedness in a spirit of self-righteousness and vengeance. Otura brings us the message that wickedness will eventually collapse in on itself and highlights the importance of maintaining an upright character when confronted with it. Alukandi is someone who has been consumed by the negativity of the world and has turned to vengeance and terror; whilst Erinmodo represents one who seeks to deal with a hostile situation in a way that does not feed and increase negativity. In Otura it is taboo to wish evil upon our enemies, and at times it is said that this taboo is only for people born in this odu, but in truth, this is a taboo for any awo. The reason for this is that the awo has access to powers that bring cataclysm, but these powers should never be used lightly. In fact, Ifa is adamant that if violence appears to be the way to deal with a situation, then you have not investigated the range of solutions deeply enough. Rather, it is a guiding rule for the awo to behave like Erinmodo.

Another proverb from Otura tells us: ’ Esu is the father of the lie, but Otura is its mother.’ Otura is so beloved by Olodumare and Orunmila that all forms of power can be attracted in this odu; with this comes the temptation to manipulate events and misuse powers. Otura is the power that can reduce the wickedness in Ika to nothing or magnify it a thousand times by the use of the word and tongue. In Ika the word was born, but in Otura the secrets of using the word with power and direction are revealed. Hence, this odu speaks about how lies will attract the negative vibrations of Ika into Otura and generate wickedness.

This odu is concerned with the virtue of remaining sweet and comforting, being a solace in the world, in spite of the ways in which people misbehave. Otura speaks of the necessity of recognizing the existence of enemies and detractors, but the importance of not responding to them on the same terms. We need to make sure that their negativity does not affect and contaminate us. In recognising our detractors, we need to acknowledge the power of the word and use our thoughts, tongue and breath to bless the world, whilst watching our own tongues. Otura is not only concerned with the lie, but also with the overuse of words, hence it is important to avoid gossip and protect secrets here. This theme is illustrated by the talkative squirrel:

Ayooro enu

Ayddrd enu

Ebiti enu d tase

Enu oforo nii poforo

Enu ofdrd nii pofdrd

Enu forofdro nii pdforo

A dia fun &kara

Ti yod mule labaa &na

Won ni ko mi-[ moo fi gbogbo ohun ti o ba ri

So fun eeyan m^

Okere o gb^

Igba ti o ya

lyawo &kara bimo meji laekanaa

Igba ti inu &kara dun tan

To di oji kan

O m &kara bimo meji

Ile kun tataata

Gbogbo erd ^na

E ya waa wo o

Igba ti awon aye gb^

Wiyn ya biy smu igba

Wiyn nawi[ gan ile &kara

Wiyn si tu u wd

Igba ti wqn o dea inu ile ^kara

Wiyn ba omo meji ti o bi naa

Ni wqn ba mu wqn lo stte

Igba ti awon omo aye dele

Wiyn fi awon omo ^kara: leri iyan

Wiyn si ba obe lo

The long, slick tongue;

The mouth does not keep secrets;

The trap set by mouth never fails to catch victims;

It is the language of the jungle babbler;

It is the language of one who talks so much that it will kill him; Talking too much is what turns the eavesdropper into a killer This was the Ifa divinedfor Squirrel Who had made a nest near the road

He was warned to be very careful

Because he could not keep secrets

He was warned not to talk about what he saw

To others

But the squirrel did not heed the advice

It was then that it happened

Squirrel’s wife had two children at the same time

She was very happy,

One day

He said: ’The squirrel has two sons,

A house full of children

All travellers passing on the road

Come and see them.’

When humans heard this

They jumped through the forest

They caught the squirrel nest

And examined it

When they looked inside, They found the two cubs And took them home When they got home They placed the young squirrels on top of pounded yam And they disappeared into the stew

The verse speaks about being careful with our words, because not everyone we meet seeks our well-being, and sharing joy and love can sometimes call upon their negative manifestations, misery and envy. At the same time, Otura advises treating everyone we meet well. One proverb says: ’Ifa does not recognize king or beggar, as the machete does not recognize its maker.’ It is about being aware of the energies at play so that we can avoid judgment, regret and hatred. If we assess a situation properly, we will understand how to conduct ourselves, so that harmony can reign. In the story of the squirrel who shared his joy at the birth of twins, his happiness invoked the envy of the barren and the hatred of those who saw him as undeserving.

The temptation towards lies and deception enters with a natural ease. When these situations occur, we need to be aware that falsehood is transient and that truth will always overcome it, as long as we are patient. This reminder should serve as an encouragement to give other people a chance and to be an example of good character ourselves, so that we can attract those who are drawn towards good character, and distance ourselves from those who impede good fortune. Otura warns against speaking too loudly about one’s good fortune even as it invites us to exercise hospitality and generosity. We never know the true identity of the guest who comes to our house or the beggar to whom we give charity. Otura confers immense power, but it is not always necessary to exercise the power one holds, in this way the odu symbolizes the ideal of a ruler.

These qualities are given to the araba tree (Ceiba pentandra), which is taboo in this odu. This tree is a renowned leader, and yet taboo here as Otura is the odu of the wise counsellor and not the odu typically given to royal fame and dominion. Otura is the architect and the traveller, the inventor and designer, the wisdom of the crown.

It is in this odu that the designer of individual consciousness, Ajala, is found. His name means ’dog of whiteness’; the dog being associated with Ogun and Onile, representing both comfort and the hunt. We might understand Ajala as being the force that invests our consciousness with the ability to search and hunt for our destiny as much as the faculty of finding rest and joy in whiteness and peace.

Ajala is not only a divinely skilled artist, but is also described as a drunkard and a debtor. This fusion of extraordinary talent and the confusion and carelessness of his drunkenness leads to not all the oris or heads he makes being of a good quality. Since he is constantly in debt it is also possible to bargain and bribe him, but this is not a guarantee that he will give you a good on. A good on is a consciousness naturally inclined towards peace, tranquillity, harmony and love.

We choose our fate (karada) before Olodumare, with Orunmila and Esu as our witnesses. When going to the house of Ajala, the choice of on can complicate or facilitate our human journey. Ifa speaks here of how challenges are necessary in order for us to realize our fate. What happens in Ajala’s sculpting grove is quite typical of the human condition. In Ifa, fate is not a preordained script, rather it is associated with the accomplishment of abundance, joy, happiness and love and the 256 patterns (odus) available for us with which to reach the fullness of what life can give. Our consciousness is fashioned in Otura and born or given in Eji Ogbe.

When we enter Ajala’s workshop, we have already stated our purpose to Olodumare. In other words, we have defined the odu in which we want to incarnate as human beings. The odu of birth gives a certain quality to our journey which is regulated by taboo and recommendations. Each odu is regulated by a precise and unique rhythm that can be inhibited or cultivated. If we possess good character, we will possess all things. If we are peaceful, loving and joyous we will naturally attract our fate, which is to be happy, content and accomplished.

Otura recommends meditation and regular fasting as tools to develop good character, especially in periods of confusion and doubt, as these bring clarity and abundance. These solutions are inspired by the Muslims, who became exemplars of good character and devotion in this odu. Both the kasan and the minaret are attributed to Otura; the kasan represents the cloth of whiteness that brings dream and prophecy, and the minaret represents the prayerful upright character so important in this odu.

Otura is occupied with discourse and diplomacy, philosophy and social theories. It is from the influence of Otura that Esu received the praise name ’The divine linguist.’

All these features are represented by the aluke (Eurasian woodcock). She was a very hardworking bird, and Olodumare took great delight in watching her. She always did her work dutifully and paid attention to her spiritual life, but she felt that she enjoyed no increase as a result, and so she went to her awo for a divination. He told her that she was blessed, that she should continue as she did, to work hard and observe her spiritual disciplines, but that she should also love and respect others, no matter whether they deserved it or not. She did as she was advised and experienced success, popularity, abundance and wealth. This bird is sacred to Olokun and Aje Saluga, spirits of wealth that are present in this odu and can provide monetary abundance and prosperity.

Otura is as much the odu of true love as it is of misanthropy. There is a tendency here to be so disappointed with humankind that we reject goodness and invite bitterness to take its place, but the odu also reveals that finding your soul-mate is a cure against these misanthropic tendencies. We find here the story of Salubata (the sandal) who felt he was incomplete. One day he met Ese (the foot), and he just knew that they were meant for one another. Ese was in a similar situation; she needed to be cared for and protected. The day she met Salubata she knew he was the one. Salubata, however, was not in any rush and waited first to have his divination carried out, and it was only when the awo told him that he was right in his sentiments that he went to search for Ese and proposed to her. Before long, they were joined in matrimony and the bliss of love made them inseparable.

Sun kere

Gba kere

Did fun Salubata

Ti nlo ree gbe Ese n ’ iyawo Ebo ni wqn ni ko wad se O gb ’abo o ru ’bo

Kd pa kd jmna

E wd ba ni b ’ay&, e wad wo ’re o

Move your legs in gentle ways So the legs can move in majesty This Ifa divinedfor the Sandal When he was going to take Foot as his wife He was advised to perform sacrifice He did as he was advised to do And in a short time he sung Come andjoin us in the bliss of togetherness

The verse speaks not of rushing forward in the hope of finding good things, but rather, of walking gently towards our good fortune.

Otura is about attracting goodness in a spirit of acceptance and wonder. Of developing a sense of mystery in relation to the world, and engaging in interested participation with it. An attitude of judgment or condemnation will restrict the natural flow of abundance towards Otura. We might say that the possibility of luck was born in this odu, for luck is not random, it is something that arises because we are in the right place at the right time with the necessary skills to harvest abundance. Luck is not about what we deserve, as was said in the proverb given earlier: ’Ifa does not recognize king or beggar’; it is about character as an attractor of good fortune. Luck is complicated, because nothing provokes the unlucky more than another’s luck. The energy of Otura calls upon misanthropy and weltschmerz, not only because of the tendency of the unlucky to blame the lucky for their own misfortune, but because in Otura the misty memory of our condition as a spirit that had not experienced a human journey is present. In this odu, we find the calling of the Egbe in the Orun, to remind Otura that the peace he or she seeks in the human journey is already present in the place where he or she came from. As such, Otura concerns the pain of life as much as its beauty. Otura is a warrior who goes to war with flowers and poetry as much as with curses and enchantments for devastation.

Otura has much to say about how to deal with adversity, and how to sweeten one’s enemies. Otura is the natural scapegoat, because the still and fixed light becomes a stable focus for those failing in their journey. So instead of addressing the dim light within, they meet the shining light outside in a spirit of aggression and hatred. In these encounters, Otura needs to be the source of sweetness and light and avoid dimming its own brightness in response to attacks from the envious ones. I would like to paraphrase a verse from Otura in this regard. It tells how Otura became overwhelmed by the conspirators against him, and responded with a random attack. His attack killed a vicious person, who had dressed himself in long clothes to conceal his wickedness. At his death, Truth and Falsehood started to argue. Truth argued that he was more powerful by virtue of his knowledge and goodness than Falsehood. Falsehood countered the argument by saying he was stronger, smarter and more widespread than truth. Truth told Falsehood that he was right, that he was smart and strong and was found everywhere, but that the slow and gentle ways of truth would defeat him in the end. Falsehood agreed to this. So, indeed, conspirators and detractors are born here, but in a particular way, as failures in their own cause, their own fates, unable to discover the path of peace, joy, and contentment. Conspirators will suffer the consequences of attacking Otura as long as Otura blesses them and showers them with goodness. Repay evil with goodness, as this will bring shame on the detractors. This entire complex is illustrated in a verse in Otura that speaks of Obaluwaye, Esu Odara and Kami Osor^nga coming into the world.

When these powers came to the world, OlodUmare arranged a meeting with them. He suggested to Obaluwaye that he might wish to be the custodian of money and wealth on earth, but Obaluwaye responded that he had no interest in

this, rather he would like to drain the wealth of the humans and suck their marrow dry. In the same way, Olodumare suggested to Esu that he could be the one to ensure love between couples, but Esu replied that he would rather be the force that pulled them apart. Then Olodumare suggested to Kami Osoronga that she might be in charge of gestation and childbearing, but she told him that she would rather feast on the babies both inside and outside the womb. After these three forces had been presented with divine counsel but had made other decisions, Olodumare called Orunmila and suggested that he should be in charge of blessing people with long life. Orunmila accepted and also asked if he could receive the boons which had been rejected by the other three divinities. Olodumare said, ’So be it,’ and invested Orunmila with the power to give long life, wealth, healthy children, love and harmony. When he came to earth Orunmila enjoyed all possible success and veneration, whilst his fellow irunmoles became feared and despised as they enacted what they had decreed for themselves upon the world. They also grew jealous of Orunmila and the praise and love he reaped for his activities and soon they plotted to take him down. Orunmila, however, had ominous dreams on the night his detractors gathered together to make plans to kill him. Upon awakening, he went to his awo who told him that he needed to honour his detractors, and prescribed the necessary sacrifice. Orunmila did as he was told and went to the houses of Z~X1 1 f f X 1 T X f z\ x x PP •   1 1 T If

Obaluwaye, Esu and lyami Osoronga, offering up money and food. In each of their houses he paid tribute to them, saying that what he had was only possible because of them. In being attentive to his detractors, and recognizing his enemies, he managed to establish a pact of harmony and community with them. It was by showing an attitude of gratitude and humility that Orunmila gained the friendship of Esu. Orunmila knew who he was, and that he was the one who held everything, but he didn’t make any fuss about it; rather, he paid tribute to the source of his blessing.

