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Ifá Dídá
An Invitation to Ifá
Consultation
Volume TWO
By Ṣọlágbadé Pópóọlá Library, Inc.
ÀṣèfínMedia LLP
London - Toronto - New York - Lagos
© 2012
Ṣọlágbadé Pópóọlá Library, INC
Contributing Authors: Ifá Dídá Volume Two
Fakunle Oyesanya
Gbolahan Okemuyiwa
Abiola Aladesuru
Olaribigbe Bankole
Adesola Benson
Awoyinfa Kori Ifaloju
Chief Solagbade Popoola
Solagbade Popoola Library, INC. is a collective of researchers, writers, cultural
anthropologist and scholars, all of whom practice Ifa tradition as a way of living.
This work is a combined effort of these individuals contributions.
Learn more here:
www.SolagbadePopoola.com
Ifá Dídá
An Invitation to Ifá Consultation
Volume TWO
Copyright © 2012 by : Àṣèfín Media, LLP
Cover designed by: Awóyinfá Kori Ifálójú ( @alawoye )
Cover layout by: Fákúnlé Oyèsànyà
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Letter from the Publisher
ÀṣèfínMedia wishes to thank the collaborative team of traditional Ifá researchers and
scholars, for their efforts in compiling this magnificent work.
Until now, nothing of this magnitude has ever been written on the subject of Ifá, yet this
work has only 16 Ese Ifá (Ifá poetic stanzas) for the combinations of Ogbè. Which
according to most estimates, contain approximately 1000 - 1,800 Ifá poetic stanzas for
each of the 256 Odù combinations. We are merely sipping a small calabash of an ocean
worth of Ifá knowledge.
Nonetheless, this is a historic masterpiece, Volume Two is the continuation of a full
comprehensive encyclopedic seventeen-volume collection. For this we are very humbled
and proud to serve Ifá by producing works to enhance Ifá wisdom.
Ifá Dídá Volume Two embarks upon the next paradigm, away from the Ojú-Odù (the 16
principal Odù) coded Ifá. Beginning the 240 Àfẹ̀ka-Lẹ̀ka (meaning; Àfi - to take, èka one branch, lù - combine/mix with, èka - another branch). Other common terms used to
describe the 240 minor Odù combinations are: Àpólà Odù (meaning, mixture) or Àmúlù
Odù (meaning; Àmú - to take, lù - (and) combine with).
Ifá Dídá with its detailed explanation of the full Ifá literary corpus, it is the first book of its
kind. Bringing deeper Odù Ifá understanding to the Ifá diviners, practitioners, and to the
scholar of African philosophies, packaged as a multi-volume collection.
Once again, ÀṣèfínMedia is pleased to publish this multi-volume collection, and to be an
integral part of promoting a new understanding of the coded messages within the
ancient Ifá oral tradition.
We trust that Ifá Dídá - Volume Two, will become a masterpiece and cherished by Ifá
devotees, researchers and interested persons alike. Ifá Dídá - Volume Two furthers us
toward comprehending of the vast body of knowledge we call Ifá.
Awóyinfá Kori Ifálojú ( @alawoye )
Publisher
ÀṣèfínMedia, LLP
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Dedication
It is with honour that we dedicate this work to Dr. Ògúnwándé Abímbọ́lá, the Àwiṣẹ ni
Àgbáyé (meaning; the “Spokesperson for Ifá in the World”) ọmọ-Odù Ogbè Ọ̀ṣẹ́.
Dr. Abímbọ́lá often times, casually referred to as simply Prof. or Baba ‘Wande, has
made an invaluable contribution to promoting Ifá worldwide.
We Ifá followers remain grateful for your tireless work forwarding Ifá.
Contents:
The Authors
Copyright
Letter from Publisher
Dedication
Chapter 1 ! - Ogbè Ọ̀yẹ̀kú :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1
Chapter 2 - Ogbè Ìwòrì :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 73
Chapter 3 - Ogbè Òdí ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 173
Chapter 4 - Ogbè Ìrosùn :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 247
Chapter 5 - Ogbè Ọ̀wọ́nrín ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 319
Chapter 6 - Ogbè Ọ̀bàrà ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 404
Chapter 7 - Ogbè Ọ̀kànràn ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 478
Chapter 8 - Ogbè Ògúndá ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 548
Chapter 9 - Ogbè Ọsá :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 644
Chapter 10 - Ogbè Ìká :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 723
Chapter 11 - Ogbè Òtúrúpọ̀n ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 788
Chapter 12 - Ogbè Òtúrá :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 860
Chapter 13 - Ogbè Ìrẹtẹ̀ :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 946
Chapter 14 - Ogbè Ṣẹ́ ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1040
Chapter 15 - Ogbè Òfún ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: 1114
Glossary: The glossary for this work, the prior work and all future & past volumes
of Ifá Dídá will be electronic (web-based), accessible via website:
www.glossary.IfaDida.com or by clicking QR code here:
By so doing, we can refine and enhance the glossary more effectively and frequently
thus ensuring the explanations used within this work are the most relevant and current.
This will ensure we meet our objectives of presenting a comprehensive work, yet at the
same time sustaining the environment by; reducing paper usage, paper waste, paper
printing duplication, other environmental cost (carbon) associated with manufacturing/
transporting paper-pulp, printing cost and protecting the environment overall.
We are keen on doing our part, this work like all works on Ifá need to be cognizant of
the environment, as she too is a deity to us, thus needs protecting.
To be kept informed of future new book releases, all our new media content and to join
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NOTE: just a hint, it might be worthwhile to scan that code every so often, as we will
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Chapter 1
Ogbè Ọ̀yẹ̀kú
II I
II I
II I
II I
1
OGBE®-OÙ®YEÙ®KU:
OGBE® - `YE®ÙKU:
AGBI®YE®ÙKU:
A. 1. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed during I®koôseô¾da;ye;
or I®teô¾lo;du¾ is a born organizer and leader. He/she was born with the ability to
organize people and resources and at the same time lead them to achieve
greatness, peace and harmony.
Ifa; says that, with this sense of management and organization, this person shall
rise from obscurity to prominence, from being a nobody to becoming an
important personality and will move from the very bottom of the ladder to the
apex.
Ifa; advises the person for whom Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; is revealed however to lay less
emphasis on his/her rights and to learn how to absorb and deal with in a meek
manner, all kinds of insults, humiliation, opposition and outright
condemnations. He/she shall eventually be rewarded with prestige, honour and
respect. He/she shall be given leadership roles to play. These roles shall expose
His/hers great potentials and He/she shall become a decision maker in the
family, community and/or country where He/she lives.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô of A®ru;kore - two rats, two fish, two hens,
two cocks, two pigeons, two goats
and money. He/she should also put it at
the back of his/her mind that he/she is not a lone ranger. He/she cannot do
things all alone. He/she needs others to join him/her in whatever he/she does.
He/she is not expected to float a business and be a sole entrepreneur. He/she
needs to go into partnership with others in order to succeed in life.
On these aspects, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; says:
O®gbo;ju; o¾ teô'raa reô¾ n'i;fa;
I®mo¾ôra¾n o¾ fi'raa re¾ô j'oye¾
OÙ®beô to; mu; ki¾i; gbe;ô e¾e¾ku¾ araa re¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾'Yeô¾ku;
Ti; yo;o; ko; gbogbo A®mu;lu¾ joô o
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
2
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Translation:
A courageous person cannot initiate himself into Ifa;
A wise person cannot award a chieftaincy title to himself
A sharp knife cannot fashion its own handle
These were Ifá’s declarations Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku;
Who shall organize all A®mu;lu¾ in a systematic manner
He was advised to offer eôboô
When all the Oju;-Odu¾ were coming from heaven to earth, Ofu;n-Me;ji¾ led the
group followed by OÙ®sôe;ô-Me;ji¾. E®ji¾¾-Ogbe¾ who was in the 16th position while
OÙyeô¾ku;-Me;ji¾ occupied the 15th position. When the A®mu;lu¾ came into the world,
O®fu;n-OÙ®sôe; was in the 17th position while Ogbe¾-'Ye¾ôku; was given the 256th
position. These positions were maintained for a very long time.
One day however, due to some major acts of misconduct perpetrated by O®fu;nMe;ji¾ and O®Ùsôeô;-Me;ji¾, they were removed from their leadership positions and
moved to the 16th and 15th positions respectively. As soon as this happened, it
sent out a serious confusing signal to all the A®mu;lu¾;. Would these changes affect
them too? If so, how? If not, why?
Nobody could proffer any acceptable explanation or answer. It soon got to a
stage where one A®mu;lu¾ was not ready to respect the other because it became
unsure which A®mu;lu was senior to the other. This situation also went on for a
long period until all the A®mu;lu began to think that they would be better off
doing their things on an individual basis. The problem here was that even their
names and existence were derived from the combination of two Odu¾! This
matter became more and more complicated with each passing moment.
One day however, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku;, the very last Odu¾ in the hierarchy took it upon
himself to find a way of arranging and organizing all the A®mu;lu in a systematic
way according to the order of seniority. In order to ensure success in this
assignment, he went to the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation:
Will I succeed? If not, what do I need to do to ensure success? If yes, how
should I go about it in order not to face insurmountable obstacles on the way?
The Awo assured him that he would not only succeed, but he would be highly
respected and honoured at the end of the exercise. He was however told to
prepare himself for criticism, humiliation, intimidation and outright
condemnation. He was also informed that others would conspire against him,
3
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
they would try to stop him at all costs and they would create problems for him
in his bid to actualize this assignment. He was advised to persevere, to be
consistent, determined and purposeful. He was also advised to offer eôboô as
stated above. He complied.
With the advice of the group of Awo, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; went home, full of
determination to succeed. The first thing he did was to sample the opinions of
all the 16 principal Odu¾. They all agreed that it was imperative for there to be
reorganization and recording of the hierarchy among the A®mu;lu¾. This would
reduce tension and confusion among the A®mu;lu¾. With their assurance, he sent
message to all the 239 A®mu;lu¾ for them to organize a day for serious
deliberation. What serious deliberation? What could be so serious that the last
A®mu;lu¾ in the hierarchy was summoning all his seniors for deliberation. They
all became very curious. They wanted to know what Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; had to tell
them.
When they all met, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; explained to them that it was very imperative
for them to have a systematic hierarchical order. He explained that it would
make things easier if there was an order of seniority and it would also eliminate
confusion. O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; was the first A®mu;lu¾ to react. He accused Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; of
having the temerity, bothering on effrontery, to summon all his seniors to such a
meeting. He accused Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; of attempting to upstage him. He vowed to
stop Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; by all means. All the efforts of Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; to explain himself
were of no meaning to O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô;. The meeting broke down completely without
any resolution.
As soon as they left, O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; summoned all the other O®fu;n combinations from
O®fu;n-Ogbe¾ to O®fu;n-I®reôte¾ô and instigated them all against Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku;. He
mandated them to try all they knew to work against the interest of Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku;
to ensure that he failed in his mission. They all worked according to how they
were directed by O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô;. Life became very unbearable for Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku;.
In spite of this setback however, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; continued to persuade all the other
A®mu;lu¾ for there to be orderliness. O®fu;n-OÙ®sôeô; did everything he knew to
frustrate his efforts.
All the other A®mu;lu¾ from Ogbe¾-We¾ôyin to O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; would go to O®fu;n-O®Ùsôe’ô; s
home for instructions. They all agreed that there was the need for hierarchy to
have order, but they supported only O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; to be the leader who would lay
4
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
down the procedure to organize the order of seniority. When O®fu;n -O®Ùsôeô; began
this assignment, he gave all his cronies higher hierarchy positions without any
consideration for the significance of their Odu¾ combinations. In no time, crises
ensued. It later degenerated into full-scale pandemonium.
To make the matter worse, if any A®mu;lu¾ complained that he was not given his
rightful position, O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô; would change the person’s position and give the
complainer a higher position. This led to more protests as those whose
positions were hitherto higher than that of the complainer’s Odu¾ would feel
cheated and a new protest would begin. This was going on for a long time
before all the other A®mu;lu¾ got fed up with the administrative style of O®fu;n-O®Ùsôeô;.
They invited Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku; to come and re-order and reorganize the whole
hierarchical process. Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku; informed the other A®mu;lu¾ that it would be
easier and more pragmatic to emulate the hierarchical order of the 16 Oju;-Odu¾.
They all agreed. That was how all agitations and protests stopped forthwith.
In the new hierarchy, Ogbe¾-OÙyeô¾ku; was moved from the 256th position to the
17th position. He thus became the leader of all the A®mu;lu¾. He was followed by
Ogbe¾-Iwo¾ri¾, Ogbe¾-O®di;, Ogbe¾-I®rosu¾n and so on. On the contrary, O®fu;n-OÙ®sôeô; was
moved from the 17th position to the 256th position followed by O®fu;n-I®reôte¾ô in the
255th position and O®fu;n-O®tu;ra; in the 254th position, and so on.
When all these arrangements were made, it became very easy to understand and
recognize the hierarchical order. The protests eventually subsided and later
disappeared. All the A®mu;lu¾ knew that the hierarchical order was not arranged
in a haphazard manner. It was, rather, in accordance with the order of seniority
of the Oju;-Odu¾.
O®gbo;ju; o¾ teô`raa reô¾ ni;fa;
I®mo¾ôra¾n o¾ fi`raa re¾ô j`oye¾
O®Ùbeô to; mu; ki¾i; gbe;ô e¾e¾ku¾ araa re¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾'Ye¾ôku;
Ti; yo;o; ko; gbogbo A®mu;lu¾ joô o
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O g: b’e¾ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni¾ b’a;yoô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
5
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Translation:
A courageous person cannot initiate himself into Ifa
A wise person cannot award a chieftaincy title to himself
A sharp knife cannot fashion its own handle
These were Ifa;’s declarations Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku;
Who shall organize all A®mu;lu¾ in a systematic manner
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall become great in life.
He/she shall be highly respected. He/she must however not revenge any evil or
injustice done against him/her. Olodumare Himself shall place him/her where
he/she rightly belongs.
2.
Ifa; says that if Ikin are used during Ifa; consultation for someone who
is pregnant and Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; is revealed, the officiating Ifa; priest must abandon
the Ikin and change to OÙ®pe¾ôleô¾ immediately. No I®ye¾ôro¾su¾n must be used for this
pregnant woman again until she safely delivers. As a matter of fact, no form of
powdery substance, such as e¾lu¾bo;ô (yam flour), la;fu;n (cassava flour), etc must be
used for the pregnant woman until she delivers.
Furthermore, if this Odu¾ is revealed during I®koôseô¾da;ye; for a new-born baby, the
Ikin and I®ye¾ro¾su¾n must be put away and the OÙ®pe¾ôleô¾ must be used for all the
remaining consultations.
It must be noted that there is nothing wrong with using Ikin, it’s actually the use
of I®yeôô¾ro¾su¾n that is a serious taboo for this consultation because it constitutes a
grave health hazard for the unborn baby in the case of a pregnant woman and
also for the newly-born baby in the case of consultation during I®koôseô¾da;ye;. For
this reason, as soon as the Odu¾ is marked, the rest of the consultation must be
done with the OÙ®pe¾ôleô¾.
6
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Ifa; however foresees the Ire of a bouncing baby if this caution can be observed.
Ifa; says that this baby shall live long and accomplish great feats as he/she grows
older. Ifa; recommends eôboô with rats, two fish, one matured he-goat and money.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; on this aspect says:
Ge;ôjeô;-ge;ôje;ô n’ile; wo;
Geô¾je¾ô-geô¾je¾ô n’ile; bale¾ô
Ti; ile; ba; ba'le¾ô l'eô;yi¾n
Etutu ni;i; f'ile; mu o
Di;a; fu;n I®ya;lo;de I®po
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ bi';moô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôôe
Translation
When a wooden house is weak, it will fall
When a building is old, it will collapse
A building that collapses from behind
Such a building will be consumed by termites
These were Ifa;’s messages for I®ya;lo;de I®po
When weeping that she was not blessed with the fruit of the womb
She was advised to offer eôboô
I®ya;lo;de I®po was a very successful woman. She was blessed with intelligence.
She had fantastic business acumen. She loved everyone and all the inhabitants
of I®po land loved her in return. She was happily married. She was always
willing to serve her community in any capacity selflessly. She had singlehandedly bank-rolled several projects in I®po land, all for the progress of the
community. As a reward for all these selfless services to the community, all the
elders unanimously conferred on her the title of I®ya;lo;de of I®po land. That made
her the highest-ranking woman in the land.
With all her achievements in the land, she was supposed to be very happy but
she actually wasn’t. She was very contented alright; but she was not happy.
Why? She had no child of her own. Life without any child of one’s own, she
reasoned, is an incomplete life. Would she live her life and die without her own
child? She was the mother of all the women and children in I®po land alright but
at night, how many of them would enter her own room and sleep? None! Would
7
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
she not experience what other women go through in life, conception, gestation,
labour, child-birth, lactation, nursing, raising and affection? She needed all
these for her to be able to feel like a complete woman. What could she do to be
a happy woman? Would she be able to have her own child that she would strap
on her back and shower with her unalloyed love and affection? Nothing short
of this could make her completely happy and happily complete.
It was in her search to make her dream come true that she went to the Awo
mentioned above for Ifa; consultation and assistance. During the consultation
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; was revealed.
The Awo assured I®ya;lo;de that she would be blessed with the fruit of the womb
in a very short time. She would also be a proud mother 10 lunar months after.
She was advised to offer eôboô with two rats, two fish, one matured he-goat and
money. She complied instantly. Money was not her problem. She was
however warned never to use I®ye¾ro¾su¾n to do anything for herself as soon as she
became pregnant or for the baby when it was born. She was warned that failure
to heed the instruction might lead to miscarriage or even lead to the death of the
baby when born. She was fully determined to keep this warning.
Two months after this, I®ya;lo;de became pregnant. No, this cannot be true. It is
too good to be true. She said. All herbal tests confirmed that she was indeed
pregnant. She was overwhelmed with joy and expectations. By the time the
pregnancy became six months old, she was already experiencing the unique
sensation of a foetus kicking and turning in her womb. She then felt totally
complete as a woman- well almost totally complete. She put to bed. She just
could not wait for that day to come. In her boundless joy, she simply forgot
about the warnings of the Awo.
She gave birth to her baby with relative ease. She cuddled her bundle of joy.
She wrapped the baby, a male, very well. She declared that she was now a total
woman! She had her baby to breast feed, love, care for, raise the way she loved
and make into a socially acceptable adult. The whole of I®po land celebrated the
birth of this baby with her. The baby was considered to be the blessing of I®po
land and not just as I®ya;lo;de’s baby.
On the third day of birth it was time to do the I®koôseô¾da;ye;. The Awo she had
invited to perform this rite of passage arrived early. They brought their Opo;ôn
Ifa; (Ifa; tray) and I®ye¾ro¾su¾n, together with other materials necessary for the
8
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
ceremony. I®ya;lo;de had forgotten the stern instructions of the Awo who had
performed her Ifa; consultation before she became pregnant. The rite was
performed with I®ye¾ro¾su¾n. This powder was used to touch the feet and part of
the body of the baby. The powder entered the baby’s nose. As soon as this
happened, the baby began to sneeze. What was this? The sneezing continued.
Two days after, the baby died!
When people heard that I®ya;lo;de’s baby had died, they concluded that it must be
the work of witches, wizards and evil doers in the community. They
encouraged her to go and find out from Ifa;. She did. Ifa; said that the baby died
because I®ya;lo;de had failed to heed Ifa;’s warning and not as a result of the evil
machination of anyone. After the Awo made this declaration, that was when
I®ya;lo;de remembered that she should not have allowed these Awo who came to
do the Ikoôse¾ôda;ye; to use I®ye¾ro¾su¾n for the ceremony.
Ge;ôjeô;-ge;ôje;ô n’ile; wo;
Geô¾je¾ô-geô¾je¾ô n’ile; ba'le¾ô¾
Ti; ile; ba; ba'le¾ô l'eô;yi¾n
Etutu ni;i; f'ile; mu o
Di;a; fu;n I®ya;lo;de I®po
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ bi';moô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôôe
O: gb'e;boô, o; ru'boô
O: ru'boô ta;n, o; gba¾gbe; i¾ki¾lo¾ô Awo
Nje¾ô oômoô to; gb’i¾ye¾ô to; ku;
Ni wo;ôn n;pe¾ ni; Agbi¾ye¾ôku;
Translation
When a wooden house is weak, it will fall
When a building is old, it will collapse
A building that collapses from behind
Such a building will be consumed by termites
These were Ifa;’s messages for I®ya;lo;de I®po
When weeping that she was not blessed with the fruit of the womb
She was advised to offer eôboô
She complied
After offering the eôboô, she however forgot to heed the
warnings of the Awo
9
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Behold, the baby that died after getting in contact with I®ye¾ôroôsu¾n
Such a baby should be called Agbi¾ye¾ôku;
Agbi¾ye¾ôku; is another way of calling Ogbe¾-O®Ùye¾ôku;. In this Odu¾, if it is revealed
during Ikoôse¾ôda;ye;, while Ikin and I®ye¾ro¾su¾n are being used, the use of Ikin must
be stopped forthwith and must be replaced with an OÙ®peô¾le¾ô. This is in a bid to
protect the newborn baby from early death.
Furthermore, if someone is very ill and Ifa; is cast to know what to do, if Ikin is
used, then the use of the Ikin must be stopped immediately and O®Ùpe¾ôleô¾ must
immediately be used to complete the consultation exercise. This is also in order
to prevent the sick person from experiencing untimely death.
3. Ifa; says that it foresees the Ire of a compatible spouse for the person for
whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that the relationship shall be blessed with
children. Ifa; says that the woman involved in the relationship will be very
elegant, homely, and beautiful but will not be a great business-conscious type of
person. Ifa; says that she will however be blessed with great children.
If a man has gone for Ifa; consultation in search of a compatible spouse, Ifa;
advises him to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens and money. Two
rats, two fish and one hen shall be used to feed Ifa; out of these materials after
the ebo is done.
On the other hand, if a woman has gone for Ifa; consultation and this Odu¾ is
revealed, then, Ifa; advises her to offer eôboô with two rats, two fish, one cock and
money. She also needs to feed Ifa; with two rats, two fish, and one hen.
On all of these, Ifa; says:
Pa¾n;ka¾ra¾ ni;i; bo;ô s’o;mi
Ni;i; gba¾’ja; oô¾na¾ doo-do¾o¾-do
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; n;loô re¾e; gbe; Aj;i;nase¾ô ni;ya¾wo;
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Translation:
When a broken calabash falls into a stream
It will meander in an unsteady path along the direction of the stream
This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going to have the hand of Aj;i;nase¾ô as wife
He was advised to offer eôboô
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was in need of a compatible spouse. He was looking for a woman
who would respect him, who would love him and care for him. He wanted a
woman who would be friendly with his numerous clients and customers; not
one who would frown on them and display a bad attitude that would chase them
away. The woman was also expected to be friendly with his extended family
and relatives. She was also to show hospitality to his friends and well wishers.
One day, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ met Aji;nase¾ô and he believed that she had the qualities that
he was looking for in the woman of his choice. The families of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and
Aji;nase¾ô met on the issue and their reactions were very favourable. In order to
put a final touch to the arrangement, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ went to the group of Awo
mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will there be mutual gain in this
relationship if it leads all the way to marriage?
The Awo assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that the relationship was good and beneficial for
both families. They told him that Aji;nase¾ô would be able to meet all his
requirements, and what was more, the union would be blessed with fantastic
children. He was however warned not to expect Aj;i;nase¾ô to be commercially
enterprising. She would be very homely and friendly to all;, she would however
not be good in business.
What really made O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ decide in favour of Aji;nase¾ô was that she would give
birth to fantastic children for him. For this very reason, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ensured that
all the marriage formalities were put in place as quickly as possible and before
long the wedding was contracted.
When Aji;nase¾ô moved into O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s home, everything changed. His life
became better organized. His work was moving rapidly and he accomplished
much. His results were better performed, thanks to Aji;nase¾ô. She was a great
domestic chores organizer. She did not lift one finger to do anything; all she
would do was to wake up in the morning, take care of her personal hygiene, put
11
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
on her best dress and look as elegantly as possible. She would then sit gingerly
and stretch her legs. After these ceremonies she would begin to use all the
domestic workers in O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s home to do all the work in the most genial
manner ever possible. Everybody loved the way she spoke and directed them to
do the work. Not only this, she had nicknames for all the kids and young ones
in the household. They simply loved her ways. Her best talent was in the area
of story-telling. She could tell different stories from morning till night and she
would never feel tired. The only work she would do in the house was to cook
for her husband. Everybody loved her. She could not trade or farm but nobody
cared. In spite of her inability to work or trade, she was a disciplinarian of the
highest degree. She did not tolerate any form of indiscipline whatsoever.
She was blessed with many children, both biological and adopted. They were
all well trained. They became the pride of the household and the community in
general. This made Aji;nase¾ô the favourite among the wives in O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s
family. Nobody appeared to remember that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was married to a woman
who was not a good business woman. Those who did were not concerned about
it. What they were laying much emphasis upon was the children and how welltrained they were. They concluded that only O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was capable of marrying
such a woman as Aji;nase¾ô. One day, the whole community gathered together to
honour Aji;nase¾ô for giving her children the best moral training ever. They came
with I®pe¾ôseô¾, Ifa; drums and Agogo Ifa; (Ifa; gongs), singing and dancing and
saying:
EÙ wa; m’oômoô Aji;nase¾ô weôreôreô o o
EÙ w’oômoô Aji;nase¾ô weôreôreô
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ A®ja¾na¾
Ohun lo; to;o; gbe; Aji;nase¾ô ni';ya¾wo;
EÙ w’oômoô Aji;nase¾ô weôreôreô o
Translation:
Come and behold the great children together by Aji;nase¾ô
Behold Aji;nase¾ô’s well-trained children
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ A®ja¾na¾
Is the only one capable of having Aj;i;nase¾ô as a wife
Behold, the many beautiful children of Aj;i;nase¾ô
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
That day was the happiest day in the life of Aj;i;nase¾ô and all her children. Aj;i;nase¾ô
felt fulfilled and well rewarded. She knew that her activities in O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s
home were recognized and approved by his family members and particularly
the community in general. She lived and died a contented and fulfilled woman.
Pa¾n;ka¾ra¾ ni;i; bo;ô s’o;mi
Ni;i; gba¾’ja; o¾na¾ doo-do¾o¾-do
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; n;loô re¾e; gbe; Aj;i;nase¾ô ni;ya¾wo;
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba';ni b’a;yo¾
EÙ wa; wo’re o
N®je;ô eô wa;a; w’oômoô Aj;i;nase¾ô weôreôreô o o¾
EÙ w’oômoô Aj;i;nase¾ô weôreôreô
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ A®ja¾na
Lo; gbe; Aji;nase¾ô ni;ya¾wo;
EÙ w’oômoô Aji;nase¾ô weôreôreô o
Translation
When a broken calabash falls into a stream
It will meander in an unsteady path along the direction of the stream
This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going to have the hand of Aj;i;nase¾ô as wife
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Come and join us in the midst of joy
Come and behold all the Ire of life
Now, come and behold the great children begotten by Aji;nase¾ô
Behold Aji;nase¾ô’s well trained children
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ A®ja¾na¾
Is the only one capable of having Aji;nase¾ô as a wife
Behold the many beautiful children of Aji;nase¾ô
13
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Ifa; says the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall not regret having the
spouse whom he/she has come for during Ifa; consultation. He/she shall live
happily with his/her spouse and both of them shall be blessed with children who
will make them proud and contented. All the children that they train shall be
successful in life.
4. Ifa; says that the doors of death, affliction, contention and loss shall be firmly
shut and put under lock and key for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed.
Ifa; says that the life of this person is being threatened by these four
principalities but Ifa; will protect him/her against them. He/she needs not
entertain any fear whatsoever.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with a mature he-goat and money. He/she
also needs to feed the main door of his/her house with one mature cock, kola
nuts, bitter-kolas and palm-oil. If the house is shared among many tenants, then
he/she needs to feed the door leading to his/her own apartment. The eôboô and Ibo
need to be offered as quickly as possible.
On this aspect of Ogbe¾-OÙÙ®yeôô¾ku;; a stanza in the Odu¾ says:
O®Ùpoô¾lo;ô ga di;e¾ ju amo¾ômoô¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙku¾nrin gba¾ga¾da¾-gbagada
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô Iku;
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n moô; A®ru¾n
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô Ejo;ô
Ti yo;o; se;;’ku¾n mo;ô Ofo
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô gbogbo Alubi¾
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
The toad is a little taller than a lizard
This was Ifa;’s message to the big, wide, and sturdy man
Who shall lock the door against Death
And lock the door against Affliction
And lock the door against Contention
And lock the door against Loss
And lock the door against all Misfortunes
He was advised to offer eôboô
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
OÙku¾nrin gba¾ga¾da¾-gbagada, the big wide and sturdy man was not happy with the
way that Death, Affliction, Contention and Loss were entering into people’s
homes and lives to inflict untold damage with relative ease. He felt that life was
too precious for bad things to be happening in the world without any resistance.
Yet, he realised that there was hardly any home that one could visit without
hearing, seeing or experiencing disastrous occurrences happening to people or
their properties. Why should these be happening? Was there no way to put an
end to all these occurrences? What could be done to stop these problems from
polluting the society and spoiling the joy of the people? Who could do these
things effectively? As a matter of fact what would stop him from preventing
these principalities from disrupting people’s lives? In the end, he vowed to do
something positive about it.
The first step he took was to study how disasters occur. After a lengthy study,
he found out that anything, good or bad, that would ever happen to anyone in
life, before it manifested physically, would first start and conclude in the
spiritual realm. On the other hand, if any problem was to be meliorated
physically, it must be resolved spiritually first before any lasting solution could
be found physically. This knowledge and understanding made him to be even
more determined to volunteer himself to be the one to checkmate all these
disasters from occurring in the lives of people. This determination was what
took him to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I
succeed in my determination to be the barrier preventing disasters from walking
freely into the lives and homes of people, both physically and spiritually? If so,
what do I need to do to succeed in this assignment? During consultation, Ogbe¾O®Ùyeô¾ku; was revealed.
The Awo told him that he was about to pursue a very noble course. He was
charged not to relent in his effort. The Awo also assured him that he would
surely succeed. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above in order to ensure
success. He complied. When OÙku¾nrin gba¾ga¾da¾-gbagada returned home, he
positioned himself in the frontage of the house and ensured that nobody or
anything entered or went out of the house without passing through him. In this
position, he was able to lock in anyone he did not want to meet with grief or
disaster outside. He was also able to lock out anything or anyone he did not
want to enter the house to cause grief or disaster.
15
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Iku; (Death) A®ru¾n (Affliction) EÙjoô; (Contention), O®fo¾ (Loss) and other Alubi
(Negativities) decided to visit the home of the Aka;po¾, as they used to do in
order to cause havoc and chaos as usual. Iku; marched majestically but had his
face slammed against the door. He retreated in a hurry. A®ru¾n was not able to
pass through the door at all. EÙjoô; got trapped outside and O®fo¾ was at a loss on
what to do when it became clear that the home of the Aka;po¾ was no longer a
place for them to go and wreck havoc.
In the end, all the Alubi returned to where they were all coming from. As from
that day henceforth, the Aka;po¾ was able to live a trouble-free, crisis-free,
havoc-free and disaster-free life for the rest of his life. In the end, the Aka;po¾
died a contented, accomplished and fulfilled man.
O®Ùpoô¾lo;ô ga di;e¾ ju amo¾ômoô¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙku¾nrin gba¾ga¾da¾-gbagada
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô Iku;
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n moô; A®ru¾n
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô Ejo;ô
Ti yo;o; se;;’ku¾n mo;ô Ofo
Ti; yo;o; se;’ku¾n mo;ô gbogbo Alubi
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko; pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni la;ru¾u;se;ô ogun
A®ja¾seô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni le;ôse¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
Nje;ô mo se;’ku¾n moô; Iku;
Mo se;’ku¾n mo;ô A®ru¾n
Mo se;’ku¾n mo;ô Ejoô;
Mo se;’ku¾n mo;ô O®fo¾
Mo se;’ku¾n mo;ô gbogbo Alubi
Mo ti¾i; si;ta
Translation
The toad is a little taller than a lizard
This was Ifa;’s message to the big, wide, and sturdy man
Who shall lock the door against Death
And lock the door against Affliction
And lock the door against Contention
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
And lock the door against Loss
And lock the door against all Misfortunes
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us where we offer eôboô to overcome adversary
Victory over adversities is what Ifa; guarantees
I have locked the door against Death
I have locked the door against Affliction
I have locked the door against Contention
I have locked the door against Loss
And I have locked the door against all Misfortunes
I have pushed them outside
Ifa; assures that all misfortunes leading to grief, disaster and catastrophe shall be
pushed away from the life of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. He/she
shall never experience any form of misfortune in his/her life.
5.
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be victorious
over a friend who has been seriously planning to see him/her fall. Ifa; says that
this enemy is more powerful, more resourceful and more influential than the
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; however assures him/her that with
the appropriate eôboô victory is guaranteed.
Ifa; says that this enemy wants to show that he/she has power, influence and/or
authority over and above the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed; and that is
why the enemy wants to prove that punishment should be meted out without
consideration for fair play and justice. Ifa; does not support any form of blatant
display of power at the expense of justice. For this reason, Ifa; will come to the
aid of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed and he/she shall overcome.
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with one
mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to take one of his complete
dresses to the home of the Awo in order for the Awo to sanctify the dress. The
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed is expected to put on this dress when
returning from the home of the Awo. If the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed is threatened over a specific issue or occasion, he/she is expected to put
on the dress to the venue of the occasion.
17
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
A stanza in Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾ laying emphasis on this particular issue says:
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
Di;a; fu;n Iku;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
Di;a; fu;n EÙ®ri;n
Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloô;fin
A®woôn me;je¾e¾ji¾ joô n;so¾ôre;ô o¾sôeye¾ka¾n-sôolu¾ku¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Iku; (Death)
The son of Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for EÙ®ri;n (Laughter)
The son of OÙloô;fin
Both of them were so close that their friendship could be mistaken
for a consanguineous bond
They were advised to offer eôboô
Both Iku; and EÙ®ri;n were very close friends. Both of them were so close that
many people thought that they were siblings. Iku; was full of wickedness while
EÙ®ri;n was kind-hearted and God-fearing. Any time that Iku; unleashed his
wickedness on people, the only person that they could report him to was his
friend EÙ®ri;n. He would try to pacify the aggrieved and make them laugh. He
would also persuade his friend to show mercy on his victims. In short, EÙ®ri;n was
the only one who could talk Iku; out of any action he was about to take.
Unfortunately for EÙ®ri;n, Ami;, Iku;’s father was always behind his son, giving him
support and encouragement to inflict pain on other people. This made EÙ®ri;n’s
work even more difficult. Anytime that EÙ®ri;n succeeded in persuading Iku; not to
take any action, when Iku; returned home, his father would ask him to go ahead.
Iku; would then go and wreck havoc on the people. This was very frustrating for
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
EÙ®ri;n because most of the people who desperately came to him to intervene on
their behalf were disappointed.
One day, EÙ®ri;n vowed never to have anything to do with Iku; again. He went to
his father OÙloô;fin to inform him of his decision. OÙloô;fin told him that he must
never do so. He explained to his son that even if he was able to save two out of
ten potential victims of Iku;, it was worth celebrating since all of them would
have been dealt with if there was nobody to intercede on their behalf. With this,
E®Ùri;n agreed to continue to move with Iku;.
One day, as these two friends were walking along the road, they met a group of
young children playing in an open field. There were about thirty (30) in the
field. Iku; said that he was not happy with those children because he sensed that
as they were laughing they were making jest of him. E®Ùri;n was taken aback.
How do you know this?, he asked. Iku; explained that he did not need to know
because the way they were expressing their joy was really irritating him and
they must be punished for that! This led to a heated argument between the two
friends. Iku; insisted that all the children would be killed within three days!
Why must you kill 30 innocent children in three days? This was not fair! It
was just an erratic way of displaying power. This argument later degenerated
into an open confrontation between the two friends. They engaged in a serious
fight and E®Ùri;n gave Iku; the beating of his life. Iku; told EÙ®ri;n that he would be his
first victim. E®Ùri;n told Iku; to go and do his worst. That was how both of them
dispersed.
As soon as Iku; got home, he reported what E®Ùri;n had done to him to Ami;, his
father. Ami; was livid with rage! Did I hear you right, E®Ùri;n raised his filthy
hands to beat you? Did I not tell you over and over again that if you want to
inflict pain on people, start with your best friend? You have spared this bastard
for too long! That is why he now has the guts to strike you! He will not get
away with this. I will personally see to that. He must suffer! He must pay for
his temerity.
Have I not told you repeatedly that too much familiarity brings contempt?
Can’t you see what has happened now? Who is he? What is his worth? Who
would even know of his worthless entity if not because of his association with
you? Yes! He is a worthless entity! I shall personally put him in his place. I
shall snuff the life out of him the way, I snuff life out of my wick everyday! He
must die! His death will be very fast and extremely painful. This I assure you
19
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
son. Go and bathe and have your rest. E®Ùri;n is hereby sentenced to deathand he
must die tomorrow unfailingly!
While Ami; was shouting at the top of his voice assuring his son that he would
personally kill E®Ùri;n the next day, OÙlo;ôfin was busy calming his son down to
entertain no fear. OÙloô;fin blamed E®Ùri;n for engaging in a fight with his friend.
He told him never to allow himself to be reduced to the level of losing his
temper or engaging in any form of physical fight with anyone again. You must
always be level-headed, no matter how trying the situation may be OÙloô;fin told
his son.
OÙloô;fin told E®Ùri;n to put his mind at rest. He assured his son that he would not
come into harm’s way because Olodumare would never allow those who were
doing His biddings to meet with grief. You will not meet with disaster son.
Whatever happens, you will come out triumphantly. This I assure you. Do not
entertain any form of fear, because if you do, you are giving your enemies
victory over you. This you must not do. You shall live to narrate this story to
others.
In order to ensure success and victory E®Ùri;n went to the home of the group of
Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be victorious? If yes, how
will I gain such victory?
The Awo assured EÙ®ri;n that as long as Olodumare remains on His seat, there will
always be the victory of goodness over wickedness. For this reason, he, E®Ùri;n
will overcome. They however told him that there was an urgent need for him to
offer eôboô as stated above so as to ensure resounding victory. He was also
advised to bring one of his best dresses along when coming. EÙ®ri;n assured the
Awo that he would come and offer the eôboô first thing the next day. He did and
the eôboô was offered. The Awo sprinkled the remaining I®ye¾ôro¾su¾n that was used
in offering the eôboô on the dress that he brought along with him and he was
asked to put on the dress. He did.
As soon as EÙ®rin offered the eôboô, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ and his lieutenants went into
session. They were aware that physically, E®Ùri;n was stronger than Iku; but
spiritually, he was no match for Iku;. But it was clear as day followed night that
evil must never be allowed to overcome goodness. They considered all the
personalities involved in the matter and E®su¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ concluded that OÙloô;fin must
not be made to suffer any grief because he had toiled to give his son EÙ®ri;n the
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
best of education. In the same vein, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ concluded that Ami; was the
principal culprit for three reasons; one, he failed to give his son, Iku; good
education; two, he encouraged his son to do evil and inflict pain on other
people; and three; he enjoyed the use of power as a form of vendetta. E®sôu¾
OÙ®da¾ra¾ and members of his council concluded that instead of Iku;, Ami; was the
one to be punished. The person who had gone into another person’s pantry to
steal a keg of palm-oil is not the major thief; rather, the person who helps in
keeping and/or selling the loot is the major culprit.
For this reason, Ami; must be made to pay for all his bad educating and deeds.
In the case of Iku;, it was concluded that he would be given another chance to
turn over a new leaf if he wished.
As soon as E®Ùri;n stepped out of the home of the Awo, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to work.
He told Ami; to quickly go out to waylay EÙ®ri;n on his way back home. He told
him to take along with him a powerful spear with which to strike E® Ùri;n down.