No matter whether we interpret the story as one of forgiveness, fate or luck, the message is the same: if you want to embrace your own good fortune, you need to eschew bitterness and take a positive interest in your life and path. Otura is an energy that brings increase, even to the word; hence the taboo of wishing ill upon people, and of speaking ill of them. Otura is havoc and destruction veiled in the kasan of peace. Otura is pure light gestated and cultivated, veiled in whiteness, and constitutes a divine power that can be both used and misused.

Otura reminds us that wisdom can be found in the most unlikely places, whether a castle, tavern or at a bus stop. Otura recognizes detractors and enemies, but does not judge them, because judging brings on melancholy and misanthropy. This is caused by searching hopelessly for peace and love in the world, when in fact they reside in the marrow and soul of each and every one of us. Otura is about perspective and nuance, the all-pervading and unconditional love that, like the rain, falls upon the just and unjust. So, we should accept our human journey as a shared venture and avoid judging and punishing misbehaviour. Ifa says that misfortune is commonly caused by a debilitated consciousness (ibi on) or negative patterns of behaviour rooted in one’s family (ibi egun).

Otura typifies the mindset of a saint, as someone who experiences the world, yet does not judge it, no matter how bothersome it might be. Otura is love, harmony and gentleness, which are the pillars of togetherness and growth that attract good fortune and abundance for us all.

IRgTE MEJI

ae author of fate

Irete signifies forcing, dominating or conquering good fortune. It speaks of us as the authors of our fate, just as it speaks of the presence of adversity that inspires us to develop good character. Good character is not something that miraculously happens just because we want it, it is a constant practice, and naturally we will be confronted with difficulties and trials.

It is here that we find the true purpose of ajogun. These spirits that bring death, misery and poverty, are here to show us ’the other way,’ so that we can make the better choice. Irete tells us that these spirits are owned by Esu, yet they entered into the world by means of the roads which Ogun opened between the invisible and visible realm. Irete speaks in this context about the use of the drums to call upon all kinds of forces, summoning spirits of destruction as much as constructive and benign ones.

A story tells of an awo called Olukotun who went to the city of Otun (righteousness) to expel the ajoguns with of& ase (enchantments) and Ifa medicine. The citizens were told to cease using the drums for three years so they would not attract death to their dwelling places. This verse is related to the City of Vice (Ode Ote) where the people had no peace or health. Ifa went to this city, and told them to practice the sacrifice of Otura, meaning the practice of love, and the absence of vengeance and wickedness.

The adverse reflection of Otura is transformed in Irete through situations in which it provides the answer to the complications experienced. These themes are expanded upon in the following verse:

Butubutu &na Ijesa lomodee fii sere

Bi d ba komo ni ririn ese

A k^mo ni yiyan

A dia fun Orunmila

Ifa nlo lee fa: Moramn

Tn se omo Odsa Igbdwujin

Teegun, tddsa ni ndu Moramn

Orunmila ni dun ni dun o fee

Wrjn ni ebo ni o ru

Igba ti Orunmila rubo tan

Owqp re ni Moranin ja mi[

Igba ti inuu ree dun tan

O m bee gege ni awon awo dun w^

Butubutu ^na Ijesa lomodee fii sere

Bi d ba komo ni ririn ese

A kqmo ni yiyan

A dia fun Orunmila

Ifa nlo lee fa Moramn

Tn se omo Odsa Igbdwujin

Moranin o pada waa fe mi

Ayam& se bi n d soyun moko

Tmuteyin ni labalabaa fii Olodumare

Moranin o pada waa fa mi

Ayam^se bi n d soyun moko

The fine sand with which children play on the road to Ijesa

Teaches some children to walk

And teaches others to move gracefully

This Ifa divinedfor Orunmila,

When he was going to marry Moramn,

The daughter of Odsa Igbdwujin (a praise name for Obatala, referring to the sweetness hidden in the forest)

All deities tried to conquer Moramn, to marry her

But Orunmila said that he was the one who would marry her

He was told to make a sacrifice

After Orunmila performed the sacrifice

He managed to marry Moramn

He was very happy

He said it happened exactly as the Ifa priests told

The fine sand with which children play on the road to Ijesa

Teaches some children to walk

And teaches others to move gracefully

This Ifa divinedfor Orunmila

When he was going to marry Moramn

The daughter of Odsa Igbdwujin

Moramn come here and marry me

I have decorated my intimate parts with beads of iyun (red coral) The butterfly shows his abdomen and his spine to Olodumare Moramn will come back and marry me

I have decorated my private parts with beads of iyun

This verse is found in the story telling of the city of Vice. The inhabitants of the city were utterly selfish and indulged in whatever debauchery appealed to them. Orunmila arrived in the city and realized that hedonism and gluttony were responsible for the people attracting misfortune. He used two parables to illustrate what was going on. In the first, he spoke of the sand on the road to Ijesa, a city some 30 km west of Ile Ife, a reference to the road and journey being the same for each of us, but by the same means given to all, some of us learn to move gracefully, while others walk in the world as best they can.

The other element in this verse, his marriage with Moramn, the daughter of the sweetness hidden in the forest, tells of valuing others and especially those we meet in love. The reference to Orunmila decorating his intimate parts with red coral is a reference to the abundance that lies in finding one’s soulmate, and also to respect, if not revere, one’s partner and be aware of the nature of the bond of love. In other words, he is bringing in the forces of Otura to combat the tendency of Irete to attract ajoguns.

Finally, the verse speaks about how every Ifa initiate becomes iyawo, the bride or wife of Orunmila. The verse illustrates the respect, love and care he holds for each and every one of his wives as an example we should live by.

Irete is concerned with resisting the temptation of selfishness, because Irete, being the good fortune we worked to manifest, comes as a result of hard work. It is a product of effort, and something we tend to guard and save, but Ifa is as adamant in stating that sharing is the formula for increase as it is in emphasizing the counsel in Otura about not bragging about one’s good fortune. The greatest vice in Irete is selfishness, and self-serving people restrict goodness. One Ifa proverb says: ’An elder who eats his food in disregard of others will carry a burden to his home,’ and the odu tells us that such a person should not be helped when his greed undoes him. He needs to realize the need for help before we offer our assistance. It is a warning against gluttony in all its forms, for it will alienate the selfish one from true friendship and community.

Irete is rooted in a conflict between what is known and unknown, which leads to restricting goodness by jealously guarding one’s achievements. This temperament can give way to gluttony and selfishness, the will to dominate, and unbridled worldly ambition. In this field rebellion is born as a consequence of learning to walk the world and understand its quarters and rhythm. Some walk gently to the rhythm of creation, whilst others march steadfastly to the beat of their own drum.

Irete is about walking towards good fortune as much as it is about the missteps and failures that occur on the path of life. It is concerned with wrong choices and false friends. It is about taking over the world and being out of sync with it. This means that in this odu we find the ability to adapt to harsh conditions and the reminder that the secret of prosperity is about seizing every new day as an opportunity. In this respect, the opportunist and the wayfarer are the same, they make their fortune upon the same sand which they walk upon. It is an odu that speaks of temptation - and temptation is what ajoguns are. No doubt it is the ownership of these forces that gained Esu his diabolical reputation.

There is no devil in Ifa, however. It is important not to preceive the devil as a force outside yourself. Esu and the ajoguns are not your enemies, even though they confront you exactly as though this is what they are. These spirits bestow misery, death and obstruction because it is their nature to do so. The gift of ajoguns is only bestowed if we give in to their temptation. The temptation lies in each and every situation that offers an opportunity to develop good character. In every challenge, in every friction and misunderstanding, in every choice, these spiritual forces wait close by, ready to be invited in, and they celebrate every moment in which they are not invited, knowing that the temptation they represented was resisted. We need to understand these spirits, not as a demon host that desires death, confusion and misery. They do bring these things, but they want us to deny their gifts. In this way they hold the power of Irete, through being spirits that wish to retain what they have and not share it.

As we know from our human realm, people who possess riches, love and abundance can, at times, speak too much of their good fortune, and this generates a field of temptation giving rise to feelings of envy, regret and hatred in us. It is in these emotional communications that we call upon ajoguns as our very own challengers. We might say that Irete has a natural tendency to attract the negative vibration of good things in its hunt for good fortune, in the form of temptation and negative emotions.

Irete has much to say about carrying burdens. Not only those which the selfish person takes home by denying help to others when difficulties arise, it is also about taking on the burden of the world, and doing what is good and right no matter what the reward or repercussion.

This is illustrated by igun, the vulture, who offered to bring the sacrifices of humans to Olodumare. One story tells how the earth was about to be destroyed and Igun had to take an urgent message to Olodumare in order to stop the planned annihilation. He dutifully went to Orun using every shortcut imaginable and averted the destruction of Aye. He returned to earth expecting praise and reward but, contrary to his expectation, nobody took any notice of him, nor did they gave him any credit for saving the world; they merely commented on how ugly and filthy he was with his bald head and black wings, a head that has become bald after carrying ebo to Orun and feathers that had become black from being exposed to intense light and heat.

There are two other stories that illustrate these matters well, the first was told to me by Chief Adewuyi. A farming couple called Oniyagbe and Omojinkun inherited a good piece of land which they started to cultivate. The harvest was good, actually better than good. They rejoiced in their success, but their happiness was overshadowed by Omojinkun’s infertility. No matter how much they tried to have children, it was to no avail. They decided to focus on farming, and grew in abundance, until one day a couple of monkeys invaded their plantation and started to destroy the fruit of their labours. Oniyagbe decided to go to his awo for divination, and his awo told him that the monkeys had also been coming to him for divination, and that these events were truly related. The awo advised Oniyagbe to make a sacrifice and then to hide himself under cover of the trees of his plantation, because he would surely witness something mysterious. Oniyagbe went to the plantation as the night fell, and before long he saw a male monkey appear, eating carefully of the corn he had planted while he sang:

The owner of the farm should not die

And the tree of Ogunbere (Leucaena leucocephala) should not fall

By this time next year

I shall be able to dance

Gbantete gbantete (the rhythmic sound of the drum)

Oniyagbe was not only perplexed by what he witnessed, but also happy to hear that the monkey was actually a protector of his life and fortune. As the song fell silent, he saw a female monkey arrive and she greedily ate whatever she wanted, carelessly singing:

If the owner of the farm could die

Let him die

If the tree of Ogunbere could fall

Let it be

By this time next year

We shall look for another farm to eat and harvest

We shall also seek another tree to stand on

Gbantete, gbantete

When Oniyagbe heard the curse of the female monkey he took out his revolver and shot her. He brought the monkey home to prepare for food, but as he cut her open, he witnessed yet another mystery: the white beads of Obatala (which are called sesefun) were in her womb. He took the sesefun to his awo, who told him that his wife would indeed become pregnant, and instructed him in a procedure involving the sesefun to ensure the fertility of her womb. Just as the awo had predicted, Omojinkun became pregnant and a male child was born to the couple.

This story speaks of the importance of carrying good words and good thoughts in our minds and mouths because they attract goodness, whilst the curses uttered by the female monkey brought about the end of her life.

The other version of this story tells of how Oniyagbe responded to monkeys invading the plantation by killing them and chasing them away. But this only made matters worse, as the monkeys became more and more furious at him, and called more of their kind to carry out even greater destruction. With his plantation in ruins, Oniyagbe went to his awo for a divination. His awo told him that he would only achieve peace and fortune by speaking with the monkeys and giving over some of his plantation to them. With some reluctance he did as the awo advised and struck a deal with the monkeys, he would plant food for them in return for peace and protection. Thus he gained good harvests, protection and wisdom.

There is also the story about Osun, who is symbolized by the igun or vulture.

This story is a continuation of the one which tells of how Igun reaped ingratitude after saving the world from destruction. It tells of how the vulture decided to stay and continue his duty, despite people’s ingratitude for his unselfish work, because he realized that he was not the servant of humans, but of Olodumare. If Olodumare decided that people needed the vulture’s assistance he would continue to offer it. The story tells of a time of turbulence and misfortune in Ile Ifo. Osun spoke strongly about the reason for the problems in the city, saying that they were caused by people failing to show the necessary respect and regard for women. Her fervent insistence on this matter generated enmity and it didn’t take long before people began to accuse her of being the cause of misfortune, especially of the illness of their children and the lack of fertility in the city.

When the day of confrontation came, she denied their accusations, and asked for her husband Orunmila to come and reason with them, but they accused him of supporting his wife in a biased way and decided that they should both be banished from the city. Orunmila was disappointed with this outcome and went to one of his students for a divination. His student told him that everything would be fine, they would be justified and the culprits would be exposed. He told Orunmila to make sacrifice to Esu and to the lyamis. He did as he was told, and that very same night Esu went to the gathering of the lycunis, telling them how much he hated Osun and how much he wanted her dead.

The lyamis were very happy to hear this, because Osun had been a constant obstacle to their plan of killing off the children in the city. Esu stirred them up and spread confusion and bickering amongst them; they became loud in their accusations against one another, which drew the attention of people living nearby to where they had gathered. Esu left the gathering while the lyamis were fighting amongst themselves, and called the attention of the people who had come to that place, and helped them realize the true source of the city’s misfortune. And so it happened that the true culprits were exposed and the one wrongly accused was vindicated. Osun however refused to return to the city and said that if they needed what she had to offer, they would have to use the plant &dundun (Kalanchoe crenata) in her place.

Irete has the capacity to attract the negative vibration of good things, and it sets us the challenge of holding on to fate and what is right. Through it, we learn to see adversity and negativity as teachers and guides. It is here that we find such proverbs as: ’It is when the tree is young that we should prune its branches,’ and: ’If the tree is huge and tall, and we seek the top leaves, we should cut it down from the root,’ which reminds us to end negativity before it grows out of proportion, and that at some point wickedness will fall. This means that Irete is an odu that promises a life free from trouble and chaos so long as we are familiar with these forces.

The ajas spread out into the world here, which is in harmony with this odu being that of Onile, the spirit of Aye, our world. In this way we can comprehend our world as a marketplace where we make our fortune in relation to our understanding of what we attract into our lives.

The swamp and marshes were born here. The swamp represents disease and illness, and it also represents the hopeless condition of being swallowed by the world and negativity, which happens if we allow depression to rule us. In these instances we need to look at the frogs and toads and how they make clever use of an unfriendly environment, turning the swamp into a comfortable home. It is tempting to state that if you watch the toads for a year, you will understand Irete! The toad is always on the hunt for its good fortune, food and mates, it is capable of being still for a long time. Its capacity for being still and alert testifies to patience, which is the quality that brings on rere, a good consciousness. The toads have a few enemies, of which the snake is the most important.

Quite appropriately, this odu speaks of how the toad - and also the vulture -initiated the snake into Ifa, but then realized it was not a good idea. The snake is associated with Ika meji and the concept of wickedness. Thus encountering the snake in Irete signifies that we need to be careful and patient in order to avoid inviting wickedness into our lives, whether in the form of enemies and false friends, or as negativity and poison in general. Rather, like the toad that turns what it has into a haven, and the vulture who realized its duty is to Olodumare, we should always be patient and avoid making judgments. Such themes are represented by atoka (the lapwing) a symbol of a restless mind, worries, and the way in which faith brings success. Just as the vulture realized that he was not doing what he did for humans, but for the greater good, so the lapwing represents what is done for the greater good, but is abhorred and ridiculed. Still, the lapwing does what it does with little concern for opinion.

Another bird, restless and jumpy, prone to heart palpitations and headaches, is akapd (the quail), which serves as a symbol of protection against the threat of iku (death). It is ironic to realize that this feeble bird, the restless relative of pheasants, symbolizes Sango as he is hunted down by Death because of the agony caused by his own scapegoating, bad decisions and lack of understanding. This leads Sango to realize that justice is not about delaying forgiveness, nor is it about any ’might is right’ ideology. Rather, it is about his hawklike powers becoming jumpy, like a quail with a heart attack in the making, confronted with Iku.

This odu teaches that the world is like the eeran grass (Digitaria debilis), which is invasive and tends to attack every noble plant. We must protect our noble status, for in a world like ours, eeran, which is a symbol for the spirits of aja, has been given a cosmic sanction to tempt us into the realization that doing good is what brings abundance and a happy fortune.

This dilemma is represented by the ega tree (Manihot esculent), the tree of prosperity, also known as manioc. Irete tells of how this tree is guarded by a ram, a goat, a dog and a rooster that will take down anyone who tries to climb it, because whosoever scales the tree will be prosperous. The verse tells of several people who attempt to climb the tree only to fail. Orunmila, however, goes to his awo to make a divination to see what he must do in order to gain good fortune. His awo tells him to feed and befriend the guardians, and in doing so he will be able to climb the tree and harvest prosperity. In truth there was no tree to climb, just an illusion bestowed upon a shrub a few feet tall that was made impossible to climb by the presence of its guardians. Orunmila had to recognize and appease the obstacles to his good fortune. He needed to realize how to walk towards his goal, because good fortune was well within his reach. Irete tells of the importance of ordering our priorities, especially in relation to spirituality and wealth, given that the concept of ambition is born here.

Irete speaks of the importance of friends being present in our lives so we can accumulate good fortune. This is demonstrated in the tale of Olaberinjo, who left his hometown in search of fortune in another city. He had one friend in that city, but this friend was too busy to introduce him to other people and help him establish his trade. It was frustrating for him, being a stranger in a strange land, and speaking in a dialect not understood by many. But he decided to stay strong in his search for good fortune and did not curse his struggles, and so it happened that luck found him one day as he was fetching water. Here he met another stranger who was in a similar position to himself and together they made plans for how to prosper. As they were discussing these matters a third person entered the conversation and as they spoke a plan came into being. They recognized one another’s skills and strengths and carefully planned their venture based upon them. Alas, it so happened that some of these skills were more appreciated by other traders, and so envy started to grow amongst the three friends. They were however wise enough to seek counsel from Ifa and their awo when they noticed that tension had developed between them, and their awo told them that success would be accomplished as long as they stuck together, because shared fortune is preferable to that gained through renouncing your friends. This is encoded in the following verse:

Iwo&te

Emi &te

Ote di meji o d’ddodo gbakogbako

Dia fun Al ’ori ire ma l ’a:se ire

Ebo ni wqn ni ko waa se

If you mark one leg

Mark also the other leg

When one marks one and the other they become two

Then you have marked the two legs (Irete)

This Ifa divined for the one who had a good consciousness but had weak legs He was advised to perform sacrifice

This verse also speaks of the essential nature of Irete, being a hunter for good fortune, with a mind that recognizes it, but does not always possess the wisdom to move the legs in a rhythm that invites fortune in. This verse speaks of the importance of harmony, of how the left side and the right side should be in harmony with a joyous and interested consciousness. This is accomplished through the practice of patience.

In this regard, we find the story of a man called Alori, who had a good ori but weak legs and came to earth after wishing all good fortune for himself. He was very skilful at making quality products, but these took time and care, and he was confronted with his buyers’ impatience and complaints that he charged too much for his products. He became concerned and went to his awo for divination. His awo told him that he was doing everything correctly, but that he needed to pay attention to his legs. His awo prepared an osa erd for him that he used to wash and clean himself, especially his legs. As he did this, good fortune came to meet him. The story speaks of the importance of presenting oneself truthfully, which calls upon honesty, not excuses and scams. In this case, Alori knew his products were of a very high quality but he failed to demonstrate this. His walk (or presentation) was not in agreement with what he offered. The story suggests that Alori was too shy or reserved in stating how good his products were, and thus his ’legs,’ caused him not to achieve his promised success. This story also tells of the balance between what we have to offer and its quality. If what we have to offer is good, we should speak well of it. We should not feel timid in stating our satisfaction of what is good, whether it is material or spiritual. Irete is about what we have to offer, which is something we should speak of, whilst our accomplishments should be kept quiet, as advised in Otura, because of envy. To praise the quality of what you have to offer invites a very different energy from that which you invoke by expressing satisfaction in your life and personal achievements.

There is clearly a tendency in this odu to pay attention to wickedness and wrongdoing. But it speaks of the importance of defining and solving your own problems before you attempt to solve those of other people. You can never offer the remedy to a problem you haven’t solved yourself. It tells how confrontation and accusation are always tokens that you have not walked gently in the world, and it announces a healing of the soul.

Another story speaks of the time when Orunmila was in charge of the world, together with Esu and Obatala, who were his students and confidants. It is a variation on the themes presented in Ika and Otura. The story tells that Orunmila also brought two messengers, O|is(E Aye and Igangan I1(e (forces of contrast), who would report what was going on in the world to him. As time passed and they saw how people misbehaved, they grew bitter and wanted to see the human race wiped out. And so they started to report what was going on in the earth falsely, to ensure that wickedness was punished. Problems started to mount up on the earth, confusion, fighting and disagreements were plentiful, and Orunmila, Esu and Obatala could not understand how such chaos was possible. They went to their awo for divination, who revealed that the two messengers were responsible for the chaos because they reported their sentiments and not the facts. The two messengers were discharged and sentenced to death due to their falsity, and this created further chaos. The people of Ile Ife accused Orunmila of being the author of misfortune by sentencing the messengers to death. Accusation upon accusation piled up as they refused to listen to reason and responded with physical aggression towards Obatala and Esu. It all ended with Orunmila, Esu and Obatala deciding to leave Ile Ife, declaring that no spirit worker or awo would ever help the people in the city when they had gone. The people were happy to see the three of them leave. Orunmila, Esu, and Obatala found a place deep in the forest where they made huts in which to live, and dedicated their lives to the cultivation of wisdom. In their absence, the city entered a dire crisis. Poverty and barrenness became widespread, but worst of all the rain ceased to fall and the sun scorched the fields. As matters became worse, they desperately sought a diviner. They went to diviner after diviner, but no solution was offered. Finally they found one who took pity on them, and he told them that the cause of their misfortune was the offence they had committed against their benefactors. They had replaced reason with anger, and they were themselves the authors of the pain and misfortune they were suffering. He told them:

Alakan no rin Ik&k&-

Nu rin Ibaba

Iria fun wi]n l ’Otu-ffe

Nip I Ajogun ka wpn mo ’le pitipiti

The crab walks in mysterious ways

Hidden in the darkness

This ffa divined for the people of Otu-ffe When the ajoguns had embraced them fully

He told them to offer an antelope in sacrifice. They immediately started to search for an antelope, but none was to be found. Finally, after weeks of searching, they encountered one. The antelope, however, noticed the agitation of the hunters and ran away from them. She ran deeper and deeper into the forest and they followed her as best as they could, but they lost her. Searching in the depths of the forest they found the three huts of Orunmila, Esu and Obatala. Curious about who would build huts so deep in the forest, they threw a stone at one of them. Obatala came out of the hut, looking around for who had thrown the stone, and the hunters stepped forward and threw themselves down upon the ground before him, begging forgiveness. On hearing the commotion, Esu and Orunmila emerged from their huts. The pleading and begging became more fervent. Obatala was not impressed, telling them that it was he who had withheld the rain and allowed the sun to scorch them so that not only would

bird, mammal, rodent and fish die, but in particular the ungrateful human beings. Orunmila and Esu stepped up and argued that they, as humans, were dependant upon the same things, so in exterminating the food for humans and humans themselves he would also present problems for them. Obatala listened to Orunmila and Esu, and released the rain, allowing the natural balance to be reinstated. It was on this day when ajoguns dominated the world that he was praised as ’The White Death.’

This narrative encompasses the whole of Irete. It speaks of the world being perfect as it is, and questions the amount of interference we should exert in order to change its course, no matter how bad it looks or how much power we have to effect such a change. The verse speaks of chaos, misery, loss and sadness being conditions that invite us to cultivate good character. It also tells of the negative consequence of accusations and judgment: to blame and to scapegoat. The Ifa verse serves as a reminder that we cannot really know everything and that it is not necessarily correct to assume that something external is the cause of our misfortune. Just as the crab moves in a different manner from human beings and hides in dark places, we should realize the difference in the world is an echo of a cosmic rhythm in which what is good for one person is bad for another. Our world is generated by the combined forces of Osa and Ogunda, and Irete is the indwelling spirit of our world and condition. This odu speaks of the challenges caused by this energetic fusion. Osa is the marketplace and Ogunda is the power of the hunter revealed in the promise of victory. In other words, our world is truly a marketplace where we all are the authors of our fate, we are all hunters after good fortune. On account of this, Irete pays attention to the legs, which represent ancestry, the memory of who we are and the capacity of walking the world gracefully, as we unleash blessings and situations that challenge us to be better men and women.