When Ami; rushed out, E®sôu¾ directed him where to go to await EÙ®ri;n. E®sôu¾ also
showed him a tall tree to climb in order to wait for his would-be victim. This
tree was so tall that Ami; could see EÙ®ri;n coming along the road towards him
from afar. Ami; was so sure that it was the last journey that E®Ùri;n would ever
make in his life. He planned to jump on E®Ùri;n together with the spear so that the
spear would enter E®Ùri;n’s body through his head and come out wherever pleased
the spear. The important thing was for E®Ùri;n to die a very painful death as he had
promised Iku; his son. When E®Ùri;n was returning home he began to sing as he
had been instructed to do. He said;
Iku; oômoô Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
EÙ®rin; oômoô OÙloô;fin
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
Iku; oômoô Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
E®Ùri;n oômoô OÙloô;fin
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾¾ gbongbo
21
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Translation
Iku; the child of Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
EÙ®ri;n, the child of OÙloô;fin
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
Iku; is the son of Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
And EÙ®ri;n is the son of OÙloô;fin
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo!
He was dancing and repeating this song over and over. As he was doing this, he
kept assuring himself that even though a true child of the Iru;nmoôleô¾ who did all
things which please Olodumare at all times was not immune against
tribulations, the child will however overcome. He saw what was happening as
his own trying period and he was prepared to overcome it. That was the
training his father had given him. He could not afford to let his father down.
He could not afford to let himself down.
While he was thinking, dancing and singing, he had no way of knowing that he
was so close to death. He had no way of understanding that the Divinities had
taken up his matter and that they had decreed that he would not be allowed to
suffer. Neither did he know that E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra¾ had been given the mandate to
ensure that wickedness must recoil and return to the wicked. When it remained
just a few steps for him to reach the spot where Ami; was hiding on the tree, E®su¾
made it possible for Ami; to see comedy in the actions of EÙ®ri;n; someone who was
about to die; he put on his best attire, singing and dancing and walking straight
to meet his death. The scenario pleased Ami; to the extent that he burst into
laughter. He missed his grip on the branch of the tree. He fell head on, together
with his spear. When he fell down the spear entered his body from the shoulder
and came out from his back. Before his painful death, he shouted; E®Ùri;n pa mi; o!
meaning EÙ®ri;n, Laughter has killed me! His voice was echoed round the world
for people to know that laughter will always overcome wickedness. Kindheartedness will always be triumphant over all evil designs.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
To make matters worse for Ami; he died right at the feet of EÙ®ri;n, his intended
victim. E®Ùri;n simply stood rigid for several moments, unable to understand what
really went right for him and wrong for Ami;.
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
Di;a; fu;n Iku;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbogbo
Di;a; fu;n EÙ®ri;n
Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙloô;fin
A®woôn me;je¾e¾ji¾ joô n;so¾ôre;ô o¾sôeye¾ka¾n-sôolu¾ku¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
E®Ùri;n ni¾kan ni; n¾beô leô;yin ti; n;sôeôboô
N®je;ô EÙ®ri;n pa mi; o!
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙ wa; ba;’ni la;ru¾u;sôeô ogun
A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba;’ni leô;se¾ô OÙba¾ri¾sa¾
Translation:
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Iku; (Death)
The son of Ami;
Gbongbo ji¾ga;da¾
Ji¾ga;da¾ gbongbo
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for E®Ùri;n (Laughter)
The son of OÙloô;fin
Both of them were so close that their friendship could be mistaken
for a consanguineous bond
They were advised to offer eôboô
Only E®ri;n complied with the advice
Behold, E®Ùri;n has killed Ami;!
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Join us where we offer eôboô to overcome enemies
Victory over adversity is what Ifa; guarantees
23
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Ifa; assures this person victory over his/her enemies. He/she will never be
allowed to fail. His/her enemies will never have the opportunity of laughing at
his/her expenses.
6. Ifa; asks the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to feed his/her EÙgbe;ô so that
all his/her Ire in life can come within his/her reach. Ifa; says that all these Ire are
presently outside the boundary of his/her place of abode. There is therefore the
need to direct the EÙgbe;ô of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed back to
his/her home in order for them to assist him/her by handing over all his/her Ire
to him/her. Not only this, the EÙgbeô; will also support him/her by creating
opportunities and chances for him/her and ensuring that he/she is able to take
advantage of these opportunities and chances.
In one word, the EÙgbeô; of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will be close
to him/her and will urge him/her to success, accomplishment and elevation.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens, two
cocks, two guinea fowls, two pigeons and money. This eôboô will be placed by
Esu¾ close to his/her house. After this, he/she needs to feed EÙgbeô; with 16 wraps
of eôk¾ oô (corn meal) and 6 a¾ka¾ra¾ (bean cakes) fried with palm-oil.
These items will be placed in a wide container such as a calabash-tray or even
plastic or aluminium tray and placed outside the boundary of the town, city or
village where the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed lives. If these two steps
can be taken, the EÙgbe; of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will surely
move to the town, city or village where he/she lives and trace him/her to his/her
home in order to be close to him/her so as to assist and support him/her at all
times.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-Yeôk¾ u¾ in support of all these assertions states thus:
Olo;wo; ni;i; sôe bi;; aja;
I®woô¾fa¾ ni;i; sôe bi; o¾ôboô woô¾’lu;
Di;a; fu;n Aka;sôoôle;ri; (oru;koô eôgbeô;)
Ti;i; sôe Oni;bode¾ OÙloô¾run
Wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôeôboô
Ki ari;si¾ki; i re¾ô o; lee¾ woôle; wa;
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Translation
The rich is he who behaves like a dog
The one in servitude enters the town like a monkey
These were Ifa;’s declarations for Aka;sôoôle;ri;
The sentry in Heaven
She was advised to offer eôboô
In order for all her prosperity chances to enter her home
Aka;sôoôle;ri; would coordinate the activities of all the EÙleô;gbe;ô people in heaven.
She was always by the gate in heaven in order to remind all EÙle;ôgbeô; babies who
were going from heaven to earth not to forget their promises and for them to
ensure that they all returned to heaven at their appointed periods. That is how
she had been handling things since the time that she had taken up her residence
at the boundary between heaven and earth. She was making a really good job of
her assignment.
One day however, she decided that she too would love to visit the world and
spend some time on the planet. She went to Olo;du¾mare¾ for permission and she
was granted the permission. She moved to the home of SÙensôenti¾so¾ro¾ at the
chamber of A®ja¾la;moô¾pi;n and chose the best Ori; (destiny). Some other things
were given to her to complement what she had chosen. After this exercise she
moved to the home of I®wo¾ri¾-Bogbe¾ OÙlo;ôko;ô and she was handed a hoe with which
to dig a hole in the ground. She dug a very small hole. She moved to the
boundary between heaven and earth and paid her boundary tax before moving
into the world. All other things being equal, she was supposed to live a
relatively easy and enjoyable life, full of joy and contentment.
When she got into the world however, to eat became a problem. She had no
food to eat, she had no good friends, she had no spouse, she had no children,
and no sound health. Why are things like this? Was this the way she would
continue to live her life? She never bargained for a miserable life. Why was it
that she had no relevance in her life, her family, and her compound and in the
community in general? What must she do to right all these wrongs? Who must
she approach for help? How must she approach the person or persons for help?
Meanwhile, as soon as Aka;sôoôle;ri; left heaven, all her EÙgbe;ô in heaven had a quick
deliberation. They said that Aka;sôoôle;ri; had done marvellously for them when
she was a sentry in charge of all the EÙgbeô; in both heaven and earth.
25
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Consequently, it was their duty to ensure that she lived a comfortable and
rewarding life while on earth. They vowed that she must not be made to suffer
in any way. She must not experience any form of want while on earth. They all
gathered all the Ari;si¾ki; of life together to be forwarded to her on earth. The
Ari;si¾ki; that they gathered together for her could not be exhausted in seven
generations. They delegated three of them to go and deliver it to Aka;sôoôle;ri; as
their own show of appreciation.
When these delegates arrived on earth, Aka;sôoôle;ri; was nowhere to be found.
They looked for her everywhere but they could not find her, for several years,
they were looking for her- all to no avail. They vowed never to return to heaven
without delivering the Ari;si¾ki; to her. They considered that the least they could
do for Aka;sôoôle;ri; was to be sincere and dedicated to her now that she was on
earth. The mere thought of the fact that she might be experiencing any form of
need was very painful to these delegates. However, after several years of
searching without success, the delegates decided to stay close to the boundary
of a town and wait patiently for that day when they would be lucky to meet
Aka;sôoôle;ri; and deliver all her Ari;si¾ki; to her.
In the case of Aka;sôoôle;ri;, the situation was moving from bad to worse. One day,
Aka;sôoôle;ri; summoned up courage and went to the home of the group of Awo
mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I ever succeed in life? During Ifa;
consultation, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku¾ was revealed.
The Awo assured her that she would not only succeed in life, she would also get
all the recognition she deserved. She was advised to put her mind at rest and
continue to think, say and do what was right without ceasing. She was told that
all what she was searching for was so close by and she would be able to get
them in no time at all. She was advised to offer ebo as stated above. She
complied. After this, she was advised to feed EÙgbe;ô with 16 wraps of eô¾koô and 16
balls of a¾ka¾ra¾. She procured all these too. She was asked to go and place the
food at the boundary of the town. She also did.
As soon as she left, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to work. He pointed the attention of the
delegates who had come into the world with all the Ari;siki belonging to
Aka;sôoôle;ri; to the food. He told them that the food was brought to them by
Aka;sôoôle;ri; as a way of welcoming them to her vicinity. He advised the delegates
to eat first in order for him to lead them to Aka;sôoôle;ri;’s home afterwards. They
26
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
ate. They were so excited that at last, they had seen someone who would take
them to the abode of Aka;sôoôle;ri;.
When they got close to the abode of Aka;sôoôle;ri;, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ bid the delegates
farewell and pointed out the house to them. The three delegates entered
Aka;sôoôle;ri;’s home. She could not see the delegates but she sensed that some
beings were in her home. These delegates delivered the Afi;si¾ki; into her home
and left. They felt happy that they had accomplished their mission. When they
got to heaven, they reported to all the other EÙgbeô; that the Afi;si¾ki; had been
delivered into Aka;sôoôle;ri;’s home successfully. There was a big celebration in
heaven on that day.
Suddenly, Aka;sôoôle;ri; became the toast of everybody in her community.
Everybody scrambled to please her. There was no project or activity that they
did not want her to be involved in. Many suitors were competing for her hand
in marriage. It was as if the whole world had just taken notice of her. Soon, she
met someone she loved and whom she felt loved her and the two families met.
They deliberated and the marriage was contracted. She became pregnant two
months after. She gave birth to many children. Her business progressed, her
health improved and everything about her life changed completely. She became
happy and contented. Her EÙgbeô; in heaven ensured that she was accorded her
deserved respect and honour on earth.
One day, Aka;sôoôle;ri; sat down and ruminated over her journey from nothing to
everything, from poverty to surplus; from agony to joy and anonymity to glory
and prominence.
She could not help but give glory to Olo;du¾mare¾, her Ori;, her Ifa;, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ and
of course, her EÙgbe;ô.
Olo;wo; ni;i; sôe bi;; aja;
I®woô¾fa¾ ni;i; sôe bi; o¾ôboô woô¾’lu;
Di;a; fu;n Aka;sôoôle;ri; (oru;koô eôgbeô;)
Ti;i; sôe Oni;bode¾ OÙloô¾run
Wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôeôboô
Ki ari;si¾ki; i re¾ô o; lee¾ woôle; wa;
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni; ni; woô¾wo;ô ire gbogbo
27
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Translation
The rich is he who behaves like a dog
The one in servitude enters the town like a monkey
These were Ifa;’s declarations for Aka;sôoôle;ri
The sentry in Heaven
She was advised to offer eôboô
In order for all her prosperity chances to enter her home
She complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall lack nothing in life.
He/she shall be taken care of by his/her EÙgbeô; who will ensure that they cater for
all his/her needs here on earth. He/she shall move from penury to opulence.
He/she shall also be given honour and recognition in life.
7. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô and feed
EÙgbeô; for his/her EÙgbeô; in heaven to row the boat of all the Ire of life to him/her.
He/she has the potential to be great and to accomplish wonderful things at this
moment. This is the reason why he/she needs to offer eôboô and feed EÙgbe;ô so that
these opportunities will not pass him/her by. He/she needs not entertain any
doubt or fear because when coming from heaven, he/she had chosen all the Ire
of life as part of his/her destiny. To manifest all these Ire will not be a problem
for him/her.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô as A®ru;kore with four rats, four fish, two
pigeons, two hens, two cocks, two guinea-fowls and money. He/she also needs
to feed EÙgbe;ô with plenty of e¾¾ôkoô, plenty of a¾ka¾ra¾, honey and fruits.
In Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾ a stanza laying emphasis on this aspect says:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾
Are;e¾su; gba¾’ja;
A ri; ko;o;ko hu;n’ra
Afe¾ji¾gba¾ i¾le¾ôkeô¾ Kan’ru¾n
A®ra¾ ti; Abo;do¾re;ô n da; o¾ lee¾ ba;je;ô
Walami ni; n;jo; geregere lo;ri; oômi
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Di;a; fu;n OÙla;-Abo;do¾re;ô oômoô Atu¾lo;ôkoô¾
Wo;ôn ni ko; wa; sôeôboô si; oô¾na¾ Ire gbogbo
Translation
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾
He who uses E®e¾su¾ (the wild grass) as loin cloth
He who uses grasses to scratch his body
He who adorns his neck with expensive beads
The wonders being performed by Abo;do¾re;ô (he who is friendly with
the stream) will not be spoilt forever
He uses his paddles to manoeuvre in the waters
These were Ifa;’s declaration for OÙla;-Abo;do¾re;ô, the offspring
of the boat rowers
He was advised to offer eôboô in order to open the path of
all Ire in life
When Abo;do¾reô; was coming from heaven, he chose, as part of his destiny,
boundless opportunity to succeed and excel in all the things he laid his hands
upon. He was also the head of his own EÙgbe;ô group in heaven.
When he arrived on earth, he was born a very innovative and resourceful
person. He tried his hands on many things and he was able to bring forth
several things out of little or nothing. His area of specialization was in the area
of boat construction.
He built many types of fast-moving boats and put some into the streams, some
into the rivers; some into the lagoons and some into the sea. He engaged in
merchandize across several lands the world over. His EÙgbe;ô were bringing many
great people across his path and he was a very successful person.
Many of the things which he did and succeeded in most of his contemporaries
had failed woefully in them. It was his rate of success that actually made him
seek Ifa;’s advice on how he would be able to maintain the level he had
occupied. When he got to the home of the Awo mentioned above, the only
question he asked was “Will I be able to continue to succeed as I have found
myself at the pinnacle of my chosen career?” When Ifa; was consulted, Ogbe¾OÙ®ye¾ku¾ was revealed.
29
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
The Awo assured him that nothing would ever stop him from going up and up.
He was told that the sky was just the beginning of his success. To continue to
maintain his level of success and to surpass his position, he was advised to offer
eôboô with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, two guinea-fowls, two hens, two
cocks and money. He was also advised to feed his EÙgbe;ô with a lot of E®®ôkoô,
a¾ka¾ra¾, honey and fruits. Abo;do¾re complied
As soon as he returned home, more business opportunities opened for him. His
home became a beehive of activities. He was more successful than the OÙba of
his town. He had more respect and adoration than anyone in the land. His
ability to row his boat to success both figuratively and metaphorically became
legendary. By the time he died, he was the most successful boat constructor and
handler ever known.
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾
Are;e¾su; gba¾’ja;
A ri; ko;o;ko hu;n’ra
Afe¾ji¾gba¾ i¾le¾ôkeô¾ Kan’ru¾n
A®ra¾ ti; Abo;do¾re;ô n da; o¾ lee¾ ba;je;ô
Walami ni; n;jo; geregere lo;ri; oômi
Di;a; fu;n OÙla;-Abo;do¾re;ô oômoô Atu¾lo;ôkoô¾
Wo;ôn ni ko; wa; sôeôboô si; oô¾na¾ Ire gbogbo
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;'ni ni; woô¾woô; ire gbogbo
Woô¾wo; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'eô;seô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
Translation
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku¾
He who uses E®e¾su¾ (the wild grass) as loincloth
He who uses grasses to scratch body
He who adorns his neck with expensive beads
The wonders being performed by Abo;do¾re;ô (he who is friendly with
the stream), cannot be spoilt forever
He uses his paddles to manoeuvre in the waters
These were Ifa;’s declaration for OÙla;-Abo;do¾re;ô, the offspring
of the boat rowers
He was advised to offer eôboô in order to open the path of
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
all Ire in life
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life
All the Ire of life is what Ifa guarantees for all its true devotees
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall excel in his/her
chosen career. He/she will be known and respected from far and near.
8. Ifa; foresees the Ire of prosperity and childbearing for the person for whom
this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa says that this person needs to take more seriously the
need to beget children than the need to succeed financially.
Ifa; says that whether this person offers eôboô for financial success or not he/she
shall succeed; but he/she needs to offer ebo for him/her to have children who
shall continue where he/she has left off when he/she dies.
As a matter of fact, Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed
during I®koôse¾da;ye; or I®teôni;fa; does not bring from heaven the destiny of having
several children. The few they can have however shall be the most
accomplished children in their community. There is therefore the need to offer
eôboô for the children to arrive early in the life of the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens and
money.
On this aspect, Ifa; says:
Ka; yeô po;po; bula;bula;
Ka; mu; r’o¾kun loô¾oô; teôfa;
Ka; yeô¾na¾ bula¾bula¾
Ka; mu; r’oô¾sa¾ loô¾o;ô teô’du¾
OÙ®g’eôsôin pi¾i;¾ti-pi;i¾ti l'eô;ba¾a; o¾kun
Di;a; fu;n Abo;do¾re;ô
Ti; woô;n ni; ko; f'eôboô oôla¾ si;leô¾
EÙboô oômoô ni ko; ma;a sôe
31
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Translation
Let us construct a wide avenue
And extend it to the sea for Ifa; initiation
Let us clear a wide path
And direct it to the lagoon for I®teô¾lo;du¾
He who rides his horse and gallops by the seaside
They were the group of Awo who cast Ifa; for Abo;do¾reô
When he was advised to leave the eôboô for prosperity
And offer the one for him to beget children
It was very clear that Abo;do¾re;ô would succeed in life, barring all unforeseen
circumstances; he was very resourceful, he was witty, intelligent and
imaginative. He knew how to convince people to patronize him in the area of
his chosen career. He worked tirelessly to succeed in life. When he realized
that he was going up in the socio-economic ladder, he went for Ifa; consultation
in order to determine what to do for him to continue to succeed in life. During
Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-OÙ®yeô¾ku; was revealed.
The Awo told Abo;do¾re;ô that he had come in order to ensure that he would
continue to go up the ladder of success in life. He was assured that he had no
problem in that area. He was however told that the area of his life that he
needed to offer eôboô for was for him to be able to beget children. He was
advised to offer eôboô in that area and for him to get married as soon as possible.
Abo;do¾re;ô told the Awo that he would not only offer the eôboô, but he would also
love to go for I®teô¾lo;du¾. He got many able-bodied people together to help him
construct a wide road that would lead straight to the sea so that he could do his
initiation close to the sea which was where his business was situated. He also
employed the services of other groups to clear another path to the lagoon for
him. This would make it very easy for his Awo to choose anyone that they
preferred out of the two sites; seaside or lagoon-side. He gave the head of the
group of Awo a strong horse to ride for the inspection of the two sites. In the
end, the Awo chose the sea-side and his initiation was done there. Abo;do¾re;ô also
offered the eôboô as stated above.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
In the end, Abo;do¾re;ô became the most successful merchant of his time. He was
also blessed with two children who continued where he had stopped when he
died. These two children grew to become more successful than their father.
They built their father’s business empire beyond the wildest imagination of all
those who were in their community. They had business links and contacts all
over the world. When Abo;do¾re;ô died, he died a contented and accomplished
man. When his two children died, they died happily.
Ka; yeô po;po; bula;bula;
Ka; mu; r’o¾kun loô¾oô; teôfa;
Ka; yeô¾na¾ bula¾bula¾
Ka; mu; r’oô¾sa¾ loô¾o;ô teô’du¾
OÙ®g’eôsôin pi¾i;¾ti-pi;i¾ti l'eô;ba¾a; o¾kun
Di;a; fu;n Abo;do¾re;ô
Ti; woô;n ni; ko; f'eôboô oôla¾ si;leô¾
EÙboô oômoô ni ko; ma;a sôe
O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa; wo’re o
Translation
Let us construct a wide avenue
And extend it to the sea for Ifa; initiation
Let us clear a wide path
And direct it to the lagoon for I®teô¾lo;du¾
He who rides his horse and gallops by the seaside
They were the group of Awo who cast Ifa; for Abo;do¾reô
When he was advised to leave the eôboô for prosperity
And offer the one for him to beget children
He complied
Before long, too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be blessed with
financial success but will have few but great children. When he/she dies he/she
33
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
will be remembered as someone who had left an enduring legacy for his/her
children, group and/or community.
9. Ifa; says that it foresees the blessing of child-birth for the person for whom
this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that this person has been struggling to be blessed
with the fruit of the womb for quite some time now but it is time for him/her to
receive this blessing. Ifa; says that this person did not choose to have many
children as part of his/her destiny from heaven but he/she shall be blessed with
few but great children. These children shall be greater than this person and
he/she will have course to be grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities for these
gifts.
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾¾ is revealed to offer eôôboô with four rats,
four fish, two hens and money. He/she also needs to feed I®beji® (the Twins
Divinity) with cooked black beans, one big cock and other edible items
available at that time. He/she needs to invite children to come and feast on the
provided food items. If these can be done, Ifa assures that this person shall be
blessed with two great children.
An aspect in Ogbe¾-OÙ®ye¾ôku; laying emphasis on this says:
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; baba A®mu;lu¾
Ori; ogbo;, ori; ato;ô ni baba EÙdan
Ki;nni n o;; ta¾ ni baba i¾sôo¾wo¾
Di;a; fu;n A®gba;
Ti; n;mo;ju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; is the father of all combinations
Longevity is the father of EÙdan
"What line of enterprise will I pursue" is the father
of business principles
These were Ifa;’s declarations for A®gba;
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to bear children
She was advised to offer eôboô
34
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
A®gba; (the O®gbo;ni Drum) had everything going for her in the area of her chosen
career. She was very successful. She had chosen the right business enterprise
and she was making huge profits. She also had the right choice of spouse. Both
of them were very compatible. She had every reason to be grateful to
Olo;du¾mare¾. Anytime she would see her husband, smiles of joy and contentment
enveloped her beautiful face. There was a big snag however, A®gba; had no child
of her own. She was not blessed with the fruit of the womb. Much as she tried,
she was not successful.
One day, she decided to take the bull by the horns and made up her mind to seek
the help of Ifa; in solving her problem. She therefore approached the group of
Babala;wo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be blessed with the fruit
of the womb? Will I have my own children? Who will carry on after I have
passed on? Will I be able to have my own children whom I will love, train, pet,
pamper and adore as other women do with their own children? In short, will I
be prevented from losing out completely? When Ifa; was consulted, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku;
was revealed.
The group of Awo told A®gba; that even though she was very successful
economically, she had no complete joy and contentment because she had no
child of her own. She was however assured that Olo;du¾mare¾ would bless her
with the fruit of the womb.
She was also informed that she had not chosen to have many children from
heaven. Consequent upon this, she needed to offer eôboô as quickly as possible in
order to ensure that she was able to have her children early in her life before it
was too late. She was also advised to offer eôboô and feed I®beji¾ (the Twins
Divinity) as stated above. She complied.
A few months after this, she became pregnant. Ten lunar months after, she gave
birth to a baby. The baby was named EÙdan, the Icon of O®gbo;ni.
As soon as this child was born, everything changed in the life of A®gba; for the
better. When the child started to speak, A®gba; gave him the best training
possible. At a tender age, EÙdan became the Icon representing the O®gbo;ni cult.
Both A®gba; and EÙdan were able to put in place the firm establishment of the
O®gbo;ni cult. This move caught the attention of many people and drew them to
the Ile;di¾, the O®gbo;;ni cult grove and shrine. They were able to attract many
members.
35
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
There arose another snag however: there was no priest to officiate in the Ile;di¾.
Those who trooped there had nobody to take care of their spiritual and
psychological needs. Most of these people were highly disappointed when their
spiritual needs were not satisfied.
It was during this period that A®gba; became pregnant again. She later gave birth
to a baby boy named Ala;wo¾ro¾, the offspring Priest. The boy grew up rapidly
and became the officiating priest in the Grove and Temple.
Between A®gba; and her two children EÙdan and Ala;wo¾ro¾, they were able to
establish and administer the O®gbo;ni cult successfully. Those who became
members of the O®gbo;ni cult were no longer disappointed. Their success grew
in leaps and bounds. In the lifetime of A®gba; her two children had succeeded.
They had reason to be happy and contented. A®gba; was the happiest and
proudest mother of her time.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; baba A®mu;lu¾
Ori; ogbo;, ori; ato;ô ni baba EÙdan
Ki;nni n o;; ta¾ ni baba i¾sôo¾wo¾
Di;a; fu;n A®gba;
Ti; n;mo;ju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
I®gba¾ ti; yo;o; bi;
O: bi; EÙdan
O: si¾ bi; Ala;wo¾ro¾
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙÙ wa; ba; ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; in the father of all combinations
Longevity is the father of EÙdan
“What line of enterprise will I pursue” is the father of
business principles
These were Ifa;’s declarations for A®gba;
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to bear children
She was advised to offer eôboô
36
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
She complied
When she delivered
She gave birth to EÙdan
And later gave birth to Ala;wo¾ro¾
Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾
Join us where we are blessed with the fruit of the womb
Ifa; says that this person shall be blessed with great children who shall succeed
and become accomplished in their lifetime. He/she shall be a proud parent of
well trained and well groomed children. Even though he/she shall not have
many children, the few ones he/she will have shall make him/her proud. He/she
shall grow old and go to his/her grave a very proud and contented person.
10. Ifa; says that there is the need for the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed
to offer eôboô and feed OÙba¾ta;la; in order to protect his/her life from imminent
danger. Ifa; says that there is a serious threat to his/her life but OÙba¾ta;la; will not
let him/her be involved in any untimely death. OÙba¾ta;la; has been protecting
his/her life from danger and threat, thus this person should become a devout
follower and worshipper of OÙba¾ta;la;. They should adorn the shrine of OÙba¾ta;la;
with his many icons and have regular festivities in honour of him.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she
also needs to feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 land snails, shea butter, and 16 native chalk.
On this aspect, Ifa; says:
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; baba A®mu;lu¾
Ori; ogbo;, ori; ato;ô ni baba EÙdan
Ki;nni n o;; ta¾ ni baba i¾sôo¾wo¾
Di;a; fu;n O®os¾ ôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾er¾ô eô¾ma¾gbo¾
Ti; n; loô re¾e; K’o;wo; r’e¾ômi;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; in the father of all combinations
Longevity is the father of EÙdan
“What line of enterprise will I pursue” is the father of business
principles
37
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
These were Ifa;’s declarations for OÙba¾ta;la;
When going pay for EÙ®mi; (Life)
He was advised to offer eôboô
OÙba¾ta;la;, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, O®gu;n and E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ were the four Iru;nmoôleô¾ whom
Olo;du¾mare¾ assigned the task of creating E®ni¾ya¾¾n (human beings) to. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾
was the one who went to I®koô¾le; O®Ùrun to bring the basket of sand which
Olo;du¾mare¾ used to create the universe to use for the creation of E®ni¾ya¾¾n . O®gu;n
moulded the bones of both males and females while OÙba¾ta;la; added the flesh to
the bones before Olo;du¾mare¾ put the final A®sôeô. The assignment of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was
to continuously consult Ifa; in order to ensure that everything was going
according to the plan of Olo;du¾mare¾ and create a systematic order of activities
and processes. In this assignment, OÙba¾ta;la; was put as the head of the group
project. The four Iru;nmoôle¾ô and their subordinates performed splendidly and the
job was completed to the satisfaction of Olo;du¾mare¾, even though there were
several impediments along the way.
All those who participated in this great assignment were aware that EÙ®mi; (Life
force), which Olo;du¾mare¾ put into what they designed and moulded was the
most important and most valuable element that the E®ni¾ya¾n possessed. Without
EÙ®mi;, there would not be any E®ni¾ya¾n. This was the reason why OÙba¾ta;la; made it
his concern to see to it that EÙmi;, which Olo;du¾mare¾ gave E®ni¾ya¾n was well
protected and preserved.
OÙba¾ta;la; however observed that there were so many things threatening the EÙ®mi;
of E®ni¾ya¾n. There was no action or even inaction of E®ni¾ya¾¾n that was not fought
with life-threatening things: eating or refusal to eat, drinking or refusal to drink;
sleeping or walking, sitting or standing; walking or running, crawling or
swimming, working or refusal to work, hard-work or laziness, wickedness or
benevolence; trust or distrust, truthfulness or lies, cleanliness or dirtiness etc. all
were accompanied by life snatching things.
In spite of all these threats, OÙba¾ta;la; vowed that a means must be found to
protect E®ni¾ya¾n from untimely death. That was why he went to the home of the
group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be able to protect the
E®ni¾ya¾n from meeting calamity and untimely death? If yes, what do I need to do
to be able to do this?
38
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
The Awo told OÙba¾ta;la; that the assignment that he had given to himself was a
noble one. He was however informed that the assignment would only succeed
under three conditions; one, the E®ni¾ya¾n who was given the EÙ®mi; must recognize
that he/she must not engage in any unreasonable risk and expect that his/her
E®Ùmi; be protected; two, he/she must be ready to surrender his/her EÙ®mi; to the
Divinities for them to protect, and three, they must be able to pay the price and
be obedient by listening to the advice, heeding warnings and offering eôboô when
asked to do so. They also advised OÙba¾ta;la; to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat
and money in order for him to succeed in the assignment. He was also asked to
feed his O®ke¾-I®po¾ôri; with 16 snails, shea butter and EÙfun, native chalks. He
complied.
As of that moment, anyone who felt threatened where this Odu¾ was revealed
would be advised to offer eôboô and feed OÙba¾ta;la; as stated above.
As soon as these were done, such a person would be given air-tight protection
which could only come from OÙba¾ta;la; and the other Divinities. As long as this
person follows the instructions above, he/she would never have his/her E®Ùmi; cut
short by anything in this world or beyond. He/she will be guaranteed long life
for him/her to find, follow and fulfil his/her destiny on earth. That is why those
who hand their lives to OÙba¾ta;la; continue to pray that their lives be given to the
Divinity for protection and so their lives won’t be lost for any reason
whatsoever.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; baba A®mu;lu¾
Ori; ogbo;, ori; ato;ô ni baba EÙdan
Ki;nni n o;; ta¾ ni baba i¾sôo¾wo¾
Di;a; fu;n O®os¾ ôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾er¾ô eô¾ma¾gbo¾
Ti; n; loô re¾e; K’o;wo; r’e¾ômi;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
N®jeô O®o¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôreôm
¾ a¾gbo¾
E®Ùmi; ti; mo fu;n oô du¾
Ma; ma¾ je;ô ko; boô;
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; Kangiri
A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n, o; j’oyin loô o
39
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; in the father of all Odu¾ Ifa; combinations
Longevity is the father of EÙdan
“What line of enterprise will I pursue” is the father of business
principles
These were Ifa;’s declarations for OÙba¾ta;la;
When going pay for EÙ®mi; (Life)
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Please O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôreôm
¾ a¾gbo¾
My EÙ®mi; which I give you to protect
Please do not let it be lost
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Join us where we enjoy long life
The longevity guaranteed by Ifa is sweeter than honey
Ifa; says that the life of this person shall be protected. He/she shall not die
young. He/she will also live long enough to be able to accomplish those things
that he/she has come into this world to accomplish. Ifa however warns the
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed against taking undue risks or being
reckless with his/her life. Doing so may make it very difficult if not impossible,
for him/her to have the protection of the Divinities. He/she also needs to heed
warnings and follow the advices given to him/her by competent Awo.
11. Ifa; says that it foresees the Ire of long life and sound health for the person
for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that as OÙÙbatala is protecting this person
so also is the Ori; of his/her mother responsible for his/her protection. Even
though there are real threats to his/her life, he/she will not die young. He/she
will manage to escape untimely death and live to his/her old age. He/she will
also be able to accomplish all what he/she has chosen as his/her destiny in
heaven before returning to heaven.
Ifa; advises this person to offer ebo with one mature he-goat and money. There
is also the need to ask Ifa; what the Ori; of his/her mother will take and use these
materials to feed the Ori; accordingly. If the mother is dead, then the chosen
items will be used to feed the spirit of the mother.
40
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
A stanza in Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; says:
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; baba A®mu;lu¾
Ori; ogbo;, ori; ato;ô ni baba EÙdan
Ki;nni n o;; ta¾ ni baba i¾sôo¾wo¾
Di;a; fu;n A:a;mi;
Ti;i; sôe I®ya; OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n
Woô;n ni; ko; ru;'boô si; la;i¾ku; oômoô reô
Translation:
Ogbe¾-OÙ®ye¾ôku; is the father of all combinations
Longevity is the father of EÙdan
“What line of enterprise will I pursue” is the father of
all business principles
These were Ifa;’s declarations to A:a;mi;
The mother of OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n
She was advised to offer the eôboô of longevity for her child
A:a;mi; was a very honest, straight-forward, gentle headed, God-fearing and kindhearted woman. All the people in her community loved her. She had assisted
many people to succeed in life. She had also saved many people from trouble
and calamity. She did all things in her community with humility. She behaved
as if those whom she was assisting were the ones doing her great favours. She
also had a great sense of humour. She was happily married but she had no
child. She tried all she could, yet she was not blessed with any child.
Her inability to beget any child made A:a;mi; cry every day. She prayed and
begged Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities to give her a child to love and cherish.
Her appeals were given consideration by Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities. Her
good deeds weighed heavily in her favour and it was resolved to bless A®a;mi;
with a baby. A:a;mi; became pregnant afterward. Her pregnancy was like the
whole community was carrying the pregnancy. When she gave birth to the
baby, the whole community named the baby boy O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n (My matter has
succeeded).
O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n developed rapidly. A:a;mi; became a very happy and fulfilled
woman. Her good and benevolent deeds in the community increased in many
folds. By the time O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n grew up to become a teenager, he was known by
41
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
everyone in the community. The way A;a;mi; treated her only child made it clear
to everyone that the boy was her major source of joy.
One day, O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n suddenly took ill. A few moments after, he fainted.
When A;a;mi; was informed that her son had fainted, it was as if the whole world
had come crashing down on her head. She screamed, cried, wailed and gnashed
her teeth, all to no avail. Each moment made the condition of her son worse.
That was when she decided to go to the home of the group of Awo mentioned
above for Ifa; consultation. Will my son survive? If yes, what do I need to do
for my son to be well?
The Awo assured her that her son would be well. They stated that it was her
own Ori; that would help resuscitate her son. They made it known to her that the
Divinities had seen the way she had been performing in her home, her
environment and in the community at large and they were impressed with her.
The Divinities knew that her son was her joy. For that reason, she was assured
that the Divinities would ensure that her son survived.
She was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. She was also asked to feed
OÙba¾ta;la;. She was also told to feed her Ori; regularly. She complied.
A few days after, her son recovered. To her, the weight of the whole world had
just been lifted from her head. She then became the smiling, vibrant and
humorous woman that she used to be again.
One day, A:a;mi; sent O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n her son to go and fetch some wood in the
forest. On his way, he fell down and sprained his left ankle. At the very same
time, a big tree fell just close to his head. Had he not fallen down, he would
certainly have been crushed to death by the fallen tree. The Divinities made
sure that anything that would bring grief to A:a;mi; was averted.
A few months after, O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n went to swim in the river. The tide suddenly
became stronger and faster. He was being washed away and he was totally
helpless to do anything about it. He was slammed against the roots of a mighty
baobab tree which grew close to the river. His dress was entangled in the roots
and debris which the river had washed away with him. He got stuck between
the roots. He was there for several hours. That was how he escaped being
completely washed away to his death. Again, it was not because of his good
42
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
deeds. It was simply because the Divinities would allow A:a;mi; to grieve over
her source of joy.
On several occasions, O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n was close to death but he would escape
miraculously. It was the Ori; of his mother, A;a;mi;, which continuously would
save him. It got to a stage that people in the community were saying that had it
not been for A;a;mi;, O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n’s mother, Death would have taken O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n
away a long time ago.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; baba A®mu;lu¾
Ori; ogbo;, ori; ato;ô ni baba EÙdan
Ki;nni n o;; ta¾ ni baba i¾sôo¾wo¾
Di;a; fu;n A:a;mi;
Ti;i; sôe I®ya; OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n
Woô;n ni; ko; ru;'boô si; la;i¾ku; oômoô re
O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ti; ko¾ ba; si; ti A;a;mi;
Iku; i¾ba; ma¾ ti pa Oran-anyan
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri
A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n o; j'oyin loô
Translation:
Ogbe¾-OÙ®ye¾ôku; is the father of all combinations
Longevity is the father of EÙdan
“What line of enterprise will I pursue” is the father of
all business principles
These were Ifa;;’s declarations to A:a;mi;
The mother of OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n
She was advised to offer the eôboô of longevity for her child
She complied
Had it not been for A;;a;mi;
Who was O®Ùra¾n-a;nya¾n’s mother
Death would have snatched OÙ®ra¾n-a;nya¾n away a long time ago
Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾
Join us where we enjoy longevity
The longevity guaranteed by Ifa; is sweeter than honey
43
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Ifa; says that this person shall not die young. He/she needs to be feeding the Ori;
of his/her mother if she is alive; or feed her spirit if she is dead. This person
needs to ask Ifa; what the mother’s Ori;/spirit will take every time he/she wants
to do the feeding. By so doing, long life is guaranteed.
12. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô urgently in
order to prevent a fellow human being from being the cog in his/her wheel of
progress. Ifa; says that apart from offering the eôboô he/she also needs to be
offering I®pe¾se¾ for the Elders of the Night on a regular basis.
Ifa; says that he/she is not supposed to be at the level he/she presently is. Ifa;
makes it clear that this person needs to be higher than where he/she is now.
Those who are responsible for his/her lack of progress commensurate to his/her
efforts are, unfortunately, those who are very close to him/her. They are people
he/she trusts and whom he/she shares many things to and who knows a lot about
him/her and his/her life. Ifa; advises this person to be more careful with those
living in his/her home and/or close family or associates than with outsiders.
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with one
mature he-goat for victory. The officiating Awo also needs to inquire from Ifa;,
over what to use as I®pe¾se¾ for the Elders of the Night. This needs to be done
regularly in order to pull this person up the ladder of success and give him/her
the opportunity to actualize his/her full potentials in life.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-OÙ®ye¾ku; on this aspect says:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; o, Iku; yeô¾
Di;a; fu;n E®ni¾ya¾n
Ti;i; sô’oômoô I®ya; Aye;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku;, Death is shifting forward
This was the Ifa; cast for E®ni¾ya¾n
The sibling of Aye;
She was advised to offer eôboô
44
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
E®ni¾ya¾n was the sister of Aye;. They were both born by the same parents. They
were very close to each other. They had many things in common, even though
they were not of the same sex. The love they had for each other was so great
that many people envied their relationship in their community. Anytime that
E®ni¾ya¾n purchased anything, Aye; would ensure that he paid part of the money
back to his sister.
One day, E®ni¾ya¾n went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa;
consultation: Will I succeed in life? If so, how will I go about being successful?
The Awo assured E®ni¾ya¾n that she would surely succeed in life. Not only that,
she would be instrumental to lifting other people up in her community. She was
also told that she had a sibling whom she needed to cooperate with at all times.
By so doing, the Awo informed her, both of them would rise up together. Their
fame would shine together and they would succeed beyond their wildest dreams
together.
The Awo advised her to offer eôboô as stated above and to ensure that there was
no form of competition between her and her younger brother. Only cooperation
must exist between the two of them. She offered the eôboô to succeed and
overcome her problems that same day.