The crab is a symbol of Olokun Asorandayo, which is the memory of the wisdom Orunmila left on earth as he went to Orun in Otura meji. He left the crab as a symbol of misfortune transformed into joy. We must recognize that we cannot know everything, and that avoiding passing judgment can open up the ’mysterious walks of the crab’ to our understanding. Hence the crab is taboo in this odu, it is set aside for contemplation. The walk of the crab should stimulate reflection concerning our own movements in the world.

This mystery is related to a popular story that speaks of the alagemo, the chameleon. In it, we learn that Obatala sends Chameleon as his representative to speak on his behalf in front of Olodumare. Olodumare dressed up in marvellous garments, to show off his glory, and Chameleon dressed up in the same fashion, just as he did when Orunmila was challenged to measure power with Olokun in Irdsun meji. Seeing how Chameleon was equally well dressed, Olodumare changed into even more spectacular vestments, and Chameleon mimicked whatever he dressed in. This went on for a few rounds until Olodumare decided to give praise to Chameleon and to the wisdom of Obatala. The verse speaks about adapting one’s self to any environment. It tells of the importance of allies and friends, in order to possess what fate has in store for you and to demonstrate that if heaven and earth are in harmony, good fortune will ensue.

Irete is the odu of Onile, the spirit of the earth, and the odu that gives any medicine the power to work. Medicine, odogun, can both heal and kill. Discernment is one key, while the other is to pay attention to what you possess:

Igba f o rubo tan After she started the practice of sacrifice

O si l ’rila  She gained honour

O lowo lrwr  She gained wealth

Gbogbo ire ti o nwa patapata All good things that she was searching for Ni o tea lrwr  She captured securely in her palm

OSe MEJI

ae sweetness of mystery

Osa meji is an odu of inspiration, beauty and wealth and is usually attributed to the work carried out by spiritualists and priests. It is related to the concept of abundance. The word &sa signifies ’triumph’ and also ’cleanliness’ and is related to great achievements in which the power of ’doubt’ is, at times, invited in as a contrast to the greatness and abundance spoken of here. The reference to ’victory’ is due to Os® having many enemies both in Orun and on earth. Os® however made sacrifice in order to become victorious over them.

This relationship is represented by the story that tells of how the diviners Alatise Ile and Alatise Oko went to Ejigbomekun, the land of Os®, to initiate him into Ifa. He was asked to bring 20 sticks (dgun&pa) along with his sacrificial materials. Two of the sticks would be used for the sacrifice. Os®Os® gathered everything together and, as he went to his diviners carrying the load on his head, he fell, and the sticks reserved for use in the initiation broke in two: hence &sa also means something broken, as in the proverb, ’two sticks broken in the middle is what we call Osa meji.’ A reference to shared wisdom increasing the abundance of the one who shares. The proverb serves as a reminder that no matter how strong something seems to be it can always be broken: this applies to sticks as much as it does to enemies. This odu speaks of the disastrous consequences of breaking one’s oath, one’s word or one’s commitments, no matter what disagreements or disappointments are involved in the situation.

A proverb related to this odu says: ’We should not gossip about a friend, because of our pact. Even if the friend is of one mind and you of another our path should not deviate. Every monkey has his place as every soul has its own path.’ This verse is encoded in the alternate name of Osa meji, which is Osa Olubadan. I will paraphrase the story of Olubadan from Popoola’s (2009) thorough presentation of this key verse.

Ina (fire) went to Ifa in pursuit of a cure for her barrenness. Ifa told her that a fertile time had come, that she would be blessed with a male child and so it came to pass, within the year she gave birth to a baby boy. In the naming ceremony for the child, it was revealed that the child was a babalawo from heaven who had incarnated. He was to be named Inaki, in honour of his mother, and placed in the care of the babalawos for training. As a young man he became very proficient in Ifa and especially in curing infertility, which caused women to flock around him. It was indeed grace that he gave, because his Ifa medicine was always very simple, consisting of scrapings of brass, powdered yam and iyerosun to carry the enchantments of this odu. Inaki was very successful, and his students became equally successful. One student in particular, Opo, came to be as great as his teacher. It was Opo who the elderly Olubadan (the king of Ibadan) approached for aid in his attempt to father a child on his equally elderly wife. Opo prepared the Ifa medicine to be given to his wife and she became pregnant, giving birth to a healthy child named Atie, meaning, ’Born from the elderly.’ Olubadan asked Opo for the same thing the following year and once again he fathered a boy. Three years later, Olubadan approached Opo again, saying that he wanted more children, and again Opo prepared the medicine and again Olubadan’s wife became pregnant and this time gave birth to a girl, named Nnkan, ’Something.’ This girl turned out to be Apetebi, the wife of Ifa, sent from heaven, and he was told that she should only marry a practicing awo to keep good fortune close to her. When the time came, Olubadan wanted to offer her hand in marriage to Opo, but he was not to be found anywhere, and so she was offered in marriage to Opo’s good and wealthy friend, Olowo. Olowo however was not a practicing awo and thus the taboo concerning the girl was ignored.

Olowo was a celebrated military general and he came to love Nnkan very much and took her with him to all his battles. It so happened that after several years of marriage Olowo was faced with a challenging battle. In order to arrive at the battlefield he had to cross the Osun river, but the river was overflowing, and it was impossible to pass. Olowo went to the river, and told Osun that he didn’t have anything to offer, but if she made way for them, he would give her something when they returned. The river parted and let them pass. They returned successfully, but the river was once again full upon their return. Olowo threw honey and palm wine into the river, but they were rejected, he threw she-goats and jewellery into the river, but they were rejected. Everything he threw into the river was rejected. As he stood there, frustrated and confused by the rejection of Osun, his commander approached him and told him that he had promised to give ’something’ (nnkan) to Osun, and that only giving Nnkan to Osun would ensure success. In disbelief he gave his wife to the river, expecting her to be rejected, but the river accepted her. The consequence of the sacrifice of the daughter of Olubadan led to a blood feud between the two families that became legendary all over Yorubaland.

We see here how Osa is concerned with the dynamic between ’victory’ and ’being broken.’ In this story we have different kinds of victors and we have the presence of a woman who causes a great feud and breaks the two families that were once united. It emphasizes the importance of the oath, and how easily we are dethroned and destroyed by carelessness and promises made in haste. It demonstrates the dire consequences of doing what needs to be done and thus stresses the fragility of words, promises, relationships and social positions. We can see the importance of woman in this story, and as we shall see later, the concern with fertility, children and womanhood in general, makes this a feminine and venereal odu that speaks of how everything is shifting, like the moon.

We find here the presence of female forces like Osun, mother of Esu and wife of Orunmila; Yemowo, wife of Obatala and source of artistic creativity; and Aje Saluga, wife of Olokun, associated with beauty and wealth. These forces hold the potential for beauty, creativity, wisdom and abundance. It is an odu much concerned with feminine powers that calls upon the presence of Osa meji in the form of birds (aja).

Osa speaks of woman as a source of abundance and how maltreatment of woman is a source of poverty. One story tells of the beautiful and elegant Aje Saluga, who was possessed of a good and quick mind. She came to the world responsible for financial wealth, sure that this would attract much benevolence and kindness to her. Osa meji tells us that she had several relationships with different men, all of whom mistreated her and did not give her any value besides venerating her beauty. She became tired of constant failure with men and went to her awo for divination to see what she could do to find a good husband who would see her for what she was. She was advised to make a sacrifice in order to attract a good husband. At the same time, Orunmila was struggling with poverty; he had a lot of clients, but no-one would compensate him financially for his work. This situation had gone on for quite some time and so he went to his awo to see what could be done about it. His awo told him that he should not worry about any of this, that his good fortune would come to him through a woman, but that he needed to make a sacrifice. On the day of the ebo, he came to his awo’s house, and saw Aje Saluga, who was also there to make her ebo. During the ebo, Orunmila asked if this was the woman who would bring him abundance and she in the same fashion asked if Orunmila would be the man who would treat her well and understand her. Ifa affirmed this and before long a marriage was arranged between the two. Things immediately started to change for them, and they prospered greatly together, having children, money and all good things in life.

Osa speaks of how prosperity is brought about by the use of intellect, care and cunning, and addresses the use of force. This is illustrated by several examples that use wrestling to typify the energies of this odu. Wrestling is popular in rural Yorubaland and is done as exercise and to demonstrate one’s strength and agility as a husband for a prospective wife. It represents the balance between strength and softness needed to bring forth harmonious togetherness.

Osa is an odu that speaks of the union of what is broken and how sameness and difference can enter into a higher union. We might understand Osa as being a mirror with two observers, one on either side of it, each of whom sees themselves in the other. The presence of the mirror is a reference to the beauty and supremacy integral to this odu. It also warns that beauty and deception walk hand in hand, as illustrated in Osa meji by stories that speak of the presence of false friends who are attracted to beauty and wealth alone. This can bring about confusion over whom one can trust, and hence disappointment with people is a recurring theme in Osa meji.

These issues are demonstrated in the story about another beautiful woman, Lapade. She was not only beautiful, but accomplished in all ways. At a young age, she decided that she would marry a babalawo and devote herself to her family, which she did. She was praised for her beauty and revered as a symbol of female accomplishment. However, she was disturbed by nightmares and fears concerning her future. She feared death and she feared betrayal and abandonment. One day, she went to her awo to ask for a divination to see if her bad dreams were rooted in worry, or if they were omens foretelling disaster ahead. The verse recited to her was the following, as collected by Popoola (2009):

A kii fi ipipnpi ba babalawo gbe ’le A kii. fi ipipnpi le babalawo b[ s ’ode Eni to ba fi ipi[npi ba babalawo gbe ’le Eni to ba fi ipi[npi le babalawo b[ s ’ode Oluwaare yoo t ks.so bo giyan eerun Dia fun Lapade, omo drdrd ewa Eyi to nf ogb[n inu pa ’wo

Ti Iku nfi ogb[n inu wa kiri

Ebo ni wqn ni ko wad se

O gba ’bo, o ru boo

Kd pe kd jinna

E wd ba ni laiku kangiri

Aiku kangiri lad bd ni losa Opo

Iku bi o bd wo ’le

Ki o beeru awo

Bi Ind bd Jo kortko ile

A booru aja

You cannot harbour malice and live with a babaldwo

You cannot chase away a babaldwo with malice

If there is someone who lives with a babaldwo and harbours malice

If someone chases away a babaldwo with malice

The one doing this will fall into a hole of burning embers

This Ifd divined for the Beautiful One

She who used her wisdom to attract wealth

And whom Death in great cunning was stalking

She was told to practice sacrifice

She did as she was told

And as the sacrifice was done

She started to sing

Join us in the middle of blessings for longevity

This is what Ifd brings to his people

Death, if you try to enter a home

Be weary of the awo

If fire can burn the grass around a home

Be sure its roof is made of fear

The ’roof of fear’ spoken of in this verse is a reference to the ekan grass (Imperata cylindrica), which is sacred in this odu and used to enhance fertility. But there is more to this grass, which is also sacred to Obatala. It is highly flammable and is used to thatch roofs and to stabilize the soil. The Japanese ’blood grass’ is an ornamental relative of this medicinal weed, whose roots and shoots also serve as food. The ekan grass is used by two of the birds sacred in this odu - aparo (partridge) and olongo (orange cheeked waxbill) - to build their nests. They nest on the ground, making these nutritive and medicinal nests vulnerable to mites, ants and predators. Partridge is taboo in this odu, because of its relationship with financial success as a bird sacred to Aje Saluga. The olongo holds an even deeper symbolism, as it represents both beauty and cunning, evident in its acrobatic and elegant behaviour. It is a beautiful and smart bird and is contrasted with dgdngd (the ostrich) which represents agility and strength. One verse in this odu speaks of a time when Olongo did not have her beautiful colours, but was rather insignificant. Olongo admired the ostrich with her long legs, speed and grace, being herself one of the smallest birds in the world. One day, the ostrich announced that she would set out on a journey and asked the other birds who would accompany her. Olongo was excited at the opportunity, and said that she would come with her, but she also went to her awo to make a divination. She asked if giving support to the ostrich in this journey would make her become as strong and fast as her. The awo told her that this was not Olongo’s place; rather, she should pay attention to her own special talents, because she was Olodumare’s symbol of beauty and prestige. Olongo was asked to make a sacrifice of coloured cloths and a goat. After the sacrifice was made, Esu came in the night and turned the feathers of Olongo to the beautiful reddish brown and gold she has today. She went with the ostrich on her journey, and they reaped praise for the strength and beauty that could only occur through their harmonious togetherness.

Beauty requires support, because it is fragile and delicate. This kind of beauty supported by strength and wisdom is attributed to Aje Saluga and Osun as apetebi (wives) of Orunmila, where beauty and wisdom joined together provide truth and abundance. It is in this odu that Osun is celebrated as the perfect wife of Orunmila, as the embodiment of beauty, elegance and eroticism. The erotic contains the mystery of making use of cleanliness and sweet scents to generate attraction. This odu speaks about finding the other who completes you, just as it speaks of giving away your beauty for nothing out of disappointment and fear. It was in this odu that Osun, in the absence of Orunmila, took care of his clients who had come to Ifa for counsel and help, giving cowry shell readings and medicine made from cool water. As the owner of the cool, healing waters, Osun brought the mystery of igede, a healing ritual that uses the enchanted force of the river, and is performed in every initiation to drisa. In a story from this odu, the drisa and irunmole used the powers of igede resting in the river to wash away the signs of old age and restore their vitality and vigour.

Osa meji speaks of the miraculous properties of cool water. This mystery is always performed when, for instance, the ase of leaves is made into healing waters called omierd. The leaves are prayed over and then macerated in alcohol and cold riverwater to extract their properties. Osun is the water that invites such properties to infuse everything, and because of this we find the presence of micro-organisms, bacteria and viruses in this odu, representing contamination and dispersal.

Osun encompasses the mystery of water as a force of healing, beauty and origin. She is associated with the depths (ibu) of all sources of fresh water, as she is the symbol of the womb that brought forth the first human beings on earth in a state of beauty, health and prosperity. She represents menstruation, while Yemoja represents the use of fertility in giving birth and milk to children. The emphasis on Osun as the owner of menstruation, and hence fertility, is veiled in her praise name lyaami Akoko, meaning ’supreme primordial mother,’ a reference to one who holds the secret of birds, as disclosed in Osa meji. Osun, both in her primordial state and as the chosen wife of Orunmila, possesses wisdom in great measure, and is the owner of the cowry shell oracle. This relationship is emphasized in the following verse, which also underlines the importance of Osun’s waters and how what is meant to be together should not be broken.

Ojiiji d beru nfin

A dia fewe

Ti nlo lee gbobi myawo

Igba ti o ya

Ewe ni dun d fa obi mi[

Lo ba ko obi iyawoo re sdo

Igba ti ob'ri lo tan

Lo ba bere sn gbe

Igba ti naan naa d wa m^

Ni obu ba tun pada waa fa ewe

Nigba naa ni o too waa bere sii yea

O ni Ojiiji d beru &fin

A dia fewe

Ti nla gbobi niyawo

Erd Ofa

Igba obii loun d fewe m^ Se bi gbigbe ni ngbe ’The shadow is not afraid of a deep hole’

Was the one who made Ifa divination for Leaf

When he was going to marry Kola Nut

After some time

Kola Nut said she did not want to stay with Leaf any more

And so she divorced Leaf

After leaving Leaf, the Kola Nut began to dry up

When things became unbearable

Kola Nut returned to Leaf

And it was only through this that she became healthy again

She said, ’The shadow is not afraid of a deep hole’ Was the one who made Ifa divination for the Leaf When he was going to marry Kola Nut

Travellers of Ipo

Travellers of Ofa

It was when Kola Nut separated from Leaf

She began to dry up

The theme of isolation, of reacting to good advice badly and separating yourself from others due to disappointment is frequently found here, as in the story ofyerepe (the velvet bean, Mucuna sloanei). The story tells that he came from humble beginnings and no one took much notice of him. He was often neglected when he was young, but as he grew up people became more attentive to his humble wisdom. When he came of age he was considered a very wise man and the dwellers in the forest saw in him a future king. The elders decided that he would be offered the royal staff, because surely he would rule the forest with humility and wisdom. Learning this news he went straight to his awo, asking about how extravagant the celebration should be. The awo told him that perhaps this was not the right approach to the matter, that he should rather be concerned whether he would find success in his position. Yerepe was mightily offended by his awo, because he had been contemplating malice and wickedness in his heart. He had played the part of being humble and wise for many years in the hope that he would be given the opportunity to get back at those who had wronged him in the past. His heart was full of pain and affliction and it was this which he wanted to inflict on people.

As soon as he was installed as king, he started with the elders and sprinkled the dust of his nettles on them, generating pain and itching, so horrid that only palm oil on their naked bodies could ease their suffering. This was just the beginning of his reign. In a short time he had managed to drive everyone away from him and he became a despised and hated king, whose only friend was his own desire for vengeance. Eventually the dwellers of the forest had enough of him and decided to end his reign, and so in the night the elders went out into the woods and set fire to Yerepe. In flames, consumed by regret, he died.

The story of Ajagunna highlights some other themes of importance in this odu. Ajagunna was a general who was installed as the chief of Ibadan due to his great cunning in the art of war. The more he was praised for his accomplishments, the more his people started to resent him. He was accused of being too stern and demanding, and he constantly met with criticism and opposition from his own people, and even his own family. He could not understand why victory against his enemies should generate such hostility amongst his own people. He went to his awo to obtain some perspective on the situation and was told that this was a lesson, in order that he would understand how difficult human beings were. He was instructed to make sacrifice to Esu and feed his Ifa, and the awo told him that he needed to come to terms with what it meant to be a leader. Ajagunna became confident about how to solve this situation and decided that the best thing to do would be to move away from all these difficult beings. He went into the forest and found a well hidden irokd grove which he cleared in order to build a house for himself and his family. The people in the city told him that this was not the best course of action, as he had just cut down the trees which the Elders of the Night used to have their meetings in. Ajagunna was distrustful of their advice, after all these people were full of envy, lies and accusations, so why would they tell truth about this?

Ajagunna moved into the house with his family, and not long afterwards the Elders of the Night came to have their monthly meeting, only to discover that Ajagunna had occupied their place and cut down their trees. They gathered in another grove close by and decided that Ajagunna had to die for his recklessness, along with his family. In a few days Ajagunna became ill and his condition rapidly went from bad to worse with no cure being found. It didn’t take long before death came to him, and when death arrived, Ajagunna asked to be given another chance. He told Iku that he had learned his lesson; he had come to accept that human beings would never be satisfied. He pleaded with Iku, promising that he would no longer be disappointed, but rather follow the ways and recommendations of Esu and Ifa. A part of a verse telling this story says:

Olort Ilu sdro

Ifa gba mi

Omo eniyan sdro o

To be in a high position comes with difficulties

Ifa, rescue me

The children of men are very difficult

The story tells of how confusion and emotional resentment can cause our isolation from the community, and how choices made when we are in a negative emotional state can lead to more bad choices. Hence, salvation lies in acceptance. In isolating himself from his people, Ajagunna managed to anger the Elders of the Night and was afflicted with aja. This affliction was something which he provoked by allowing disappointment and a negative emotional state to dictate his choices. One bad decision leads to another.

This theme is further spoken of in relation to the tree dgungun (Adansonia digitata), better known as the baobab, which is sacred here and is related to omens. The Yoruba name means something that is repeated and gives resonance; the presence of this tree in the world invites us to read omens in nature. The baobab is a loner, and can live up to two thousand years. It illustrates the prestige found in this odu, but also the tendency to seclusion, as baobabs are rarely found together, but stand alone, guarding their fruits and their many wonderful healing properties in solitude.

Many of the stories in Osa speak of disillusion turning into a hatred of the world: this takes the place of the sweetness and prosperity spoken of in this odu. In some situations we see it take the form of self imposed isolation from the world, at others of a vengeful spirit that seeks to inflict pain upon it. These themes are exemplified by the scorpion’s sting. Ojdgan, the scorpion, gained his sting and poison in this odu. The story tells of a time when he was bullied and harassed by many enemies. One day he went to his awo to search for a solution to this situation, and the awo told him that he should make sacrifice to Esu with needles and spikes along with poisonous herbs and a goat. Ojogan did as he was told and, as soon as the sacrifice was made, Esu took a needle from the ebo and filling it with poison, fitted it to his tail. He was told to sting whoever tried to attack him and he brought about the death of his enemies and was praised as: Tiyoo maa f’iru sa’gun ota re (He who conquers his enemies by virtue of his penis).

At times, this odu is about giving up on life and allowing oneself to succumb to venereal indulgence or illegal activity. In this context, we find a story about two thieves. They became thieves because they didn’t see any progress in their work and so decided to embark upon a life of crime as a shortcut to wealth. They experienced success for some time, but ended up being shamed by their own people and with their reputations ruined they never managed to embark on anything useful, they were simply marked for life. In this odu, any form of illegal work is always spoken of as a consequence of becoming impatient with waiting for good fortune and desiring a short cut to it, or as the result of giving up on the world and seeking retribution in a self-serving spirit. This is entailed in the concept of ojukdkdrd, which is the Yoruba word used for ’greed,’ ’envy’ and ’avarice.’ The word itself means ’to see the world as an insect.’ Hence to display these attributes is synonymous with the invasive effect of micro-organisms and viruses, it is considered a spiritual illness that jeopardizes our good fortune.

These tendencies are found in a story collected by Ibie that speaks of how Ogun, Obaluwaye, Sango and Olokun came to earth in pursuit of wealth. They invited Orunmila to take part in this expedition, but he declined and told them that he preferred wealth to find him. These irunmole went to earth and started to dig for treasure. Ogun had brought all the necessary tools, and was the first to dig. He dug deep, and at some point the earth covered him in an avalanche of soil, and he was rejected from the earth with four cowries placed on his chest. Obaluwaye went after Ogun and started to dig, but as he got too deep, an avalanche of earth covered him and the earth rejected him with sixteen cowries on his chest. The same fate befell Sango and Olokun. All around the corpses were heaps of treasure and the cowries that they had dug up. Noticing that the irunmole were late returning, Orunmila asked Ifa what was going on and was told to make sacrifice of two ladders and some other things. He climbed down to earth on the ladders and saw his dead friends and the heaps of treasure and money, which he brought back to Orun. He gave to the family of each of the deceased compensation in conformity with the cowries on their chest and he himself became a rich man. Hence, this odu is also known as Osagun, which is a term describing the use of excess of strength in the pursuit of what is beautiful; in this case wealth. This form of greed tends to bring out what is treacherous in people, a dark ambition that makes us exclude and hurt others so we can enjoy an abundance that is not always our own. Ibie (1986:236) summarizes well the essential message in this odu:

The rainbow cuts the sky wholly And not in halves

It is a wicked bird that tries

To prevent other birds

From flying in the sky

My guardian angel

Let me prosper along

With my contemporaries

OFUN MEJI

ae calabash of charaner

Ofun meji is often represented by the egg, a reference to the closed calabash of creation and character. The possibility of all things is found in Ofun, hence we have a Bini proverb stating that it was this odu that gave each of the other odus its laws or vibrations. Ofun means ’to give out whiteness’ and is also known as Orangun meji, a reference to the progenitor of the Yoruba people, the force that enabled the wisdom of Ifa to spread throughout the world. Orangun is described in the following way:

A fun yinyin

A kan yinyin

Oyinyin a kan bi ala

What is sparkling in brightness Brightness that spreads out Whiteness that shines in brightness

According to Yoruba history and genealogy, Orangun was the fourth son of Oduduwa, the first king of Ile Ifo and the ancestor of the Yoruba people. This fourth son was actually named Fagbamila, but received the nickname Orangun, which means ’uprightness rests within’ in reference to his perfection in all ways. Orangun received a cutlass named Ogbo (the Elder) from Oduduwa, which he used to clear sixteen paths in all directions from Ile Ife to ensure the spread of Oduduwa’s legacy. This repeats a theme concerning kingship that we saw earlier in the case of Sango, the fourth ruler of Oyo state. Again, we are met with the fourth taking on a particular position. The fourth odu is Odi meji, which is associated with the concept of atunwa or rebirth. In other words, Orangun brought a mythical principle to perfection through the birth of a ruler who contained the mystery of creation within himself, and who was truly of an upright character. We can therefore understand Orangun to be the force that succeeded in spreading the message of Oduduwa, whose name means ’character is from the womb’ or ’character rests in the darkness of the womb.’