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; o, Iku; ye¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Aye;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô I®ya; E®ni¾ya¾n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku;, Death is shifting forward
This was the Ifa; cast for Aye;
The sibling of E®ni¾ya¾n
He was advised to offer eôboô
Aye; was the younger brother of E®ni¾ya¾n. He was very fond of his sister. There
was nothing that he was not ready to do for his sister in order to make her
happy. When E®ni¾ya¾n was to get married, Aye; emptied all his savings in life as
his own contribution towards the success of his sister’s marriage. When his
sister gave birth to her first baby, Aye; organized the naming ceremony and
ensured that it was not only successful, but also the talk of the community for a
45
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
long time. When he went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation, his
concern was how he and his sister would succeed in life.
The Awo assured him that they would both succeed. He was advised to ensure
that cooperation existed between the two of them more than ever before. He
was advised to offer eôboôô as stated above. He too complied with the advice that
same day.
As soon as he returned home, he called his sister and informed her about what
the Awo had said. He pledged his unflinching loyalty to his sister. During this
time period, he cleared both his farm together with that of his sister. He worked
tirelessly to ensure that the huge farm succeeded. When the harvest period
came, he shared the proceeds with his sister, her husband, and her three little
children. It never bothered him that her sister, her husband and her children
never lifted a finger on the farm. He took the advice of the Awo seriously.
One day, Aye; met a young lady that he felt would be a nice wife for him. His
sister was the first person he told. He begged his sister to help him investigate
the lady and help put things into motion if she was satisfied with the lady. For
six months, his sister was still investigating. In the end, she told her brother to
look for another lady. She convinced the brother that the lady would never
make a good wife. On hearing this, he dropped the lady instantly.
Five times, he met different ladies and asked his sister to help him investigate
them. Five times his sister rejected them. This went on for a period of eight
years. Unknown to the brother, the sister did not want him to get married at all.
If he must get married it must be delayed for as long as possible. why? She felt
that if her brother were to get married, the wife would not allow him to continue
to serve her the way he had been doing. She also felt that he would begin to
have his own children and this would not allow him to concentrate on her own
children as he had been doing.
In the end, on the ninth year, the sister met a girl whom she considered to be of
low intelligence and whom she would easily intimidate. She told her brother
that the girl was very homely and would make a good wife. The brother,
suspecting nothing agreed with the sister and the marriage was conducted. All
the neighbours were disappointed with the choice of spouse. Only Aye; and
E®ni¾ya¾n were happy with the choice for different reasons.
46
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
A few months after marriage, the girl became pregnant. E®ni¾ya¾n told the girl to
come to her house everyday as the girl had no experience on pregnancy. She
complied. When the pregnancy became five months old, the young girl began
to complain of stomach trouble. A few days after, the pregnancy was
miscarried. E®ni¾ya¾n blamed the girl for being careless. Unknown to anyone, it
was the concoctions prepared for the girl by E®ni¾ya¾n that caused the miscarriage.
Why would she do this? Simply to ensure that her brother continued to serve her
and her family for as long as possible.
Much as he tried, Aye; found it very difficult to make ends meet. Yet, he was
unrelenting in his bid and vowed to cooperate with his sister. One day, one of
his close friends gave him four hens. He started to rear the fowls and before
long, they began to lay eggs. Within six months, the fowls had increased to
over 40. That was when his sister and her children and husband found chicken
flesh more agreeable to them than any other meat. Before long, they consumed
the last fowl and that put an end to the idea of rearing fowls on commercial
basis. Yet, he saw nothing wrong with what his sister had done.
By the time Aye;’s wife had the fifth miscarriage, her parents came to pack her
bags and baggage from his home, saying that there was the need for Aye; to have
a thorough self-examination. They promised that as soon as this was done and a
solution was found to his numerous problems, his wife would then be returned
to him. This move devastated him greatly. He cried to his sister to help him
find a solution. E®ni¾ya¾n on the other hand promised to go to his in-laws home to
look for an amicable solution to the problem. Aye; was grateful to his sister.
When she got there however, she provoked the in-laws to the extent that they
vowed never to release the wife to Aye; anymore.
As soon as she left, the elders in Aye;’s in-laws home knew something was
terribly wrong. They also felt that what was wrong was totally beyond Aye; ’s
comprehension and power. They decided to help him, if not for his own sake, at
least for the sake of their own daughter, his wife, who had bluntly refused to
leave him. She told her parents that instead of ordering her to leave Aye;, it
would be better to find a way of assisting him because he was a great husband.
One day, the head of the in-laws family sent someone to go and call Aye; to the
farm. He was told that his wife would be returned to him on three conditions:
one, he must go for Ifa; consultation in order to determine exactly what was
wrong with him, two, he must move out of the family compound and three, he
47
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
must not tell his plans to anyone until everything had returned to normal. He
agreed.
First, Aye; went for Ifa; consultation. That was when he was informed that his
own blood was at the root cause of his misfortunes. He was advised to offer
eôboô and feed the Elders of the Night as stated above. He complied. As far as he
was concerned, it must be some of his close relatives who were responsible for
all his misfortunes. He confided his suspicion in his sister who advised him to
steer clear of all his relatives, except her of course.
Secondly, he began to erect another building which he and his wife would live
in outside the family compound. He was doing it secretly. He only told his
sister what he was doing and the location of his new site. Before long, he was
ready to roof the house. He told his beloved sister to come and pray for him the
next day when the roofing would commence. In the dead of the night,
something kept telling him to stand up and go straight to his new site. Initially,
he ignored the urge. But when the urge became too persistent, he decided to go.
What harm would it cause him when he was not able to sleep anyway? He
moved rapidly, then slowly and then rapidly again. He was expecting anything
out of place. When he got there, what he saw made him totally speechless. He
saw his beloved sister, her husband and her three kids with clubs, diggers and
batons breaking the walls and wood he had used to erect the house.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; o, Iku; ye¾ô
Di;a; fu;n Aye;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô I®ya; E®ni¾ya¾n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Aye; ni¾kan ni; n;beô leô;yi¾n ti; n;sôe¾boô
Nj®e;ô aye; i¾ ba; ti ni; ogu;n eôru;
E®ni¾ya¾n ni o jeô;
EÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n eô jeô; n r’a;a¾ye¾ sôe te¾mi o
EÙÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n
Aye; i¾ ba; ti ni; oôgboô¾n i¾wo¾ôfa¾
E®ni¾ya¾n ni o¾ je;ô
EÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n eô jeô; n r’a;a¾ye¾ sôe te¾mi o
EÙÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n
Aye; i¾ ba; ti ni; a¾ad; oô;ta omidan
E®ni¾ya¾n ni o jeô;
EÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n eô jeô; n r’a;a¾ye¾ sôe te¾mi o
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
EÙÙ®yin E®ni¾ya¾n
Ko¾ pe;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba;; ni la;;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l'eô;seô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
Translation:
Ogbe¾-Ye¾kô u; (Death) is shifting forward
This was the Ifa; cast for Aye;
The sibling of E®ni¾ya¾n
She was advised to offer eôboô
Only Aye; complied with the eôboô
Behold! Aye; would have been blessed with 20 servants
But E®ni¾ya¾n did not allow it to materialize
You human beings
Please give me the chance to fulfil my destiny
You human beings
Aye; would have been blessed with 30 workers
But E®ni¾ya¾n did not allow it to materialize
You human beings
Please give me the chance to fulfil my destiny
You human beings
Aye; would have been blessed with 50 damsels
But E®ni¾ya¾n did not allow it to materialize
You human beings
Please give me the chance to fulfil my destiny
You human beings
Before long, not too far
Join us where we offer ebo to have victory
Offering ebo to have victory is what Ifa; guarantees at
the feet of Obarisa
Ifa; says it may be hurtful and agonizing in the end, but this person shall know
those responsible for all his or her woes in life. The enemies shall be exposed
and put to shame and they shall know victory. Ifa; says all one needs to do is
perform all necessary rites and be prayerful and hopeful.
49
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
13. Ifa; says that the person for who this Odu¾ is revealed has an adviser who has
been guiding him/her aright. This adviser may be his/her Awo, spiritualist,
Counsellor, Friend, Confidant or Aide. However, he/she has decided not to
listen to this person’s advice anymore or he/she is no longer listening to his/her
advice. Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to do so as
the consequence will be disastrous to him/her. There is the need for this person
to quickly go and reconcile with his/her adviser in order to avoid everlasting
regret and sorrow.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens, two shegoats and money. Out of these materials, two rats, two fish, one hen and one
she-goat will be used to feed Ifa;. No matter what material is used for eôboô, the
warning must be heeded. This person must listen to their adviser where this
Odu¾ is revealed. It is more important than any other thing.
An aspect of this Odu¾ says:
Agungi o¾ r’eô;yi¾n aye;
Ala¾n¾te¾te; o¾ r’eô;yi¾n osôu¾
Apa¾n¾te¾te; ori; o¾ r’OÙloô;run OÙba
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; n;sôoô¾re;ô Aye;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
He who climbs a tree will not be able see the other
side of the world
A star gazer will not be able to see the other side of the moon
He who raises his head by stretching his neck will
not see the Heavens
These were Ifa’s declaration for Ogbe¾
The friend of the earth
The living beings were advised to offer eôboô
When the planet earth was created by Olo;du¾mare¾. He sent O®gu;n, OÙba¾ta;la; and
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to make it conducive and habitable for living beings. The assignment
was successfully completed. After this, Olo;du¾mare¾ commissioned that Éníyán
(Beings) be created to occupy and inhabit the earth. They existed on earth for
50
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
several millennia before they began to destroy themselves and the world. This
prompted Olo;du¾mare¾ to remove them from the earth. Not all of them died, and
those remaining went into hiding.
It was after this that Olo;du¾mare¾ sent OÙba¾ta;la;, E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾, SÙa¾ngo; and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
to mould E®®ni¾ya¾n (human beings) and settle them on earth. This assignment was
successfully completed.
As a result of the events that had earlier taken place on earth, Olo;du¾mare¾
summoned all the 801 Iru;nmoôleô¾ to nominate someone who would be the guard,
guide, adviser, protector and security person for the planet. After due
consideration, the Iru;nmoôleô¾ nominated Ogbe¾, taking into consideration his
antecedent as an astute organizer, coordinator and negotiator.
When Ogbe¾ took up the assignment, it was clear that he was ready for the task.
For several millennia, everything on earth was perfect. Human beings and other
beings living on the earth had no problems whatsoever.
One day, Iku;, Death, thought of visiting the earth in order to perform his
assignment. Before he left heaven however, Ogbe¾ had known that he was
coming. Ogbe¾ quickly summoned all the leaders on earth to a meeting. In the
meeting, he announced to them the mission of Iku; and advised them to offer eôboô
with four rats, four fish, two hens and two female goats. They complied. Ogbe¾
successfully warded off Iku; from entering the earth. Iku; made several attempts
to penetrate the earth but Ogbe¾ was proficient in his duties. In the end, Iku; gave
up temporarily. Soon after this A®ru¾n, Affliction tried to visit the earth. Ogbe¾
informed the inhabitants of the world to offer eôboô as stated above. They did,
Ogbe¾ also successfully blocked A®ru¾n from entering the earth.
After this, EÙjoô;, Contention, I®ja¾, Fight, O®fo¾, Loss, EÙ®gba¾, Paralysis, E®sôe, Harm,
E®te, Intrigue, OÙ®ra¾n, Implication, OÙ®te¾ô, Conspiracy, Ja¾m¾ba;, Disaster, I®ba¾nu;jeô;,
Grief, Owu;, Jealousy, I®lara, Envy, Ma¾da¾ru;, Confusion, Ru;ke¾ru;do¾, Crisis and
A®ko;ba;, Implications, came one after the other. They were all rebuffed by Ogbe¾
after the inhabitants of the earth had offered eôboô as stated above.
One day however, the 17 negative Principalities decided to come into the world
all at once. They began to plan their moves. As soon as they started their
planning, E®®ôsu-OÙ®da¾ra¾ came and reported all their moves to Ogbe¾. This prompted
Ogbe¾ to summon all the leaders of the world to an emergency meeting. In this
51
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
meeting, he explained all the plans of the 17 negative principalities to his
audience. He told them that the negative principalities must be stopped at all
costs because if they were not stopped, it would spell doom, restlessness and
uncertainty for the inhabitants of the planet earth. He stated that the only way to
do this was for them to offer eôboô with 200 rats, 200 fish, 200 birds and 200
beasts. He emphasized that this must be done urgently as there was no time for
delay. The elders left and informed Ogbe¾ that they would get back to him as
soon as possible.
On that same day, the leaders converged somewhere and they began another
round of deliberation. Who does Ogbe¾ think he is asking them to offer eôboôô with
200 rats, 200 fish, 200 birds and 200 beasts each? Whom did he think he was?
They wondered. One of the leaders said that it was high time they called the
bluff of Ogbe¾¾. They must not offer the eôboô. If they did not stop this cheat now,
the leader screamed, he (Ogbe¾) would come up with more eôboô materials in the
future. This leader concluded that they needed to go back to Ogbe¾ and let him
know that they had seen through all his cheap tricks. All the other leaders
present agreed that it was the most reasonable line of action to take. One
woman present pleaded with the leaders to exercise caution because all the
predictions of Ogbe¾ in the past had actually come to pass. The woman was
shouted down and asked to keep quiet for as long as the meeting lasted.
At the end of the meeting, they trooped back to Ogbe¾’s house. When they got
there, they dragged him out of his house and called him all sorts of names. He
tried to explain the urgency of offering this ebo but nobody was ready to listen
to him. They told him to go and do his worst and that they were sick and tired
of all his cheap tricks. They spat on his face and called him a thief. They
accused him of working to line his pocket with money. They then proclaimed
him the enemy of the people. He was so provoked that he could do nothing but
burst into uncontrollable tears. They all left him crying. He had nobody to
console him. At night E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ came and he narrated his ordeal to E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾.
Ogbe¾ was however told by E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ that he (Ogbe¾) had kept up his
responsibilities and he would be absolved of any wrong-doing when the
repercussions came.
A few days later, the 17 negative principalities, led by Iku; came to visit the
planet earth. Ogbe¾ who used to stay at the boundary between heaven and earth
simply left the boundary which gave the 17 principalities the opportunity of
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
visiting the earth. When they got to the earth, they vowed never to leave the
planet again.
As from that day, a series of mishaps, confusion, disasters, death, both timely
and untimely intrigues, conspiracies, pandemonium and all other forms of
negativity began to take place on the planet. These types of events had never
happened before. The inhabitants of the planet earth began to worry greatly.
They all went to plead with Ogbe¾ to please help them chase away all the
negative principalities but alas, it was too late.
Agungi o¾ r’eô;yi¾n aye;
Ala¾n¾te¾te; o¾ r’eô;yi¾n osôu¾
Apa¾n¾te¾te; ori; o¾ r’OÙloô;run OÙba
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; n;sôoô¾re;ô Aye;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Woô;n koô'ti; oôô¾gboônyin s’eô;boô
N®je;ô Ogbe¾ ma; yeô; fu;n Iku;
N®je;ô Ogbe; ma; ye;ô fu;n A®ru¾n
N®jeô; Ogbe; ma; ye;ô fu;n EÙjoô;
N®je;ô Ogbe; ma; ye;ô fu;n I®ja¾
N®jeô; Ogbe; ma; yeô; fu;n O®fo¾
N®je;ô Ogbe; ma; ye;ô fu;n gbogbo Ajogun
K'a;ye; e wa o; le baa¾ da;ra ni
OÙmoô ara;ye; i¾ ba; te¾te¾ moô¾
Woôn o¾ ba; wa; f'owo; sô’a¾ru;fi;;n eôboô
Translation:
He who climbs a tree will not be able see the other side of the
world
A star gazer will not be able to see the other side of the moon
He who raises his head by stretching his neck will not see the
Heavens
These were Ifa;’s declaration for Ogbe¾
The friend of the earth
The living beings were advised to offer eôôboôô
They refused to offer the eôboô
Now Ogbe¾, do not allow Iku; (Death) to come in
53
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Now Ogbe¾, do not allow A®ru¾n (Affliction) to come in
Now Ogbe¾, do not allow EÙjo;ô (Contention) to come in
Now Ogbe¾, do not allow I®ja¾ (fight) to come in
Now Ogbe¾, do not allow O®fo¾ (Loss) to come in
Now Ogbe¾, do not allow any negative Ajogun to come in
So that our lives can have meaning
Had all the living beings known ahead of time
They would have offered the prescribed eôboô
Ifa; says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to come
face to face with disaster, together with his/her loved ones. This is the reason
why he/she needs to take the advice of the person who had been giving him/her
counselling very seriously. Refusal to heed advice can lead to untold calamity
where this Odu¾ is revealed.
14. Ifa; warns that something serious and of calamitous magnitude is about to
happen where this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; recommends that eôboô should be urgently
offered in order to avert this calamity.
Ifa says that four rats, four fish and one mature he-goat are the ebo materials to
avert calamity where this Odu¾ is revealed.
Ifa; equally warns that nobody should rear cocks where this Odu¾ is revealed. By
extension, the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed is forbidden from going
into the poultry business. He/she cannot breed cocks and it is not advisable for
him/her to live in a house where they engage in poultry business.
Ifa; says that if there are cocks where this Odu¾ is revealed, all the cocks present
should be used to feed E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ immediately. This is very important if
disaster is to be averted.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; says:
B’o;bi¾nrin ba; f’oju; kan owo;
EÙ®reôk¾ eô; e reô¾ a gb’eô¾ri;n
Di;a; fu;n Oni;gure¾-Agoô¾tu;n
EÙboô Ajogun ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Translation:
If a woman sights money
Her face will dissolve into a huge smile
This was Ifa;’s declaration to Oni;gure¾-Ago¾ôtu;n
When advised to offer eôboô against Ajogun
The inhabitants of I®gure¾ town had everything going for them. Their land was
very fertile. The people were very enterprising. They were blessed with
bountiful harvests. They developed their town to the envy of all their
neighbours. Oni;gure¾-Ago¾ôtu;n, the OÙba of I®go¾ôtu;n land, was the happiest and
proudest OÙba in his area. His reputation as a good leader spread far and wide.
One day, Oni;gure¾ had a terrible and terrifying dream. He could not make any
sense of the dream but he was sure that a disaster of gigantic magnitude was
about to happen in the land. This worried him seriously. He summoned all the
chiefs in the land to a meeting. He explained his premonitions to them. After
much deliberation, it was concluded that there was the need to call an Awo for
Ifa; consultation. That was the reason why they called the Awo mentioned
above for Ifa; consultation: Will there be peace and harmony in the land? What
was the significance of Oni;gure¾’s dream? What did they need to do to avert any
possible disaster? During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; was revealed.
The Awo explained that the dream of Oni;gure¾-Ago¾ôtu;n was loaded with grave
consequences. There was the need for the inhabitants of the land to offer eôboô
against the envy of their neighbours which could lead to these neighbours
overwhelming them. The Awo made it clear to them that their neighbours were
planning to wage a fierce war against them. All their neighbours, they were
told, had ganged up to wage this war. The Awo stated further that it was useless
thinking that they could contain the aggression of these neighbours because they
would be greatly outnumbered. The only way out was for them to offer eôboô.
The Awo therefore advised them to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, and one
mature male goat. They were also advised to slaughter all the cocks in their
town and give them to E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾. It was by so doing that they would overturn
and destroy the military might of their neighbours. The Awo also advised them
to dig trenches and underground tunnels that they would hide into when the
invaders arrived.
55
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
The inhabitants of Igure¾ land put their heads together. They concluded that they
would offer the eôboô. They were also prepared to dig trenches and tunnels in
order to hide themselves when the invaders arrived. They however could not
see why all their cocks should be slaughtered to feed E®sôu¾. What was the
significance of cocks in warfare? Would they bring success or defeat, they
wondered? In the end, they concluded that there was no need for them to
slaughter their cocks for any Divinity, whether it is E®sôu¾ or not. For that reason,
they only offered the eôboô as advised by the Awo. They dug the trenches and
underground tunnels as they were instructed; but they kept all their cocks in
defiance of the advice of the Awo.
A few weeks after the completion of the work, the invaders arrived! Oni;gure¾ Ago¾ôtu;n quickly ordered all the inhabitants to go into the trenches and tunnels.
They did. They took with them all their belongings, and live-stock. They took
their goats, sheep, pigs, fowls, cocks, pigeons, guinea fowls, ducks, etc into the
trenches. The invading forces could see nobody. They moved from one house
to the other but they found no one. They searched all the hamlets, farms,
compounds, etc and yet they found nobody. What was this supposed to mean?
To make matters worse, they had nothing to take away as the spoils of war!
Everything and everyone had simply vanished! It was a disappointment of the
highest order. They searched until the middle of the night. The invaders
decided to sleep overnight and leave the town the following morning.
At dawn the next morning, the invaders began to pack their things in order to
leave. Suddenly, all the cocks began to crow. With the first cock crow, the
others would chorus the crowing and the whole place was filled with the noise
of crowing cocks!
Initially, the invaders could not make out where the noise of the crowing cocks
was coming from. Before long, they realized that it was coming from under the
ground! They began to search and they found the entrance to the trenches and
the underground tunnels! They entered and fished out all the inhabitants of
I®gure¾. They were kicked and slapped. They were tied up one after the other.
The invaders commended their ingenuity and said that if not for the crowing
cocks, they would have been deceived.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
The inhabitants of I®gure¾ were full of lamentations. They then told the invaders
that they had earlier been warned by their Babala;wo to slaughter all the cocks
that they had for E®sôu¾ but they had failed to do so. The invaders then became
very angry at hearing this and they said that even if they had had the intention of
being lenient with them before, they would certainly not do so now, since they
had earlier been warned and they had refused to heed the warning of their Awo.
B’o;bi¾nrin ba; f’oju; kan owo;
EÙ®reôk¾ eô; e reô¾ a gb’eô¾ri;n
Di;a; fu;n Oni;gure¾-Agoô¾tu;n
EÙboô Ajogun ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Woô;n koô'ti; oô¾gboôyin s’eô;boô
EÙ®yin o¾ ri; a¾ku¾koô ga¾ga¾ra¾
To; wa;a; fi ara; I®gure¾ f’o;gun ko;
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙni gb'eô;boô ni;be¾ô ko; wa;a; sôeôboô o
Translation:
If a woman sights money
Her face will dissolve into a smile
This was Ifa;’s declaration to Oni;gure¾-Ago¾ôtu;n
When advised to offer eôboô against Ajogun
They refused to comply with the advice of the Awo
Can’t you see the matured cocks
Which have made the inhabitants of I®gure¾ become war captives
Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾
Let those advised to offer eôboô heed the advice
Ifa; says that it is the best interest of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to
offer eôboô and at the same time follow the advice of the Awo. Furthermore the
urgent need to heed all the warnings of this Ifa;, no matter how stupid or
unrealistic the warnings/advice may seem to him/her.
15. Ifa; warns a woman where this Odu¾ is revealed to desist from showing
arrogance to her husband. Ifa; says that the woman is too cocky and
overbearing. Ifa; warns this woman to turn a new leaf, lest she face disgrace and
humiliation.
57
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Ifa; says that this woman feels that she is superior to her husband and for that
reason, she can maltreat and disrespect her husband as she sees fit. Ifa; cautions
that the woman’s husband holds the key to her failure and success and she may
come face to face with a sanction she never expected from her husband if she
pushes him to use the key to open the door of failure for her.
Ifa; says that the husband of the woman for whom this Odu¾ is revealed deserves
to be given full honour and respect because, even though he may appear to be
lower than the wife on the socio-economic ladder, he nonetheless he is working
tirelessly for his wife to be elevated and be recognized in all spheres of life.
This is the reason why the man must not be disrespected or humiliated. The
man is also someone who cherishes and values his respect and self-esteem and
who is ready to reciprocate in like manner if he is treated well and respected.
Conversely, if he is disrespected or humiliated, he will go to any length to bring
down the woman who does not treat him with respect.
Ifa; advises the woman to offer eôôboô with four rats, four fish, one mature male
goat, one knife and a lot of money. She also needs to feed O®gu;n with one
mature cock, palm oil, roasted maize, raffia palm wine, roasted yam and a dog.
If the woman is in the habit of showing arrogance toward her husband, she must
put an end to such behaviour forthwith. She should serve Na¾na;; Bu¾u¾ku;u¾-Omolu;.
On this, Ifa; says:
OÙ®to¾¾ô l'ohu¾n E®e¾gu¾n
OÙ®toô¾ l'ohu¾n EÙ®yoô¾
Ba;kanna;a¾ ni woô;n n; sunku;n
Di;a; fu;n Bu¾u¾ku;u¾
Ti; n;loô re¾e; f’O®gu;n sô’oôkoô ni; SÙaki;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko;; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The dialect of the E®e¾gu¾n people is different
The dialect of the EÙ®yoô¾ (OÙ®yo;ô) people is different
Nonetheless, all people cry the same way
This was Ifa;’s message to Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ (Omolu;)
When going to pick O®gu;n as her husband in SÙaki; land
She was advised to offer eôboô
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Bu¾u¾ku;u¾, also known as Na¾na;; Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ or Omolu; was an extremely successful
woman. She was very wealthy. She had a large followership. She was an
O®ri¾sôa¾ whom many women were fond of. She guided, guarded and supported
many women. Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ however did not give women children nor did she take
their children from them either. She simply ensured the protection of women
and their children. She also defended them against all aggression, particularly
from their husbands and neighbours. All drunken and aggressive men who took
pleasure in violating women as a way of letting out their own frustrations would
realize that having the fear of Omolu; was the beginning of having wisdom.
This was because she would go to any length to revenge any violence or
humiliation meted out against the women who were her followers. For this
reason, she had a large group of women following her. Membership into her
group was forever. This made her even more popular. Many old women would
see this as being a sanctuary against their husband’s families who would at
times take pleasure in cheating them or creating problems for them as soon as
their husband’s would die. All her followers were ready to offer any sacrifice
that she asked them to do because they knew that the desired results would
follow as soon as they did the sacrifices.
In spite of this success, Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ was unable to have her own husband. The
reason for this was because her reputation as an O®ri¾sôa¾ who protected and
defended women against humiliation and violation from their husbands was
very intimidating to most men. Many men did not have the courage to ask for
her hand in marriage.
Secondly, she was an extremely proud, arrogant and self-opinionated woman.
Beside the fact that she needed a man to become pregnant and bear children, she
found no other reason why she should be in any relationship with a man. She
considered all men to be too chauvinistic and too self-centred for her liking. To
her, men needed to be put into their place. For this reason, she had no patience
for any man. She would often be found shouting them down and bullying them
at the slightest opportunity. Men who were in their right sense would run away
from her and she would see nothing wrong with this.
All the same, she needed a man to at least give her children but who could this
man be? She did not need to love the man or be loved back because to her, true
love couldn’t possibly occur with any man anyway. She did not need to respect
59
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
the man either because no man, according to her, deserved respect anyway. She
also did not need to follow any advice from a man or listen to any instruction
because as far as she was concerned, all men had no sense of direction anyway.
There were only two criteria that the man must fulfil; one, he must be strong and
healthy enough to father her children and two, he must have popularity and a
large followership. These criteria were what she used before she narrowed her
search down to O®gu;n. By that time, O®gu;n was living in SÙaki; town. O®gu;n had
the reputation and the bearing of a very strong man. He also had the charisma
as someone who could make things happen. This was somewhat pleasing to
Bu¾u¾ku;u¾. Secondly, O®®gu;n had a lot of adherents, both males and females.
Unknown to many, there was nothing that Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ set her mind to achieve
which she would not get. Even though many women looking for compatible
spouses would go to her for a solution to their problems, they never thought that
she would ever have the need for a man as ordinary women did. That was why
they were unmindful of the fact that she needed a spouse of her own. People
believing this suited her very well because she did not want any man or person,
let alone any of her numerous followers, to know what she too desperately
needed a man to at least make her a mother of children.
In order to succeed in her plan, she went to the home of the Babala;wo
mentioned above for Ifa; consultation. She wanted the Awo to work on this
personal project so that it would succeed. She was convinced that she would
not be able to live with the shame and humiliation if she were to be turned down
by O®gu;n. How would she be able to face her numerous followers, if this were
to occur? During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-Ye¾ôku; was revealed.
The Awo informed Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ that she planned to marry a very powerful and
important man. She was assured that she would succeed in her mission. She
was however warned never to look down upon her man because doing so would
lead to undesirable consequences. She was advised to respect, love, honour and
listen to her husband when she got married. She was informed that doing so
would be the only way to ensure matrimonial peace, harmony and success. She
was also advised to offer eôboô and feed O®gu;n as stated above.
She considered the statements of the Awo. The Awo said that she would
succeed in her bid to marry O®gu;n. If that was the case, of what use was the eôboô
that the Awo recommended? If she refused to respect her husband, what was the
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Awo’s concern in that? To rub injury with salt, why should she be asked to go
and feed the O®ke¾-I®poô¾ri; of O®gu;n? Anyway, she concluded, only busy-bodies
like the Awo would insult her with such recommendations; she stood up and
simply walked out without uttering a word, to the amazement of the Awo.
The wedding ceremony between Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ and O®gu;n was the talk of the whole
community and its environment for a very long time. Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ however left
nobody in doubt as to who was calling the shots in the relationship. She made
sure that everyone present realised that she was the person in charge.
Meanwhile, O®gu;n was totally blind to all her schemes and manners. He was
simply in love with her. He was prepared to satisfy her and dance to her tunes.
When he noticed that she had several followers trooping to their house everyday
in order to find solutions to their problems, he would even arrange things so that
she would always have people assisting her. These people would help her offer
the sacrifices required by her clients and devotees. O®gu;n even gave her his steel
knife for her to use in slaughtering the animals that her clients and devotees had
brought for sacrifice.
Nonetheless, everything that O®gu;n was doing for Bu¾u¾ku;;u¾ did not impress her
one bit. She only translated these actions to mean that O®gu;n was simply
performing his duties as a husband. What was his duty? To Bu¾u¾ku;u¾, O®gu;n’s
duty as well as the duty of all men to all women, was just to make her happy
and do all that she wanted. Any man who was not ready to make a woman
happy and do what she wished, had no business in a woman’s life in the first
place. She also believed that there was no reason for any woman to make a man
happy because the man would only end up taking advantage of that and lord it
over the woman.
In spite of all the things that O®gu;n was doing for her, she could not see any
reason why she should cook him food or bring him water to drink or bathe. To
make matters worse, any time that O®gu;n tried to advise her, she would just
shout him down.
It took less than three months before O®gu;n became the laughing stock of
everyone in SÙaki;. The other wives in O®gu;n’s household could not believe what
was happening to their husband. Those who had originally accorded O®gu;n high
regard and respect were so appalled that they lost all respect for him. One day,
O®gu;n called Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ for a discussion in order to straighten things out with her.
She could not be bothered. She asked O®gu;n to come and meet her in her room
61
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
if he felt that there was anything to discuss. She consented to discuss with him
after much pressure from O®gu;n and the only way the discussion could take
place was if he agreed to discuss things with her in her room.
As soon as O®gu;n started the discussion, Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ lost interest. She was so
uninterested in what he was saying that at a stage, O®gu;n became visibly angry.
Noticing this, she simply shouted him down. If O®gu;n was not satisfied with the
treatment she was giving him, he was free to go and hang himself or better yet,
throw himself into a lagoon or a well. She had no time to give him better
treatment. Besides, he had other wives who could satisfy his silly needs. She
then screamed at him to get out of her room. She cursed and abused him. She
ran her mouth upon him any way she liked and in a way that nobody, man or
woman, had ever talked to O®gu;n before. She then topped it off by spitting in his
face!
By this time, everyone in the household and some of the neighbours had
gathered around their home. They could not believe what they were seeing and
hearing. This could not be happening to O®gu;n. This man standing before
Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ cannot be the O®gu;n they know. It cannot be him. It must not be him!
She then began to push O®gu;n to get out of her room.
That was the straw that broke the camel's back. O®gu;n became livid with rage!
He began shaking all over! When he finally spoke, Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ became
overwhelmed with fear! “I will not allow you to disrespect me in my home any
longer! Even if yesterday’s pounded yam does not satisfy one or fill one’s
belly, its mere look is not enough to instil fear into one’s mind. Who are you?
What do you represent? Who gave birth to you? What do you want? What are
you looking for? What has entered into your dumb head? What has turned
your little brain upside down? What gives you this temerity? Don’t you have
any fear? Who do you think you are? Can’t you recognize your mate? What
gives you this bloated impression about yourself and your worth? What are you
thinking about yourself? Where are your manners? Where is your
womanhood? Where is your decency? Where is your decorum? Where is your
self-respect?” He then paused. By this time, the whole room was charged. The
expression on the face of Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ changed from arrogance to anger, from anger
to surprise, from surprise to confusion, from confusion to regret, from regret to
fear, from fear to horror! By the time O®gu;n was done with her, he had shed all
his humanly garment and had adorned himself with those of an Iru;nmoôleô¾!
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He then told her, “I will spare you my wrath today. Go and remove all your
things and move out of my home now! Leave all my things behind. This
includes the steel knife that I had given to you to use in slaughtering the animals
brought to you. As of today, you will desist from using anything that belongs to
me: knives, blades, axes, cutlasses, hoes, diggers, cudgels, and so on. Get out
now before I change my mind about you!”
As he was speaking, he was shaking all over. Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ was sweating bullets. She
had nobody to plead on her behalf. At that moment, she remembered all the
things that the Babala;wo had told her. It was just too late to do anything about
it now. She blamed herself for over-doing things. She began to pack all her
belongings and some of her followers who were attracted to the scene assisted
her in moving her things out. The shame she did not want to happen to her was
witnessed by everyone around. It was news in the area for a long, long time.
This became a lesson to all arrogant women up till today.
When Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ left, she had no knife to slaughter or skin her animals. She
therefore began using bamboo to skin them instead. From that time, Bu¾u¾ku;u¾
would use only sharpened bamboo to skin her animals since she had been
banned from using any knife or anything made of metal which belongs to O®gu;n.
OÙ®to¾¾ô l'ohu¾n E®e¾gu¾n
OÙ®toô¾ l'ohu¾n EÙ®yoô¾
Ba;kanna;a¾ ni woô;n n; sunku;n
Di;a; fu;n Bu¾u¾ku;u¾
Ti; n;loô re¾e; f’O®gu;n sô’oôkoô ni; SÙaki;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko;; wa;a; sôe
O: koô’ti; oô¾gboônhin s'eô;boô
Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ to; ni; t’O®gu;n ko¾ si;
Bo; ba;a; p’eôran
Ko¾ ni;i r’o;ôbeô kun’ran
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙni to; gb’e;ôboô ni;be¾ô ko; sôeôboô o
Translation:
The dialect of the E®e¾gu¾n people is different
The dialect of EÙ®yoô¾ (OÙ®yo;ô) people is different
Nonetheless, all people cry the same way
63
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
This was Ifa;’s message to Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ (Omolu;)
When going to pick O®gu;n as her husband in SÙaki; land
She was advised to offer eôboô
She refused to comply
Bu¾u¾ku;u¾ who says that O®gu;n amounts to nothing
If she slaughters an animal
She won’t have any knife to skin the animal
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Let those advised to offer eôboô comply with the advice
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to mal treat her man.
She must respect, show love for her man, and she must not humiliate her
husband in any way. That is the only way that she will have peace of mind and
matrimonial comfort. Ifa; says, that if this woman does not change her attitude
toward her husband, the disgrace and humiliation she will bear will be very
great.
16. Ifa; gives a very serious warning here, especially where the person for whom
this Odu¾ is revealed is planning a party or get-together involving several
children and young ones or where he/she is planning to attend an occasion
involving many children together with his/her own children.
It is in the best interest of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô
with two mature female goats and money in order to avert the loss of the lives
of young ones. If this is not done before the said occasion, it is most likely that
this person will suffer the loss of lives of children and young ones.
If the celebration or ceremony is in the form of a picnic or an outing by the
seaside or a body of water, or is a swimming training or competition, then it is
even more imperative for the eôboô to be offered before the day of the event. If
this eôboô cannot be offered, then it is advisable for the event to be postponed or
put off altogether.
On this, Ifa; says:
Bi; a ba; ri;, a¾a; wi;
A®bi; a ki¾i; wi;
A®i¾wi; n’i¾ka¾
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Bi; a ba; wi;i la;wi¾i;ju¾
A ma;a d’a¾wo¾ko
Di;a; fu;n oô¾ko¾ôoô¾ka¾n le;ni;ru;n Iru;nmoôleô¾
Woô;n n; loô ba; Olo;kun peô¾sa;n oôdu;n
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Should one see and say something
Or should one not say anything at all?
Refusal to speak out amounts to wickedness
But if one says too much
One will be viewed as a parrot
This was Ifa;’s message for the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾
When going to celebrate the annual festival with Olo;kun
They were all advised to offer eôboô
In terms of financial and asset accumulation, Olo;kun was the most successful
being ever created by Olo;du¾mare¾. She owned four-fifths of all the resources on
the earth. She controlled many more things on the earth than all the other
Iru;nmoôleô¾, O®ri¾sôa¾, and human beings put together. She was a highly honoured and
respected O®ri¾sôa¾. Her annual festival was also the grandest event on earth.
Anytime she invited the Iru;nmoôleô¾, O®ri¾sôa¾, and human beings to her celebration,
they were expected to come with at least one of their children.
When the guests would arrive at the celebration, something would happen that
would affect their children. When it was time to start the ceremony, the children
who accompanied their parents would either be washed away by the sea or they
would lose their lives by drowning in the ocean. Most of those who attended the
ceremony would return home without their children and with a long sad story to
tell others.
The time came again when Olo;kun invited all the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ to her annual
festival. They were all expected to come with at least one of their children. It
was impossible for them to refuse to attend because this was not the way of the
Divinities. That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ finally decided to go for Ifa; consultation:
What must I do to avoid losing my child if I attend Olo;kun’s annual festival?
65
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ebo with two mature she-goats; one would be
for eôboô and the other one to be handed over to Olo;kun instead of his own child.
OÙru;nmi¾la¾ was urged to offer the eôboô before the date of the festival. He was
assured that if he did this, his child would be spared. He was also cautioned not
to go to the ceremony with any of his children. He complied.
On the day of the ceremony, every invitee came with his/her child. Only
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went there with his own she-goat. All those who saw him thought
that he was either insane or being cynical. All of them had been told to invite at
least one of their children, so why did O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ come with a she-goat?! All the
invitees were totally convinced that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would receive the humiliation of
his life that day because Olo;kun would not find this queer sense of humour a
funny affair at all.
When the time came for the children to go and celebrate with Olo;kun, one by
one, all the invitees went forward and handed over their children. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
also went forward but handed over his she-goat. In the presence of the parents,
the children were marched to the sea. Most of them were washed away while
the remaining ones drowned right in the very eyes of their parents! Orunmila’s
she-goat was slaughtered for consumption, also in the presence of all the
invitees.
Before the close of the ceremony, Olo;kun summoned OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and all the other
invitees to her presence. They all waited eagerly to witness how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
would be given the dressing down that he deserved. How dare he bring along
with him a she-goat when all the others had brought with them their children,
they wondered? When they had all assembled, Olo;kun faced OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and
asked; “why is it that you chose to bring along with you a she-goat when you
were supposed to come with one of your children? Can you explain yourself to
everyone here what is behind your action?”
The whole gathering became dead silent. They wanted to hear his reasons for
behaving in such a funny manner before Olo;kun descended on him. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
cleared his throat and with a smile, he responded, “after deliberating deeply
with my Ori;, I concluded that it would bring me much sorrow and agony for my
beloved child to be put to death right before my very eyes. That is why I
decided to instead bring a she-goat along with me. If the she-goat were to be
slaughtered, like you have done, it would not pain me or cause me grief like it
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would if it were the death of my own child. That is why I could not bring my
child to this ceremony and see my child die before my eyes.
“Is that your reason?”, asked Olo;kun.
“Yes, that is my reason”, responded OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. Olo;kun then turned her attention
to the other guests who had all lost their children. She then asked them”, why is
it that none of you have reasoned the way OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ has? None of you are the
least bit brilliant. Those who are brilliant are not intelligent. Those who are
intelligent lack understanding. Those who have understanding among you do
not know how to couple it with wisdom. Those who have wisdom don’t know
how to apply your hindsight and foresight in any way! You are all fools! You
have all been bringing your children to my festival and every time they have
been dying.
Was that first experience not enough to teach you all a lesson? Can you not
borrow a leaf from hindsight? Why is it that none of you could foresee that this
year, would follow the same pattern as last year and the year before? You have
all continued to bring your children here to be killed! Where have your brains
gone to? Have your brains suddenly leaked out of your ears? Are you the
Iru;nmoôleô¾ whom the affairs of the world rest in their hands? You are all Fools!
Anyway, don’t worry about this any longer. Next year, just bring your children
again and witness them being killed!
She then paused a little. By this time, the faces of all the invited guests had
contorted into huge grimaces of agony. Many of them began wishing the
ground to open up and swallow them. She then asked, “when you all were
invited the first time and you lost your children, why didn’t you use your
hindsight and discretion when you were invited again the following year?
If all of you had decided to leave your children behind at home, what could one
person do against 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ once you had all taken a decision? She then
declared, “when a law is made, as soon as one realizes that the law is not in the
interest of the group, the only reasonable thing is to abrogate such a law! Why
didn’t you all use your common sense? For this reason, all of you need to praise
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ for using discretion, hindsight and foresight. He is the only one who
was spared of agony among you! This is all I have to say to everyone present
here today. I bid you all a good day!”
67
OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
Bi; a ba; ri;, a¾a; wi;
A®bi; a ki¾i; wi;
A®i¾wi; n’i¾ka¾
Bi; a ba; wi;i la;wi¾i;ju¾
A ma;a d’a¾wo¾ko
Di;a; fu;n oô¾ko¾ôoô¾ka¾n le;ni;ru;n Iru;nmoôleô¾
Woô;n n; loô ba; Olo;kun peô¾sa;n oôdu;n
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ ni¾kan ni; n;beô leô;yi¾n to; n; sôeôboô
N®jeô; yo;o; d’i¾i¾ro¾nu; Aka;po¾
Ka; to;o; le¾ ma;a p’oômoô eôni l'o;ju; eôni
Yo;o; d’i¾ba¾nu;je;ô Aka;po¾
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙni gb’eô;boô ni;beô¾ ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô
Translation:
Should one see and say something
Or should one not say anything at all?
Refusal to speak out amounts to wickedness
But if one says too much
One will be viewed as a parrot
This was Ifa’s message for the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾
When going to celebrate the annual festival with Olo;kun
They were all advised to offer eôboô
Only OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered the eôboô
Behold, it will became a matter of sorrow for the Aka;po¾
If one’s child is killed in one’s presence
It will become a matter of agony for the Aka;po¾
Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾
Let those advised to offer eôboô comply with the advice
Ifa; says that it is in the best interest of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed
to do a thorough investigation before he/she allows his/her child to go to any
occasion when this Odu¾ is revealed, especially if the occasion is close to a river,
lagoon, the sea, etc. Ifa; says that this person will be spared the agony and
sorrow of weeping over the death of a loved one. On the other hand, anyone
organizing an event where many children are invited needs to investigate
thoroughly before embarking on it. This is in order for him/her not to have the
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deaths of children and young ones on his/hers conscience for the rest of his/hers
life. It is very important here for the person to use common sense, discretion,
and hindsight and to speak up when something appears wrong, where this Odu¾
is revealed. If this advice is not taken, the person may experience a serious loss
and may feel sorry and regret for many years to come.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
B.
SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-OÙ®YEÙK
® U: FOR THOSE BORN
BY THE ODU DURING I®KOÙSEÙD
® A:YE: OR I®TEÙ®NI:FA:
By nature, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children are born organizers. They have the uncanny
ability to organize people and materials to achieve set objectives. They are
dogged, unassuming, courageous, tireless and accommodating people. These
qualities more often than not account for the success, greatness and reputation
of those born by this Odu¾ during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;.
Coupled with this is the fact that they believe in doing things correctly, orderly,
with discipline, and doing the right thing at all times. They are good advocates,
campaigners, advertisers and demonstrators. They also grow to become great
labour leaders or political leaders. They however do not progress well in politics
because many people usually find their forthrightness a bitter pill to swallow.
This is why many people end up ganging up against them to make their lives
very difficult. However, they triumph in the end.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children live to their old age because they have the support of the
Divinities who help them to close the doors of death, affliction, litigation, loss
and all other life-threatened principalities. They are also blessed with
compatible spouses who understand, love and appreciate them. Most Ogbe¾Yeô¾ku; children do not have many kids of their own but the few they beget end up
making their parents, extended families, community and society at large very
proud. They also have the gift of raising and training children who later grow up
to become useful adults in the society. All Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children however are
warned not to pursue wealth at the expense of childbearing.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children are also very temperamental but they are also very straightforward with people. They value true friendship. They however have a way of
picking friends who will later on become their bitter enemies. They however
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OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
overcome these enemies. The cause of the enmity more often than not emanates
from their insistence that their friends must change their bad habits (or
perceived bad habits) to having good conduct. They will repeat this to the extent
that it will irritate these friends and they will end up becoming antagonists and
bitter enemies.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children are also leaders of their various EÙgbeô; in heaven. They
have a lot of respect, reward and support from their EÙgbeô;. This is why those
born by this Odu¾ will never lack anything in life. Anytime they are in acute
want of anything in life, the moment they feed their EÙgbeô; as appropriate and
required, whatever they lacked hitherto will be supplied in surplus.
These children are very lucky to be born and raised by mothers who believe in
proper upbringing for their children. They are often well brought up. Their
mothers also have the qualities of being relevant in the community they find
themselves. The good deeds and behaviour of their mothers always end up
rubbing off on them. The Divinities make it a duty to protect them in order to
prevent their mothers from weeping over them.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children are truly witty and highly intelligent. This is why they
sometimes ignore the advice of others and do their things their own way. Ifa
however warns against this as the result will not be in their favour. They need to
learn to listen to others.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; female children must never look down upon their husbands or
humiliate them. They must treat their husbands with respect. If they don’t, they
will fail.
In summary, Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; children shall reach the top of their chosen careers.
They must not let anyone or anything intimidate them. On top is where they
have been destined to be. The position is always beckoning to them to come
and occupy it.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
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C. AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA: AND IRU:NMOÙLEÙ® OF OGBE®-‘YEÙ®KU:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Ifa; – for overall success, protection and elevation
Ori; – for support, victory and overall wellbeing
E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ –for victory, support and guidance
EÙdan O®gbo;ni – for longevity, children and support
Odu¾ – for compatible spouse
EÙgbeô; – for success, child-bearing, support and victory
Sôa¾ngo; – for victory over adversaries
OÙba¾ta;la;– for overall well-being and protection against untimely death
O®gu;n – for victory, leadership, success and overall well-being
D.
TABOOS OF OGBE®-OÙ®YEÙ®KU:
1.
Must never use I®ye¾rosu¾n during Ifa;
consultation
especially during the I®koôse¾ôda;ye; of his/her
child – to prevent the
premature death of the child
Must never go into the poultry business or rear roosters
as pets in
his/her home – to avoid misfortunes and calamity.
Must never eat bat or use it for anything – to avoid the
problem
of childlessness
Must never take his/her child to events (especially
where water is
near) without proper investigation first – to avoid the child’s
premature death
Must never ignore useful advice – to avoid unconsummated fortune
and disaster.
Ogbe¾-Yeô¾ku; women must never be arrogant
toward their husbands
– to avoid unconsummated fortune
Must never set traps for others – to avoid falling into the
trap that
he/she has set for others.
Must avoid black, red and hand-painted dresses – to avoid
unconsummated fortune
Must avoid going out at night–to avoid being harmed grievously.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Must never eat groundnuts – to avoid being implicated in what
he/she knows nothing about and to avoid a situation where his/her
good intentions may turn sour and he/she will be held responsible for
causing harm or death to those he/she intended to help.
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OGBE®-OÙY
® EÙ®KU:
E.
POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE-OYEKU
i. MALES
1.
2.
3.
4.
Ifa;feô;mi – Ifa; wants me
Ifa;lo;yin – Ifa; has honey
Ba;ngba;la¾ – Let OÙba¾ta;la; hand me my purity (white cloth) for me to
carry my baby
O®ri¾sôa¾da;yi¾i;si; – O®ri¾sôa¾ spares this from death
ii. FEMALE
1.
2.
3.
4.
Odu¾yeômi; – Odu¾ befits me
Ifa;lo;yin – Ifa; has honey
Ifa;sôeôwa¾ – Ifa; makes things beautiful
Aji;nase¾ô – She who sits and stretches her legs early in the morning
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
72
Chapter 2
Ogbè Ìwòrì
II I
II
II
II I
73
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
OGBE® -W'E®ôYI®N
A.1. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù¾ is revealed during
I®te¾ôlo;du¾ or I®koôseô¾da;ye; shall move from hardship to comfort. He/She
shall rise from grass to grace. He/she shall occupy a leadership position
in life.
The person for whom this Odù¾ is revealed is destined to mould other
people’s character; not just as a teacher, but as someone who shall lead
by example. He/She shall teach people how to think, speak and act in
pragmatic ways.
Ifá says that a very heavy responsibility is placed on his/her shoulders
and he/she cannot afford to fail or let himself/herself down in this divine
assignment. Ifá says that he/she will constantly be confronted with
contentious situations, but he/she should not over-emphasize his/her
rights when dealing with these situations. When cheated, he/she should
not over-react or show that it pains him/her too much. All what he/she
needs to do is put it at the back of his/her mind and know that it shall
be well in the end.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọwith three pigeons, three cocks,
three guinea fowls and money. He/she is also advised to feed Ifa;
with bitter-leaf soup (Vernonia Amygdalina).
The stanza in Ogbe¾ W'eô¾yi¾n, which is in support of these assertions says:
Bi; woô;n ba; j’e¾e¾ru¾ du¾n yi;n
Eô ma; jeô¾e;ô ko; du¾n yi;n ra;ra;
Oun ti; Awo yo;o; jeô
Ki¾i; wo;n
ô l’eôs
; e¾ô Ikin
Di;a; fu;n Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n
Ti;i; sôe A®re¾m
ô oô Ewu;ro
I®gba¾ti; n; beô la;a¾rin i¾po;ônju;
ẹbọni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Translation:
If you are denied of your rightful share
Do not let it perturb you at all
Whatever an Awo will consume
Will never be scarce at the feet of Ifá
This was the declaration of Ifá to Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n
(It-shall-be-sweet-in-the-end)
The first child of Ewu;ro, the Bitter-leaf
When he was in the midst of misery and want
He was advised to offer eôboô
Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n was totally convinced that something was seriously
wrong. He worked himself up to the extent that he believed that
something was amiss in his life. He saw all his colleagues and young
ones succeeding and he could not understand why he had failed to
succeed. He had been initiated into Ifá for over 15 years and he had
been studying and following Ifá for about 10 years before then. Yet, he
had nothing to show for it. He had been hardworking, dedicated, honest
and unassuming. Yet, he had been wallowing in penury. He had never
lied, cheated or usurped other people’s belongings. Yet, he was being
cheated and denied his rights and what belonged to him on a constant
basis. He would work selflessly and tirelessly to achieve a goal only for
others to come from nowhere to enjoy the fruits of his labour. Surely,
he concluded, something was seriously wrong with him.
What was it that was really wrong? He reasoned that it must be one of
two things: he did not choose a good destiny from heaven or he was
being attacked by witches and other negative principalities. Before long,
he began to see himself as someone who did not choose a good destiny
from heaven and who was a victim of the witches and evil people’s
attacks.
One day, Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n went to the home of the Awo mentioned
above for Ifá consultation. He asked: why must I be working for others
to enjoy themselves while I am being denied of my rightful share? Why,
in spite of my dedication, selflessness, honesty and benevolence, do I
have nothing to show in terms of achievement? Why must I be the
target of attacks from the witches, wizards and evil ones? Why did I not
75
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
choose a good and comfortable destiny from heaven?
treating me so badly? Why? He asked.
Why is life
The Awo told Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n that his situation in life was pathetic at
that particular point in time but he should however be assured that in
the end, failure would give way to success; sadness to joy; and
hopelessness to boundless opportunities. He was told that his life would
be likened to that of the Ewu;ro, bitter-leaf. When first tasted, it will be
very bitter in the mouth; but in the end, it will bring out sweet tastes
which those who have tasted it will really enjoy.
Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n was told that things were hard and rough for him
now because that was the way it was at the initial stage for the bitterleaf. He was advised to persevere and he would be pleasantly surprised
that everything would change for the better for him. The Awo advised
him to offer ẹbọas stated above and to feed Ifá with bitter-leaf soup.
He complied. He was also asked to be patient and hopeful. He was
ready to do those too. The Awo told him that Olo;du¾mare¾, his Ori;, and
Ifá would give him all the support that he needed to wade through the
turbulent period of his life. He was told to continue doing well at all
times; to move closer to Olo;du¾mare and never give up. He equally
complied with all of these directives.
When going, the Awo told him never to think that anyone was after him
or that he had chosen a bad destiny. Rather, he was advised to be
hopeful that his time to succeed was very near. With these assurances,
Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n left the home of the Awo with the determination to
live his life within the ambit of the advice of Ifá. He continued to do
good, please people and work tirelessly for the success and happiness of
others.
At the initial stages, those who had been cheating him continued to do
so, thinking that Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n was simply a fool. Before long,
others who had benefited from his benevolence stood up in his defence.
They did not allow anyone to cheat him any longer. Soon after this, he
no longer slept in hunger or want. His due recognition was given to
him. He continued to pray to Olo;du¾mare¾, his Ori;, and Ifá to make his
life change from bitterness to sweetness, just like the ewu;ro, bitterleaf.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
It did not take him much longer before he began to accumulate wealth.
With this wealth, he secured a good spouse. Together, they had many
children. The children and his spouse joined hands with him to erect a
befitting mansion. He was highly recognized and respected in his
community. At a stage, no decision could be taken in that community
without his knowledge and approval.
One day, Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n sat down quietly in his home to take stock
of his journey from penury to wealth; from failure to success and from
agony to joy. He had no option but to give thanks and praise to
Olo;du¾mare¾, his Ori;, and Ifá.
Bi; wo;ôn ba; j’e¾e¾ru¾ du¾n yi;n
Eô ma; je¾ôeô; ko; du¾n yi;n ra;ra;
Oun ti; Awo yo;o; jeô
Ki¾i; wo;n
ô l’eôs
; e¾ô Ikin
Di;a; fu;n Yo;o;-du¾¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾n
Ti;i; sôe A®re¾ômoô Ewu;ro
I®gba¾ti; n;; beô la;a¾rin i¾poô;nju;
ẹbọni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
N®je;ô bo; ba; w’oôla; OÙloô;run
O®Ùroô¾ mi ka¾sô¾a¾i¾ du¾n gbe¾ôyi¾n
Bo¾; ba; w’oôla; Ori; mi
O®Ùroô¾ m¾i ka¾sôa¾i¾ du¾n gbe¾ôyi¾n
Bo; ba; w’oôla; Ifá; mi
O®Ùroô¾ mi ka¾sôa¾i¾ du¾n gbe¾ôyi¾n
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
Eô wa; ba;’ni b’a;yo¾ô
Eôô wa; wo’re o
Translation:
If you are denied of your rightful share
Do not let it perturb you at all
Whatever an Awo will consume
Will never be scarce at the feet of Ifá
This was the declaration of Ifá to Yo;o;-du¾n-gbe¾ôyi¾¾n
(It shall be sweet in the end)
The first child of ewu;ro, the Bitter-leaf
77
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
When he was in the midst of misery and want
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
By the special grace of Olo;du¾mare
My situation shall be sweet in the end
By the special grace of my Ori;
My situation shall be sweet in the end
By the special grace of my Ifá
My situation shall be sweet in the end
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of endless joy
Come and perceive all Ire
Ifá says that this person shall witness all the Ire of life. He/she shall
have reason to celebrate in life. With perseverance, he/she shall attain
recognition, honour and success.
2. Ifá says that if Ikin are used for Ifá consultation on any issue
whatsoever and Ogbe¾-w'e¾ôyi¾n is revealed and it comes out in A®ye¾ôwo¾,
certain information must be borne in mind: one, although Ifá is not
predicting Ire at this initial stage, this does not necessarily mean that
Ifá does not foresee Ire. What this means particularly is that the spirit
of Ifá is not in the home of this person at this point in time. The
consultation must be stopped as soon as A®ye¾ôwo¾ is revealed. The Awo
in charge will then procure two big kola nuts with four lobes each and
break them open for Ifá in order to summon back the spirit of Ifá into
this person’s home. After this has been done, the Awo will then continue
by asking again if Ifá foresees Ire or A®ye¾ôwo¾. Ifá promises that by so
doing, Ifá will cast its benevolent glance at the Awo and the client(s). If
A®ye¾ôwo¾ is revealed again after feeding the kola nut, the Awo will
continue the casting as usual.
Two, Ifá says that there is equally the need for the person for whom this
Odù¾ is revealed to seek the support of Egu;ngu;n and Oro¾. This is
because the person for whom this Odù¾ is revealed has a close affinity
with these two divinities. There is the need to find out what to use to
feed these divinities and to do so promptly.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Three, there is the need to offer ẹbọ of A®ru;kore in order for the client to
be the recipient of all Ire in life. The ẹbọ materials include: two rats,
two fish, two hens, two cocks, two guinea fowls, two ducks,
two pigeons and money.
On these, Ifá says:
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, a¾bi; ko¾ si; ni;le;?
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oômoô ab'OÙ®sôun lô';e;ôri
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oôômoô ab'OÙô®o¾ôsôa¾ kan ji¾ngbi¾nni¾ lo;tu Ife¾ô
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oômoô oô¾pe¾ô kan n;la; ti; n;fi oju; joô a¾gba; ni;le;
ire;ôgi;-ire;ôgi;;
A®woôn ni woôô;n m'o;bi¾ me;ji¾ ko¾gba¾di¾-kogbadi
Woô;n; fi n;b'e;ôfoô¾n sô’oô¾ta;
O: ni; a;; paa; o
A® la;a pa a;
Woô;n ni; ni;bo la gbe; pa a; si;
Mo la;a paa; si; ori;ta Olu;
O: ni; a; kun-u;n o
A® la;a kun-u;n
Wo;ôn ni; ni;bo la gbe; kun-u;;n si;;?
A ni; a kun-u;n s’o;ôna¾ Di¾ndi¾nri¾n
A®woôn O®ke¾ ni o¾ fibi ri¾nmi¾ri¾nmi¾ teô’leô¾
Di;;a; fu;n Egu;ngu;;n
Ti; woôn o; ma pe¾ e; ni; Baba
Oro¾ ni o¾ r'eô;ni ti; yo;o; pe¾e; mo;ô
Translation:
Is Ifá at home or not?
Ifá is at home, he who propitiates OÙ®sôun inside the river
Ifá is at home, he who propitiates an elegantly
decorated O®ri¾sôa¾ in Ile;-Ife¾ô
Ifá is at home, the holy palm tree that resembles
an a¾gba; drum in its entirety
May two big kola nuts be procured
And let us use them to confront a buffalo
They asked us to break the kola nuts
We responded that the kola nuts have been broken
They wanted to know where the kola nuts were broken
79
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
We responded that they were broken at
the crossroad leading to Olu;’s home
We were asked to cut them into pieces
We responded that they had been cut into pieces
They wanted to know where we had cut them
We responded that it was on the way to Di¾ndi¾nri¾n-Land
A®woôn O®ke¾ ni o¾ fibi ri¾nmi¾ri¾nmi¾ teô’le¾ô (Big hills do
not sit on their tips turned upside down)
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Egu;ngu;n
Who would be known and called “Baba”
But Oro¾ was he who had no one to salute him
In the beginning, Oro¾ and Egu;ngu;n were planning to leave I®ko¾ôle; O®Ùrun
(heaven) for I®ko¾ôle; Aye;, (the Earth) together. Their intention was to
come and settle on earth. When they got to the boundary between
heaven and earth, Oro¾, the Elder divinity instructed Egu;ngu;n his
younger one to go into I®ko¾ôle; Aye;, to find out if I®ko¾ôle; Aye;, would be
conducive for them to stay. Oro¾ also wanted Egu;ngu;n to report back
to him after investigating the earth. Egu;ngu;n came into I®ko¾ôle; Aye;,.
When he arrived, those who saw him realized that he was not an
ordinary human being, especially with his costume. They greeted him
with reverence. Egu;ngu;n responded in like manner and told them that
he would like to be taken to the palace of the Ϙba of I®ko¾ôle; Aye;. He was
taken there accordingly.
On getting to the palace of the Ϙba of I®ko¾ôle; Aye;, the Ϙba asked him
what roles he planned to perform. He responded that he would perform
the roles of blessing the childless with children; blessing the unmarried
with a good spouse; blessing the poor and helpless with success
chances and wealth; and that he would bless people and the community
with prosperity, peace and tranquillity. In summary, he promised to
change the bad aspects of people’s lives to good so that life would be
worthy of living for them. When asked what he would want to be
offered for performing these roles, he responded that he would like to
be offered A®ka¾ra¾ (fried bean cakes), E®koô (cold corn meal), OÙ®o¾ôleô (cooked
bean fritters), Obi¾ (Kola nuts), A®ku¾koô (cocks), Oti; (liquor) and A®gbo¾
(Ram).
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
The Ϙba then instructed that the first person that saw Egu;ngu;n should
take him home and this person should be given the title of A®a¾reô O®je;¾.
Also, that Egu;ngu;n should be propitiated and the ceremony should be
performed by the A®a¾reô O®je;¾., the first person to “see” Egu;ngu;n. Where
Egu;ngu;n was located as his permanent place of abode was known as
I®gba¾le¾ô. Egu;ngu;n could only be seen outside on special occasions when
special ceremonies were to be performed.
For 12 full months, Egu;ngu;n had a field day. People kept trooping into
his I®gba¾le¾ô. He performed as he had promised: the sick got well; the poor
became rich; the debtor paid off his/her debts; the bachelor/spinster
became blessed with a suitable spouse; the barren received the blessing
of the fruit of the womb; the hopeless became hopeful. In short, life
changed for the good for all the inhabitants of Ile;-Aye; who approached
Egu;ngu;n for assistance.
While all this was occurring, Oro¾ was still waiting at the boundary of Aye;
and O®Ùrun. Initially, he felt that there was nothing to worry about. Three
full moons after, he became concerned: Why is Egu;ngu;n taking so long
to come and report to him? Did he meet with calamity when he got to
Ile;-Aye;? Oro¾ quickly removed these thoughts from his mind because he
knew that if Egu;ngu;n was in any type of problem, he (Oro¾) would
notice it instantly. But if Egu;ngu;n was not in any type of trouble, then
what was causing the delay?
By the time it was seven full moons, Oro¾ was getting angry with
Egu;ngu;n. Oro¾ felt that it should not have taken Egu;ngu;n more than
seven days to find out if Ile;-Aye; was conducive for them or not and
report back to him. He began to think some more. Why then was it that
an assignment that was supposed to be performed in seven days has
not been completed in seven months? Why? By the time it was 10
months, Oro¾ had worked himself up into red hot anger. He concluded
that Egu;ngu;n was only being impertinent. He reasoned that Egu;ngu;n
was doing that in order to slight him. He decided that he would not be
bothered. Egu;ngu;n had to come and meet him at the boundary and
purge himself of his impertinence. He promised that he would tongue
lash Egu;ngu;n and tell him things he would never forget in a hurry.
When it became 12 full moons, the inhabitants of Ile;-Aye; put their
heads together and performed a one year ceremony to commemorate
81
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
when Egu;ngu;n arrived into their midst. Everyone had good tales to
tell. It was a grand occasion and all those who participated in the
ceremony were abundantly blessed. There was singing and dancing,
drumming and displays of costumes. The devotees of Egu;ngu;n had
increased in many folds.
On the 13th full moon, a thought occurred to Oro¾: Maybe Egu;ngu;n has
been living so good in Ile;-Aye; that he has simply forgotten his own elder
who had sent him on a very simple errand? The thought looked so
preposterous to Oro¾ that he quickly dismissed it from his mind. But
what could make Egu;ngu;n refuse to come and report back to him? It
had been 13 months and him being in any form of trouble had been
ruled out; but then what other reason could there be? None! It must
be that Egu;ngu;n has been really enjoying himself at the expense of his
elder! No, it can’t be so; it really is so! Yes, it is so! It has to be so!
But why? Egu;ngu;n must be taught a lesson for this! He must be
punished for this! He must be rubbished for this! It must be done right
in the presence of the people of Ile;-Aye; so that they will know that
Egu;ngu;n has broken a great oath and has betrayed the trust reposed
on him! Egu;ngu;n has cheated his Elder and he must be punished! Yes,
he must be punished! With this resolved, Oro¾ angrily left the boundary
between Aye; andOÙ®run and stormed into Ile;-Aye;.
As soon as he got to Ile;-Aye;, he was asking for Egu;ngu;n. In his blind
fury he was a very awful spectacle. The first person who saw him was
so terrified that he did not know what to do. In the end, he decided to
take Oro¾ to the palace of the Ϙba of Aye;.
While at the palace, Oro¾ was demanding for Egu;ngu;n. His anger was
totally uncontrollable.
As soon as the Ϙba of Aye; saw this, he summoned his chiefs and had a
quick meeting with them. Meanwhile, Oro¾ was made comfortable but
he could not be comforted completely. He could not wait to set his eyes
on Egu;ngu;n..
However, during their deliberation, the Ϙba and his chiefs concluded
that Oro¾ must never be allowed to set his eyes on Egu;ngu;n. They
reasoned that in the past 13 full moons, their lives had changed for the
better and the quality of their very existence had greatly improved; all
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
due to the activities of Egu;ngu;n. For this reason, they would have to
defend Egu;ngu;n at all costs. The only way to do this, they reasoned,
was to ensure that where Egu;ngu;n was living must remain hidden from
Oro¾.
The chiefs also felt that they could equally take advantage of the
presence of Oro¾ in Ile;-Aye;, and make use of his abilities too. They
approached Oro¾ and demanded from him what roles he could perform
while in their midst. He explained what he could do for them. They
realized that his roles were similar to those of Egu;ngu;n. They also
discovered that Egu;ngu;n and Oro¾ both represented the Ancestors even
though Oro¾ was the Elder Divinity. They demanded from Oro¾ to tell
them what he would love people to give him as propitiation material for
all the good things he would be doing for them. He explained to them
what the items were and most of them were similar to those of
Egu;ngu;n.
Ϙba-Aye;, then directed that the first person who saw Oro¾ should take
him home and put him in a grove. The grove was known as Igbo;ro¾. He
also directed that Egu;ngu;n must be coming out in the day time while
Oro¾ should be coming out during the dead of the night. This was to
avoid confrontation and friction between the two. Since that time up till
today, Egu;ngu;n and Oro¾ are still not in good terms. Even their
devotees are not the best of friends.
Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to send anyone
on any errand that is known to be very important to his/her life. Ifá
says that he/she will not be in any position to blame the person sent on
that errand if that person decides to go and exhibit his/her own
potentials where he/she has been sent. When anything is very important
to the person for whom this Odù is revealed, it is in his/her best interest
to perform that assignment by himself/herself. That is the only way
he/she will not have everlasting regret.
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, a¾bi; ko¾ si; ni;le;?
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oômoô ab'OÙ®sôun lô';e;ôri
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oôômoô ab'OÙô®o¾ôsôa¾ kan ji¾ngbi¾nni¾ lo;tu Ife¾ô
Ifá; n;beô ni;le; o, oômoô oô¾pe¾ô kan n;la; ti; n;fi oju; joô
a¾gba; ni;le; ire;ôgi;-ire;ôgi;;
A®woôn ni woôô;n m'o;bi¾ me;ji¾ ko¾gba¾di¾-kogbadi
83
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Woô;n; fi n;b'e;ôfoô¾n sô’oô¾ta;
O: ni; a;; paa; o
A® la;a pa a;
Woô;n ni; ni;bo la gbe; pa a; si;
Mo la;a paa; si; ori;ta Olu;
O: ni; a; kun-u;n o
A® la;a kun-u;n
Wo;ôn ni; ni;bo la gbe; kun-u;;n si;;?
A ni; a kun-u;n s’o;ôna Di¾ndi¾nri¾n
A®woôn O®ke¾ ni o¾ fibi ri¾nmi¾ri¾nmi¾ teô’leô¾
Di;;a; fu;n Egu;ngu;;n
Ti; woôn o; ma pe¾ e; ni; Baba
Oro¾ ni o¾ r'eô;ni ti; yo;o; pe¾e; mo;ô
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ki;; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Egu;ngu;n ni¾kan lo; n;beô l’eôy
; i¾n to; n;s’ô e¾boô
N®je;ô Olu;yoôku¾n Baba ni o
Ifá; Olu;yoôku¾n Baba ni
EÙ®yin o¾ mo¾ô ‘pe; Olu;yoôku¾n ni Baba n;je;ô
A®se
ô ; Olu;yoôku¾n Baba ni o
Translation:
Is Ifá at home or not?
Ifá is at home, he who propitiates O®Ùsun inside the river
Ifá is at home, he who propitiates an elegantly
decorated O®ri¾sôa¾ in Ile;-Ife¾ô
Ifá is at home, the holy palm tree that resembles
an a¾gba; drum in its entirety
May two big kola nuts be procured
And let us use them to confront a buffalo
They asked us to break the kola nuts
We responded that the kola nuts have been broken
They wanted to know where the kola nuts were broken
We responded that they were broken at the crossroad
leading to Olu’s home
We were asked to cut them into pieces
We responded that they had been cut into pieces
They wanted to know where we had cut them
We responded that it was on the way to Di¾ndi¾nri¾n-Land
A®woôn O®ke® ni o¾ fibi ri¾nmi¾ri¾nmi¾ teôle¾ô
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
(Big-hills-do-not-sit-on-their-tips-turned-upside-down)
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for Egu;ngu;n
Who would be known and called “Baba”
But Oro¾ was he who had no one to salute him
They were advised to offer ẹbọ
Only Egu;ngu;n complied
Behold! Olu;yoôku¾n is Baba
Ifá Olu;yoôku¾n is truly Baba
Don’t you know that Olu;yoôku¾n is the name of Baba
So, Baba is known and called Olu;yoôku¾n
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be known
and called Baba, the Father. There is however the need for this person
to make himself/herself relevant to his/her family, group, community
and the whole society at large, at all times. Where maturity is expected
to be applied, he/she needs not display anger.
3. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for whom
this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this person shall be counted among
the movers and the shakers of his/her groups, family or community. Ifá
says that this person shall come across something or someone who shall
turn him/her into a highly influential person in his/her community. No
serious decision can or will be taken outside his/her knowledge.
Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to procure two
dogs for ẹbọ. One of the dogs shall be returned to him/her to keep as
a pet while the second one shall be retained by the Awo. He/she also
needs to feed his/her Ifá with Iku;n (Squirrel). If these two steps can
be taken, success is guaranteed. Leadership is assured.
On these, Ogbe¾-'We¾ôyi¾n says:
Ogbe¾-'Weô¾yi¾n b’a;ja; reô o; baa¾ pa Iku;n
Dia fun O®Ùru;nmi;la¾¾
T’I:fa; yo;o; woô;n’ja;
Ti; yo;o; soôoô; ni; Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe;
EÙboô ni wo;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
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Translation:
Ogbe, look back, maybe your dog will kill a squirrel
This was Ifá’s message to Orunmila
Who would procure a dog
And name it Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe (Benevolence is not in vain)
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was farming and doing Ifá business simultaneously. He
cultivated a large farm. He primarily planted yams. He was very sure of
a bountiful harvest that year. In spite of this hope, he went to the
home of the Awo mentioned above, who incidentally was one of his
former students, for Ifá consultation. Will I succeed this year?
The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would succeed beyond his
expectations. He was told that he would come across something that
would elevate him financially. He was assured that he would become
very influential in his community.
The Awo also advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with two dogs. He
complied. One of the dogs was returned to him. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was advised
to name the dog “Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe”–meaning “Benevolence-is-not-in-vain”.
He did. He was also advised to ensure that he fed his Ifá with squirrel
on a regular basis.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ returned home with his dog and with the determination to
ensure that his Ifá was fed with a squirrel at least once every 17 days.
Anywhere he went, it was with Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe his dog. The dog soon
became his favourite pet. The dog was also very good in hunting. As a
matter of fact, Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe’s training was thorough and intense. The
dog would kill rabbits, big rats, grass cutters, antelopes, brown rats,
grey rats, squirrels, etc. All of these were very easy kills for the dog.
One day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went to his farm together with Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe. As
soon as they got to the farm, they saw a squirrel. Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe sited the
squirrel first, even before OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. The dog needed no prompting
before giving the squirrel a hot chase. The squirrel entered a hole in an
anthill close by. Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe began to dig the hole with his hands and
legs. Before long, the dog fell into a big hole, saw and killed the squirrel
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but at the same time, it saw two big loads of expensive jewellery, coral
beads, elephant tusks, enamels, etc in the big hole.
Unknown to anyone, about 20 years back, a group of armed bandits had
gone on robbery operations. They had robbed and killed the high and
mighty in several towns and villages and dispossessed them of their
goods. While they were carting these goods away, common sense told
them to hide the goods somewhere for sometime in order to allow public
outcry to subside. They dug a large hole at the particular site and buried
all their loot there.
The next day, there was heavy rainfall. All the signs they made in order
for them to easily identify the spot where the loot was buried were
obliterated. A week or so after, they came to the spot to retrieve their
loot but they could not spot the place where all the jewellery, enamels
and ivories were buried. They were able to retrieve the clothes, shoes
and leather materials only. They promised to come back at a later date
to comb the site more thoroughly.
The following week, they went on another robbery operation. This time
around, the public was ready for them. The robbery gang was wiped
out mercilessly.
Soon after this, ants made the site where the loot was buried their
home. They moulded their hill on the very spot. About 10 years or so,
they left the spot. The anthill became the home of rodents, rabbits, big
rats, snakes, etc. That was how the squirrel ran into the anthill when
Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe was in pursuit.
Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe called the attention of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to the jewellery. As
soon as he saw the jewels, he remembered what his Awo had told him.
He packed all the jewellery, enamels, ivory, etc and took them to his
home. He also used the squirrel to feed Ifá.
That was how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ became the richest man in his community in
one day. He invited the leader of the community to his home. He
showed them what he had found. They deliberated together on what to
do with them. In the end, they shared them among the inhabitants. A
part of the materials were sold and the proceeds were used to execute
public projects. They however ensured that the biggest share went to
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ who brought their attention to his change of status. Everyone
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gave OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ respect because they knew that not all people would
agree to share their wealth with others.
Ogbe¾-'Weô¾yi¾n b’a;ja; reô o; baa¾ pa Iku;n
Dia fun O®Ùru;nmi;la¾¾
T’I:fa; yo;o; woô;n’ja;
Ti; yo;o; soôoô; ni; Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe;
EÙboô ni wo;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ® ba; ba;’ni b’a;yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
Ogbe, look back, maybe your dog will kill a squirrel
This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Who would procure a dog
And name it Oore-Ki¾i;-gbe; (Benevolence is not in vain)
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and behold all the Ire of life
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have cause
to celebrate. He/she shall be highly honoured and respected in his/her
family, community and the society at large.
4. Ifá says that the person for whom Ogbe¾-We¾ôyi¾n is revealed shall make
huge profits in his/her chosen career. If his/her profession has to do
with farming or agriculture in general, he/she shall succeed very well.
He/she shall not regret his/her chosen career.
Ifá, at the same time, says that he/she shall also make huge profit in
his/her marriage, especially with regards to the resultant children that
he/she will produce and raise from the marriage. His/her children will
bring him/her huge profits, joy, pride, peace of mind, contentment and
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satisfaction. He/she shall be very proud of these children. In fact, these
children shall be greater than him/her in the future.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons, four guinea
fowls and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with one mature
she-goat.
On these, Ifá says:
Ako;’gi-l’a;pa;, t’e¾ôyi¾n lo; po¾ô ju t’iwa;ju; loô o
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; Baba yo;o; f’oko la¾
Ti; yo;o; si¾ f’oko; la¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
In order to carry a bundle of firewood in one’s arm
successfully, the part extending to the back needs
to be longer than the part extending to the front
This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Who would succeed on the farm
And would also succeed while raising a family
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was contemplating going into full-scale farming. He planned
to cultivate yams, maize, okra, sweet potato, melon and plantain. He
secured very fertile land for his intended project. Before embarking on
anything further, he went for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed? Is farming
in line with my destiny?
The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would be very successful in his
chosen career. He was told that he would make a huge profit that
would turn him into a very wealthy man. He was advised not to
entertain any fear whatsoever.
The Awo also told him that his real profit in life depended on him getting
married and producing his own children. He was told that his children
would give him more profit and joy than any financial success could ever
do for him. The Awo informed him that raising his own family was his
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real gain in life. He urged OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to go ahead and get married and
have his own children as soon as possible. After this, he advised
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ and feed Ifá as stated above. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied.
As soon as he got home, he embarked on the two projects - cultivating
his farm and finding a suitable spouse. He soon cleared the land and at
the same time cleared the way for marriage. He made heaps for
planting and at the same time, he got married. He planted yams on the
farm and planted babies at home, when his yams germinated on the
farm, his wife delivered a baby at home. His joy knew no bounds. He
became very wealthy on the farm and became a proud father in the
home. Many years after, his wealth on the farm helped him to train his
children in the home. The children soon became richer than him. They
became his greatest source of joy.
Ako;’gi-l’a;pa;, t’e¾ôyi¾n lo; po¾ô ju t’iwa;ju; loô o
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; Baba yo;o; f’oko la¾
Ti; yo;o; si¾ f’oko; la¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
N®je;ô mo r’e;re¾ l’o;ko;
Mo r’e;re¾ l’o;ko
E®re¾ ti; mo ri; l’o;ko ko¾ to; t’oko;
Translation:
In order to carry a bundle of firewood in one’s arms
successfully, the part extending to the back needs
to be longer than the part extending to the front
This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Who would succeed on the farm
And would also succeed while raising a family
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Behold, I have profited while raising a family
I have also profited on my farm
The profit I have made on the farm is nothing
compared to the one I have made with my genitals
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Ifá says that this person shall have no regrets in his/her business and
family undertakings.
5. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be
blessed with a bouncing baby boy. When this baby arrives, the name of
the baby should be Ifá;wuyi¾.
If a pregnant woman is where this Odù is revealed, the woman is to be
assured that she will have a safe delivery. Not only this, the coming
baby shall be a male and the name to be given to the baby is Ifá;wuyi¾.
Ifá says that if this Odù is cast during the I®koôse¾ôda;ye of a male baby,
the name of the baby is Ifá;wuyi¾.
Ifá also says that this baby shall enjoy the special protection of Ifá. The
baby shall not die young. He shall live to his old age. The baby shall
also accomplish many things in his life. Ifá however advises this person
to be very close to Ifá. He must never contemplate leaving the path of
Ifá as there lays his protection and sanctuary.
On all these, Ifá says:
A® n; ki; oômoô eku
OÙmoô eku n; wo iwa;ju;
Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;n lo; de;
Ti; o; fi n; wo iwa;ju;
O: ni; iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju;
Lo; pa ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-ideô
A® n; ki oômoô eôja
OÙmoô eôja n; w’e¾ôyi¾n wo¾
Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja ki;n lo; de;
Ti; o; fi n; wo eô¾yi¾n wo¾
O: ni; iku; ala;i¾ we¾ôyi¾n wo¾
Lo; pa ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-ideô
Mo wa; wo iwa;ju;
E®mi wo e¾ôyi¾n
E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifá;
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ti;i yo;o; bi¾i; Ifá;wuyi¾ l’o;ômoô
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko;o wa;a; sôe
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Translation:
While greeting Eku (the Rat)
The rat continued to look forward
They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred
that you are continuously looking forward?”