Here, Ifa is revealed ultimately to be a philosophy of character, and its diversity. Ofun speaks of three types of people: the achievers, those who follow them, and the bystanders. It adds that those who are wise in their achievements will always be recognized by their calm and joyous disposition. From this, we can see that Ofun, as the progenitor of our world, provided it with two things, upright character and diversity. Ofun states that human beings came to this world to do good, to be wicked, or to do nothing, and this demonstrates the three principal temperaments represented by the three colours, white (calmness), red (vibrancy) and black (darkness). The social classes were born from these temperaments, and with social division there came envy and judgment, ambition and aspiration, as well as resistance to one’s fate. Ofun states in one verse that ’Ifa is sweeter than honey,’ which serves to remind us that any fate is destined to be a happy one, and that each of us is the author of our fate. Our destiny is a search for fulfillment, happiness and abundance, but fate is a power that invites constant choices as to which act is best suited to this end.

These ideas are represented by the parrot, a most important bird in Ofun, where he is a symbol of nobility. One verse speaks of how the parrot wanted to be seen as being more than merely beautiful, and made sacrifice to Esu. Esu invested him with all kinds of powers and instructed him in how to reap the good will of several drisa. He became seen as a powerful assistant, a noble power in his own right, through giving loyal and unfaltering assistance to Obatala. Consequently his red tail feathers are used in all initiations, as a sign of spiritual authority calling upon clarity of mind.

Ofun speaks of how man is free to choose between good and evil, and stresses the importance of understanding plants and animals as aids in how to apply wisdom in our choices. It is an odu that speaks of how everything is connected to its source. Ofun meji tells of the two poles of creation are a splendour of dazzling light that originates from a single source, and of how our experience in the field between the splendour on the right, and that on the left, creates a landscape of contrasts and extremes. The human journey is embarked upon in this field. We learn through the accumulation of experience and the practice of character that the legs of Ofun stand solidly in light and in darkness, and understand that we are beings of upright character. Ofun is the source of light. Light was made manifest in Eji Ogbe, which opened the road for the human experience riddled with choice, oaths and oath breaking, commitments and the breaking of commitments, love and hatred. Our being and our experiences are reflections of various forms of light, rays, frequencies, perceptions of the possibilities released by Ofun, as the world was created for the sole purpose of leading us to a realization of that original light and whiteness in which our character was born. The beginning and end of the human journey rest in the realization of an upright character. In one verse, the state of the world as generated by Ofun is said to be as follows:

Aye yii aye yii d se o

Aye ni nfon na eeru

Aye yii aye yii o se o Aye ni nro ka l ’eepe Aye yii aye yii o se o Aye yii aye yii d se o Aye naa nii sogba d’dgbun Aye yii aye yii d se o

Aye naa nn fon 'nd Oguluntu

Ti wpn fi njo raa wpn

Dia fun gbogbo &kankanlenu irunmole

Won pe jo l&ps Ojjo

Ebo ni wpn ni ki wpn waa se

The world, the world overflows with wickedness

The world is what gathers ashes in place of fire to cook with

The world, the world overflows in wickedness

The world is what turns sand into food for others

The world, the world, wickedness is everywhere

The world is what turns the calabash into a hole

The world, the world is spreading wickedness everywhere

The world is what gathers red hot stones to press on the bodies of others

This was the Ifa divination made for the 401 irunmoles

When they were uniting together in harmony

They were told to practice sacrifice

This verse refers to the story of the broken calabash in Eji Ogbe, in which the calabash of character was brought from heaven to earth and dropped, as Obatala stepped onto the mountain of the world, and its contents were spread everywhere. Thus, Ifa teaches that our world is broken, that we need to reassemble the shards of wisdom into their original unity, both on a personal and global level. The restoration of the world is assigned to the founding of the Ogbqni society, which is attributed to this odu. The Ogbqni society is a council of Ifa elders who venerate Onile and have been assigned the duty of mending the world by aligning themselves with its wisdom.

Dr. Abosede Emanuel (2000) revealed some parts of the myth of the foundation of Ogbqni in his book on the ’Odu Ifa.’ He writes of how Ofun met a limbless woman at the gate of Orun on one of his journeys between heaven and earth. Ofun took pity on the woman, and asked her to return to earth with him, so he could heal her and make a dwelling for her there. She agreed and they went with him. When they came to the triple junction that separated heaven from earth she asked Ofun to stop and told him that her condition forbade her to dwell in the city or to travel during the day. As they were waiting at the crossroads, Asipa, the guardian of the junction, came and helped them cut a road through the thicket until they found a grove where they made a hut which he decorated with palm fronds for her to live in. This hut had no natural entrance and the akdko tree was planted there to mark its location. The dwelling of the limbless woman was called Iled^ meaning ’The entrance of the house is strange.’ After settling the woman in her reclusive dwelling, Ofun went to his confidant, Apena, to speak with him. Apena had been looking for a wife, and Ofun thought the limbless woman would be perfect for him. Apena agreed and went to her hut to ask her to marry him. She agreed on the condition that he swore an oath never to reveal her condition to anyone and that any visitors coming to her had to be blindfolded, except for Ofun and his court of

Ifa priests (which refers to Ogbiyni members). The marriage between the limbless woman and Apena was good and they had two children. The first one was named Ogbo, the Elder, in reference to wisdom, and the second one was called Oni, a word signifying to take deep possession of something, which we might translate as ’keeper.’ It is from the names of these two children that we derive Ogbiym, ’Keepers of the wisdom of the Elders.’

We find this mystery encoded in the way in which the Ogbiyni society is organized. The elder of the Ogbiyni society is a woman. She is initiated to Odudua, ’The primal womb.’ Odudua is not Oduduwa, but rather the first fruit from Odudua taking the form of the progenitor of the Yoruba people. The owner of Odudua in the Ogbiyni society has a close rapport with the head of the Kami society, and they are in constant dialogue. The chief of Ogbiyni has two assistants, Apena and Gesi. Apena is a priest of Obatala who acts as Odudua’s right hand (otun), bestower of abundance and fortune, while Gesi holds the power to regulate taboo and secrecy, as represented by the left hand (osi).

Ogbiym venerates Onile, but Onile is venerated through the spirit known as Edan. The Ogbiyni word is usually translated as ’staff⁵ and refers to the upright character of Ogbo as well as to the erect penis attributed to Oosaoko as a symbol of prosperity and victory. This is associated with the new planting of yams after the fields have been burned and made ready to receive seeds. Edan is the embodiment of upright character.

I

One verse from Ofun speaks of Edan as: ’the one who will mend the world,

as if repairing a broken calabash.’ This verse also speaks of how Edan was

Z~k r \ 1 \ •)   • • Z~k  1 1 1    j •  • j1 J  r

Orunmila s companion in Orun, which has an association with two of

Olodumare’s children, Iwa (Character), and Esan (Retribution).

Ofun holds that good character is rooted in the possession of inner peace, patience, love and forgiveness. Baba Adewuyi writess in his as yet unpublished magnum opus Secrets of Odu Ifa: ’the mark (OfUn) signifies the establishment of darkness rooted in a mystical phenomenon.’ This means that we need to develop our inner light and realize our true spiritual origin in order to find our way in darkness, which is the practice of character. As another verse says:

If the earthworm pays homage to the earth the earth will give it access

a little child never pays homage and is found to be destroyed in consequence of it

This odu speaks of the first creation of the world and of how when Ofun was confronted with the wickedness on earth he called upon Os® to rule the world with him. Ofun himself was stern, merciless and kept ruthlessly to what was right and pure, while Os® took delight in punishing all wickedness. At some

point the inhabitants of earth grew tired of their despotic ways and gathered j    jj j j  1 Ar' 1 z~k   ji t-’ ii • -1 •

together in an attempt to expel Ofun and Os® from earth. Following this • 1 j Ar< j r m z\ r 1 z-\i ri 1 1 1 ji . A r \1 \ 1 11

incident Ofun, together with Ogun and Olokun, decided that Orunmila should be the chief of the world. Orunmila brought the spirit of Ela to earth, and

allowed its wisdom to penetrate the earth as it had done in heaven, so that

everything in creation could be wise. Ela, however, preferred to dwell in caves and subterranean tunnels where she holds communion with Odudua.

Ela

was the first babalawo of Orun, the principle of wisdom itself, whose name is usually translated as ’heaven knows salvation,’ in a call to human beings to bring divine wisdom into their lives so that the darkness can become enlightened.

Ofun explains why we tend to see the world in dualist terms, as the right and the left hands fighting each other. This is caused by the panorama of human experience spanning from darkness to light. Ofun is the closed calabash of mystery, but when the mystery is exposed, experience generates various forms of perception and philosophies in accord with the concept of diversity found here.

The return to origin is made possible through tefa, Ifa initiation. Tefa takes place in Igbodu, the forest of mystery. This word speaks of a place where Igbadu is present, either in the forest where she is naturally encountered, or in a designated space where she has been brought into presence. Ofun imparts that the first name of Odu was Oro Isekuse, meaning ’the profound word reveals itself in crooked ways and acts.’ In this first form she was taken to a place called Igbodu in the forest to be raised. This is where everyone who undertakes initiation into Ifa goes.

Ofun is about union and perfection, and how diversity is a necessary experience to achieve this realization. This realization is accomplished by unifying the top and bottom of the calabash, to see everything as variations originating from the one. Ifa accomplished this by entering into marriage with Odu and in this unification a profound realization of the harmony encoded in the world was revealed to Orunmila in the 256 odu Ifa. It was from this alliance that Orunmila realized that the secrets of upright character were to be found in the brightness of primordial light and the cool waters of origin, as one verse says:

Adeyeri lawo Alaraan

Adetutu lawo Ajfor&gbogbola

A dia fun Orunmila

O j^ ni kutu

O nlo Lee gbolomitutu myawo

Aye Ifa tutu jomi lo

Aye Ifa tutu jomi lo d

Aye Ifa tutu jomi lo

Afedefeyd lo gbolomitutu myawo

Aye Ifa tutu jomi lo

Adeyeri, the crown befits this head, the Ifa priest of Alaraan, Who vested the Egungun in immaculate clothes

Adetutu, the crown is very cold, the priest of Ajf&r&gbogbola, Who wakes up to the benefit of everyone

Were those making Ifa divination for Orunmila

Who woke up early in the morning

To marry ’She who only bathes in cold water’

The world of Ifa is colder than water

The world of Ifa is certainly colder than water

The world of Ifa is colder than water

’He who speaks all languages’ was the one who married her

’She who only bathes in cold water’

The world of Ifa is colder than water

The brightness of Ofun is found in the oju (eyes). The eyes were created by Obatala to be the pathfinders of the body and soul. Great responsibility came with this position and as such the eyes became the guide of the human being. In Ifa, the eyes are related to days and hours and the experience of first light. The word oju is related to the days of the weeks and the months of a year and denotes a capacity for observation. The eyes point the way and observe the world, but the use we make of the experience of the world which the eyes transmit to us falls outside their domain. The eyes do not judge, the on is what judges.

As mentioned at the beginning of this chapter, this odu is concerned with diversity, social roles, and classifications. Consequently, it also speaks of succession and timeliness. It speaks of how phases within our life can be as shifting as social positions. We find here a story about Orangun, who was childless in spite of his greatness. He had many wives, but was not able to father a child with any of them. He went to his awo for a divination and was told that he would indeed father a child. It would be a male child that would be be prestigious and famous. Before the year was out he indeed fathered a male child who was called Ariwoola. However, at the naming ceremony of the child, Orangun was told that Ariwoola would outshine his already glorious father. Therefore Orangun decided to send his child out from the city of Ila to be raised by people he could trust not to reveal his royal heritage. Ariwoola grew up rapidly, and gained prestige, honour and followers and was treated as royalty. When he came of age he decided to visit his father in Ila and he dressed up in whiteness, glory and splendor with a host of followers in his train, to bear witness to the visit. As Ariwoola entered his father’ s city the people of Ila said that a king even greater than their great king Orangun had arrived. None of them knew this was the son of their king. They welcomed Ariwoola as a true king and his father realized that the time had come for him to abdicate the throne to his son, which he did. Ariwoola entered the history of Yoruba as one of their greatest kings ever. The verse speaks of the importance of making room for new powers and acknowledging that one’s work has been done so that it is possible to move on to new experiences as much as it speaks of the importance of accepting the shifting state of Aye. Orangun demonstrated greatness in his acceptance and the manner in which he avoided resistance; in this way he perpetuated his legacy and name for the benefit of all the people.