The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was
what led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ”
While greeting EÙja (the Fish)
The fish continued to look backward
They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred that
you are continuously glancing backward?”
The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward
was what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô ”
I looked forward
And I even glanced backward
I could not see anything as beneficial as Ifá
These were Ifá’s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Who would give birth to a baby called Ifá;wuyi¾
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was very successful in his calling as a Babaláwo. His clients
had cause to rejoice any time they went to him for solutions to their
numerous problems. In the end, they usually showed him their
appreciation by showering him with gifts. For this reason, money was
not OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s problem.
He was also blessed with a nice and beautiful spouse. His wife was
totally devoted to him. She also believed absolutely in him. In spite of
this, there was a problem however. There was no fruit of the womb to
show for the love and belief they had for each other.
One day, his wife called him and told him that she found it difficult to
believe how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ could be looking after her for all these years that
they had been married without helping her to solve her infertility
problem. After all, there had been several people who had come for the
same problem whom OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had helped and these women were
already proud mothers many times over! She said that a woman’s child
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is her pride and wealth in her matrimonial home. What love does
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ profess to have for her when he has failed to help her solve
her infertility problem? In the end, she accused OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ of being
insensitive to her plight and by extension, just paying lip service to his
love for her.
In his response, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ assured her that he was also suffering from
the same problem of childlessness. He told her that he too yearned to
have his own child that he could love, cherish, send on errands and
confide in. He said that he had tried to find a solution to this problem
but Ifá told him that with a little more patience, they would soon
become proud parents. With this assurance, she calmed down.
Six months after, they were still having patience and hoping that the
baby would soon come. The wife could wait no longer. She called
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ again and screamed at him that he could afford to wait until
his old age because as a man, he could still father a baby when he was
very, very old but in her own case, her time was limited. “You are
callous!” she screamed. “You are a wicked man! You have not tried
hard enough!” If it had been other people, you would have found a
solution! What offence have I committed against you that has made
you not to take my matter seriously? Why?!” In the end, she pleaded
with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to let her go if he felt that he was no longer in love with
her.
In his response, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told his wife that he was still in love with her
and that he would do anything for her to make her happy. He assured
her that Ifá said that she was just at the verge of getting pregnant.
Consequently, she had no cause to leave her matrimonial home or be
angry. He explained to her that he had even gone to meet the group of
Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation on the issue. The Awo had
assured him that whether he offered ẹbọ or not, his wife would become
pregnant. What he needed to take more seriously was for the baby not
to be snatched away from them by the cold hands of Ikú (Death). He
informed his wife that he had been advised to offer ẹbọ with four rats,
four fish, two hens and money in order for his wife to become
pregnant. He was also advised to add a mature he-goat to the ẹbọ so
that his baby would not die young. After this, Ifá had advised him to
feed Ifá with a mature she-goat. It was on the morning of that very
day that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered all the ẹbọ.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her all of these, she was somewhat pacified. She
felt that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was really concerned about their welfare. That was
when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her that the coming baby would be a male and its
name should be Ifá;wuyi¾-Ifá is prestigious. In the end, apologies were
offered and accepted on both sides. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ apologised to his wife
even though he was doing everything for her. The problem was that he
was not keeping her in the picture of what he was doing to help. In the
case of the wife, she apologised for the use of intemperate language
against him.
That very month, she became pregnant. Every OÙ®se¾ô Ifá;, they cast Ifá to
ensure that nothing happened to the pregnancy. In the end, she gave
birth to a bouncing baby boy. The baby was named Ifá;wuyi as Ifá had
advised.
From that day, they began to shower their love and affection on the
baby. At the same time, they began to do everything and anything to
protect the life of Ifá;wuyi, their jewel of inestimable value.
A® n; ki; oômoô eku
OÙmoô eku n; wo iwa;ju;
Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;n lo; de;
Ti; o; fi n; wo iwa;ju;
O: ni; iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju;
Lo; pa ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-ideô
A® n; ki oômoô eôja
OÙmoô eôja n; w’e¾ôyi¾n wo¾
Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja ki;n lo; de;
Ti; o; fi n; wo eô¾yi¾n wo¾
O: ni; iku; ala;i¾ we¾ôyi¾n wo¾
Lo; pa ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-ideô
Mo wa; wo iwa;ju;
E®mi wo e¾ôyi¾n
E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifá;
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ti;i yo;o; bi¾i; Ifá;wuyi¾ l’o;ômoô
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko;o wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ifá;wuyi¾ oômoô oô¾ mi o
Ifá;wuyi¾ o¾ gboôdoô¾ ku; ni; ke;kere;
Ifá;wuyi¾ oômoô oô¾ mi o
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Translation:
While greeting Eku (the Rat)
The rat continued to look forward
They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred
that you are continuously looking forward?”
The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was
what led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ”
While greeting EÙja (the Fish)
The fish continued to look backward
They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred that
you are continuously glancing backward?”
The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward
was what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô”
I looked forward
And I even glanced backward
I could not see anything as beneficial as Ifá
These were Ifá’s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Who would give birth to a baby called Ifá;wuyi¾
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Ifá;wuyi¾ is my beloved child
May Ifá;wuyi¾ not die young
Ifá;wuyi¾ is my beloved child
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will be blessed
with a baby boy and the baby will be protected from dying young or
meeting with any calamity.
6. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed had hitherto
used his/her mouth to create problems for himself/herself. Ifá says
however that it is the same mouth that he/she will use to pull
himself/herself out of the problems.
Ifá says that this person has a keen sense of observation. His/her sense
of observation will eventually exalt him/her. He/she shall become a
leader and shall be found in the midst of royalty.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Ifá also says that there is a pregnant woman where this Odù is revealed.
The woman will give birth to a male baby.
Ifá equally warns a man who is having a disagreement with his spouse
where this Odù is revealed to act with levelheadedness. He must not
behave like a bastard! Ifá says that a bastard is he who encounters
something that angers him (because something bad has been done to
him) but who shies away by not showing any anger; also, it is a bastard
who is begged for forgiveness and refuses to accept the plea.
Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with
one mature she-goat and 30 bags of money.
On these, Ifá says:
OÙgboô;n inu; u woôn ni;i; ra;n woôn lo;gun
OÙ®fun i¾mo¾ôra¾n ni;i; ro i¾mo¾ôra¾n l’e;;ro¾
Bi; woô;n ba; gboô;n l’a;gbo¾ôn-o;ônju¾
Oko aje ni;i; mu; woôn-oô;n loô
Di;a; fu;n Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾
Ti; n;ba; Olo;wo; o re¾ô loô sa;la¾de OÙ®yoô;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Their wisdom is it that sends them to the war front
And their voice is it that haunts them
If they claim to be too intelligent
They will be forced to face trial by ordeal
These were Ifá’s declarations to Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾
(He-who-uses-his-mouth-to-offset-his-debts)
When following his lord to OÙ®yo;ô land
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was a man with a very keen sense of observation. He
could accurately read any situation and make a perfect deduction from
his observations. He was also a very ambitious man. His intention was
to make it big in life, no matter the odds. People would often tell him
that if there is a will, there is surely a way. He was convinced that he
had the will to succeed; therefore, there must be a way to do just that.
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One day, the Baa;le; of a family close to him died. Instead of leaving
behind any fruitful legacy for his family, he left huge amounts of debt,
amounting to hundreds of bags of cowries. This became a very serious
embarrassment to the whole family. In this wise, an emergency meeting
was quickly summoned in order for the family to address this problem
and find a quick solution to it.
When all the various representatives of the extended family had
assembled, the convener of the meeting, who incidentally was the next
Baa;le; of the family, stood up to address those present at the meeting.
He stated thus: “I greet you all in the name of our ancestors. May
Olo;du¾mare¾ grant all of us the grace to live to our old age before we
pass on to the great beyond. Our Baa;le; who has just joined our
ancestors lived to his old age. He witnessed the birth and growth of his
children, grand-children and even great grand-children. He was a father
to all. He was also fair to everyone”. He paused to let the words sink
into their heads before he resumed his speech. By this time, the
gba¾gede that they all sat in was dead silent.
When he resumed, his voice was a little higher than before. He
declared; “There is nobody here who our dead father had not assisted
one way or the other. We are no longer seeing him, but I can assure
you that he is seeing each and every one of us here. If anyone here
feels that he had not assisted him/her in any way, that person is free to
speak out now”. After saying this, the Baa;le; designate sat down.
One after the other, all those present started extolling the virtue of the
dead Baa;le;. The general consensus was that the deceased was a
likeable person when he was alive. He was a man who would go to any
length to help other people; especially members of his extended family.
As soon as this fact was settled, the Baa;le; designate stood up again to
speak. He said; “it is clear that our late Baa;le; would receive merciful
consideration from Olo;du¾mare¾ because he had made this family better
than how he met it. May the ancestors continue to bless and pamper
him in the realm of the Dead”. As he said this, all those present
responded with a resounding “A®sôeô”.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
When the Baa;le; designate knew that he already had all those in
attendance in his pocket, he decided to drop the bombshell of the real
reason why the meeting was called. He then said, "In spite of these
great qualities of our late father and Baa;le;, something however is amiss.
There is a big patch of palm-oil that has stained his otherwise
immaculately white garment. Our Baa;le; has left a huge debt, running
into the hundreds if not thousands of bags of cowries for us to offset. If
he had left a huge legacy for us, I am sure that we would all have gladly
shared it. Now that he has left a debt for us, it is equally our duty to
share it. That is what we can do to save this noble family from disgrace
and embarrassment. It is the least we can do to remove the stain in our
late Baa;le;’s immaculately white garment. Are there any objections to
this? Do we have anyone with a different viewpoint? Let the person
stand up and speak out now if they do."
This time, he did not sit down. Instead, he began to look round the
gba¾gede to see if anyone would stand up to speak against what he had
just said. Nobody did. “I now realise that we are all in agreement that
what I have said is the noble thing to do to save the face of a noble
family and pull out a noble man from ignoble embarrassment. Is that
not correct”? All those present shouted that it was certainly the correct
thing to do under that circumstance. The Baa;le; designate continued, ”I
do not intend to take too much of your time. All of you have one thing
or the other to do. You are all busy and serious-minded people. I will
soon ask you to go. Before that however, there is the need for us to
share the debt among ourselves according to our capabilities. All this
has been put into consideration.” He paused again to let his words and
its implications sink into their heads before he continued.
Then he pointed to the first man directly in front of him and said; “You,
your own money is 40 bags of cowries. He then pointed to another
person and said yours is 30 bags of cowries. The man next to you,
yours is 25 bags of cowries. And you, it is 55 bags of cowries. As for
me I will take 100 bags of cowries. You next to me, yours is 25 bags of
cowries....”. That was how he began to share the debt for everyone
present. There was no objection from any quarter.
As the money to be paid back was being shared, that was precisely the
time that Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾¾ passed behind the house. What he heard
was “you, yours is 25 bags of cowries and you, yours is 35 bags of
cowries...”. He quickly gathered that the Baa;le; had just died; a family
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meeting had been summoned; money was being shared; definitely, it
must be the legacy of the man that was being shared among his
brethren. This was an ample opportunity for him to partake in the
sharing of the legacy. Truly, if there is the will, there is a way. He must
let the family know that he had 30 bags of cowries to collect from their
late Baa;le;. With that amount he could start life anew as a rich man. He
was truly in luck; he concluded. Before thinking any further, he shouted
at the top of his voice, “mine is 30 bags of cowries! Please let me in”.
When those present at the meeting heard this from Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾,
they were all taken aback: who was this transparent, honest person who
would declare that he had 30 bags of cowries to pay back to a dead
man, when nobody even knew that he owed the dead man any money
at all? The Baa;le; designate quickly summoned him inside.
When he entered, he greeted all those present at the meeting. The
Baa;le;, who had been standing all the while, addressed him and said;
“Young man, I am pleasantly surprised that youth like you can still be
found in this community. Youths of your type are very rare to come by
nowadays. With your transparent honesty, I am convinced that there is
still hope for this community and the future is very bright for this
generation”.
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ responded that since he was born, he had never told
any lie because his parents insisted that he must never lie, no matter
how difficult the situation may be. The Baa;le; said,” You do not need to
tell us that; you have really demonstrated that you were well trained
and that you actually imbibed all the advice and instructions of your
parents. If not so, how many people could ever come out and declare
that they owed a dead man money when there was no witness? It is
only an honest person like you who can do that. On behalf of the
family, I thank you for your honesty and at the same time, I will like to
inform you that we need this money in two days' time”.
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ could not believe his ears. What was this supposed to
mean? Had he inadvertently put himself into trouble? Where would he
come by 30 bags of cowries? He was looking for cheap money, had he
cheaply organised himself into debt and embarrassment? His head was
spinning and planning. He must get himself out of this problem one
way or the other. He quickly thought of an appropriate response to pull
him out of the trouble. When he felt that he had articulated the
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appropriate sentences to get him free of the trouble, he said,” Thank
you everyone. As I had earlier told you, I have never lied in my life.
There is no reason for me to lie. My parents gave me that training and
it was well imbibed by all the children. Besides this, I am a living
witness of the virtues of honesty and truthfulness everyday and every
time. For these reasons, falsehood can never be a part of my life.
“What really happened was that the late Baa;le; was actually owing me 30
bags of cowries. The late Baa;le; planned to assist some people but he
had no money to execute his plan. He therefore approached me for
assistance. I gave him the 30 bags of cowries in order to ensure that he
was able to actualize his plans. That was how the late Baa;le;, may his
soul rest in peace, came to owe me the money. Even if I were to tell
lies, would I lie against someone who is dead?” He paused to let his
statement sink in. After a while, he continued; “What I will really
appreciate now is for this family to look for a way to avoid being
embarrassed. It will not be appropriate for you to be dragged to the
authorities simply because your late Baa;le; owed me money. Please
arrange for my money now and let me leave you in peace so that you
can continue with your deliberation.
The whole gba¾gede was dead silent when he finished his speech. He
was very sure that he had confused and outwitted the whole family. For
a long while, nobody said or could say anything.
In the end, the Baa;le; designate responded. Before speaking, he cleared
his throat. He said; “Young man, you have really convinced all of us
present here today that our late father actually borrowed money from
you. It is a good thing that you said it was not more than 30 bags of
cowries. Somehow though, I do not believe you. Our father gave us all
the names of those he owed money to and your name was not
mentioned. We shall pay your money first however. In fact, we shall
pay your money today”.
When Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ heard this he silently congratulated himself. He
praised his intelligence. He promised himself a big bowl of pounded
yam and a keg of palm-wine when he received the money.
The Baa;le; designate resumed his speech, “Here are the 30 bags of
cowries. Young man, here is the money you claim our father owed you.
But before you take the money however, we are going to place the bags
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of money on our father’s grave for you to pick up. Not only this, you are
going to take a bath with the sponge with which the corpse of our father
was given his last bath before he was buried. We will put a little sand in
a calabash. This sand will be taken from our father’s grave and a little
water will be added to it. You will drink the water. After this, you are
free to take the money and depart in peace. I can assure you that if
you have taken a false oath, you will not last seven days on earth before
you join our father in the spirit world”.
When Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ saw that the money had been brought out, he
was full of contentment. He was even happier when the Baa;le; designate
told him that the money was for him. However, his face changed from
contentment to utter consternation when the Baa;le; designate threw the
bombshell that he must swear to an oath before he went away with the
money. He desperately needed the money; he however did not want to
die young. How was he going to extricate himself from this problem
now? He must not take the oath; that was certain. At the same time,
he must not lose face in the presence of the whole family. What must
he do now?
In the end, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ decided to bluff his way out of the
problem. He looked at the Baa;le; designate in the face and thundered,
“So, it is now an offense for me to show kindness to your late father
when he was in dire need of money? Where were you all when he came
to me to borrow money? Because I had pitied your late father, you think
that you will now question my integrity and spoil the name I have
laboured to build since I was young? So, you think that you will not pay
back my money unless and until I swear to an oath? I will never do
that! You are all ingrates! Pay me my money and let me go now! Was
it because I did not ask for interest? You now have the temerity to
impugn upon my integrity! I will deal with all of you! There will not be
peace in this family until you pay me my money! Thieves!”
The Baa;le; designate looked at him for a long time and said, ”Young
man, we shall pay your money today; but if you do not swear, you will
not collect the money. What is more, you will not be allowed to leave.
The Ϙba of this land will hear about this. I was totally convinced that
you had spoken the truth the very first time when you said that you
owed our father 30 bags of cowries. I do not know what entered into
your head to lie afterward. Young man, you have two options now; you
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either take the 30 bags of cowries after swearing, or you pay the 30
bags of cowries you are owing our father!”
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ then realised that the more he tried to bluff himself out
of trouble, the more he entangled himself deeper into the crisis. He
decided to give it a last trial. He said,”In all my life, I have never met a
family who was so insensitive. I lent your late father money without
conditions and now that it is time for this family to pay me back my
money, you begin to bring conditions! You even go to the extent of
insisting that I should swear to an oath! In any case, it is not in my
character to do that. I will rather prefer to forgo the money and leave
everything to Olo;du¾mare¾ to judge. It will however be on record that
this family owes me 30 bags of cowries! That is all I have to say. Good
day!”
As soon as he finished, he made to go out of the gba¾gede. He was
however accosted. He was thoroughly roughened up. In the end,
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was dragged before the Ϙba. The Ϙba heard both
arguments and ordered that Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ must swear to an oath if
truly he was not the one owing the late Baa;le some money. He could
not. He later confessed that he was lying.
The Ϙba ordered the palace guards to give him 20 strokes of the cane
for lying against a dead person, trying to cheat and planning to cause
chaos and confusion in the community.
He was also ordered to pay the family the 30 bags of cowries he owed
their late father. All his pleadings that he made about not owing any
money fell on deaf ears. He pleaded that he could not get the money.
As a matter of fact; his newly married wife had just dressed him down
because he could not provide any money for the family upkeep before
he left home.
After much deliberation, it was agreed that the 30 bags of cowries would
be paid by the Ϙba. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was then ordered to be serving
the Ϙba as one of his domestic servants until he could pay back the
money. This was done. For six months, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was still
serving the Ϙba. He would resume duty very early in the morning and
leave late at night. He had no time to work for himself and look for the
money that he owed. He was in grief and melancholy.
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One day, the Ϙba summoned him to his presence and told him that he,
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, would accompany the Ϙba to OÙ®yo town the next day.
He was allowed to go home early in order to prepare himself for the
journey.
When he was going home, he began to ruminate over his plight: was
this the way he would live for the rest of his life? Would any miracle
happen to him that would enable him to regain his freedom? Would he
not be able to fulfil his destiny as a result of perpetual servitude? These
and many more related questions were what dragged Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾
to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation.
In the home of the Awo, he was informed that it was his mouth that had
landed him into trouble in the first place. The Awo however assured him
that the same mouth would also pull him out of the trouble. The Awo
said that Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was a highly intelligent man with a keen
sense of observation. He had however chosen to apply his intelligence in
a fraudulent way. It was his wisdom that sent him to war where he
found himself in servitude. When he felt that he was too intelligent, that
was the time that he was asked to come and swear to an oath. Because
he was truly intelligent, he quickly realized that swearing a false oath
would cut short his life, he refused to do so. That he refused to do so
was what made all those listening to him to disbelieve him. That was
how he ended up incurring a huge debt. He was advised to offer ẹbọ as
stated above. He complied. After the ẹbọ, he was counselled to use his
intelligence in positive ways at all times. With this, he left the home of
the Awo fully determined to succeed in life.
The next day, he was the person who woke everyone up in the Ϙba’s
palace. Soon after, they set out on their journey; the Ϙba rode on a
horse while Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ trekked.
Shortly after they passed through the town and moved into the road
that led to OÙ®yo town, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ shouted; “Ka;bi;ye¾si, please halt!”
confused, the Ϙba drew the rein of the horse. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ said; “a
horse has passed through this same path a short while ago. The horse
has only the right eye that is working while the left eye is blind”.
“How do you know this?”, the Ϙba inquired.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
“Let us move more quickly so as to meet the horse on the way. But
Ka;bi;ye¾si, let’s make a deal, if we eventually meet the horse and we find
it to have only one eye, then 10 bags of cowries must be deducted from
my debt,” Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ declared.
“Ok. I agree. But if we cannot not find any horse that has only the right
eye without the left, then 10 bags of cowries will be added to your
debt,” said the Ϙba.
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ also agreed and they moved quicker than before.
Before long, they came across the O®gu¾n River and they crossed it. As
soon as they did so, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ shouted again; “Ka;bi;ye¾si, please
halt”.
“What is it this time?”, the Ϙba asked.
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ declared; “a woman has just urinated here.
The
woman is pregnant and she is carrying a male baby in her womb”.
“How do you know this”, the Ϙba inquired.
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ responded thus; “let us move even faster than before.
If we meet the woman and she says that she is the one who urinated
here, close to this Iya; tree, then 10 bags of cowries must be deducted
from my debt. If the woman is pregnant, another 10 bags of cowries
must be deducted. If the woman eventually gives birth to a baby boy,
then I should be the one to ride your horse back home.
The Ϙba considered all these things and said,”Ok. I agree. But if these
assertions of yours are not found to be so, you shall be serving me
perpetually until you die”. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ also agreed.
What continued to baffle the Ϙba was the fact that Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾
was absolutely unperturbed. His level of confidence was unbelievable.
He was totally sure of himself. The Ϙba could just not understand
where such confidence came from. In the end, the Ϙba concluded that
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was totally fed up with life and was just looking for
somewhere to stay to spend the rest of his miserable life.
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They moved faster and faster. Before long, they met a man with a
horse. They were both resting under the shade of a mighty Baobab
tree. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ approached the man and asked;” Baba were you
by any chance coming from O®ke¾-O®gu¾n region?” The man responded
that he was. The horse he was riding was examined. It was found out
that the horse had an eye on the right side of its head but the eye on
the left was not there!
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ invited the Ϙba to come and take a look at what he
had seen. When the Ϙba had satisfied himself that the horse indeed
had only one eye, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ said; “Ka;bi;ye¾si, my debt remains
only 20 bags of cowries”. The Ϙba agreed.
When the Ϙba realised that what Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ said had been
confirmed, he began to want to change his mind on the deal he had
made. Who was this person? Did it mean that he had special means for
knowing things which others did not? Was he specially blessed by the
divinities? Or, was this an extension of his numerous tricks which had
landed him into trouble in the first place? Who exactly was he?
The Ϙba was still ruminating over this when they met a woman who was
eating eô¾koô, cold corn meal, and a¾ka¾ra¾¾, bean cake, under the shade of a
tree along the road. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ approached the woman
immediately and asked; “woman, were you by any chance coming from
O®ke¾-O®gu¾n region?”
“Yes, I was”, responded the woman.
“Did you cross the O®ogu¾n River close to the Iya;; tree?”
“Yes, I did. But why do you ask?”
“Nothing in particular, I just wanted to know if you were the one who
urinated by the foot of the tree. That is all.”
“Yes, I was the one. You know, since I’m heavy with pregnancy, I
urinate more frequently than ever before. This is my first pregnancy and
people say that it is normal for me to urinate the way I am doing at this
stage. Is there anything particularly wrong with my urinating?”
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“There is nothing wrong with your urinating. What you will never realize
is that your urine has just set me free of all debts. However, how
advanced is your pregnancy?”
The woman was totally confused. How did her urine set this strange
man free of all his debts? She however responded thus, “Any moment
from today, I will give birth to my baby. I am going to O®Ùyoô; town to meet
my husband’s relations so that they will take proper care of me”. “Which
compound are you going to?” Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ asked.
“The name of my husband’s family compound is the Pa¾ra¾ko¾yi;
Compound. It is well known in the whole of O®Ùyoô; town”.
With this, they bid the woman farewell and promised to come and check
on her at O®Ùyoô;. On the way, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ told the Ϙba that he no
longer owed him any money. The Ϙba agreed. He told the Ϙba that
they needed to stay behind in O®Ùyoô; for the woman to deliver her baby,
so as to determine who would ride the horse back home. The Ϙba also
agreed, adding that if the woman gave birth to a female, then Asoô¾ro¾ôsan-gbe¾se¾ would resume serving him perpetually.
Three days after their encounter with the woman, she went into labour.
She gave birth to a baby boy! When they went to see the woman in her
husband’s family compound, they were greeted with the news. As soon
as they heard this, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ told the Ϙba that, “we can now
return to O®ke¾-O®gu¾n. But remember Ka;bi;ye¾si, I am the person who will
ride your horse back home. We have just confirmed what I have already
known”. The Ϙba dismounted and Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ mounted the horse
and rode on it to O®ke¾-O®gu¾n while the Ϙba trekked all the way.
By the time they returned to their land, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ had no more
debt to pay. He had used his mouth to offset all his debt. He was
however in constant touch with the Ϙba. Many times when the Ϙba
wished to go anywhere, he would invite Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ to accompany
him and he would oblige the Ϙba.
One day, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ was invited by the Ϙba to come and
accompany him to a ceremony the next morning. He was urged to
arrive very early in the morning. He agreed to come.
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The next day, he woke up very early and headed for the Ϙba’s palace.
When he got there, he met the Ϙba and one of his wives engaged in a
serious physical confrontation. Everybody around tried to pacify the Ϙba
but he just refused to listen. Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ also tried, but the Ϙba
refused to be pacified. In the evening Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ returned to his
own house while the fight was still raging.
The following day Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ returned to the palace to see the
Ϙba. He asked him why he was so angry. The Ϙba responded that the
woman had really infuriated him. As the Ϙba was narrating his
experience with the woman he became livid with anger, and once again,
another round of fighting ensued. They begged the Ϙba to calm down,
all to no avail. When the situation was getting out of hand, Asoô¾ro¾ô-sangbe¾se¾ sneaked out of the palace and rushed back to his house.
About one week after, the Ϙba invited Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ to follow him to
the farm in order to go and inspect the progress his slaves and servants
had made on the farm with the work that they were doing for him there.
They went together that same day. When they got to the farm, the Ϙba
was so angry with the slow pace of work that he jumped down off his
horse and began to beat up the workers. They pleaded, shouted,
begged and appealed- all to no avail. “You good-for-nothing slaves and
servants! May SÙa¾ngo; send his thunder and strike you all down! So, this
is all the work you have done on this farm! You have been eating my
food for nothing! My God, what have I spent my money to purchase in
the market? I have gotten for myself a bunch of fools whose bones
have suddenly turned to cartilage! May SÙa¾npo¾ônna; strike all of you dead!”
He continued to beat them with canes, clubs, whips and anything he
could lay his hands upon. All their pleading did not have any effect on
him. At a stage the Ϙba began to scream at the top of his voice,
slapping, kicking and biting the slaves and servants.
All the while, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ stood aside watching the macabre scene
with complete detachment. He did not stop the Ϙba anymore. When
the Ϙba became truly tired and exhausted, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ simply told
him to let them go back to the palace. He sheepishly obliged him.
On their way to the palace however, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ threw him a lifechanging bomb-shell. He said; “Ka;bi;ye¾si; with all due respect, you do not
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have one drop of royal blood in your veins. The late Ϙba who joined his
ancestors before you, who stepped on the thrown, was not your real
biological father. The person who actually impregnated your mother that
led to your birth was at best, a half-crazy and never-do-well fool.
Everything about you shows that you hail from a social refuse site and
not from a home of royalty!"
“How dare you talk to me like that"? said the Ϙba! "This is the reason
why it is not advisable to allow commoners like you to move too close to
me! Because I have condescended so low as to call you to accompany
me to places, it has now given you the license to abuse me! I will not
take this lightly with you. I will put you in your proper place! I assure
you of that. You must prove that the circumstances of my birth are
anything short of what they are supposed to be. If you cannot prove
this, I will make sure that you die in my palace as my horse-keeper!
Everyone in the land knows that I am the first son of the late Ϙba. That
was why I was made their Ϙba when my father joined his ancestors”.
The Ϙba thundered. He continued on and on, for several moments.
“Ka;bi;ye¾si;, it is true that everybody in the land believes that you are the
first son of the late Ϙba but your mother knows whose son you really
are. Fortunately for you and for me, your mother is still alive. You have
given me your own condition and it is alright with me. But if it is found
out that you are indeed the son of a good-for-nothing man, then you
must abdicate the throne and make me the Ϙba. Do not forget this land
cannot afford to have the son of a half-insane person as their Ϙba”.
That was the response of Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ to the Ϙba.
Until they got home, both of them did not utter one word to each other.
As soon as they got home, the Ϙba went straight to his mother and
said; “mother, I beg you in the name of I®ku;nle¾ô-Abiyamoô. What I want
to ask you now, please tell me nothing but the truth...”. He wanted to
continue but Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ stopped him, “No Ka;bi;ye¾si;! This is not the
way to handle this. What will drive you out of the palace is not
something that you will handle with your mother alone. You need to
summon the whole land to the market square by breakfast time
tomorrow, and then ask your mother your question in the presence of
the whole town. If I am wrong, then the whole land will know about it.
If I am right on the other hand, the whole land will know why you are
leaving the throne for me to become the Ϙba”.
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By breakfast time the following day, the whole of the village square was
filled up with people. Those who were unable to walk employed the
services of able-bodied men to carry them there. The atmosphere was
charged. The tension in the air was almost touchable. As soon as the
Ϙba came out, together with his mother on one hand, and Asoô¾ro¾ô-sangbe¾se¾ on the other, the village square went dead silent.
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ cleared his throat and, in a dramatic manner declared
thus; “Today will determine many things in this village. First, today will
determine whether or not our Ϙba will continue to be our Ϙba. Second,
if he cannot continue to be the Ϙba, then I, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ will
assume the throne.
As he was speaking, everyone kept wondering what he was really
heading for, and what could lead to such a statement? After what
looked like a very long pause, he continued, “What will bring about all
the changes in the life of this village is simply the circumstances
surrounding the birth of the person we all know and believe as our Ϙba.
I have told him, and by extension, I am telling the whole village that he
is not of a royal birth. I told him that he had no royal blood flowing in
his veins. I declared to him that the person who fathered him was at
best a half-sane person. The Ϙba disputed my claim. We have said
that if my assertions are incorrect, then I will return to his palace and
serve him for the rest of my life. This is alright with me. On the other
hand, if my assertions are found to be correct, then he will have to leave
the throne and I will become the Ϙba. He has also agreed to this”. He
paused again for good effect.
The Elders present could not believe what they had just heard. Was this
true? They all believed that the Ϙba was the first son of the immediate
past Ϙba. Were they all wrong to have chosen this Ϙba to assume the
throne? No! They were right! The person who was wrong and who
ought to be wrong must be Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ ! If he was found guilty of
false accusation, he must be severely punished, apart from making him
serve the Ϙba for the rest of his life. That would teach other jokers like
him a lesson. But what if he was right and his allegations were found to
be true? No, he could not be right! He must not be right! In fact he is
not right! He has no right to be right!
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As they were deliberating on this issue, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ resumed his
speech; “The Ϙba and I have agreed that this is not enough. The whole
town also needs to agree with what we have said. Is anyone present
here in any disagreement?”
Yes, this was the opportunity the village needed to severely deal with
this joker. He would never in his life level any false allegation against
anyone again. Without thinking any further, the town shouted in unison
that they were all in agreement!
That was when Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ turned to the Ϙba’s mother and
declared, “Mother, you are the only one here who can shed light on
what we are saying now. What we need from you is the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth. Yesterday, your son, the Ϙba
begged you to tell him the truth. He invoked the spirit of I®ku;nle¾ôAbiyamoô to plead with you. I am using the same I®ku;nle¾ô-Abiyamoô to
beg you to tell us the truth here and now, so that the wrath of I®ku;nle¾ôAbiyamoô will not be on your head for the rest of your life. Please, tell
the whole town the circumstances of the birth of your son, our Ϙba”.
The Ϙba’s mother looked at her son and asked, “Why have you brought
it to this level? Why did you not ask me before making it an open
debate?” The Ϙba simply said, “Mother, this matter started yesterday
when we were returning from my farm. What I am really interested in
now is the truth. I am more interested in knowing the truth than in
retaining my crown. Please mother, in the name of I®ku;nle¾ô-Abiyamoô
tell the world the truth of the matter”.
The old woman looked round the whole crowd and burst into
uncontrollable tears. Meanwhile, the people remained silent and were
full of expectation. After a while, she said, “I knew no man before I was
married to your father, the Ϙba. We were living happily together for
eight months. Throughout this period, I was not blessed with the fruit
of the womb. Your father and I began arguing incessantly over this
issue. One day, he got angry with me and I got angry too. I packed my
things and left the palace. My thinking then was that the
misunderstanding would be resolved within a few days. I was convinced
that the Ϙba would come and beg me to come back home but he never
did. For six months, the matter remained unresolved”. She burst into
tears again. The whole of the village square was charged, electrically
charged. Everyone held his/her breath. What would come out next?
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With a huge sob, she continued, “while in my parent’s home, people
would barely look at me. Being married to the Ϙba did not reduce my
appetite to satisfy my emotional needs. It was unfortunate that nobody
in his right sense would ever move close to an Ϙba’s wife. I was given
food because your father regularly sent abundant food to my family and
I was also sent clothing materials of all kinds but I was feeling very
lonely and lacked physical and emotional affection. This, nobody could,
or was ready to satisfy since the misunderstanding was yet to be
settled”.
She looked up to assess the mood of the crowd. She felt that the
women pitied her condition while the men showed understanding.
When she looked at her son, she realised that his face was contorted
into a grimace of pain, grief and frustration. She also saw that her son
had resigned himself to his fate. She could also see satisfaction in the
face of Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾.
She continued; “One day, I saw a drunkard in our area. He looked
young and handsome. When I enquired about him, I was informed that
he was always drunk. One day, he got drunk and fell down close to our
backyard. I drew him close to me and took him home. Ostensibly I took
care of him. I cleaned him up and gave him a mat to sleep on.
Eventually, one thing led to another and I decided to satisfy my sexual
needs with him. This happened four times over a period of two weeks.
When it was time for my menstruation to come, I realised that I had
missed my period. That same week, the misunderstanding between the
Ϙba and I was finally settled. Who was I to tell him that a drunkard had
impregnated me?! So, I decided to keep this secret and take it to my
grave. That was how you were born and that is why everyone believes
that you are the true son of the Ϙba.
“In order to keep my great secret, I ensured that this drunkard was
banished from our community. He was sent far away. I later learned
that he fell into a ditch four months after. He died even before you
were born, when I was still carrying your pregnancy in my womb.”
There were mixed feelings among the crowd. Some felt disappointed;
some were outraged; some angry; while some could just not be
bothered. For the Ϙba, he felt pain and anguish.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
In the case of Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, he felt contentment. Soon after, the
crowd went dead silent again.
The Ϙba stood up from his stool. He surveyed the whole crowd and
saw pity on their faces. He cleared his throat to speak but no words
came out of his mouth. Instead of speaking, hot tears were just rolling
down off his cheeks. In the end, he said, “Well, I have accepted my
fate. Sometimes in our lives, our own mothers are our nemesis. The
actions and inactions of our mothers affect our destiny and change the
course of our lives. My mother has dug the grave which I have fallen
into today. This grave was dug ever before I was born”.
He paused. After a while, he continued; “What my mother did before I
was born has come to visit me today. I have no regrets. If the truth
had been said earlier, I would have had no right to the throne in the first
place. I am going to vacate the throne today because it does not belong
to me in the first place. Before I leave however, I have three questions
to ask Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾. If he answers my questions to my satisfaction,
I will go. I do not want to know whether or not you install Asoô¾ro¾ô-sangbe¾se¾ as your next Ϙba. What really concerns me is that I am not
entitled to the throne in the first place. One, when we went to OÙ®yo;
town, on our way, you said that a horse had earlier passed through the
same path and that the horse had only one eye. And it was so. How
did you know this? Two, when we crossed the Oo®gu¾n River, you said
that a woman had just urinated by the foot of an Iya; tree, that the
woman was pregnant, and that she would deliver a male baby. It was
found to be so. How did you know this? Three, when we were
returning from my farm yesterday, you declared that my actual father
was at best a half-insane man. It was so. How did you know this?”
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ instantly became the focus of all eyes. Everyone was
interested in knowing how he was able to accurately predict all these
events. Was he using special means? Curiosity engulfed the whole
village square. It was indeed Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾’s day.
He stepped into the middle of the village square. He took his time
before he began to speak. “First of all, I have no special means to know
anything. The difference between you and I is that while you see things,
I go beyond that by observing what others see. It is lack of observation
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that usually prevents people from making accurate deductions from
what they have seen.
“When we went to OÙ®yo;ô town, on our way, I observed the print of horse
hooves on the ground. That made me realise that one horse had earlier
passed through that path. I also noticed the biting of the horse’s mouth
on the grasses on the right side but there was no such thing on the left.
That made me realize that the horse was eating grass that it saw. That
gave me the conclusion that the horse could only see the grass on its
right and it had no eye to see what was on its left side. That was why I
declared that the horse had the right eye and did not have the left eye.
It was only through observation that I knew this and nothing more”. He
looked round the crowd to see whether they were following his analysis
or not. They were.
“The second question: it is very simple as well. When a man urinates,
the urine will first go forward away from the person urinating and will
gradually move towards the person as his bladder is becoming empty.
In the case of a woman, the whole bladder is emptied on the same spot.
When I moved close to the Iyá tree, I observed that someone had
urinated there. The mark of the urine was in the same spot. This made
me realise that the person who urinated there was a woman. Also,
when a woman is pregnant, the womb will put heavier pressure on her
bladder and the force of the urine will be more than that of a woman
who is not pregnant, especially if the pregnancy has reached an
advanced stage. That was why the hole that the force of the urine will
make on the soil will be deeper than that of a woman who is not
pregnant. I observed this and I knew that the woman who urinated
there was pregnant.
Furthermore, there is something called La¾n¾ko¾ri¾ which our elders usually
observe in the urine mark of a pregnant woman in order to determine
the sex of the foetus. If it was a female foetus the La¾n¾ko¾ri¾ would
make a deep round hole in middle of the soil where the woman had just
urinated. If it was a male foetus, the mark would make a linear hole. I
observed that it was a linear hole that the urine of the woman made in
the middle of the soil where she urinated. That was how I knew that
the woman would give birth to a male baby.”
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
At this point, the crowd became flabbergasted at such an informative
utterance coming out of Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾’s mouth. They exchanged
glances and could not believe this man to be so knowledgeable and
observant to that level. The crowd then started moving even closer to
him. As a result, it was so difficult to control the excitement of the
crowd.
“Now back to the third question,” continued Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾. “Royalty
is synonymous with decorum, maturity, understanding, protocol and
orderliness. That is the blood that runs through the veins of those with
royal birth. When I came into the palace to see the Ϙba, I saw him
engaging in physical combat with his wife. Those who were there
begged him to stop but he refused to listen. This shows lack of any
form of maturity, decorum or orderliness.
Yesterday when we went to his farm, he jumped down from his horse
and began to beat up his slaves and servants. These were the same set
of people who had done the work to the stage that he found it. They
begged him and he refused to listen.
He did not show any
understanding, protocol, maturity or orderliness. If it is true that these
are characteristics of royalty, then he has no such blood in his veins. It
is only a bastard who will see something that’s annoying and not be
annoyed by it; in the same vein, only a bastard is he who will be begged
and will not listen to appeals.
There are more mature ways that those who have royal blood in their
veins handle anger and dissatisfaction. His own father, the former Ϙba
handled issues with maturity and understanding. That was how I
concluded that the person he claimed to be his father was not his real
father. His erratic behaviour made me assert that his real father was, at
best, a half-insane person. I rest my submission.”
For what looked like an eternity, nobody spoke or moved. They all stood
rigid in one spot. Suddenly, they rushed toward Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾. They
carried him shoulder-high and began to sing, thus:
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re o o¾
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re
OÙba na;a¾ i¾ ba; ru; o
A: pe;ô l’o;ye¾ e re¾ô o
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re
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Translation:
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you have been vindicated
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you are really correct
Had the Ϙba heeded the warnings
He would have stayed longer on the throne
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you have been vindicated
They all danced round and round the village square until evening time
when everyone finally returned home.
OÙgbo;ôn inu; u woôn ni;i; ra;n woôn l’o;gun
OÙ®fun i¾mo¾ôra¾n ni;i; ro i¾moô¾ra¾n l’e;ro¾
Bi; wo;ôn ba; gbo;n
ô la;gbo¾ôn-oô¾nju¾
Oko aje ni;i; mu; woôn-oô;n loô
Di;a; fu;n Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾
Ti; n;ba; Olo;wo; o re¾ô loô sa;la¾de OÙ®yo;ô
EÙboô ni woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
N®je;ô Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re o o¾
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re
OÙba na;a¾ i¾ ba; ru; o
A pe;ô l’o;ye¾ e re¾ô
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾ i¾woô lo l’a¾a¾re
Translation:
Their wisdom is it that sends them to the war front
And their voice is it that haunts them
If they claim to be too intelligent
They will be forced to face trial by ordeal
These were Ifá’s declarations to Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾
When following his lord to O®Ùyo;ô land
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Now, Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you have been vindicated
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you are really correct
Had the Ϙba heeded the warnings
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
He would have stayed longer on the throne
Asoô¾ro¾ô-san-gbe¾se¾, you have been vindicated
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be elevated
from grass to grace. He/she shall move from disgrace to respect and
honour. That is the message of Ifá for this person.
7. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed has the full
backing of the Divinities. Ifá says that he/she shall also be protected
against problems and untimely death. This person shall not be rejected
by Ifá.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature ram and 20
blades. He/she also needs to feed Ifá. There is the need to find out
from Ifá the exact materials needed to feed Ifá. When the ẹbọ is to be
offered, this person needs to shave all the hair on his/her body and
use it as part of the ẹbọ.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n on this aspect says:
OÙ®pe¾ i¾ha;ha;, abi¾jin re¾ôreô¾e¾rô eô¾
Di;a; fu;n A®ja¾sa;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Odu¾duwa¾
Woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôeôboô si; la;i¾ku; ara reô
Translation:
The forest palm tree with its broad shade
This was the Awo who cast Ifá for A®ja¾sa
The child of Odu¾duwa¾
He was advised to offer ẹbọ against untimely death
A®ja¾sa was one of the children of Odu¾duwa¾. He was also a favourite of
the Divinities. He was well-behaved, level-headed and truthful. He was
always found in projects that would bring development to the
community. He assisted many people without expecting any reward
from them.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
One day, A®ja¾sa fell ill. The illness became serious. He was doubtful of
whether he would survive or not. He began to wonder whether Ifá had
rejected him. After all, he reasoned, a true child of Ifá is not expected
to die in his/her prime. What then has gone wrong in my own case?
These were the questions at the back of his mind when he approached
O®Ùpe¾ô i¾ha;ha; abi¾jin reô¾re¾ôeôr¾ e¾, a veteran Babaláwo of that time for Ifá
consultation: Will I survive? If yes, what do I need to do to survive? If
not, what have I done wrong?
The Awo assured A®ja¾sa that he would not only survive, he would also
live to his old age. He was assured that Ifá was solidly behind him. He
was counselled that a child of the Divinities might face problems, but
he/she surely will overcome them. "There is nowhere that Ifá says that
you will not have problems; what is sure however is that you will
overcome your problems." This is what the Awo told him. He was then
told that he still had a lot of good work to do for the Divinities.
He was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied. One of the
blades was used to shave all the hair on his body. After the ẹbọ, Ifá
was fed with a mature ram as advised.
When he returned home, he began to notice an improvement in his
health, life and family. He regained his strength and his family became
stronger than ever before. He was able to help more people than he
had done before. He gained self-fulfilment more than ever before. He
then realised that Ifá had never at any time, abandoned or rejected him.
OÙ®pe¾ i¾ha;ha;, abi¾jin re¾ôreô¾e¾rô eô¾
Di;a; fu;n A®ja¾sa;
Ti;i; sô’oômoô Odu¾duwa¾
Woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôeôboô si; la;i¾ku; ara reô
O: gb’eô;boô, O: ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, Ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri
N®je;ô abeô o¾ koô’ri;; o
A®gbo¾ o¾ koô¾’ja¾
Ifa; o¾ koô¾ mi; ‘Moôdeô I®reôsa¾
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Translation:
The forest palm tree with its broad shade
This was the Awo who cast Ifá for A®ja¾sa;
The child of Odu¾duwa¾
He was advised to offer ẹbọ against untimely death
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us where we enjoy longevity
Behold, the blade cannot reject shaving hair
And the ram cannot reject a fight
Ifá does not reject me, M’oôdeô I®reôsa¾ offspring of the
hunter of I®reôsa¾ land
Ifá says that this person will never be rejected by Ifá for any reason.
He/she has done well; therefore, he/she has the backing of Ifá at all
times.
8. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is suffering
from back problems. Ifá says that these problems will soon disappear.
With appropriate ẹbọ, they shall soon become things of the past.
On the other hand, Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is
revealed shall be the instrument to the finding of solutions to the
ailments of the back being suffered by an important person. Ifá says
that with the solution, this person shall be handsomely rewarded for a
job well done.
If the person for whom this Odù is revealed is the victim of back
ailments, there is the need for him/her to offer ẹbọ with one mature
he-goat.
If on the other hand, the person for whom this Odù is revealed is the
one trying to proffer a solution to the back ailments of another person,
then he/she needs to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea fowls
and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with one hen and plenty
of palm-oil.
On these, Ogbe¾-We¾ôyi¾n says:
A n; ki; oômoô eku
OÙmoô eku n; wo iwa;ju;
Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;nlo; de;
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Ti; o fi n; wo iwa;ju;
O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju;
Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-Ideô
A n; ki; oômoô eôja
OÙmoôô eôja n; weôy
¾ i¾n
Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja Ki;nlo; de;
Ti; o fi n; weô¾yi¾n
O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾ weôy
¾ i¾n
Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-Ideô
Mo wa; wo iwa;ju;
E®mi wo eô¾yi¾n
E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifa;
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;loô re¾e; wo a¾ru¾n e¾ôyi¾n sa¾n
Ni;le; Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;
EÙboô ni woôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
While greeting Eku (the Rat)
The rat continued to look forward
They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred that
you are continuously looking forward?”
The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was what
led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ”
While greeting EÙja (the Fish)
The fish continued to look backward
They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred that you
are continuously glancing backward?”
The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward was
what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô”
I looked forward
And I even glanced backward
I could not see anything as beneficial as Ifá
These were Ifá’s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la
When going to solve the problem of the back ache
In the home of Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;
He was advised to offer eôboô
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; was the wealthiest person Olo;du¾mare¾ had ever created.
She had influence, command and respect all over the world. She was
also known everywhere. Whatever she said was law for both men and
women. She also controlled more than three-quarters of all the world’s
resources.
In spite of her enormous wealth and power, she was humble, graceful
and respectful. These qualities made her to be loved by all. Anytime she
showed anger, it was believed that she had been greatly provoked.
However, she was known to be ever-returning to mercy.
One day, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; woke up with a slight leg pain. She thought
nothing of it. A few days later, the pain moved to her lower back. Yet,
she considered it a minor inconvenience. The pain persisted. It
however reached a stage where it became unbearable. She could
neither stand nor sit. She was forced to support her back with many
pillows, yet the pain refused to subside. Several herbs and roots were
recommended, all to no avail.
When the pain became unbearable, she asked her domestic staff to look
for a competent Ifá priests who would help solve her problems. They
invited Kogu;n-Kogu;n, Awo ile; Ala;ra;,, He-who-recites-20-stanzas-in-eachOdù, the resident Awo of Alárá’s palace. He tried all he knew but the
backache persisted. Next they invited Koôgboô¾n-koôgboô¾n, Awo O®ke¾ I®reôji¾,
He-who-recites-30-stanzas-in-each-Odù, the Awo of O®ke¾-I®reôji. He tried
all he knew and failed. The back-ache even became worse. Next, they
invited Ka¾a;doô;ta-ka¾a;doôô;ta, Awo Epa To¾o;¾ro¾mo¾fe;, He-who-recites-50stanzas-in-each-Odù, the Awo of E®pa-To¾o¾ro¾mo¾fe; land, He was full of
promises and assurances but tried and failed. They went to invite many
more prominent Awo and these Awo also tried all they could but they all
failed.
That was when they decided to invite OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ himself to come and
solve the problem of Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;. As soon as OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received
Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;’s message, he approached the group of Awo mentioned
above for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed on this mission? If yes, what
do I need to do to ensure success? On the other hand, if the chance of
success is slim, what do I need to do to turn the impediments in the way
of success to opportunity?
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The group of Awo, who were his former students, assured him that he
would surely succeed. He was told that he would not only succeed in
finding a solution to the problem of Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;, he would equally
be handsomely rewarded for doing so. He was advised to offer ẹbọ with
two pigeons, two guinea fowls and money. He was also advised
to feed Ifá with plenty of palm oil. He complied. Soon after this, he
set out on his journey to Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;’s home.
When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ got to Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;;s palace, she summoned him to
come straight into her innermost room where she laid down, resting her
back on some soft pillows. She asked OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to consult Ifá for her.
He did. During Ifá; consultation, Ogbe¾-We¾ôyi¾n was revealed.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ assured Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;, that her back ailment would soon be
a thing of the past. He told her that all the other Awo who had visited
Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; before him had prescribed the right herbal remedies for
her, but they were not enough. They should have offered appropriate
ẹbọ first before administering those remedies. The ẹbọ would have
assisted to attack the ailment spiritually so as to accelerate the process
of healing. He therefore advised Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; to offer ẹbọ with a
mature he-goat and money. She was also advised to feed Ifá with
a big she-goat. She complied. After these processes had been
completed, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ began to apply herbal medications on her.
Within three days, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; could sit un-aided. In a week, she
could stand up on her own. Soon after this, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; could move
about in her palace. Three weeks after the medication began she had all
but forgotten about the backache. Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; could not believe the
rate of recovery. She pleaded with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to stay two weeks extra
with her. He did. By the time OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was to leave, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;
had recovered her health completely.
As a token of her appreciation, Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade; gave OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ several
coral beads, plenty of money, different types of clothing material, and
several able-bodied servants to help him carry all the goods back home.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ became fabulously rich.
Anyone who asked him how he came about his wealth, he would inform
them that his success came from his ability to find a solution to backache problems.
121
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
A n; ki; oômoô eku
OÙmoô eku n; wo iwa;ju;
Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;nlo; de;
Ti; o fi n; wo iwa;ju;
O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju;
Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-Ideô
A n; ki; oômoô eôja
OÙmoôô eôja n; weôy
¾ i¾n
Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja Ki;nlo; de;
Ti; o fi n; weô¾yi¾n
O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾ weôy
¾ i¾n
Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere ideô
Mo wa; wo iwa;ju;
E®mi wo eô¾yi¾n
E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifa;
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;loô re¾e; wo a¾ru¾n eô¾yi¾n Seô¾ni;ade;
Ni;le; Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'e;ôboô, O: ru;'boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, Ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; jeôb
¾ u;tu; ire gbogbo
Jeô¾bu;tu; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni leô;se¾ô oô¾pe¾ô
N®je;ô a¾ru¾n eôy
¾ i¾n l’E®Ùdu; wo¾ sa¾n o
A®ru¾n eô¾yi¾n l’EÙ®du; wo¾ sa¾n
Mo si;n’de¾ s’o;ôwoô;
Mo la’de¾ b’oôru¾n
A®run e¾ôyi¾n l’EÙ®du; wo¾ sa¾n o
Translation:
While greeting Eku (the Rat)
The rat continued to look forward
They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred
that you are continuously looking forward?”
The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was
what led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ”
While greeting EÙja (the Fish)
The fish continued to look backward
They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred that
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you are continuously glancing backward?”
The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward
was what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô”
I looked forward
And I even glanced backward
I could not see anything as beneficial as Ifá
These were Ifá’s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la
When going to solve the problem of the back ache
In the home of Olo;kun Seô¾ni;ade;
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and behold all the Ire of life
Now, It was the back ache ailment that EÙ®du; had resolved
It was the back ache ailment that EÙ®du; had resolved
I have adorned my wrist with ide¾, Ifa; beads
I have also adorned my neck with ide¾
It was the back ache ailment that EÙ®du; had resolved
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be very
happy in life. He/she shall be honoured and respected.
On the other hand, the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have
course to be grateful. He/she shall have his/her health restored to
normal and shall enjoy sound health as soon as the ẹbọ in this stanza is
complied with.
9. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for whom
this Odù is revealed. Ifá promises that this person shall be very
successful in life.
Ifá advises him/her to offer ẹbọ with one mature ram and a lot of
money. He/she is also advised to feed I®ya;-Aje;, the icon of the Divinity
of Wealth with snails, honey and e¾kuru (bean fritters) that are
cooked without salt, palm-oil or pepper. He/she is also expected
to sprinkle the e¾kuru round his/her compound, house and/or room as
the case may be, depending on how spacious his/her apartment, house
or compound is.
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Ifá also advises this person to show hospitality to visitors, especially
total strangers. His/her success will come from visitors and those who
he/she may normally overlook and/or discountenance. To those for
whom this Odù is revealed, showing courtesy to visitors and strangers is
the most important ẹbọ than all the ẹbọ materials in the world. This is
why he/she needs to be very careful when dealing with visitors,
strangers and people who look like they belong to the lower socioeconomic ladder.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-'Weô¾yi¾n laying emphasis on this aspect says:
EÙÙ®eô¾kan e¾ôba; oôn
¾ a¾ ni;i; hu¾ le;ôba¾a; oô¾na¾
Ni;i; sô’eônu ganngan s'i;ta
Di;a; fu;n Aje;
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni;’bu¾do;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The blade grass by the roadside is it that
grows by the roadside
And shoots outside the road
This was the Ifá cast for Aje;
When weeping in lamentation for her
inability to secure a suitable home of her choice
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
In spite of the enormous wealth controlled by Aje;, she was avoided by
all prospective suitors. In fact, as a result of her wealth, many suitors
believed that it was not advisable to marry her because they felt that
her stupendous wealth had definitely gotten to her head and she was
not a woman that could easily be handled. For this reason, no man in
his right sense wanted to have anything to do with Aje;. They believed
that she would only bring them grief because there was no point in
marrying a woman they could not easily handle.
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Aje; was looking for was a man who would respect her, treat her well,
and understand her. She vowed that if she could find such a man in her
life, she would turn herself into that man’s slave.
However, she was not in search of just any man. She had certain
qualities she was looking for and she would not settle for less. These
qualities were: the man who would win her heart must be kind, honest,
considerate, benevolent, accommodating, brilliant and intelligent. She
could not find this quality in any man who had approached her thus far.
Her inability to find a man who met her standards however was a cause
of concern and sadness for her. She would cry almost daily.
Tired of this, she approached the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá
consultation: Will I be able to find the man of my dreams? Will I be
loved and will I be able to share my love with someone of my choice?
Will I find someone intelligent enough that could help in advising me on
how to manage my wealth to the best advantage of the world? Will I be
able to have my own kids who will love and respect me and my
husband? These and many more were the questions she asked Ifá in
the home of the Awo.
The group of Awo told Aje; that she was actually looking for a spouse
who would be everything to her. They assured her that she would be
blessed with such a spouse and the time that she would receive this
blessing was very near. She was advised to offer ẹbọ with one big
ram and plenty of money. After this, she was advised to feed her
O®ke¾ I®po¾ôri; with E®kuru mixed with honey and snail juice. She
complied.
E®e¾kan e¾ôba; oô¾na¾ ni;i; hu¾ le;ôba¾a; oô¾na¾
Ni;i; sô’eônu ganngan s'i;ta
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾
Baba n; sunku;n ala;i¾lo;bi¾nrin
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The blade grass by the roadside is it
that grows by the roadside
And shoots outside the road
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
This was the Ifá cast for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When weeping in lamentation for his
inability to secure a compatible wife of his choice
He was advised to offer eôboô
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had everything going for him in his work. He had a lot of
clients. He had the most impressive record ever. He was able to proffer
solutions to the problems of all his clients. His clients trooped into his
home morning, afternoon and night. He had no time to rest, he had no
time to go to the market to procure the materials needed to do ẹbọ or
other rituals for his clients.
Two reasons were responsible for this: one, all his students had
graduated at that particular point in time; and two, he had no wife in his
home that could assist him in any way. He soon realised that his clients
began to complain that their work was being delayed. This brought
frustration for both O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and his numerous clients.
While he was ruminating over this problem, it occurred to him that with
his own wife at home a substantial part of the problems would be
solved. His wife could help him by going to the market and procuring
materials while he was busy attending to clients; his wife could also help
him pound, grind and/or mix various remedies for his clients, his wife
could prepare meals for him while he was with his clients; and his wife
could help him wash his dirty dresses, fetch him water to take his bath
and clean up the house and the environment. All these O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had to
do by himself when he had nobody with him.
That was how he decided that, instead of lamenting over his inability to
secure a compatible wife, he needed to take practical steps to get one.
For this reason, he approached the group of Awo mentioned above for
Ifá consultation: Will I be able to secure a compatible spouse who will
be my wife, helper, supporter, confidant and life partner? Will I be able
to find a woman who will understand me enough to work hard hand-inhand with me to solve the problems of the world? Will I be lucky
enough to find someone who will have my interest at the back of her
mind and assist me in the household chores and other assignments and
therefore relieve me of most of my burdens and prevent me from
working myself to death? All these and many more were the questions
at the back of his mind when he approached the group of Awo for Ifá
consultation.
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The Awo made it clear to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that who he needed was not just any
woman, but rather, an understanding, passionate, selfless, considerate,
loving and supportive woman. The woman he needed must be able to
adore and assist him without giving any conditions. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was
assured that he would be able to find and marry such a woman. He was
told that as he was lamenting his inability to find a compassionate and
compatible woman who would support him in every way so also the
woman he would marry was lamenting for her inability to meet a man
who was intelligent, loving, accommodating, considerate, respectful, and
who could complement her own efforts and make her happy and proud
in all ways.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to offer ẹbọ with one mature ram and plenty
of money. He was also advised to feed his O®ke¾-I®po¾ôri; with one mature
she-goat and a lot of palm-oil. He complied.
A few days after this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ went to the market. On the same day,
Aje; went to the same market. They met. One thing led to the other.
They both developed interest in each other almost immediately. Aje;
went back to her Awo to find out if O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was the man that Ifá was
referring to. Ifá confirmed that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was the man of her dreams.
She returned home a happy woman.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ also went to his Awo to find out if Aje was the compassionate
and compatible woman who would support him in life. He was told that
she was the woman being referred to by Ifá. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ returned home a
happy man. All arrangements were made and the marriage was the talk
of the whole community.
When they began to live together, Aje; was very happy because
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was able to consult for her and help her plan all her financial
endeavours. He stood firmly beside her as her pillar of support not only
by guiding her but in every other way as well. She never regretted one
day that she got married to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. She was also blessed with many
children whose conduct and upbringing made her proud and happy all
the time.
In the case of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, he realised that his work load suddenly reduced
drastically. Many of the regularly used materials were being sold in the
house by Ajé so he had no reason to leave his work and go to the
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
market to look for such things anymore. If there were items that were
not readily available at home, Ajé would volunteer to go and get them
for him in the market. When his children grew up, the pounding,
grinding, holding of the I®bo¾ determinants, breaking of bitter kola and
kola nut were done by them. This made his work-load even lighter.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s family soon became more prosperous, united, happier and
better organized than the families of all his neighbours. Anytime
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, passed along the road, other people who recognised him
would greet him thus,”O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ peô¾le,;ô oôkoô Aje;-meaning “gently
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, the husband of Aje;, the Divinity of Wealth and Prosperity”.
On the other hand, when they would see Aje; they would greet her
thus; “Aje; peô¾le;ô, oni;soô¾ ibo¾o¾ji”–Meaning “gently Aje;, the owner of the
shaded market stall”.
EÙÙ®eô¾kan e¾ôba; oôn
¾ a¾ ni;i; hu¾ l'e;ôba¾a; oô¾na¾
Ni;i; sô’eônu ganngan s'i;ta
Di;a; fu;n Aje;
Ti; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni;’bu¾do;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
E®®Ùe¾ôkan e¾ôba; oôn
¾ a¾ ni;i; hu¾ l'e;ôba¾a; oô¾na¾
Ni;i; sô’eônu ganngan s'i;ta
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾
Baba n; sunku;n ala;i¾lo;bi¾nrin
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®je;ô OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ peô¾le;ô o
OÙkoô Aje;;
Aje; pe¾ôleô; o
Oni;so¾ô ibo¾o¾ji
Translation:
The blade grass by the roadside is it
that grows by the roadside
And shoots outside the road
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This was the Ifá cast for Aje;
When weeping in lamentation for her
inability to secure a suitable home of her choice
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
She complied
The blade grass by the roadside is it
that grows by the roadside
And shoots outside the road
This was the Ifá cast for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When weeping in lamentation for his
inability to secure a compatible wife of his choice
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire in life
Now, gently, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
The husband of Ajé
And gently, Ajé
The owner of the shaded market
Ifá says that prosperity, happiness, elevation and contentment shall be
the lot of the person for whom this Odù is revealed.
10. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is about to
be robbed. There is the need for him/her to offer ẹbọ urgently for this
not to happen. He/she also needs to be extra vigilant. The person
planning to steal his/her things is very close to him/her. This is the
reason why there is the need for extra vigilance on his/her part.
Ifá says also that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is not only
well-trained, he/she is also very intelligent. He/she however needs to
offer ẹbọ regularly in order for his/her intelligence to shine through at all
times. It would not be good for him/her to be made a fool of by those
who are not as intelligent as he/she is.
Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with
one mature he-goat and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
two rats, two fish, one hen and a lot of palm-oil. All of these need
to be done as urgently as possible.
On all these, Ifá says:
Bi; OÙdeô me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn
Woôn a jo; Mi¾koro-mi¾koro
Bi; a¾gbeô¾ me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn
Woôn a si¾ jo; mi¾wo¾ôya¾-mi¾wo¾ôya¾
Bi; Babala;wo me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn
Woôn a da¾bi; iye¾kan
Woôn a sôe i¾roô;ke;ô gbon¾dori¾gi¾-gbon¾dori¾gi¾
Woôn a sôe i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ tieômi¾-tieômi¾
Di;a; fu;n A®le;n¾gba¾
Ti; yo;o; ma;a ra;n’Fa; koko
Ti; yo;o si¾ ra;n o¾o¾gu¾n koko
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
If two hunters meet each other
They will dance with their hunting tools in their hands
If two farmers meet each other
They will hold their hoes while embracing each other
If two Babaláwo meet each other
They will be like children from the same mother
They will waive their I®roô;ke;ô tappers at each other
They will also greet each other with their I®ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ in their hands
These were Ifá’s messages for A®le;n¾gba¾
Who would study Ifá extensively
And study medicine extensively
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
A®le;n¾gba¾ was a serious-minded person. Right from his youth, he had
planned to become the best Babaláwo and herbalist of his time. He had
studied extensively and had also travelled wide to fulfil his dream and he
was on his way to become the very best. Anyone who was lucky to
meet him at home for either Ifá consultation or healing of any kind of
ailment would never be disappointed. He was so good that he was in
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high demand. He was sought after by the movers and shakers of
different societies. This made him very successful. His success gave him
the drive to study more. And he did. All the other Awo and Herbalists
of his time knew that he was not in the same league with them. All of
them respectfully admitted that he was far ahead of them in terms of
wit, knowledge acquisition and success in resolving problems for clients.
At a stage, there was a general belief that some extra-terrestrial beings
were responsible for A®le;n¾gba¾’s vast knowledge. They also believed that
he was being taught Ifá and medicine in his sleep, if not, they reasoned,
how could any normal human being be that versatile? The fact of the
matter, however, was that A®le;n¾gba¾ was very serious, determined, and
he studied hard.
In spite of all these achievements however, A®le;n¾gba¾ could not explain
how his hard-earned money and materials would disappear in his house.
Several Ifá consultations confirmed to him that his things were being
stolen by someone very close to him. Who was this person? A®le;n¾gba¾
was advised to offer ẹbọ and be very vigilant. His studies had always
precluded him from having the chance to be more vigilant therefore, the
stealing continued unabated.
One day, A®le;ng
¾ ba¾ summoned up the courage to put his studies aside
and deal with this problem decisively. He went to the home of the Awo
mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I be able to catch this thief?
The Awo assured him that yes, he would catch the person stealing his
things. He was advised to offer ẹbọ as prescribed above. He complied.
He was also advised to be extra vigilant. He was also determined to do
so.When he got back home, he went straight into his room and began to
take more interest in his environment. Two days after, what did he see?
While he was going outside, he suddenly turned back and behold, he
saw I®wo¾ri¾, his own sibling packing his belongings to the backyard
through the window! So, it had been I®wo¾ri¾ stealing his things all along!
Oh, what a shame.
Bi; OÙdeô me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn
Woôn a jo; Mi¾koro-mi¾koro
Bi; a¾gbeô¾ me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn
Woôn a si¾ jo; mi¾wo¾ôya¾-mi¾wo¾ôya¾
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Bi; Babala;wo me;ji¾ ba; ko’raa woôn
Woôn a da¾bi; iye¾kan
Woôn a sôe i¾roô;ke;ô gbondori¾gi¾-gbondori¾gi¾
Woôn a sôe i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ tieômi¾-tieômi¾
Di;a; fu;n A®le;n¾gba¾
Ti; yo;o; ma;a ra;n’Fa; Koko
Ti; yo;o si¾ ra;n oo¾gu¾n koko
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni la;;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
A®ja¾sôeô; ogun la¾a; ba;’ni le;ôseô¾ OÙp
® eô¾
Ogbe¾ o o¾ we¾ôyi¾n
I®wo¾ri¾ n; ko; oô le;ôru¾ u; loô o
Translation:
If two hunters meet each other
They will dance with their hunting tools in their hands
If two farmers meet each other
They will hold their hoes while embracing each other
If two Babaláwo meet each other
They will be like children from the same mother
They will waive their I®roô;ke;ô tappers at each other
They will also greet each other with their I®ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ in their hands
These were Ifá’s messages for A®le;n¾gba¾
Who would study Ifá extensively
And study medicine extensively
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us where we overcome adversity
Victory is what Ifá guarantees for its devotees
Ogbe¾ look at your back
I®wo¾ri¾ is packing your things away!
Ifá says that those who hide in the dark to kill and consume the hens
incubating eggs in the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed,
shall be exposed and put to shame.
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Conversely, if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is the culprit,
he/she must put an end to his/her nefarious activity forthwith, lest
he/she is exposed and put to public odium and ridicule. The shame will
stay with him/her for the rest of his/her life.
11. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall succeed
where others have failed. He/she shall be blessed and accepted where
others have been confronted and chased away.
If the person for whom this Odù is revealed is a man, he shall be
accepted and even assisted by women. They will find him very
agreeable and for this reason, they will not confront him for any reason.
The man must always be careful not to be in contention or confrontation
with women for any reason. He must never dream of taking advantage
of any women for any reason because if he does, the women will resist
and fight him to the end.
Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with
30 fowls and 30 bags of cowries. He/she also needs to make
himself/herself agreeable with women so as to succeed in his/her
endeavours.
On these issues, Ogbe¾-Weô¾yi¾n says:
E®e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾¾e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n
Di;a; fu;n woôn ni; I®lu; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n
Ni;'jo;ô ogun run akoô ni;nu; woôn bi; isôu
Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The clustering of ants
And the movement of ants
That was Ifá’s message for the inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land
When war had eliminated all the males
They were advised to offer ẹbọ
The inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land were very enterprising.
They
developed their land to the envy of all the neighbouring communities.
Their businesses thrived. They made a lot of profit and they would use
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
their gains for the progress of their community. Unfortunately they
never planned for war so they never had any protection.
When war came to them, it had devastating consequences for the
inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. All the males in the land were killed. Not
only this, all the pregnant women were also slaughtered in case they
gave birth to male children. The land was therefore left with only
women. In spite of this, life continued. They made the I®ya;lo;de the head
of all the women in the land.
One day, they went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation:
What can we do now that we have not a single man in our midst? How
will we survive all the vagaries of life without men?
The Awo told them that they must always do all their things as a group.
They must behave as the ants do in their kingdom. The ants do all their
things as a group. That is why it is impossible for anyone to take
advantage of ants as small and as seemingly powerless as they appear.
The Awo assured them that if they did their things as a group, nobody,
man or woman would be able to take them for a ride. They were
advised to offer ẹbọ with a mature He-goat. They complied.
As soon as they got back home, they called everyone together and had
a meeting. In this gathering, everybody pledged to work together and
treat any man they saw as a potential enemy. They vowed never to
trust any man again, as men were the ones who had reduced their land
and had snuffed out the joy from their hearts. They promised each
other that they would battle any man who felt that he could take
advantage of their vulnerability. They said that such a man would meet
with the shock of his life.
A few days after this, O®gu;n heard that there were no men in I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n
land. He was told that they had all been killed. O®gu;n and his men
planned to go to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land to have a nice time there. What with all
the men in the land killed, surely the women would be longing for the
company of able-bodied men by now. Those who did not want to
cooperate could be roughened up a little and made to cooperate.
When O®gu;n and his group arrived in I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n, because of the
confidence they had that the women could not put up much resistance
and that if they did, before long, they would cave in. What they met
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was far from what they bargained for. The women put up an
unbelievable resistance and were very resilient. They simply
overwhelmed O®gu;n and his men. They swarmed over them like ants.
In the end, O®gu;n and his men were chased out of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land with
ignominy.
Next came OÙ®sôoô;o¾ôsôi¾ and his men; they were overwhelmed and chased
out. I®ja, O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko, SÙa¾ngo;, OÙbalu;waye;, OÙba¾ta;la;, Erinle¾ô, Ko;ri¾, etc came
and they were all disgraced and chased out of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. In the
end, 399 Iru;nmoôleô¾ had tried to enter I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n but they were all chased
away. They simply could not understand how and why these weak
women were able to overpower the strong and mighty Iru;nmoôleô¾. Where
did they acquire this power to overcome the Iru;nmoôleô¾, they wondered.
All the 399 Iru;nmoôleô¾ ended up going home to nurse their disgrace and
humiliation.
E®e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sôawo loô si;lu¾u; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The clustering of ants
And the movement of ants
That was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going on an Ifá mission to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
O®Ùru;nmi¾la was the only Iru;nmoôleô¾ who had not gone to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land to
force the women into submission. He heard of the attempts made by all
the other Iru;nmoôleô¾ and their consequent failures.
One day, O®Ùru;nmi¾la made up his mind to go to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. His
reason for going there was however different from that of the other
Iru;nmoôleô¾ who had been there before. The reason for him going was
that even though the women had the full right to protect themselves
and uphold their dignity from aggressive men, he felt that they were
being too extreme in not allowing any man at all to enter their land. He
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
reasoned that the stance taken by the women would not be favourable
to them in the long run. If care was not taken, he reasoned, they would
all die off without leaving behind anyone to continue their legacies.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la resolved that the women needed to understand that they
needed men just as much as men needed them, and of course, not as
tools to be trampled upon or taken advantage of, but as partners who
had specific roles to play that were in accordance to the design of
Olo;du¾mare¾.
The women must understand this, but how? Because these women had
experienced severe pain and trauma by men, they had all taken the
extreme stance to suspect, hate, resist, and not have anything to do
with any man ever again. To succeed in this mission O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ decided
to approach the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I
succeed? How should I approach these women? What do I need to do
for these women to soften their stance toward men and allow me to
speak with them? These were the questions that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ asked Ifá
during consultation.
The Awo in his response, told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he was about to undertake
a very delicate task. He was assured that he would succeed if he
approached the issue with wisdom, caution and great understanding.
He was also told that he needed to behave like a fool if he was to
succeed. The Awo made it clear to him that only a wise person can
pretend to be a fool; but a fool had no power or capability to pretend
like a wise person. He was told that his assignment was such that any
confrontation would never work. If he went there and he began to
behave like someone who had come to teach them something or to tell
them that they were wrong in how they were behaving, he would
definitely fail. What he needed to do was to work himself into their
minds. He must convince them that he meant no harm firstly before he
could even begin to tell them anything. He also needed to show them
evidence that he had no hidden agendas. This was the only thing he
could do that would make the women lower their guard so that he could
commence to talk to them. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that the women he was
going to meet at I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n had experienced intimidation, cheating,
bullying, deceit, victimization, abuse of all types, and chauvinism by
men, and that none of those things would ever work anymore.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with 30 fowls, two I®ru¾keô¾re¾ô,
and 30 bags of cowries. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ did. At the end of the ẹbọexercise,
the Awo gave him one I®roô;ke;ô and one I®ru¾keô¾re¾ô. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that
instead of bows and arrows, spears, javelins, clubs and blades, he
needed to go to the land with an I®roô;ke;ô and one I®ru¾keô¾re¾ô. He was advised
to go there alone. He was also told to go with fowls and pretend to be a
trader among them. He agreed.
The 30 fowls were put in a cage and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ carried the cage and set
out on his journey to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land. It took him several days to get
there. In the end, he got to the land and went straight to the market
place. As soon as the women saw him, they put up their guard.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ extended his greetings to them, but none of them answered.
They quickly averted to report the presence of a man to the Iyalode and
the other chieftains of the land. When they heard that he was alone,
they became suspicious. They sent out scouts to comb the whole area
in order to ascertain whether or not, he had other people hidden nearby.
In the end, they discovered that he was the only one who had entered
I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n. Still, they decided to put him at arms length.
During the evening time, as O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was hawking his fowls, they all
escaped from the cage and ran everywhere. He became confused as to
what to do. That was when E®su
ô ¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ whispered into his ears that the
opportunity he needed to take advantage of had just happened. E®sôu¾
O®Ùda¾ra¾ told him to seek the assistance of the women to help him catch
his fowls and put them back into the cage; and while doing this, he
needed to let them know that he was harmless.
Taking the cue from what E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ told him, he cleared his throat and
began to sing thus:
Ara; ilu I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n ki;;nni mo wa; sôe o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
I®ya;lo;de i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi I®ro;ôkeô; jagun
137
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ eô¾ tu;’lu¾u;
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
O®Ùtu;n i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o
O®si¾ i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
Ki;nni mo wa; sôe o o?
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
Translation:
Inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land, what have I come to do?
Trading
That is what I have come to do
Trading
I®ya;lo;de, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
That is what I have come to do
Trading
Nobody uses an I®roô;ke; to wage war
Trading
That is what I have come to do
Trading
Nobody uses an I®ru¾keô¾reô¾ to sack a town
Trading
That is what I have come to do
Trading
OÙ®tu;n, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
That is what I have come here to do
Trading
O®si¾, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
That is what I have come here to do
What have I come to do?
Trading
That is what I have come here to do
Trading
Hearing this song, the women became confused as to who was this
man? Truly, who could wage war with an I®roô;ke; or an I®ru¾keô¾reô¾ as a
weapon? What did this man want? Was it safe to come close to him
and allow him to come close to us? Was it advisable to listen to him?
Was this mission truly for commerce and trading as he was saying?
Looking at OÙ®ru;nmi¾la, the women realized that truly, instead of a bow
and arrow, he was holding an I®roô;ke;ô, instead of a javelin or a spear, he
was holding an I®ru¾keô¾reô¾. Did this man come for war or peace? Surely,
nobody wages war with an I®roô;ke;ô and an I®ru¾keô¾reô. Consequently, this
man must have come in peace but what did he stand to gain? The
women decided that they would wait to see.
They resolved to help him catch his fowls. By the time that they finished
catching them up, it was night time. He was then invited to stay in the
I®ya;lo;de’s house for the night. While in the I®ya;lo;de’s house he was able
to discuss many things with her and converse with her over the virtue of
living harmoniously and in complementary relationships with men once
again. After much discussion they both agreed that it was the right
thing to do provided that both parties would not have the intention of
taking the other party for a ride.
The next day, the I®ya;lo;de explained her discussion with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la with
the other women. After much discussion, they eventually agreed that
they needed to reduce their suspicion and hatred toward men and give
them another chance. They did and they never had cause to regret this
decision ever again.
139
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
E®e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n, e¾e¾ra¾ wi¾n-i¾n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sôawo loô si;lu¾u; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, Ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;yo¾ô, eô wa;a wore o
N®je;ô ara; i¾lu; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n ki;nni mo wa; sôe
Ara; i¾lu; I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n ki;nni mo wa; sôe o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
I®ya;lo;de i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi I®ro;ôkeô; jagun
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾¾
EÙni¾kan ki¾i; fi i¾ru¾ke¾ôreô¾ eô¾ tu;’lu¾u;
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
O®Ùtu;n i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o
O®si¾ i¾lu; eô ba; mi m’a;di¾eô eô¾ mi o
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
Ki;nni mo wa; sôe o o?
O®wo¾ o¾ o¾
Nna;a¾ mo wa; sôe
O®wo¾ o¾
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Translation:
The clustering of ants and the movement of ants
That was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going on an Ifá mission to I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Before long, not too far
Come and join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Now, Inhabitants of I®ra¾mo¾gu¾n land,
what have I come to do?
Trading
That is what I have come to do
Trading
I®ya;lo;de, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
That is what I have come to do
Trading
Nobody uses an I®roô;ke; to wage war
Trading
That is what I have come to do
Trading
Nobody uses an I®ru¾keô¾reô¾ to sack a town
Trading
That is what I have come to do
Trading
OÙ®tu;n, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
That is what I have come here to do
Trading
O®si¾, please help me retrieve my fowls
Trading
That is what I have come here to do
What have I come to do?
Trading
That is what I have come here to do
Trading
141
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have cause
to celebrate in life. He/she shall be happy and contented.
On the other hand, the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to
be careful never to plan to take anyone for a ride or take undue
advantage of anybody. Anyone who plans to do so shall be humiliated.
12. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed never to
under-estimate any child or young one. Ifá says that as elders have
their wisdom, young ones also have their own areas where they excel.
For this reason, as youths love to learn a lot from elders, so also should
elders have some things to learn from youths and young ones.
Ifá says that for the person for whom this Odù is revealed, he/she must
endeavour to hear all sides of any matter before making any
pronouncement or taking any action. This, Ifá says, is the noble course
he/she must always take. If this is not done, he/she will end up being
blamed for taking action without proper deliberation first.
Ifá also says that if there is any form of contention where this Odù is
revealed there is the need to resolve these issues as soon as possible.
This is because, if left unsolved, the consequences will be grave for all
those involved. In order to enjoy peace of mind therefore, all
misunderstandings, altercations, contention, suspicions, hostilities
and/or brickbats must be amicably resolved urgently and permanently.
In this same stanza, Ifá enjoins all elders where this Odù is revealed to
ensure that a good and enduring legacy is left behind for future
generations. Any action that can lead to controversy or crisis after an
elder has joined their ancestors must be resolved amicably before they
pass on to the great beyond.
Ifá equally says that there is a pregnant woman where this Odù is
revealed, that needs to offer ẹbọ so that she will have a safe delivery.
Ifá advises the following ẹbọ to be offered:
i.
To benefit from the knowledge of youths and other young ones;
there is the need to offer ẹbọ with three hens and money.
There is also the need to feed Ifá with two kola nuts and
liquor.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
ii.
Not to be blamed for acting without seeking and understanding all
sides of a story; one mature he-goat and money.
iii.
To be able to resolve all contentious issues before they get out of
hand; one mature he-goat and money.
iv.
For elders to leave behind an enduring legacy for future
generations; one big she-goat, one he-goat and money.
v.
For a pregnant woman to have a safe delivery; two rats, two
fish, one hen and money.
After all these have been done, there is the need to feed OÙba¾ta;la;. The
Awo needs to find out what OÙba¾ta;la; will like to take and use it to feed
the Deity accordingly.
On all these, Ogbe¾-'Weô¾yi¾n says:
Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from
those behind us
I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us
This was Ifá’s message for OÙba¾ta;la;
When going to learn wisdom from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la every five days
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la and OÙba¾ta;la; were good friends. They had been together for a
long time. One day, OÙba¾ta;la; told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la that he wanted to study Ifá
philosophy, esoteric language and in-depth understanding of life with
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la. After some deliberation, they concluded that OÙba¾ta;la; needed
to come to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la’s house every five days to learn new things.