Acceptance and resistance are related to Olorhe, the Lucky One. Ofun imparts that the concept of luck - to be at the right place at the right time with the means to take advantage of the situation - rests in a spirit of acceptance and interest. The Ifa medicine known as oseerd was created here as a means of attracting luck and expelling resistance. Oseerd is a combination of enchantments and powders fused with black soap (osedudu) that expels negativity and creates an opening for luck and good fortune. This remedy was offered to Olorhe at a time when people were trying to kill him out of envy, and he wanted to find an alternative solution to retaliation. He used the oseerd and their hostility soon turned into praise and fame. This avoidance of hatred and enmity is in contrast to the story of Eruubami.

Eruubami was a manufacturer of bean cakes and was well known for the quality of her products. She was, however, greedy and jealous with her bean cakes, and refused to give anything for free to anyone, even if they were hungry or in order to demonstrate the good quality of her products. One day the chief of the witches came to the market where Eruubami was frying bean cakes and begged her for a taste. Eruubami refused, but the witch insisted and pleaded until Eruubami told her to get lost, as she was not in the market out of charity. As night fell, the chief gathered the other witches together and told them how she had been shamed in the market by Eruubami. They decided that she had to be punished for her lack of generosity. The night after the incident, the witches sent the birds and animals over which they had control to reside around the dwelling of Eruubami and, from then on, terror, dread and nightmares infested her life. In a matter of days she had withered away from fright so much that she expected death at any moment. It was then that she went to her awo for divination. Her awo told her that this situation had been generated by her insulting behaviour and lack of charity, and that she needed to make peace with the witches by offering them bean cakes for free for the next three days. She did this, and on the third night the birds and animals which had been sent to torment her departed. After this, she returned to the market, only to discover that her business was gone. Another person had taken over her business, the people preferred to buy from them and were no longer interested in what she had to offer.

This is an important story as it highlights compassion, generosity and charity. We are all in the same situation, the human journey, and on this journey a helping hand receives help in return. The attitude displayed by Eruubami attracted a negative vibration. The story says that the witches caused this situation, but in this particular incident it was not aja that came to her, but another spiritual intrusion, which is known as eemd. Eemd is a disruptive force that takes joy in inspiring pain and sorrow and feeding bodily filth in order to ignite feelings of dread, fear and negative mental states. This is an interesting class of spirits, as they are reputed to inspire antinomian and rebellious attitudes which are seen as an illness of the soul that attracts false friends or as Ofun says: ’companions of common darkness.’

No matter how much we try to change the wicked ones we need to be prepared for the persistence of wickedness, as it is something we attract on the human journey. It is a consequence of bad choices. If bad choices are perpetuated, more will follow. You are bound to find yourself in hostile environments as life progresses, and every hostile situation invites acceptance and resistance, retribution and blessing. In every predicament in which the emotions are hot and provocation is close, a calm and cool character will always provide the best solution. The following verse captures this well:

Bagb^n o soro a tldi bole

Bida o soro a teeku bdk^

Korowo agbagba ni wqn difct fun

Nigba ti nje mr&gbun &ta llfn n ki agbagba o rubo O si ru u

O si sagun awon &taa re

O waa nyin awon awoo re

Awon awoo re nyin Ifa

O ni bagb^n o soro

A tidi bole

Bida o soro

A teeku bak&

K&r&w& agbagba ni wqn difa fun

Nigba ti nje mr&gbun &ta

Orunmila lo ddsurunsuru Oba Alade nlori &taa bomi

’When the wasp seeks to sting, she points her anus to her hive When the sword seeks to strike, its handle points to its sheath’ Was the one who made divination for the tall banana palm When she was living among enemies

The banana palm was told to make sacrifice

And she did

As a result, she conquered her enemies

She praised the priests of Ifa

And the priests of Ifa praised Ifa

She said, ’When the wasp seeks to sting, she points her anus to her hive When the sword seeks to strike, its handle points to its sheath’ Was the one who made divination for the tall banana palm When she was living among enemies

Orunmila said he would repeatedly plunge into the water

The head of the enemy

There is one story which combines those elements of luck, cleanliness, acceptance, generosity and resistance which occur in the stories of Eruubami and Olorire, and addresses the importance of love. This story speaks of how Orunmila was going to marry Ijo (Dance), Ayo (Joy) and Adun (Sweetness). He was advised to treat these women with respect, recognition and love. Initially he did so, but as life went well for him he became careless, with everything from his personal hygiene to attending to his clients and business. Whenever his wives tried to reason with him he told them to back off and leave him be. One day they had enough of his attitude and left him, and with their departure, all things joyous, sweet and worthy left his life. In this story, Orunmila’s bodily hygiene was addressed, on the basis that all other issues of soul and mind would be resolved by taking care of the cleanliness of his body.

Orunmila solved this problem by collecting 201 Ifa leaves: he reduced these to ashes while reciting words of power over them and mixed them into black soap. He made a ceremony for his on and his Ifa and washed his ikins and his body and committed himself to cleanliness of body, mind and soul. In doing so, he accepted love, joy, sweetness and good fortune into his life. A part of one verse says:

Fifer, ti a fe ni la fl n ba nii se

Mim^ ti a mo ’ni la fi n ba nii ld

B ’mi d tile fr ni mo

B ’mi d tile m ’miyan mo

Ki kaluku maa da se isr araa re

It is the love we share that makes us bond with one another

It is the recognition we give one another that kindles goodness within

If love is found to be wanting

And if we do not recognize one another

Let us all walk separate roads

Ofun is concerned with the abuse of power and with overestimating one’s capacity for both giving and resisting. It provides us with many stories of the failure of good intentions, or of aspirations that are not fully achieved. Ofun speaks of the importance of completing our tasks and setting worthwhile goals which we can pursue diligently. In doing good for others, remember to first do good for your family.

Around 70 herbs, shrubs and trees are associated with Ofun. The three which are most important and sacred to Odu, and indispensable to Ifa in general, are:

Odundun (Kalanchoe crenata), an edible plant with many medicinal properties. It can be used to speed up recovery from wounds and respiratory problems. It serves as a remedy to remove irritation from the eyes and is associated with gentleness and sweetness spreading across the earth. It thrives best in the forest in dark, humid places, but can thrive under the sun in dry soil.

Teteregun (Costus sp.), a plant sacred to Obatala. It is a relative of ginger and saffron, and is associated with ancestry and ancestral wisdom. This species of plants is one of the few that exists in a healthy symbiosis with ants.

The plant provides cover for the ants and in return they protect the seed bulbs instead of consuming them. The plant is used to ward off death and enemies, as demonstrated by its medicinal use of curing bites from poisonous snakes.

Rinrin (Peperomi pellucida), also known as Pepper Elder, is used to wash the eyes of the awo before seeing Odu, hence it is thought to be the plant used to build the hut of the crippled woman who became the chief of Ogbqni. It has several medicinal properties, one of which is to combat inflammation, irritation of the eyes, and a host of other impediments ranging from rheumatism and fever to gout and renal disorders. The plant is edible and rich in nutrients. It prefers humid places and possesses an extraordinary capacity to spread out and take over abandoned and rocky areas.

Atalese abara palaba

A dia fun eni-apadka

Eni apadka loruko a a pdke

Ogun odun dni o

Oke mbe laiku gboingboin Gboingboin md ni tdke

Oke, dke gboingboin

Ogb&n odun dni o

Oke mbe laiku gboingboin Gboingboin ni tdke Oke, dke gboingboin

What these plants have in common is a capacity to spread out and enter into amiable liaisons with whatever climate and soil they are confronted with. They demonstrate the importance of standing upright, overflowing with qualities that bring health, joy and clarity of mind. These plants are like mountains of power and healing and the mountain is ever a symbol of upright character, as the following verse states: ’The soles of the feet are always flat’ Was the awo who divined for ’He who cannot be subdued’ ’He who cannot be subdued’

is another name for the mountain

Today and for another twenty years

The mountain will be alive and as strong forever

The mountain will always be so strong

The mountain, the mountain, which is firm and strong Thirty years from now

The mountain will remain strong forever

The mountain will always remain strong forever

The mountain, the mountain

will always be strong and firm

OSeTuRA

Esu & the design of the world

Osolrira holds a unique position in the corpus of Ifa. It is this odu which enables communication between the visible and invisible realms through the intervention of Esu. As the bridge of communication, it is the odu that makes it possible for magic to work and prayers to be answered. It speaks of the birth of Esu as a companion of Ifa.

Osotura is the seed of beginning, the fiery seed that caused the 16 primordial powers to interact and generate the 240 omo odu, or combination odu. Hence Esu can be considered the + 1 to the sixteen mejis. Osotura directly addresses the foundation of creation and discloses the mystery of beginning. It is proper therefore to conclude this book with a few words on Osotura, as this will place the tail of the serpent in its mouth.

The universe came into existence from one source which then divided into four vibrations, the first four odu. This source of the odu is known as<="" p="">

odu, giving 256 vibrations in total, was caused by the potency known as Esu, the seed of generation and creation, separation and coagulation.

Osatura speaks of how creation and the earth were endowed with these energies by the work of the 401 irunmole, who aided in the harmonious establishment of the energies vibrating from Odu. The first harmony they established was the forest and in the thicket of the forest they cleared a grove where Odu would dwell. This place was called Igbodu, ’The forest of Odu’ or ’The forest of mystery.’ This place was also known as Igbo oro, ’The forest of mysterious and powerful words,’ and became associated with the power of prayers, songs and enchantments. They then made another clearing and called Egungun to dwell there. After this, a third grove was made sacred, which was the forest of Ifa, and then a fourth, which was made sacred to drisa. These places of veneration were also known as ojub^, which encompasses the idea of ’a forest of sight’ that demands respect.

Osotura tells us that the irunmole sent to ensure this primordial order was Osun. She was elected because she was so brimful with iwa pele that Olodumare gave her a crown of crystals so she could reflect these magnificent powers in all directions. The eniyan, however, were reluctant to accept Osun and treated her with little regard. The story speaks of a turning point; in some versions, it says that the people of the world refused to build a hut for her, leading to her isolation in the forest; and in other versions it speaks of how she was refused food. I will use the latter version, which speaks of a time when the people of the world were sending her animals to cook. After a successful hunt there was much food to prepare, and Osun made many wonderful dishes. She brought these to the feast held to celebrate the success of the hunt. Although she had prepared the food, she was not allowed to join in the feast. As a result of this disrespect, Osun called upon the powers of Kami Apaki (great mother who nurses the vulture) to block good fortune. With the presence of this power in the world, nothing the eniyan did produced any results. They felt as if Olodumare had turned his back on them. As the situation went from bad to worse, the people of the world went to Orunmila for divination and it was Osotura that appeared for them. Orunmila brought four of his students with him and prepared to go to Olodumare to clarify the matter. On the way he met Esu, who told him what had been going on and how to remedy the situation. Orunmila returned to the world and told the people that they needed to make amends for the disrespect they had shown to Osun and offer her full

participation in all the affairs of men, and to acknowledge her dignity. As the verse says:

Olodumare niki wqn lo fund se tire

Wqn wa pada wa sile aye Wt[n wa flm&se t ’Osun Nigbanda gbogbo ero ati ise Wqn bere sii gun

Nitorinda, a fim& jo t ’Osun

Yeye wa a ba wqn pe mmd

Olodumare told them that they should go

and give due respect to Osun They returned to earth

and they gave due respect to Osun it was then their efforts gave success and things started go right for them Because of this we give due respect to Osun

Our ever present mother

They did as they were told, and Osun dismissed the powers of Kami Apaki, declaring that she accepted their change of heart. But she also said that she would leave the earth as a consequence of their last offence. Before her departure, she foretold that she would give birth to a male child who would take her place and that she was in need of the assistance of the awos of the world to make this happen. For nine days and nights they aided her gestation, because the seed she carried was female, but it was paramount that the child should be born a male to ensure success in its work on earth. On the ninth night she gave birth to a male child. Orunmila came with his diviners and they all went to the forest of Odu to divine the name this child would be called by, and what destiny he would incarnate. Before the divination, the awos of the world said that his name should be Asetura, meaning, ’we begot this power,’ while Osun said that she preferred him to be known as Akm dsq_. ’powerful one who sows discord.’ As the odu that came up for the child was Oso on the right and Oturd on the left, Orunmila said that he would be known as Osatura. Osun agreed, but added that he should also be called Akm Os^, because great powers resided in him. Osun said that they would now respect the seventeenth among them, because without him, nothing would bear fruit. Orunmila agreed and declared the work to be done well.