143
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
The first OÙru;n came and OÙba¾ta;la; went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la house. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la was
not home. He however met his child, a seven-year old at home. After
both of them exchanged greetings, OÙba¾ta;la; asked the boy where exactly
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la had gone to. The boy responded thus, “Baba mi¾ ra;n asôoô aweô;
kan loô ni” meaning “my father has gone to sew one strand of clothing
material and has left behind the other strand un sewn”.
OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of what the boy was saying. “What is that
supposed to mean child?” The boy said, “Baba, if you want me to tell
you the meaning, then you have to pay me two kola nuts with four lobes
each and a bottle of liquor”. Out of curiosity, OÙba¾ta;la; paid the boy. The
boy then explained thus, “Baba, as you are aware, my father has two
wives, OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ and my mother. When my father went out very
early this morning there was a little misunderstanding between the two
wives. As soon as my father returned, my mother, the younger wife,
complained bitterly to my father about what had happened in his
absence. She was crying and wailing as she was narrating her story,
giving my father the impression that she had been abused and
maltreated by Iya OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾, the senior wife. Instead of
investigating fully by listening to the other side of the story and if
possible interviewing those present when the quarrel had taken place,
my father descended on his senior wife. She wanted to explain, but he
shouted her down without giving her any chance to speak. If one
inquires what has occurred from the first party, is it not wise to ask from
the other when two parties are involved in any issue? That was why I
told you that my father had sewn one strand of clothing material but
had left behind the other strand un-sewn”.
When OÙba¾ta;la; heard this, he knew that there was a lot of sense in what
the child had just said. He thanked the child and turned back to go
home. The boy declared, “Baba, before saying anything or taking any
action on any issue always endeavour to hear all sides of a matter. This
will make you an impartial and a level-headed judge”.
Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Translation:
Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from
those behind us
I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us
This was Ifá’s message for OÙba¾ta;la;
When going to learn wisdom from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la every five days
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
On the next OÙru;n, OÙba¾ta;la; went again to learn from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la. When he
got there, he met his child outside the house. “Good morning son, is
your father at home?” he asked. Good morning Baba. My father has
gone out”. Where exactly has he gone?” The child responded thus,
"Oku¾n aye; feô; ja; o; loô tu;n-un so" meaning, “the rope of the world is about
to break. My father has gone to tie it back together.”
Again, OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of it. He asked the child to explain.
Again, the child asked him to bring two kola nuts and bottle of liquor.
OÙba¾ta;la; did. The boy then explained thus, “Baba, there is a serious
disagreement between OÙba A®ja¾la;ye; and OÙba A®ja¾loô;run which my father
has gone to settle. If this misunderstanding is left unsolved and allowed
to degenerate into full-scale war, the very fabric of this world will have
its foundation shaken and existence on earth will cease or at the very
least be seriously threatened. In order to ensure that the rope which
Olo;du¾mare¾ uses to tie the world is not broken, my father has gone to
bring peace among these two Divinities. Baba, don’t you know that any
fight between OÙba A®ja¾la;ye; and OÙba A®ja¾loô;run will certainly break the
rope used to hang this world in balance if things are not mended
between them?”
OÙba¾ta;la; thought about this statement and concluded that what the child
had said made a lot of sense. He told the child to extend his greetings to
his father when he returned. “Baba, please remember, the rope of the
world must never be allowed to break. Any time you find two very
important people engaged in a quarrel, any time you find two or more
major groups engaging in a misunderstanding or any time you find two
societies, communities, regions or countries engaged in any quarrel,
ensure that you bring peace before it leads to a full-scale crisis or war.
145
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
If you fail to do so, then you may end up witnessing the rope of the
world being broken.”
“Thank you, son. Greet your father for me; I will be back on the next
OÙru;n.
Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from
those behind us
I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us
This was Ifá’s message for O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
When going to learn wisdom from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ every five days
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
Again on the next OÙru;n, OÙba¾ta;la;; went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house to study.
And again OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had gone out of the house. He again met the child
at home. He again asked where OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had gone to? The child
replied by saying, “Baba mi loô tu;n e¾ôhi¾n aye; sôe ni” meaning “my father
has gone to mend the world in preparation for the time he will no longer
be around”.
What does this mean? The child asked OÙba¾ta;la; to procure the usual two
kola nuts and liquor. He did. The child said, “my father has been
receiving signals that he is about to be summoned by Olo;du¾mare¾ to
return to I®koô¾le; OÙ®run in due course time. He knew that some of the
elders in his family were not in good terms. He was convinced that if he
should depart the world while this altercation was still going on, these
elders would surely tear each other apart when he was no longer around
to serve as a control for them. That is why my father has gone to the
family compound to settle all the rifts and return life in the family to
normalcy. Don’t you know that when there are unresolved rifts in any
family, before the head of the family departs, such a family stands the
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
chance of disintegrating at the slightest chance? The head of that family
will then stand condemned forever and ever”.
When OÙba¾ta;la; ruminated over what the child had just said he agreed
with him completely. He asked the child to extend his greetings to his
father and turned left to go. "Baba, please ensure that all unresolved
crises in your household is resolved amicably before you return to the
great beyond. You have all worked hard and done well while on earth;
do not let that rubbish all your good works. You need to leave a great
legacy behind; it is equally important for you to leave behind those who
will continue where you have left off. This can be done only when there
is love, understanding, and cooperation”.
Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from
those behind us
I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from those behind us
This was Ifá’s message for O®ri¾sôa¾n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
When going to learn wisdom from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ every five days
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
On the next OÙru;n day, OÙba¾ta;la; again went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house to learn.
He had vowed that he would become one of the most knowledgeable
Iru;nmoôle¾ô of all time. When he got there again, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was not at
home. “Where has your father gone this time?” OÙba¾ta;la; asked
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s child, who was always at home. In his response the child
said “I®ya; mi loô fa oku¾n aye; a¾ti t’oô¾run. Bo;ya; t’aye; lo; ma;a ja; mo;ôoô l'oô;wo;ô ni
ta¾bi; t’oô¾run ni eôni¾kan ko¾ mo¾ô. Baba mi¾ loô la;ti m’o;ju; to;o”. Meaning “my
mother is pulling the chord of Ayé (earth) and OÙ®run (heaven) with her
hands right now. Whether the chord of Ayé is the one that will
eventually remain in her hands or that of heaven, nobody can say for
certain. My father has gone to take care of this matter“.
147
OGBE® I®WO®RI®
OÙba¾ta;la; could make no sense of this statement. In order to get the full
explanation of what the child had said, OÙba¾ta;la; himself, without any
prompting, gave the child two kola nuts and a bottle of liquor. The child
said, “My mother, right now, has gone into labour. Nobody can predict
the outcome. If she has a safe delivery, then the chord of Ayé is the one
that has remained in her hands. On the other hand, if she dies in the
process, then the chord of OÙ®run is the one that has remained in her
hands. To ensure that it is the chord of Ayé that remains in her hands,
my father has gone to where she is to oversee things for himself."
When OÙba¾ta;la; heard the explanation of this child, it occurred to him that
even if he had met OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ every time he had been coming, he would
not have learnt something different. He concluded that as elders have
their wisdom, youths are not totally bereft of wisdom and
understanding. “Ok child, tell your father that I am no longer coming.
You have given me enough wisdom for a lifetime”.
As he turned to go back home, the child said; “Baba, any time your wife
is pregnant, ensure that you give her all the things that will make the
day of delivery relatively easy and convenient for her. Do so for all the
wives of your loved ones and clients as well. By so doing, people will
have cause to come and thank you for a job well done. This is what my
father does all the time”.
Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
O: de;'le; O®rÙ u;nmi¾la¾
Baba ko¾ si; ni;le;.
Ni;bo ni Baba loô?
OÙmoô reô¾ ni; Baba o¾un ra;n asôoô aweô; kan loô ni
Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
O: de;'le; O®rÙ u;nmi¾la¾
Baba ko¾ si; ni;le;.
Ni;bo ni Baba loô?
OÙmoô reô¾ ni; oku¾n aye; feô; ja;
Baba o¾un lo¾ôoô; tu;n-u;n so
Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
O: de;'le; O®rÙ u;nmi¾la¾
Baba ko¾ si; ni;le;.
Ni;bo ni Baba loô?
OÙmoô reô ni; Baba o¾un loô t'eô;yi¾n aye; sôe ni
Ifa; wi;, o; lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
E®mi na;a¾ wi;, mo lo; di a¾te¾ôyi¾n-ke;de¾
Di;a; fu;n O®ri¾sôa¾ n;la; OÙ®sôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Ti; yo;o; maa lo¾ôoô; ko;ô e¾de¾ l'oô;doô¾ OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ loô;jo;ô oôroôoôru;n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
O: de;'le; O®rÙ u;nmi¾la¾
Baba ko¾ si; ni;le;.
Ni;bo ni Baba loô?
OÙmoô reô¾ ni; i¾ya; o¾un loô fa oku¾n aye;
A®ti oô¾run
Bo;ya; t'aye; lo; ma;a ja; moô;ôoô loôw
; o;ô ni
Ta¾bi; t'oô¾run ni
EÙni¾kan ko¾ mo¾ô
Baba o¾un loô re¾e; m’o;ju; to;o
E®ro¾ I®po, E®ro¾ OÙ®fa
EÙ®yin o¾ moô¾ wi;pe; oômoôde; gbo;ôn
A®gba¾ na;a¾ gboô;n
La fi mu;'le; aye; ro; ni ndan?
Translation:
Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from
those behind us
I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
those behind us
This was Ifá’s message for OÙba¾ta;la;
When going to learn wisdom from Oru¾nmi¾la¾
every five days
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
When he got to Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s home
Oru¾nmi¾la¾ was not at home
Where has he gone to?
Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s child responded that his father
went to sew one strand of clothing material
but left behind the other strand un-sewn
Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from
those behind us
I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from
those behind us
This was Ifá’s message for OÙba¾ta;la;
When going to learn wisdom from Oru¾nmi¾la¾
every five days
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
When he got to Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s home
Oru¾nmi¾la¾ was not at home
Where has he gone to?
Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s child responded that the rope of
the world was about to break
And his father had gone to tie it back together
Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from
those behind us
I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from
those behind us
This was Ifá’s message for OÙba¾ta;la;
When going to learn wisdom from Oru¾nmi¾la¾
every five days
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
When he got to Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s home
Oru¾nmi¾la¾ was not at home
Where has he gone to?
Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s child responded that his father had
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gone to mend the world
In preparation for the time that he would
no longer be around
Ifá declares that it is time to learn wisdom from
those behind us
I chorus that it is time to learn wisdom from
those behind us
This was Ifá’s message for OÙba¾ta;la;
When going to learn wisdom from Oru¾nmi¾la¾
every five days
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
When he got to Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s home
Oru¾nmi¾la¾ was not at home
Where has he gone to?
Oru¾nmi¾la¾’s son responded that his mother
was pulling the chord of Ayé (earth) and OÙ®run
(heaven) with her hands right now
If the chord of Ayé is the one that will
eventually remain in her hands or that of heaven
Nobody can say for certain
My father has gone to take care of this matter
Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾
Don’t you know that the wisdom of both youths
and elders is what Olo;du¾mare¾ has combined
to establish governance in this world?
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed need not overrely on the fact that only elders will or can share their knowledge with
him/her. He/she needs to make use of wisdom, wise counselling, advice
or guidance from anyone who can share it with him/her - whether that
person is an elder or a youth does not really matter. What is important
is for him/her to use the idea shared with him/her in a very positive
way.
13. Ifá says that it foresees victory over an untimely death for the
person for whom this Odù is revealed. He/she will be spared where
people will be dying in multitude. He/she will not be at home if the
building where he/she stays is going to collapse. He/she will not be
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
involved in any boat, ship or motor mishap that will snuff out his/her
life. He/she will not be allowed to fall off a tall tree or building which
may result in his/her death. He/she will not be mistakenly poisoned. No
stray bullet will hit and kill him/her. Assassins will fail if they intend to
eliminate him/her. He/she will not slip on a wet floor and break his/her
skull. Fire will not burn him/her to death. He/she will not lose his/her
life during times of war and uprising. When there is pestilence in the
community, he/she shall be spared.
Ifá says that with the exception of suicide, either intentional or
inadvertent, the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be spared
from any violent death. He/she shall live long. He/she shall not
experience any group death. He/she shall witness his/her old age, the
birth and growth of his/her children, grand children and even great
grand children.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with three mature he-goats and
money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá with a mature she-goat and
plenty of palm-oil. After these have been done, he/she needs to
handle life with care and caution. That he/she has offered ẹbọ is not
enough reason to be reckless in life.
On these, Ifá says:
A®da¾ba¾ ga;n ba;yi¾i;
A®da¾ba¾ fo¾ ba;yi¾i;
Di;a; fu;n Ori;sôa;nku;
Ti;i; sô'eô¾gbo;ôn Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n
Iku; o¾ lee¾ pa o¾un lo; n;da;'fa; si;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The dove landed here
The dove took off from here
This was Ifá’s message to Ori;sôa;nku;
The elder brother of Ogbe¾-I®wo¾ri¾
He had consulted Ifá to escape untimely death
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
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Ori;sôa;nku; was Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n’s elder brother. He had witnessed many
people dying in their prime. Many people had died violent deaths.
Many more were living in fear of dying through violence. He was one of
the people nursing this fear. As a result of this, Ori;sôa;nku; went to the
home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. Will I live long?
If so, what do I need to do to ensure that nothing cuts short my life as I
have witnessed many youths whose lives have been cut short while in
their prime. He had witnessed the inexplicable deaths of people who
had everything going for them. Surely, he did not want to be one of
these people. What then could he do to make him live to his old age?
Will I be able to escape all these problems and grow old?
The Awo assured Ori;sôa;nku; that he would live long. He was told that
outside outright suicide, he would surely grow old. This was because Ifá
would protect him and ensure that he would be spared the agony of
experiencing untimely or violent death.
He was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He complied. The Awo
however warned him that he needed to do all things with care and
caution. That, according to the Awo, this advice was a more important
ẹbọ than all the materials he had procured. As long as he followed the
advice and he refused to dare death when it threatened, then long life
was guaranteed for him.
When Ori;sôa;nku; got home, he began to do everything with care and
caution. He was in turn protected by Ifá. If there was any mishap, it
would happen immediately before or after Ori;sôa;nku; had left the scene,
when people asked him why he was always lucky to escape death, he
simply responded that he did not follow anyone into the world, he
therefore would not follow anyone to heaven.
He came into the world at the very end when all those who would be
unlucky to meet with violent deaths had already departed.
A®da¾ba¾ ga;n ba;yi¾i;
A®da¾ba¾ fo¾ ba;yi¾i;
Di;a; fu;n Ori;sôa;nku;
Ti;i; sô'eô¾gbo;ôn Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n
Iku; o¾ lee¾ pa o¾un lo; n;da;'fa; si;
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, Ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri
A®i¾ku;; Ifa; du¾n o; j’oyin loô
N®je;ô n o¾ ba; woôn wa;
Ti; n o; ba; woôn loô o
Ni;tori; ni; 'keôyi¾n-keôyi¾n ni mo to;o; de; o
Translation:
The dove landed here
The dove took off from here
This was Ifá’s message to Ori;sôa;nku;
The elder brother of Ogbe¾-I®wo¾ri¾
He had consulted Ifá to escape untimely death
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us where we enjoy long life
The longevity guaranteed by Ifá is sweeter than honey
I did not follow them into this world
Therefore, I will not follow them to heaven
This is because I came into this world very, very late
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be given
long life. He/she shall be spared the agony of dying violently. He/she
shall not die together with others during mishaps, crises, uprising, or
even disasters.
14. Ifá says that for the person for whom this Odù is revealed to live
long and die peacefully, meekness and I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô are the watchwords.
Without these, it will be very difficult, if not totally impossible for
him/her to live long and attain his/her old age.
Ifá says that longevity has no special panacea; I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô is the only
known medicine for long life. Ifá says that the person for whom this
Odù is revealed must never be in the forefront of any uprising. He/she
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must never organize, coordinate, or direct mass unrest; he/she must
also not try to be a hero; he/she must not try to show that he/she is
bolder than others. If there is the need to retreat when death threatens,
especially when it is possible to do so, he/she must do just that
immediately.
Apart from these, the person for whom this Odù is revealed must have
deep respect for elders and those in authority over him/her. He/she
must avoid being cursed by elders or incur their wrath. Curses from
elders or their wrath do not allow one to live long.
Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with
three items, I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô, I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô and more I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô. Ifá says that this
person can never have too much I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô . There is no such thing as
excessive I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô but there can be I®wa¾ Peô¾le;ô in short supply.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n on this aspect says:
A n; ki; oômoô eku
OÙmoô eku n; wo iwa;ju;
Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;nlo; de;
Ti; o fi n; wo iwa;ju;
O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju;
Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-Ideô
A n; ki; oômoô eôja
OÙmoôô eôja n; weôy
¾ i¾n
Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja Ki;nlo; de;
Ti; o fi n; weô¾yi¾n
O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾ weôy
¾ i¾n
Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere ideô
Mo wa; wo iwa;ju;
E®mi wo eô¾yi¾n
E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifa;
Di;a; fu;n Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo;
Ti; n; raye; e re¾ô la;i¾ ni;i; ku
EÙboô ni woôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Translation:
While greeting Eku (the Rat)
The rat continued to look forward
They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred
that you are continuously looking forward?”
The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was
what led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ”
While greeting EÙja (the Fish)
The fish continued to look backward
They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred that
you are continuously glancing backward?”
The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward
was what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô”
I looked forward
And I even glanced backward
I could not see anything as beneficial as Ifá
That was the message of Ifá for Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo;
(Meekness brings longevity)
When coming to enjoy long-lasting life on earth
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; had witnessed several people dying, especially youths who
had died violent deaths. He had seen the remains of those who died
when their boats capsized in the middle of the sea; he had witnessed
the burial of those who were burnt beyond recognition when they were
asleep and the lamp which they lighted overturned and the ensuing fire
burnt down the whole building, including those who were occupants of
the house. There were no survivors.
He had seen people who had gone to rescue a child who had fallen into
a well and in the process they drowned along with the child because
they did not understand how to get out of a deep well. He had been
called upon when members of his family got killed when their mud
house suddenly collapsed, killing all occupants; he had heard the story
of those who died when they went to rescue those whose boats
capsized and they were not good swimmers.
The instances of sudden, violent and multiple deaths were simply
endless. These incidents made Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; and all those around him
live in constant fear of death. This was why one day, Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo;
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decided to approach the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá
consultation: What do I need to do in order to live long, avoid a violent
death, and also avoid being part of those who die in groups or in
multitude?
The group of Awo told Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; that he had justifiable reason to fear
for his life, nonetheless, he had been destined to live long and die in
peace. They however cautioned him that because he had been destined
to live long did not give him the license to live a rough life or take
unreasonable risks.
They made it clear to him that if he did not handle life with caution and
I®wa¾ Pe¾ôleô;, he would just rubbish the promises of his destiny. What must
I do and what must I avoid? Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo; asked the group of Awo.
i.
If a stream is full and too swift, especially when rain has just
fallen, do not attempt to cross it.
ii.
If you do not know how to swim, do not jump into a river.
iii.
When fire is raging on the farm or inside a house, do not
enter the fire to salvage any goods. Your life is more
precious than material wealth.
iv.
Do not use banana leaves to climb a palm-tree.
v.
Do not prove any point by eating or drinking contaminated
or poisoned food or drink.
vi.
Do not develop the habit of moving about in the dead of the
night.
vii.
Do not challenge a multitude of people to a fight.
viii.
Do not under-estimate the capability of anyone especially
women and youths.
ix.
Do not fail to save your life when death threatens, especially
when it is possible to do so.
x.
Do not be disrespectful or rude to elders.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
xi.
Do not defecate in public utilities.
xii.
Do not conspire against anyone or plan evil against innocent
ones.
xiii. Do not set traps against innocent people.
xiv. Do not steal or take what belongs to other people.
xv. Do not reap where you have not sown.
xvi. Do not harbour evil thoughts in your mind against yourself or
other people.
xvii. Whatever people do to you that causes you pain, do not do
unto others. Do not dash the hopes of others.
xviii. Do not be prideful and/or arrogant in all the things you do.
Humility is your watchword.
xix. Do not use or do anything that can affect or alter the
normal functioning of your brain. That is the seat of your
destiny.
xx. Do not ignore the advice of Ifá; on any issue. Do not delay
the offering of ẹbọ unduly.
xxi. Do not attempt to be what you are not. Be yourself. Be true
and honest to yourself. Don’t love others more than yourself.
All these, Je;ôeô;je;ô-Logbo memorized and determined to comply with. He
actually complied with all of them. It soon dawned on him that
longevity had a special panacea, meekness and I®wa¾ Pe¾ôleô;, were the only
known panacea for long life.
A n; ki; oômoô eku
OÙmoô eku n; wo iwa;ju;
Woô;n ni; oômoô eku ki;nlo; de;
Ti; o fi n; wo iwa;ju;
O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾wo iwa;ju;
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Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere-Ideô
A n; ki; oômoô eôja
OÙmoôô eôja n; weôy
¾ i¾n
Woô;n ni; oômoô eôja Ki;nlo; de;
Ti; o fi n; w'eô¾yi¾n
O: ni; Iku; ala;i¾ weôy
¾ i¾n
Lo; pa Ba¾ba; o¾un Ala;jere ideô
Mo wa; wo iwa;ju;
E®mi wo eô¾yi¾n
E®mi o¾ ri; ohun to; sunwo¾ôn bi; Ifa;
Di;a; fu;n Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo;
Ti; n; raye; e re¾ô la;i¾ ni;i; ku;
EÙboô ni woôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;'boô
N®je;ô jeô;e;ôjeô; logbo; o
Ogbo; o¾ lo;o¾gu¾n kankan
I®wa¾ pe¾ôle;ô logbo; o
Ogbo; o¾ lo;o¾gu¾n kankan
Translation:
While greeting Eku (the Rat)
The rat continued to look forward
They asked him, “Rat, what has occurred
that you are continuously looking forward?”
The rat answered, “Failure to look forward was
what led to the death of my father, Ala;jere-Ideô ”
While greeting EÙja (the Fish)
The fish continued to look backward
They asked him, “Fish, what has occurred
that you are continuously glancing backward?”
The fish answered, “Failure to glance backward
was what led to the death of my father Ala;jere-Ideô”
I looked forward
And I even glanced backward
I could not see anything as beneficial as Ifá
That was the message of Ifá for Jeô;e;ôjeô;-Logbo;
(Meekness brings longevity)
When coming to enjoy long-lasting life on earth
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
He complied
Behold, meekness enhances longevity
I®wa¾-pe¾ôle;ô ensures longevity
Longevity has no other panacea
Ifá says that with meekness and I®wa¾-pe¾ôle;ô, longevity for the person for
whom this Odù is revealed is guaranteed. Jeô;e;ôjeô; and I®wa¾-peô¾le;ô work
together and together they ensure and enhance longevity. That is the
message of Ifá for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Even if
he/she is destined to live long in heaven, if he/she has Jeô;e;ôjeô; and I®wa¾peô¾le;ô in short supply, he/she will surely die young in a sorry way and
manner.
15. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed to take care of
himself/herself first before thinking of helping others. Ifá says that there
is the need for this person to ensure that he/she pulls himself out of the
waters before attempting to pull other people out. If this is not done,
Ifá says that he/she will not have the capacity to help him/herself and
others when the time comes.
Ifá also advises this person to take care of his/her health before ever
contemplating any form of help for other people. If this is not done, the
ailment will incapacitate him/her and he/she will no longer be in the
position to help him/herself and those he intends to assist.
Ifá recommends for this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat
and 30 bags of cowries. After this, he/she needs to take care of
himself/herself first before rendering any help to other people.
On these aspects, Ogbe¾-W'e¾ôyi¾n says:
A ri; t'eôni moô¾oô; wi;
A f’a¾pa;a¾di¾ ba¾ra¾mu¾ bo tire¾ô mo;ôleô¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sô'awo re’le; oni;hann¾han
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
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Translation:
He who is preoccupied with analyzing other
people’s problems
But uses a big potsherd to cover his own inadequacies
This was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going on an Ifá mission to the home of Oni;hann¾han
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
Oni;hann¾han was a very generous and benevolent man. He loved to
help other people. In fact, he enjoyed rendering help to people. Several
people, men and women, had been elevated financially through the help
of Oni;hann¾han. Not only that, he usually made it a point of duty to find
an amicable solution to any rift. There was no way one could count the
number of domestic problems he had resolved. People had lost count of
the number of intra and inter communal clashes he had found lasting
solutions to. He had footed the bills for many ill people and they had
regained their health. Several people in the community and even
outside the community had complementary comments on Oni;hann¾han .
One day, Oni;hann¾han woke up with a slight head-ache. He thought
nothing of it. He believed that the head-ache would go away on its
own. Why should he bother about a slight head-ache when he had
people who were on the verge of death who needed his urgent
assistance? He simply ignored the head-ache.
Three days after, the head-ache had become more severe and
persistent. Yet, he could not be bothered because many people needed
his help. By the time he felt that something must be done, he could no
longer sleep. He could not eat, drink, sit upright or do anything again.
He could not help anyone again. In fact, he did not have the strength to
help himself. He relied on his children to do everything for him. He
could not wash his mouth, take his bath, or empty his bowels without
assistance.
What gave him the greatest worry of his life was that he was no longer
in a position to help those who needed his assistance. His worry added
to his problems. He became weaker and sadder.
That was when the family of Oni;hann¾han invited O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to their home
to come and consult Ifá for Oni;hann¾han. Before going, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ went to
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
the Awo mentioned above to determine
Oni;hann¾han’s home would be: Will I succeed?
how
his journey to
The Awo assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would surely succeed. His degree of
success however depended entirely on whether or not the person on
behalf of whom he was invited was ready to heed the advice. How?
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was told that this person loved other people more than
himself. He had been working hard to help others and put smiles on
their faces at the expense of his own health and well-being. It had then
reached a stage that he was no longer in a position to help himself, not
to talk of others.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la was asked to advise him to offer ẹbọ as stated above. If he
agrees to offer the ẹbọ, he will also need to take care of his health first
before he can think of rendering any form of assistance to other people.
It was only when this advice was complied with, that he could ever
succeed. If the person on behalf of whom O®Ùru;nmi¾la was invited is not
ready to heed this advice, then O®Ùru;nmi¾la’s journey to his home would
amount to a sheer waste of effort.
When O®Ùru;nmi¾la got to Oni;hann¾han’s house, the man was in a sorry
state. O®Ùru;nmi¾la explained to him that he would get well and regain his
strength in no time at all if only he could concentrate all his effort now
on how to take care of his health and regain his strength and health first
before thinking about how to assist others. O®Ùru;nmi¾la told him that he
had been loving other people more than himself and that this attitude
was what brought him into the sorry state he had found himself.
He was also advised to offer ẹbọ with one bearded he-goat and 30
bags of cowries. He complied. After this, he was advised to purge his
mind of any worry, use his medication which O®Ùru;nmi¾la had prepared for
him and allow the healing process to take place. He agreed and
complied with the advice. In no time, he began to regain his health and
strength. That was when he realized that there was nothing wrong with
caring for other people; but when this was carried to the extreme when
he/she cared for others more than himself/herself, then the result would
be disastrous for him/her because he/she would drive himself/herself to
a stage where it would be impossible to help himself/herself and others
he/she intended to assist. This realization made him to rearrange his
priorities accordingly.
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A ri; t'eôni moô¾oô; wi;
A f’a¾pa;a¾di¾ ba¾ra¾mu¾ bo tire¾ô mo;ôleô¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sô'awo re’le; oni;hann¾han
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;'boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, oô¾na¾ o¾ ji¾n
EÙ wa; ba; ni la;to¾le; ire gbogbo
A®to¾le; ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'e;s
ô eô¾ O®Ùpe¾ô
Translation:
He who is preoccupied with analyzing
other people’s problems
But uses a big potsherd to cover his own inadequacies
This was Ifá’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going on an Ifá mission to the home of Oni;hann¾han
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of all Ire
This is what Ifá guarantees for all its followers
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall surely be
blessed with all the Ire in life. His/her heart is pure, he/she is benevolent
but he/she cannot do everything at his/her own expense. There is
nothing wrong with caring for others but it must not be carried to the
stage where he/she will be caring for other people more than
himself/herself.
16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed never to engage
in any fruitless exercises. Not only this, Ifá says that this person must
never seek glory for their own vanity, must not exercise in vanity or
even perdition. However, if he/she has already engaged in such a
venture, then there is the need for him/her to stop forthwith.
Ifá says that this person needs to not stress himself/herself too much to
talk to anyone who has made up his/her mind not to listen or see reason
with him/her. Such an exercise will not yield any fruitful results.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
Ifá says also that people hear what they want to hear; they see what
they want to see. Trying to convince those who have intentionally closed
their eyes and ears to see or hear the other side of an issue is an
exercise in vanity.
Ifá also warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed never to have
extra-marital relationships of any kind; be it casual or serious, especially
if this illicit partner is also married to someone else. If this has already
been going on, he/she needs to put an end to such a relationship
forthwith. This is because the result will be very disastrous.
Ifá equally advises this person never to close his/her ears, eyes and
brain to reason and logic. If anyone or any situation presents another
side of an already held opinion, such an alternative view must be
carefully considered before any decision can be taken to reject or accept
it. In other words, all what the person for whom this Odù is revealed
thinks, says or does must be based on rationale thinking and logic.
Ifá says that if this person has been guilty of holding any rigid view on
anything before or he/she has been involved in an extra-marital affair of
any kind then he/she needs to offer ẹbọ with three mature he-goats,
30 bags of cowries and then stop such an attitude immediately.
On all these, an aspect of Ogbe¾-W'eô¾yi¾n says:
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni
Mo ni; e¾gbe; ni Bara a¾ mi A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; orin ti; a koô lo;ju; aditi; n;ko;ô?
Ki;n lo; ti ri;?
Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;poô ju¾
Translation:
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declares that it is an exercise in vanity
I chorus that it is an exercise in vanity
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “a song sung in the presence
of a deaf person, How will it be received?”
They said that it would be a fantastic song
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OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ summoned all his Aka;po¾ who were living close to him in order
to teach them some life lessons. He asked them that if a melodious song
were to be rendered in the presence of a deaf person, how do you all
think the song will be received by the person? All those present
concluded that the fact that the person was deaf would not stop the
song from being melodious. They told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the song would
remain melodious.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told them that to the deaf person, any singing in his/her
presence amounted to an exercise in futility. This is because be it
melodious or otherwise, this person will not hear it and it will be of no
effect to him/her. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ warned all his Aka;po¾ never to bother
singing for any deaf person because he/she would not hear it or make
any good use of the song.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni
Mo ni; e¾gbe; ni Bara a¾ mi A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ijo; ti; a jo; l'oôd
; o¾ô afoô;ju; n;ko;ô?
Ki;n lo; ti ri;?
Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;poô¾ ju¾
Translation:
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declares that it is an exercise in vanity
I chorus that it is an exercise in vanity
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “the dance steps taken in the
presence of a blind person, How will they be received ?”
They said that they would be fantastic dance steps
Again, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked his Aka;po¾, if we were to dance in the presence of
a blind person would he/she love it or not? Again after much
deliberation all the Aka;po¾ present agreed that the blind person would
love it because dancing would be an expression of joy.
Again OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made it clear to them that dancing in the presence of a
blind person would be an exercise in futility. This was because good or
not, he/she would have no way of knowing if they were good or not. He
therefore warned all his Aka;po¾ never to bother dancing for any blind
person because it would amount to a sheer waste of time and effort.
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni
Mo ni; e¾gbe; ni Bara a¾ mi A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ere; ti; a ba; aya ala;ya sôe n;ko;ô?
Ki;n lo; ti ri;?
Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;po¾ô ju¾
Translation:
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declares that it is an exercise in vanity
I chorus that it is an exercise in vanity
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “what if we were to makelove to another person’s spouse, How would that be?”
They responded that it would be very enjoyable
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ then asked his Aka;po¾, what can be gained by making-love to
another man’s wife? All of them answered that it would at least be
enjoyable while it lasted.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made it clear to his Aka;po¾ that making love to another man’s
wife was an exercise in perdition. He said that before love-making could
be said to be a completely enjoyable exercise, three conditions must be
fulfilled:
One, it must have legitimacy. This can only come after all marriage rites
have been performed. Love-making when rites are not yet performed
cannot be said to be legitimate. Also pre-marital sex in itself can cause
many problems that otherwise could have been avoided.
Two, love-making must be done with a clear conscience. Any man
making love to another man’s wife, or a married woman making love to
another woman’s husband cannot be said to be an exercise done with a
clear conscience. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ stated further that anything we do under
cover is wrong and unacceptable to Ifá and Olo;du¾mare¾.
Three, if pregnancy were to occur with someone else’s wife, the baby
would not belong to the man who had made love to the other man’s
wife. The reason for this is that Ifá does not support such relationships
in the first place. The only things that could result from such a union are
anger, conflicts, public condemnation, disgrace or even death.
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For these three reasons, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ warned all his Aka;po¾ never to make
love to other people’s wives as the results would never be favourable.
All the Aka;po¾ present agreed with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ on the first two reasons he
gave but they did not understand why the resultant pregnancy and baby
from the relationship would not belong to the man who actually
impregnated the woman.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ then explained by giving the following illustration: If a thief
breaks into a house and steals expensive jewellery from the house, and
the thief then sells the jewellery and uses the money from the sale to
build a house for himself; if eventually the thief is caught, who can we
say is the rightful owner of the house built by the thief with the money
he realized from the sale of the stolen jewellery? Of course we cannot
say that the house rightfully belongs to the thief. It belongs to the
original owner of the jewellery.
In this same vein, Ifá does not agree that the baby produced as a result
of an illicit relationship with another man’s wife belongs to the man who
engaged in the adultery. The child born from the illicit affair will stay in
the husband’s family to bring benefit to his family and not to the man
who impregnated his wife.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni
Mo ni; e¾gbe; ni Bara a¾ mi A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; orin ti; a koô lo;ju; aditi; n;ko;ô?
Ki;n lo; ti ri;?
Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;poô¾ ju¾
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni
Ni;tori; ko¾ gboô;
Mo ni; e¾gbe; ni Bara a¾ mi A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ijo; ti; a jo; l'oôd
; o¾ô afoô;ju; n;ko;ô?
Ki;n lo; ti ri;?
Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;poô¾ ju¾
Orunmila ni egbe ni
Ni;tori; ko¾ ri;i
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni
Mo ni; e¾gbe; ni Bara a¾ mi A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; ere; ti; a ba; aya ala;ya sôe n;ko;ô?
Ki;n lo; ti ri;?
Woô;n ni; o; du¾n pu;po¾ô ju¾
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ni; e¾gbe; ni
Ni;tori; Iku; lo; wa¾ ni;be¾ô
OÙmoô to; ja;de ni;be¾ô ki¾i; si¾i; sôe t'eôni
Translation:
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declares that it is an exercise in vanity
I chorus that it is an exercise in vanity
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “a song sung in the presence
of a deaf person, How will it be received?”
They said that it would be a fantastic song
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ replied that it would simply be an
exercise in vanity
Because he would not hear the song
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declares that it is an exercise in vanity
I chorus that it is an exercise in vanity
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “the dance steps taken in the presence
of a blind person, How will they be received ?”
They said that they would be fantastic dance steps
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ replied that it would simply be an
exercise in vanity
Because he would not see the dance steps
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declares that it is an exercise in vanity
I chorus that it is an exercise in vanity
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked, “what if we were to make
love to another person’s spouse, How would that be?”
They responded that it would be very enjoyable
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ replied that it would simply be an exercise in vanity
Because the only gain would be death and humiliation
The resultant pregnancy and baby would not belong to us
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to be
careful and not engage in any non-productive or vain activities which
could lead to regrets, pain, loss, or death. If this person has already
involved himself/herself in it, then he/she needs to offer ẹbọ with three
mature he-goats. He/she also needs to put a stop to such an exercise
immediately.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
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B.
SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-'WEÙ®YI®N FOR THOSE BORN
BY THE ODU® DURING I®TE®ÙNI:FA:: OR I®KOÙSEÙD
® A:YE:
Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children are generally lovable people. They possess the
ability to make those around them happy when they too are happy. On
the other hand, they also infect their loved ones with grief and pain
whenever they are sad or dejected. It is therefore advisable for those
close to them to insist that they must not brood over trivial issues since
their moods, more often than not, dictate the mood of the group they
move with.
Again, because these people have the tendency to be loved by all,
including the high and mighty, males and females, those who love them
are also usually very jealous and they crave for the attention of Ogbe¾'W'eô¾yi¾n children. The challenging part is that they do not always know
how to strike an acceptable balance among all those who love them.
More often they create crises among their admirers and they appear not
to bother about the possible implications of their actions and/or
inactions.
For Ogbe¾-'W'eôy
¾ i¾n children, success comes from two major areas- their
work and their family, especially their family of procreation. They are
usually blessed with fine work whether they are on their own or they
work with/for others.
Their intelligence is superb and they quickly get to the zenith of their
chosen career. Their families also show them love and deep
understanding. However, no matter how great they are in their work
their real satisfaction usually comes from the success of their family as a
whole. They take more pride and accolade in the achievements of their
children than any other thing in life.
Many times, Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children talk too much and end up putting
themselves on the spot with what they say. This is not surprising in the
sense that they are acutely aware that they are very intelligent. They
also feel strongly that others are not, and cannot be, as intelligent as
they are. For this reason, they always end up putting themselves in
huge trouble. The interesting part however is that as soon as they enter
into this trouble, they have an unbelievable way of talking themselves
out of trouble. Not only this, they end up attaining higher positions and
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
social status through their words. This is why it is not in the best interest
of anyone to compare themselves with Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children in this
aspect! This is due to the fact that Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children are always
protected by the Divinities, sometimes even against themselves.
For Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children, their main physiological problems are back
troubles, internal organ problems, and heart and respiratory challenges.
With appropriate ẹbọand constant monitoring however, the problems
can be put in check.
It is not advisable for Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children to get themselves
involved in two relationships at the same time. This is because of the
fact that they usually find it tough to maintain equality on emotional
issues, instead of being diplomatic they either end up being glaringly
one-sided or being totally cold and un-emotional. This usually brings
pain and frustration to those who love them passionately. As an
adjustment to this, Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children must never engage in extra
marital activities of any kind. This will only reduce their spiritual and
economic gains to the barest minimum. Sometimes these relationships
can even lead to their death!
On the whole, Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children succeed where others have
failed. They gain acceptance where others have been rejected. They
are respected and honoured where others have been humiliated and
ridiculed. To Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n children, life usually has extra meaning
that must be explored and put to good use.
C.
TABOOS OF OGBE®-'WEÙ®YI®N
1.
Must never eat beef or use any part of cattle – to
avoid suffering, where there is supposed to be honour.
2.
Must not ignore his/her health condition – to avoid
incapacitating himself/herself.
3.
Must never maltreat dogs – to avoid losing spiritual support.
4.
Must not marry anyone who hails from his/her place of
birth – to avoid a matrimonial breakup and failure
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5.
Must not attempt to outwit anyone or take undue
advantage of anybody or any situation – to avoid being
ridiculed and humiliated.
6.
For Ogbe¾-'W'eô¾yi¾n women: they must investigate fully all
social organizations before joining them - to avoid putting
the lives of their children on the line.
7.
Must not engage in extra marital affairs – to avoid putting
himself/herself in destructive or perditious circumstances.
8.
Must not eat squirell (but can use them to feed Ifá) – to avoid
losing success chances.
9.
Must never use dove for anything whatsoever, must never
eat it, use it for medicine or keep it in bondage as a pet –
to avoid unconsummated fortunes and constant agony and
misfortune.
10.
Must never care for others more than himself/herself – to
avoid incapacitating himself/herself.
11.
Must never under-estimate anyone– to avoid disappointments
in life.
12.
Must never kill ants of any kind - to avoid contentious issues
in his/her life.
D.
AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA®/IRU:NMOÙLE® OF OGBE®-W'E®ÙYI®N
1.
Ifá – For guidance, direction, protection, success and
general well-being
2.
Orí – For elevation, success and spiritual harmony
3.