Osun left the world, but when Osatura was still very young a drought harmed the earth. Three years passed without rain and the situation grew critical. The people of the world went to Orunmila for a divination to see what could be done. They were told that an offering had to be prepared to Olodumare and Ayelala (the community of female powers in Orun). They were told that Eji Ogbe and Oyeku meji had to bring the ebo to the doors of Orun but that Akm Osq_ Osatura had to deliver it. They were reluctant to send the young boy on such an important errand and decided that one of the sixteen meji odu should go instead. Each meji tried to enter Orun in succession, but the doors were closed to them. They then admitted that the task should be given to the youngest of them all, Osatura. Osatura went off to prepare himself for the journey, but on the way to his house he met a spirit that presented himself as ’very ancient and mysterious.’ This spirit told him that he should abstain from food before going on this journey in order to reap all the honour and respect promised him. He did as advised, and as he set off for Olodumare he met Esu, who asked him where he thought he was going. Osatura said that he was delivering a sacrifice to Olodumare on behalf of the people of the world. Esu offered him food to eat before the journey, but Osatura said that he had been advised by a mysterious spirit not to eat anything beforehand and asked if Esu had any other advice to offer him. Esu smiled and told him that everything would be fine, that he would find the doors wide open, and that he himself would follow him on the journey. As promised the doors were wide open, and they entered into the presence of Olodumare and delivered the sacrifice. In return, Olodumare gave bundles of rain and many other secrets to Osatura. As they started the journey, Osatura dropped one of the bundles of rain and the earth was again made fertile and abundant. When Osatura arrived at the world, he saw crops and plants in full bloom, the rivers full and joy everywhere. When the people saw him they approached him in gratitude and respect and conferred honour and dignity upon him, just as they had promised his mother Osun. In addition to this, they brought him many gifts, a hut and food. Osatura gave these gifts and the larger part of the food to Esu Odara in gratitude for his wise counsel and companionship, declaring that Esu should always be served first, because the mission would not have been successful without him. Hence the last part of this verse in Osatura says the following about the powers vested in Esu (Bascom 1969 a: 466):

’Sore throat takes the good from the plate’

Was the one who cast Ifa for all the people on

Earth when they were afflicted with illness. Esu

Says that the sacrifice will be effective if they will Do as he says. The people of earth came and made sacrifices From that day on, the world began to be good

And from this story we have the following orin (song) that celebrates this function of Esu:

Esu, receive it

Legbara, bring the sacrifice to the crossroad

Esu take it

The king belongs on the throne

Like Esu Odara belongs to the crossroads

Esu receive the sacrifice

And take it to the crossroad

Receive it, Esu

So the return to the crossroad

Is done in powerful ways

Esu, receive it

Esu ba- wa ba wa re ikorita Esu come here andfollow us to the crossroad Esu gba

A gbe ebo re ikorita Esu gba Legbara gbe ebo re ikorita Esu gba Oba lo ni dpo Esu Odara lo ni ikorita Esu gba Je a mu ase b^ ikorita Esu gba, Jo a mu ase b^ ikorita Esu gba

The birth of Osatura

brought harmony between the forces of Kami

Osdronga, the ajas, and the sixteen primordial forces. In this capacity, Osatura embodies the concept of salvation more commonly associated with Ela, the spirit of Orunmila, in the form of retribution and answers to petitions and pleas. Osatura states that salvation and answered prayers are possible because of woman, as exemplified by Osun, first apetebi (wife) of Orunmila. It is here that we see how woman has access to the ase of abundance and ajo, the spiritual forces that hinder good fortune. Due to the importance of woman in this odu, we also find the belief that the appearance of a woman at the moment of performing sacrifice is a manifestation of Osotura, confirming acceptance of the work performed.

This belief is related to another story in this odu, which is more explicit in detailing the nature of the mysterious union of Osun and Orunmila which gave birth to Osatura. In this story the child is called Ti Osun Tu Wa which means ’A part of Osun and a part of Otura.’ This mysterious story speaks of how Osun was so beautiful that all the irunmoles desired her, but no one managed to get close to her. Orunmila however, with the cunning aid of the irokd, managed to establish a field in dreams in which a union occurred. This union in the realm of dreams eventually led to the marriage between Osun and Orunmila. Osatura is the child of this mysterious union, which gave Esu praise names such as Odara, ’Mysterious and powerful magician.’ Esu has 201 praise names defining qualities of his expression, many of them refer to his being the issue of a mysterious union, whilst others apply to his function. Some of these praise names are: Elagba/ Elagbara: ’Powerful one who knows the powers that generate success/salvation’; Laalu: ’The famous one’; Ebita Okunrin: ’Strong man solid as the first rock’; Alagbara: ’He who influences people’s lives so that they can become stronger’; Alagogo Ija: ’Lord who holds the bell of discord’; Bara: ’Owner of power/ase’; Alaketu: ’Chief of Ketu Land’; Latoqpa: ’Perfect one who established the order of the worlds’; Yangi: ’Owner of the first stone’; Elebo: ’He who brings the sacrifice’; Okoto: ’Owner of all things infinite’; Okoburu: ’Owner of the wicked cudgel’; Ina: ’Fiery one’; Elepo: ’He who drinks/owns palm oil’; Laroya: ’He who gives humble reverence to the Mothers.’

Osatura is always involved in the conclusion of any sacrifice, because it is only through this potency that the road between the realms can be opened and communication made possible between the world of men and the invisible world. One famous verse speaks of the intense relationship we find between Esu, Orunmila, Odu and aja; and of how Esu is the force that transforms misfortune into fortune and brings about stability and order. This verse is borrowed from Epega and Neimark’s The Sacred Ifa Oracle (1995: 528):

Akakanika, Akakanika, Alakakanika, Alapasapa ijaka’lu

Eyekan fo feerefe o wole

Akakanika li a ape Ifa

Alakakanika li aape Odu

Alapasapa-ijaka lu li aape Esu Odara

Eye kan fo feerefe o wole li aape Aie omo Olokun sande

Oba olubu-omi,

Og& Owoni

Esu Odara, iwo liote ilu yi do

Iwo nikiijeki ebi kiopa Alawo ilU

Iwo nikiijeki ebi kiopa Onisegun IlU

Iwo nikiijeki ebi kiopa Adahunse ilu

Emi Alawo ilU yi ree

Emi Omsegun ilU yi ree

Emi Adahunse ilU yi ree

Esu Odara majek ’ebi pa mi ati beebee

Akakanika, Akakanika, Alakakanika, Alapasapa ijaka’lu

’A bird flew violently into the house’

Akakanika is the name given to Ifa

Alakakanika is the name we give to Odu

Alapasapa-ijaka’lu is the name we give to Esu Odara

’A bird flew violently into the house’ is the name we give to

Aje, child of Olokun sande, owner of the waters

Og& Owoni

Esu Odara, you established this town

You delivered the babalawos in this city from starvation

You delivered the doctors of this town from starvation, as you did with the herbalists

I am the babalawo of that town

I am the doctor, herbalist and babalawo of that town

Esu Odara you will not let me starve (and so on)

As we see from this brief presentation of an intense mystery of 201 layers, Esu is the product of beauty and wisdom and is the force that ensures stability in the world. Esu executes the task of Osun, to oversee the order of the worlds. This order is maintained by the action performed in every situation in which we make a choice, represented by the crossroads. The work of Esu at the crossroads is primarily about making us realize the right choice and act upon it, and secondly, to make us realize that whether we wish to be, or not, we are part of a community. This community is with the Egbe in Orun, with nature, with spiritual forces and fellow human beings.

Ifa is a philosophy of character, and it is the cultivation of good character that enables us to make the right choice and attract abundance and stability into our lives. It is by cultivating good character, with one foot in beauty and the other in wisdom, that we will walk the world gently and find Esu as our companion on this bittersweet, yet always blessed journey that we undertake as spiritual beings in human form, as eniyan, and accomplish the challenge presented in the following verse in Eji Ogbe (Karenga’s translation):

Mo sipd; mo yan gede

A difd fun Orunmild

Wpn ni Baba d ni le reru re dala

Emi nikdn ni n o reru mi dala

Mo sipd; mo yan gede

I lift up my arms and walk in joyful satisfaction

This was the teaching of Ifd for Orunmild

They said Baba would not be able to carry

Out his responsibilities to the end of his life

But I will carry out my responsibilities to the end of my life

And so I lift up my arms and walk with

Dignity and measured movement

Glossary

Abikii Literally ’born to die.’ It refers to the concept of reincarnation, specifically

concerning a child that returns to earth, but which is constantly called back by its ties to the society of beings in heaven; see: Egbe; hence the phenomenon known as infant death syndrome.

Ade Crown.

Ademu Food offerings.

Adura Prayer.

Afose Incantation/enchantment.

Agba Elder, wise person, old person.

Agbo Medicine.

Aja A reference to the powers of Kami Osoronga, the ’Powerful mother who owns the birds of night.’ These powers are associated with birds and ’hot’ emotions.

Ajogun Spirits of misfortune that bring loss, poverty, death.

Ala Light that illuminates in a spiritual sense.

Ala Dreams, whiteness, white cloth.

Apetebi The wife of Ifa, a reference to a woman who is married to a Babalawo.

Ase Spiritual and dynamic power that has the potential to cause change.

Aso Cloth.

Awo Secret, mystery, also used in reference to the Ifa diviner, see: Babalaw o.

Aye Our Earth, the place where humans, ancestors and spirits meet.

Ayelala The collective spirit of ’the Mothers.’

Baba Father, also a reference to any person old enough to be the father of the one who is calling the person.

Babalawo Father of Secrets, the name given to experienced elder Aw o/Ifa diviners. Buru Something destructive, negative, wicked.

Dafa Ifa divination.

Dudu Black, blackness, darkness, concealed.

Dun Sweetness.

Ebo Sacrifice, offering to Egun or a spiritual force.

Ebora A reference to the spiritual forces that assisted in the creation of Earth and took on protective roles in creation, a word denoting bravery and courage.

Eegun Human bones.

Efun/Efun White chalk.

Egun/Egun Ancestor.

Egbe Companion, society, community; also a reference to the society of peers in Orun/heaven/the invisible realm.

Emi/omi Breath, spirit of life.

Eniyan Enlightened/empowered human being.

Epe Curse.

Epo Palm oil.

Ewe Herb, plant, leaf.

Funfun Whiteness, also a reference to the class of spiritual forces related to primordial consciousness and light, such as Obatala and Olokun.

Gbara Incision, cut, mark made with a sharp object.

Iba Homage, reverence, praise.

Ibeji Twins.

Ibo Ifa pathfinders, used in divination to define the orientation of a reading.

Iboji Comforting shade.

Ide Beaded bracelets indicating that a form of initiation has been done.

Igba Calabash, container.

Igbamqlo Calabash of light/whiteness.

Igbo Forest.

Igbodu ’Forest of mystery,’ a reference to the process of initiation.

Ikin The sacred palm nuts used in Ifa divination.

Ik&le Realm.

Iku Death.

Ile House, ground.

Im nlo Splendour of brightness/knowledge.

Ina Fire.

Irdwo- Stars.

Ire Good fortune.

Irunmole Primordial and timeless beings from the primordial brightness.

Iwa Character.

Iwa rere Good, joyous, calm, content character.

Iwin Spirits of the Wood which are attributed qualities similar to those of a ’ghost’ or a ’fairy.’

Iyam i P owerful Mother.

Iyawo Wife, also a term used to define those newly initiated, as the term is also used for the newly wedded.

lyorosun Divination powder.

Laid Dreaming.

Meji Two, pair.

Oba King.

Obi/Obi Kola nut.

Ofo Word of power.

Ogun War, battle.

Oja Market.

Oju Eye; to see.

Okan Heart.

Oko Farm.

Oluwo Ogbqiii Chief diviner.

Omo Child.

Omi Water.

Onile/Onile ’Owner of the house/earth/ground,’ praise name for the spirit of Earth.

Oogun Magical medicine.

Opolo Wife of Orunmila; also the name given to the divining chain of the Awo.

Opon Divination tray.

On Consciousness, head, summit.

Oriki Prayer.

Orin Song.

brisa Spiritual force in nature.

Oro Word, also the name for the spirit of the word identified with law, justice and social regulation..

Orogbo Bitter kola nut.

Orun The invisible realm where ancestors and the immortal spirits live, mankind’s true home.

Osedudu Black soap.

Ost Left.

Oso Spirit of mysterious and powerful transformation.

Osun Red camwood.

Oti Alcoholic liquor.

Otun Right.

Owo Money/cowry shell.

Oyin Honey.

Pupa Red, redness.

Rere Kindness, gentleness.

Suuru Patience.

Sootito Truthfulness.

Tutu Cool, calm.

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