E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ – For success, victory and fortune
4.
Egu;ngu;n – For overall success, protection and ancestral support
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OGBE® I®WO®RI®
5.
Oró – For overall success and protection
6.
SÙa¾ngo; – For victory and protection
7.
OÙba¾ta;la; – For spiritual elevation
8.
Ajé– For prosperity and financial success
9.
O®gu;n– For victory over all adversity
10.
O®ke¾ – For victory, success and spiritual elevation
E.
POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE®-'WEÙ®YI®N
i. MALES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Ifa;ti¾mi;le;ôyi¾n – Ifa; gives me backing
Ifa;o¾koô¾mi; – Ifa; does not reject me
Ifa;wuyi¾ – Ifa; is prestigious
Olu;sôeô;gun – The Lord is victorious
Aye;gbaje;ôje;ô – The world needs meekness
Adi¾mu; – Hold onto the tenets of the Divinities
Yo;o¾du¾ngbeô¾yi¾n – It shall be sweet in the end
ii. FEMALES
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Teô;woô;gbade; – Spread your hands to receive your
crown of honour
Adi¾mu; – Hold unto the tenets of the Divinities
Yo;o;du¾ngbeô¾yi¾n – It shall be sweet in the end
Jeô;eô;je;ô-L’ogbo; – Meekness guarantees longevity
Ifa;wu¾mi; – I love Ifa;
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
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Ogbè Òdí
I I
II I
II I
I I
173
OGBE®-O®DI:
OGBE®’DI:
OGBE® E TI®DI:
OGBE® DINDI
A.1. Ifa; says that all the good things of life that people strive for shall be
given unto the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. He/she shall be blessed
with wealth, compatible spouse, good children, happiness, victory, sound
health, while long life shall be added to these desirable gifts as bonus. Ifa;
says that this person was not created to come into this world to experience
want or to suffering. He/she shall be elevated.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats and four fish for childbirth; two hens for spouse, if a man; two cocks for spouse, if a woman; two
pigeons for wealth; two guinea fowls for peace of mind; two mature cocks
for victory, sound health and long life; two ducks for elevation; and money.
On these, Ifa; says:
Poro n;la;nl; a; aboju; gbaragada
Di;a; fu;n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Ti; n;;’toô¾run boô¾ w'a;ye;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The broad farm ridge with a clear view
This was the Ifa; cast for Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
When coming from heaven to earth
She was advised to offer eôboô
When Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n was coming from heaven to earth, she pleaded for,
and was granted, the Ire of prosperity, compatible spouse, well-behaved
children, sound health, victory over adversary, peace of mind, mental, social
and spiritual elevation, long life and all the Ire of life.
When she arrived on earth, she began to receive the bounties of Olo;du¾mare¾
and the Iru;nmoôleô¾ which no human being could give or take away from her.
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Her youthful life was challenging and interesting; she got married at the right
time, and to the right man; she got her children at the right time; the children
were well brought up; they became the envy of the community they lived in;
and they were very useful to the community; she was blessed with sound
health; she was looking and acting younger than her age; she carried herself
very well; and she was not involved in any form of scandal in her community.
She was blessed with an opulent mansion which she insisted on its
construction together with her husband and children; she turned the bush
around her parents home into living apartments; she converted the refuse
dump-site in her community into a daily market-place; she was fond of
coming up with brilliant, well articulated and well implemented ideas and she
was highly honoured and respected in the society. There was no good project
in the community that would be implemented without her input.
In spite of all these good attributes, Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n did not allow her
achievements to enter into her head. She was very humble, respectful and
unassuming. She never ignored or overlooked anyone in the community. To
her, nobody was useless, everyone deserved love, and everyone had a
contribution to make to the society.
Even though she tried to make everyone important, she was still hated and
envied by a pocket of people who could not understand why she should be so
blessed by Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities. Her antagonists were never noticed
in the community and they had no relevance in the community of important
people. The sheer force of the goodwill of Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n drove these
detractors to the ground. They remained on the ground. They lived with their
sorrow. They died with their sorrow.
As a bonus for all the good deeds which Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n did for herself, her
immediate family, her extended family and the community at large,
Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Divinities gave her long life. She became the historian in
the community. Young ones also went to her for advice and counselling. She
never disappointed any of them.
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n lived happily. She died a contented and fulfilled woman.
Poro n;la;nl; a; aboju; gbaragada
Di;a; fu;n Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Ti; n;t'oô¾run boô¾ w'a;ye;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
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OGBE®’DI:
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
OÙ®wo;ô Aje; n; wo;ô joô l'eô;yi¾n mi boô¾ wa;
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
OÙ®woô; joô
OÙ®woô; joô
OÙ®woô; aya n; wo;ô joô l'eô;yin mi bo¾ô wa;
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
O®®Ùwo;ô joô
O®Ùwoô; joô
O®Ùwoô; oômoô rere n; woô; joô l'eô;yi¾n mi boô¾ wa
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
O®Ùwo;ô joô
O®Ùwoô; joô
O®Ùwoô; ile; n; wo;ô joô l'eô;yi¾n mi bo¾ô wa;
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
O®w
Ù o;ô joô
O®Ùwoô; joô
O®Ùwoô; Ire gbogbo n; woô; joô l'eô;yi¾n mi boô¾ wa;
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
O®Ùwoô; joô
O®Ùwoô; joô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni ba';yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
The broad farm ridge with clear view
This was the Ifa cast for Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
When coming from heaven to earth
She was advised to offer eôboô
She complied
The benefit of prosperity is coming to me
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
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Let them gather together and come
Let them arrive
The benefit of compatible spouses are coming to me
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Let them gather together and come
Let them arrive
The benefit of well trained children are coming to me
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Let them gather together and come
Let them arrive
The benefit of comfortable homes are coming to me
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Let them gather together and come
Let them arrive
The benefit of all the Ire in life is coming to me
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Alaworo A®gu¾nta¾n
Let them gather together and come
Let them arrive
Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she shall be
relevant in his/her home and community at large. He/she shall be in high
demand. He/she shall live happily. In his/her old age, he/she shall recline
comfortably and watch his/her handiwork grow steadily. He/she shall die with
a smile on his/her face. That is the message of Ifa;.
2. Ifa; says that there are five issues which the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed needs to address as soon as possible in order for him/her to enjoy
his/her life to the fullest. These issues are:
i. His/her Ori; is not strong enough. This is the reason why many evil plans
against him/her, both physical and preternatural, readily affect him/her.
ii. His/her health is not sound. He/she has health issues that require urgent
attention. He/she cannot continue to live his/her life with ill health.
iii. His/her life is not free of contentious issues. This is why he/she is easily
implicated in issues which he/she knows about and those he/she knows
nothing about.
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OGBE®’DI:
iv. He/she is not enjoying the fullness of his/her life. This is why he/she
always feels that something is always missing in his/her life.
v. Most of the Ire he/she is expecting are not yet within his/her reach. This is
the reason why he/she ends up toiling so much before he/she can make ends
meet.
Ifa; recommends for this person to offer the following items as eôboô and to use
them to feed his/her Ori; in order to redress the issues stated above:
i. Two coconuts to make his/her Orí strong enough to ward off the evil plans
against him/her.
ii. Two dry EÙda; (grey rats) to boost his/her health so that he/she will stop
living his/her life in ill-health.
iii. Two dry eômoô; (brown rats) to make his/her live his/her life free of
contention.
iv. Two dry iku;n (type of squirrels) to make him/her enjoy the fullness of
his/her life.
v. Plenty of brown shrimp for his/her Ire to come within reach.
One of each item will be used as eôboô while the remaining material will be
used to feed his/her Ori.
On these aspects, a stanza in Ogbe¾‟Di; states:
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sunku;n Ori; o¾un o¾ gbo;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la;
Baba n;sunku;n ara o¾hun o¾ da;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Baba n;sunku;n ara o¾hun o¾ moô;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sunku;n ile; o¾hun o¾ ku;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la
Baba n;sunku;n Ire o¾hun o¾ de;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting that his Ori; was not strong enough
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting that his health was not sound
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting that his life was not free of contention
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting that he could not enjoy the fullness of his life
Ti;ni¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting that the Ire he was expecting was not
manifesting
He was advised to offer eôboô
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was a very sad man indeed. He could not understand why all the
evil plans of his antagonists, both physical and preternatural, continued to
affect him adversely in spite of all his efforts to put an end to them; he failed
to comprehend why his bad health had failed to improve despite all the
179
OGBE®’DI:
remedies he had applied; he continued to wonder why people loved to
implicate him and drag his reputation through the mud over what he knew
nothing about, in spite of all his efforts to put a stop to these problems; he was
at a loss as to why he could not enjoy the fullness of his home and life, even
though he had put in all efforts to enjoy his life to the fullest. He could also
not understand why he needed to toil so much before he could make ends
meet. He was unhappy that all the Ire in life that he was expecting eluded
him. Why must I continue to live this type of life, he wondered?
What must I do to improve my life? He asked himself repeatedly. These
were the problems that took him to the home of the two Awo mentioned
above for Ifa; consultation: Will my life improve and change for the better?
Will I be able to actualise my destiny? If yes, what do I need to do to make
this happen?
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that even though he had chosen all the good things of
life from heaven, he was nonetheless facing the problem of unconsummated
fortune as listed above. He assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that all these problems would be
things of the past because they were not supposed to be his portion in the first
place. He was told that he needed to offer ẹbọ and feed his Orí in order to
right all these wrongs.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to procure two coconuts, two eômoô;, two eôda;, two iku;n,
plenty of ede; (brown shrimp) and money. He was told that one coconut,
one eômoô;, one eôda;, one iku;n and half the quantity of the edé would be used
to offer the eôboô while the remaining materials would be cooked well and use
to feed his Ori;. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ provided the items as soon as he could lay his hands
on them, and the eôboô was done. After this, he fed his Ori; as instructed by the
Awo.
The transformation was magical. The result were miraculous. As soon as
these rituals were performed, the life of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ changed completely for the
better. His Ori; became very strong; his health improved and all his health
issues became things of the past; all the contention in his life became a matter
of history, he was no longer implicated in matters he knew nothing about; he
began to enjoy the fullness of his home and life, the feeling that something
was missing in his home and life disappeared; he was able to realise all the
things he had been expecting.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was overwhelmed with joy that he rolled out the drums, singing and
dancing, saying:
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Mo f’a¾gboôn boô’ri; mi o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Ori; mi; i ma¾ ma¾ gbo; o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Mo f’eôda; boô'ri; mi o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Ara mi ma¾ ma¾ da; o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Mo f’eômoô; boô’ri; mi o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Ara mi ma¾ ma¾ moô; o
Ti;n--i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Mo f’iku;n boô’ri; mi o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Ile; mi ma¾ ma¾ ku;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Mo f’ede; boô’ri; mi o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Ire mi ma¾ ma¾ de; o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;ndin o
Translation:
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
I have used coconut to feed my Ori;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
And my Ori; has become strong
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
I have used eôda; (grey rat) to feed my Ori;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
And my health has improved tremendously
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
I have used eômoô; (brown rat) to feed my Ori;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
And my life has become free of contention
181
OGBE®’DI:
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
I have used iku;n (squirrel) to feed my Ori;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
And I enjoy the fullness of my home and life
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
I have used ede; (brown shrimp) to feed my Ori;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
And all my fortune has been consummated
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o
That was how OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ moved from sadness to joy; he moved from anxiety
to peace of mind; and from uncertainty to confidence and comfort.
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sunku;n Ori; o¾un o¾ gbo;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la;
Baba n;sunku;n ara o¾hun o¾ da;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la
Baba n;sunku;n ara o¾hun o¾ moô;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sunku;n ile; o¾hun o¾ ku;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la
Baba n;sunku;n Ire o¾hun o¾ de;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
Ire gbogbo wa; ya de; tuturu
O: wa; sôi;hu¾n Ifeô¾
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Ala;do; wa; f'orin si;i leô;nu
O: ke;’jasa¾
Orin Ikin ni; n;koô
O: n; pe; Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Mo f’a¾gboôn boô’ri; mi o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Ori; mi; i ma¾ ma¾ gbo; o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Mo f’eôda; boô'ri; mi o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Ara mi ma¾ ma¾ da; o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Mo f’eômoô; boô’ri; mi o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Ara mi ma¾ ma¾ moô; o
Ti;n--i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Mo f’iku;n boô’ri; mi o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Ile; mi ma¾ ma¾ ku;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Mo f’ede; boô’ri; mi o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Ire mi ma¾ ma¾ de; o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;ndin o
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; Ire gbogbo
Woô¾woô; Ire gbogbo la¾a; ba; ni l'eô;seô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
Translation:
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting that his Ori; was not strong enough
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
183
OGBE®’DI:
When lamenting that his health was not sound
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting that his life was not free of contention
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting that he could not enjoy the fullness of his life
Ti;ni¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n
They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting that the Ire he was expecting was not
manifesting
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
All Ire trooped in abundantly
He opened his mouth to speak
Ifa; put a song into his mouth
He called his musical group together
It was Ifa;‟s song he raised
He sang: Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
I have used coconut to feed my Ori;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
And my Ori; has become strong
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
I have used eôda; (grey rat) to feed my Ori;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
And my health has improved tremendously
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
I have used eômoô; (brown rat) to feed my Ori;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
And my life has become free of contention
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
I have used iku;n (squirrel) to feed my Ori;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
And I enjoy the fullness of my home and life
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
I have used ede; (brown shrimp) to feed my Ori;
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
And all my fortune has been consummated
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi;n o
Ti;n-i¾nri;n ji¾ngi¾ndi;n o
Travellers to I®po and OÙ®fa¾
Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life
All the Ire of life is what Ifa; guarantees for all its devotees
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall have course to
celebrate in life. He/she shall live a fulfilled life and overcome his/her
challenges in life.
3. Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she shall
surely be blessed with all the Ire of life that he/she needs. Ifa; says that this
person needs to work in conjunction with his/her Ori; and Ifa;. If he/she has
any problem now, it is simply because he/she has not been in close alliance
with his/her Ori;. This, he/she needs to do in order for the Ire to stay with
him/her for the rest of his/her life.
Ifa; advises this person to provide the following materials as a matter of
urgency: six coconuts, six wa¾ra¾ (goat-milk cheese lumps) and plenty of
brown shrimp. Two coconuts, two cheese (wa¾ra¾), shrimp and money will
be used to offer eôboô. Two coconuts, two wa¾ra¾, shrimp, and money will be
used to feed Ifa;; while the remaining two coconuts, two wa¾ra¾ and shrimp
will be used to feed his/her Ori;. Ifa; says that as soon as these are done, all
the Ire of life shall come trooping in to him/her.
On this aspect, a stanza in Ogbe¾‟Di; says:
Eruku to;o;ro; abeô apata
I®ja¾ n;la; ni;i; seô¾’gboro keô¾ke¾ôeô¾ke¾ô
O®si¾fi¾ aba¾ ni;i; ya¾’ka
A®wo¾ra;n mo ko¾ n’isa¾n awo ‘La;gbe;nro;
Di;a; fu;n Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i;
OÙmoô ar’a;gboôn sôoô¾run
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ ntoôla¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
185
OGBE®’DI:
Translation:
The dust that passes under a masquerade‟s Apata costume
A serious uprising is it that shakes a city to its foundation
An oversized barn is it that caves in from the centre
A®wo¾ra;n-mo-ko¾, (different images are carved for
different masquerades) the Awo of „La;gbe;nro;
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ori;-ni;-n-sôe-ba;yi¾i;
(Ori;-instructs-me-to-do-my-things-this-way)
He who uses coconuts to feed his Ori;
To acquire prosperity quickly
He was advised to offer eôboô
Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i; had great potentials. He was very resourceful. Yet, he found it
difficult to consummate his fortunes. Why? He could not understand. He tried
many things and yet he could not consummate his fortunes. Tired of what
was happening in his life, he decided to go for Ifa; consultation: What can I do
to right this wrong?
The Awo assured Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i; that he had come into this world to succeed.
They assured him that he would not only succeed, the whole world would also
bow to him and celebrate with him on his fortunes. He was however told that
he was having all sorts of problems which were leading to his unconsummated
fortunes because he was not in alignment with his Ori;. He was urged to find
out what he must do on a regular basis in order to be in alignment with his
Ori;.
The Awo then gave him the following analogy: There were certain Egu;ngu;n
that used to parade the town with Apata. (This Apata was a specially carved
image which one of the high-ranking officials of the Egu;ngu;n cult would
carry for the masquerader). It was not a masquerade per se, but it would be
used to pray by passers-bys). Rapid movements of people and passers-bys
would often raise dust that would pass under the Apata. The dust however
never had the power to affect the Apata in any way. But anytime there was an
uprising, the uprising would raise up a huge dust cloud and create crises and
anxiety. The whole community would be shaken to its very foundation. There
would also be several costumes carried for different masquerades which
would enhance the beauty, dignity and respect of their appearance. One
costume was not expected to be the same as the other.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
The Awo basically likened his case to that of the small dust that moves under
the Apata and has no effect on the Apata. Basically, his prayers were like the
dust which, were not having any effect on his life whatsoever. The Awo
stated further that when his wishes were not manifesting, it was like the dust
raised by an uprising which would bring a lot of anxiety, pain, anguish, agony
and frustration.
The Awo concluded that all these things were happening in his life because
his Ori; was not in harmony with him and he was not in alignment with his
Ori;. Different things place different people in alignment with one‟s Ori;, just as
different costumes make different masquerades appeal to their spectators. In
his own case, the Awo said that the usage of coconuts, wa¾ra¾ (cheese), and
brown shrimp would place him in alignment with his Ori;. He was therefore
advised to procure six wa¾ra¾ and plenty of brown shrimp to be used as EÙboô
and to feed his Ori; and Ifa;.
Fully determined to be in alignment with his Ori; Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i; quickly
complied.
True to the prediction of the Awo, his transformation from poverty to riches:
his conversion from hopelessness to boundless opportunities and his elevation
from the dregs to the zenith happened in a very sudden manner.
He too could not believe his good fortune. Initially, he had to convince
himself over and over that he was not dreaming. He would prick himself,
look at himself in the water that he had fetched which acted as his mirror and
he would ask neighbours if truly he was awake or deep in slumber and in
dream to convince himself that he was really wide awake.
Everything came to him very quickly and like a torrent. He became
stupendously rich. He was blessed with a compatible spouse. That same
month that the spouse got to his home, she became pregnant and gave birth to
a beautiful baby 10 lunar months after.
Within seven years, he was blessed with four children. He had several
properties scattered in many choice locations. His health never failed him
again. He was always full of life and was looking and feeling much younger
than his age. He was indeed a well fulfilled man. He was able to look back at
the trend and movement of his life and beat his chest that he had truly and
permanently parted ways with unconsummated fortune.
187
OGBE®’DI:
Eruku to;o;ro; abeô apata
I®ja¾ n;la; ni;i; seô¾’gboro keô¾ke¾ôeô¾ke¾ô
O®si¾fi¾ aba¾ ni;i; ya¾’ka
A®wo¾ra;n mo ko n’isa¾n awo ‘La;gbe;nro;
Di;a; fu;n Ori;ni;nsôeba;yi¾i;
OÙmoô ar’a;gboôn sôoô¾run
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ ntoôla¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ori; ni; n l’a;je;
Mo l’a;je;
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a nt'oôla¾
Ire aje; ti; mo feô; ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri;
Ede; lo; ni; ko; de;
Ori; ni; n l’a;ya
Mo la;ya
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a t’aya
Ire aya ti; mo feô; ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri;
Ede; lo; ni; ko; de;
Ori; ni; n bi;'moô
Mo bi;'moô
Ni wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a t’oômoô
Ire oômoô ti; mo feô; ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri;
Ede; lo; ni; ko; de;
Ori; ni; n koô;’le;
Mo koô;'le;
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a t'ile;
Ire ile; ti; mo fe;ô ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri;
Ede; lo; ni; ko; de;
Ori; ni; n l’e;ôsôin
Mo l’eô;sôin
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a teôsôin
Ire eôsôin ti; mo fe;ô ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri;
Ede; lo; ni; ko; de;
Ori; ni; n ni;’re gbogbo
Mo ni;’re gbogbo
Ni; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ a toôla¾
Ire gbogbo ti; mo feô; ku¾ ti; mi o¾ ri;
Ede; lo; ni; ko; de;
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba; wa b’a;yo¾ô
EÙ wa; wo’re gbogbo o
Translation:
The dust that passes under a masquerade‟s Apata costume
A serious uprising is it that shakes a city to its foundation
An oversized barn is it that caves in from the centre
A®wo¾ra;n-mo-ko¾, (different images are carved for
different masquerades) the Awo of „La;gbe;nro;
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ori;-ni;-n-sôe-ba;yi¾i;
(Ori;-instructs-me-to-do-my-things-this-way)
He who uses coconuts to feed his Ori;
To acquire prosperity quickly
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
My Ori; says that I will be blessed with prosperity
I will be prosperous
I will acquire the blessing of prosperity quickly
The Ire of prosperity which I have not yet acquired
It is ede; (the shrimp) that decrees for it to come now
My Ori; says that I will be blessed with a spouse
I will be a married person
I will acquire the blessing of a compatible spouse quickly
The blessing of a spouse which I have not yet acquired
It is ede; that decrees for it to come now
My Ori; says that I will be blessed with children
I will become a proud parent
I will acquire the blessing of beautiful children quickly
The blessing of children which I have not yet acquired
It is ede; that decrees for it to come now
My Ori; says that I will be blessed with property
I will have many properties
I will acquire the blessing of properties quickly
The Ire of properties which I have not yet acquired
It is ede; that decrees for it to come now
My Ori; says that I will be blessed with many horses
I will have many horses
I will acquire the blessing of horses quickly
The blessing of horses which I have not yet acquired
189
OGBE®’DI:
It is ede; that decrees for it to come now
My Ori; says that I will be blessed with all the Ire of life
I will have all the Ire of life
I will acquire the blessing of all Ire quickly
The Ire that I have not yet acquired
It is ede; that decrees for them to come now
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire in life
Ifa; promises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she shall be
blessed with all the Ire in life. He/she shall lack nothing in life. He/she shall
be denied nothing. He/she has come into the world to achieve greatness. As
long as he/she stays in alignment with his/her Ori;, the sky is just the beginning
of his/her achievements in life.
4. Ifa; foresees the Ire of prosperity and boundless opportunities for the person
for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; advises this person never to forget the
person who had made it possible for him/her to succeed in life.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three pigeons and money. He/she is
also advised to feed SÙa¾ngo; and Baa;ya¾nni¾. There is the need to ask Ifa; what
these two Divinities will take from the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed
and feed them accordingly.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-E-Ti¾di; laying emphasis on this aspect says:
Koô;la;wu¾mi; Awo abeô; ata
Ejo¾ ni;i; ko; na¾ng¾ bo¾ôn na¾ng¾ bo¾ôn woô’sa¾
OÙjoô; oore e; pe;ô
Asôi¾we¾re¾ e; gba¾gbe;
Di;a; fu;n Baa;ya¾nni¾
Ti; n;sôawo re’ju¾ I®seô¾leô¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Koô;la;wu¾mi;, the Awo under the pepper plantation
The snake is it that enters the hole with its entire length
Because the day a favour had been extended to one
had long passed by
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The foolish person who was the recipient of the favour
totally forgot
These were Ifa;‟s messages for Baa;ya¾nni¾
When going on spiritual mission to the wilderness of I®seô¾leô¾
He was advised to offer eôboô
Baa;ya¾nni¾ was an elder brother of SÙa¾ngo;. Both of them also had another
sibling who was older than them. His name was Da¾da. Da¾da was living in the
wilderness of I®seô¾le¾ô. He was known to be a very physically weak Iru;nmoôleô¾.
His hair was also always in locks. Unlike him, his two brothers, Baa;ya¾nni¾ and
SÙa¾ngo; were very strong, fearless and forceful personalities. There was
nothing that they would not confront and battle to the very end. The two of
them were very fond of their elder brother who was a weakling and they were
ready to defend him to the very last. Anyone who planned to cheat Da¾da
would always have the two brothers to contend with. That was why people
would say; “Dada ko¾ le¾ ja¾, sôu¾gboôn; o; l’a;bu¾u;ro¾ to; gbo;ju;”, meaning that;
“Even though Da¾da has no strength to engage anyone in a fight, he
nonetheless has brave brothers”.
One day, Baa;ya¾nni¾ planned to go on spiritual mission to I®seô¾leô¾ wilderness. He
went for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed where I am going? The Awo cast Ifa;
for him and Ogbe¾-Di;i; was revealed.
The Awo assured him that he would surely succeed where he was going. He
was however, told that he needed to assist all those he met there so that
everyone would be happy. He said that those assisted would owe him the
duty of being grateful and would show their gratitude. He was advised to offer
eôboô as stated above. He complied.
When he got to I®se¾ôleô¾ wilderness, he met his elder brother, Da¾da. He realised
that trying to make Da¾da a strong and brave person might not work. He
therefore offered eôboô and made Ifa; preparations for him to succeed
financially. Before long, Da¾da become a financially successful man. While
Baa;ya¾nni¾ concentrated on ensuring financial success for him, SÙa¾ngo; continued
to protect and defend him against all forms of aggression.
When Da¾da realised that his success and security were coming from his two
younger siblings, he decided to show his own gratitude to them by making the
whole world know that these two great Iru;nmoôleô¾ were the ones who assisted
him in succeeding. He tied plenty of cowries to the hair locks on his head.
Anyone who saw him would call him thus, “Da¾da A®wu;ru; oô¾yale¾ô yagi oko.
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OGBE®’DI:
Da¾da olo;wo; eôyoô. Bu¾nmi lo;o;kan n so moôri;. Olo;wo; ori; la moô¾ ni; Da¾da”
meaning “Da¾da the brave, he who tears both the ground and the forest trees
apart (reference to SÙa¾ngo¾) Da¾da, owner of the cowries (money). Please give
me some cowries to tie to my hair. Those who have money tied to their heads
are the ones recognised as Da¾da". It never occurred to him for one day that
those two Iru;nmoôleô¾ were younger than him and therefore, he need not
advertise to the world that they were the ones who had made him great.
Koô;la;wu¾mi; Awo abeô; ata
Ejo¾ ni;i; ko; na¾ng¾ bo¾ôn na¾ng¾ bo¾ôn woô’sa¾
OÙjoô; oore e; pe;ô
Asôi¾we¾re¾ e; gba¾gbe;
Di;a; fu;n Baa;ya¾nni¾
Ti; n;sôawo re’ju¾ I®seô¾leô¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
N®je;ô Da¾da A®wu;ru;
O®Ùyale¾ô ya'gi oko
E®ro¾ I®seô¾leô¾ n; bo¾ô lo;ôna¾
Da¾da, Olo;wo; eyoô
Fu;n mi lo;o;kan n so mo;;ôri;
Da¾da Olo;wo; eyoô
Olo;wo; ori; la mo¾ô ni; Da¾da
Translation:
Koôl; a;wu¾mi;, the Awo under the pepper plantation
The snake is it that enters the hole with its entire length
Because the day a favour had been extended to one
had long passed by
The foolish person who was the recipient of the favour
totally forgot
These were Ifa;‟s messages for Baa;ya¾nni¾
When going on spiritual mission to the wilderness of I®seô¾leô¾
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Behold Da¾da the Brave
He who tears both the ground and the forest trees apart
Travelers to I®se¾¾ôle¾ô land are coming along the road
Da¾da, the owner of plentiful cowries
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Please give me some cowries to tie to the hair of my head
Da¾da, the owner of plentiful cowries
Those who have money tied to their heads are
the ones recognised as Da¾da
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall succeed in life.
Not only this, he/she shall also be given adequate protection by the Divinities.
He/she must however not forget those who have assisted him/her one way or
the other to succeed in life. By showing gratitude to those who have assisted
him/her, he/she shall continue to receive elevation and security for the rest of
his/her life.
5. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall succeed this
very year. His/her success shall be so sudden that he/she too will find it
difficult to understand how the success has happened.
Ifa; advises this person to always respond personally anytime he/she is invited
to any occasion or when asked to go anywhere. He/she should not send
anyone to go on his/her behalf, especially if where he/she was asked to come
is very crucial or important.
Ifa; recommends for this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons and one shegoat. ¾H;e/she also needs to feed OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 land snails, shea butter and
native chalks. Even though the eôbo materials are important, the more
important aspect of the eôbọ is for him/her to heed the advice of the Awo by
ensuring that he/she attends where he/she is invited personally.
On this aspect, Ogbe®-„Di¾i; states thus:
O®n®peni ni;i; f’oôla;
O®n¾jeôpe¾ ki;i; f’oôla;
Di;a; fu;n Erin
Ti; n; lo¾ôoô; f’ara sô’oôfa¾ l'o;ôdo¾ô EÙtu
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Privilege is for the person who calls someone
The person who is called has no such privilege
This was Ifa;‟s message for Erin (the Elephant)
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OGBE®’DI:
When going to serve under Eôtu (the Antelope)
He was advised to offer eôboô
EÙtu, the Antelope was very close to OÙba¾ta;la;. He was well loved by OÙba¾ta;la;.
Why OÙba¾ta;la; loved him that much was unknown to anyone. OÙba¾ta;la; too
could not explain why, in spite of EÙtu‟s many inadequacies, he was still loved.
The privilege given to EÙtu by O®ba¾ta;la; made many people respect him. By this
time, Erin (the Elephant) was serving under EÙtu. Erin was not bigger than a
rodent during this time period. Erin was looking for money but could not get
any. For this reason, he went to EÙtu to borrow money and he gave money to
him. When it was time to pay back the money, he had no money to pay.
Consequent upon this, he decided to serve EÙtu until he could get the money to
pay him back.
As soon as he got to EÙtu‟s home, he had no peace of mind. He was given no
freedom whatsoever. EÙtu was working him to death. Unfortunately for Erin,
he had nobody to complain to. Everyone feared OÙba¾ta;la;. Unknown to many
however, OÙba¾ta;la; had been warning EÙtu against being too high handed but he
simply would not listen. Erin would work on the farm for EÙtu from dawn to
night time. He would only be allowed to rest when it was complete darkness.
Erin was fed only once a day, just to make sure that he did not die of
starvation. He would not be given more than this one meal.
One day, Erin stole some time to go for Ifa; consultation in order to determine
his fate in life: Will ever regain my freedom? Will I ever became successful
in life? Will I be able to assert my own authority and influence in life? If yes,
What do I need to do?
The Awo assured him that he would surely succeed in life. He was told that
his success would be so sudden that he would never believe what had
happened to him. He was told to ensure that anywhere he was sent, he should
not avoid that errand or skip that job. He was advised to persevere and that it
would be well in the end. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. He
had no money to do it. For this reason, he went to borrow money from EÙtu.
EÙtu gave him the money, believing that he would never be able to pay it back.
He made Erin toil harder than ever before. Erin did everything without
complaining, believing that it would truly be well in the end as the Awo had
told him.
One day, OÙba¾ta;la; decided to transform EÙtu into a great person. EÙtu must be
turned into a giant, Oôba¾ta;la; boasted. He began to make many preparations for
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EÙtu. When it was time for OÙba¾ta;la; to administer it on EÙtu, he sent a message
for EÙtu to come immediately. When Eôtu got the message, he felt that he was
too important for anyone, OÙba¾ta;la; inclusive, to just summon him without
notice. He decided that he would not go. Instead, he sent Erin to go and tell
OÙba¾ta;la; that he had no time to come that day and that OÙba¾ta;la; was free to give
the message to Erin.
When Oôba¾ta;la; saw Erin and heard what EÙtu had told Erin to inform him, he
was totally disappointed. Out of anger, OÙba¾ta;la; decided to make Erin a giant
instead of EÙtu. That was exactly what OÙba¾ta;la; did. Within a few moments,
Erin was transformed from a rodent to a mountain. The front door of
OÙba¾ta;la;‟s house was broken in order to allow Erin to pass through because of
his massive size. This was unbelievable! Erin told himself repeatedly.
OÙba¾ta;la; blessed him and ask him to return home.
On his way home, everyone gave him way to pass. The branches, creeping
plants and trees which stood in his way were all uprooted by his sheer might,
size and force. When EÙtu saw Erin, he simply took to his heels! Those who
saw Erin when he was going to OÙba¾ta;la;‟s house and when he was returning
exclaimed thus: I¾si¾nyi; la r‟Erin, ni;gba¾wo lo wa do¾ke¾!? - meaning, we have
just seen Erin, when did you turn into a mountain?! Erin just responded that
the work of the Divinities was beyond comprehension.
O®n®peni ni;i; f’oôla;
O®n¾jeô¾pe¾ ki;i; f’oôla;
Di;a; fu;n Erin
Ti; n; lo¾ôoô; f’ara sô’oôfa¾ lo;ôdo¾ô EÙtu
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô
Fi¾ri;fi¾ri; la r’Erin
Erin ni;gba¾wo lo wa d’o¾ke¾
Translation:
Privilege is for the person who calls someone
The person who is called has no such privilege
This was Ifa;‟s message for Erin (the Elephant)
When going to serve under Eôtu (the Antelope)
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
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OGBE®’DI:
We barely noticed Erin (on his way to OÙba¾ta;la;‟s house)
When did you become a mountain?
Ifa; says that this person shall move from insignificance to
prominence within the twinkling of an eye.
6. Ifa; says that it foresees victory for the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed. Ifa ;says that this person is being worked upon by enemies in order
for him/her to fail, misbehave, disappear or simply die altogether. Ifa; assures
him/her that the negative designs of his/her enemies shall fail. Those planning
to tie down his/her progress, freedom, reasoning or life shall be put to shame.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôbo with one hen whose legs are tied with
rope, salt wrapped in a leaf and tied with rope, locust beans wrapped in a
leaf and tied with rope, pepper wrapped in a leaf and tied with rope,
melon wrapped in a leaf and tied with rope, and three yams tied together
with rope. These ropes will be untied and added to the eôboô as well and after
the eôbo, the hen will be slaughtered to feed Ifa;. The same hen will be cooked
with the same pepper, salt, locust beans and melon. The three yams will be
prepared into pounded yam. All these will again be used to feed Ifa; while all
Awo present will consume the rest.
A stanza in Ogbe¾‟Di¾i; on this aspect says:
Ta wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ ta
O®® ta si;gbo; ele;gbe¾e;
Ni;bi; ti; wo;ôn gbe; n; di; oômoô A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Translation:
To jump with agility
To jump into the woeful forest
Where they were tying down the essence of
Agbonni;re¾gu;n‟s child
He was advised to offer eôboô
A®gboônni¾¾re¾gu;n‟s child had everything wrong with him. He could not make
ends meet. His colleagues were at work against him. They were planning to
run him down completely. They were sure that it was just a matter of time
before he would lose everything he had ever laid his hands upon in his life.
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His clients had all disappeared. He was spending the money he had made
before his crisis began. He had almost run through all his savings. His health
was failing as a result of sorrow and regret. He had taken to excessive alcohol
consumption in order to quell his sorrow. As soon as his brain settled a little,
his sorrows would multiply. He was using the alcohol in order to sedate
himself to sleep.
One day, he got drunk to the extent that he collapsed. He regained his
consciousness four days later. That was when he began to think about his ill
luck and illness and he burst into tears. He realised that within a short period,
he had lost everything he had ever acquired in his life, his wealth had almost
gone completely; his wife and children had abandoned him; his family
members had vowed never to come to him anymore; his community had
already seen him as a classical example of a failed man; and children in the
community made jest of him as a compulsive drunkard. He cried and cried.
In the end, he began to console himself that no amount of weeping would ever
change his condition. He assured himself that since he was still alive, he
should not lose any hope. He told himself that once there is life, there is hope
and opportunity. He decided to visit a Babala;wo for a lasting solution to his
problems. It occurred to him that he had just been proving his enemies right
when he took to excessive drinking. He told himself that he must not give his
enemies the pleasure of coming to shed crocodile tears over his dead body.
That evening, he decided to go to the home of the Awo mentioned above for
Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in life, in spite of all the misfortune that has
befallen me? What do I need to do to right all the wrongs in my life? In fact,
what is responsible for my misfortunes in the first place? Are they man-made
or natural?
The Awo told him that he had come into the world full of opportunities and
success chances. He was told that he had actually begun to exhibit his
potentials before things began to go wrong for him. The Awo told him that
his situation did not worsen naturally; but rather, there were people who had
taken it upon themselves to tie down his success and opportunities. These
people saw nothing wrong in tying him to death, both figuratively and
metaphysically. The Awo however assured him that the negative designs of
his enemies would collapse and fail. He was told that even though these
enemies had succeeded in tying him down, Ifá would nonetheless untie him
completely and set him free of all negative machinations and designs.
The Awo then advised him to offer eôboô with all the items listed above, and
explained that when these items were to be brought from the market, the mere
fact that they were tied with strings would make them safe and secured but at
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OGBE®’DI:
the same time, they were not usable until they were untied. Consequent upon
this, anyone who brings these items tied from the market to the house would
need to untie them before they can be used. The Awo assured him that those
who had tied him figuratively and metaphorically were bound to untie him,
unless if those who bought salt wrapped in a leaf and tied with string could
use it to cook without untying the string before using it; unless if those who
bought locust beans wrapped with leaf and tied with string could use it to cook
without untying the string before using it; unless if those who bought melon
wrapped with leaf and tied with string could use the melon for cooking with
the string attached to it; unless if those who bought a fowl whose legs were
tied could cook the fowl together with the feathers and the string that was used
to tie its legs; unless if those who brought three yams from the market tied
with string could use them to prepare pounded yam without first untying the
string from the yams. If all these strings must be untied before these items can
be used, then, all the physical, spiritual, economical, social, psychological,
mental and emotional strings used to tie him down would be untied
unconditionally as soon as the eôboô was offered.
Agboônni¾re¾gu;n‟s child (Ogbe;-Di;i;‟s child) was so impressed with the analysis
of the Awo that he returned home instantly, took the remaining money he had
left with him and headed straight for the market to purchase all the items
mentioned by the Awo for eôboô. He returned to the Awo‟s house shortly after
and the eôboô was offered accordingly.
Ogbe¾-Di;‟s child returned home with hope. And true to the prediction of Ifa;,
he began to feel that all the things used to tie him and his potentials began to
loosen up. He began to feel relieved. His self confidence returned. And just
as his problems had begun they all disappeared in like manner. He was able
to consummate his fortunes. He also forgot that he had once been a
compulsive drunkard. Once more, he became very wealthy and successful.
He lived the rest of his life a happy and contented man.
Ta wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ ta
O¾ ta s'i;gbo; ele;gbe¾e;
Ni;bi; ti; wo;ôn gbe; n; di; oômoô A®gboônni¾re¾gu;n
EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Ifa; ni; eô ma d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o
E®e¾wo¾
Ifa; ni; eô ma d 'oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o
E®e¾wo¾
A ki;i; di;rru; ka; ma; le e¾ tu o
E®e¾wo¾ô
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Ifa; ni eô ma; d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o
E®e¾wo¾ô
A ki¾i; d’ata ka; ma; le e¾ tu o
E®e¾woô¾
Ifa; ni; eô ma; d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o
E®¾e¾wo¾ô
A ki¾i; d’eô¾gu;si; ka; ma; leô e¾ tu o
E®e¾wo¾ô
Ifa; ni; eô ma; d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o
E®e¾wo¾ô
A ki¾i; d’i¾yo¾ô ka; ma; l¾e e¾ tu o
E®e¾wo¾ô
Ifa; ni; eô ma d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o
E®e¾wo¾ô
A ki¾i; d’isôu ka; ma; le e¾ tu o
E®e¾wo¾ô
Ifa; ni eô ma; d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o
E®e¾wo¾ô
A ki¾i; di; adi¾eô ka; ma; le e¾ tu o
E®e¾wo¾ô
Ifa; ni; eô ma; d’oômoô Ogbe¾ Di; pa o
E®e¾wo¾ô
Translation:
To jump with agility
To jump into the woeful forest
Where they were tying down the essence of
Agbonni;re¾gu;n‟s child
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di;
It is a taboo
Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di;
It is taboo
We will never tie locust bean without untying it
It is a taboo
Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di;
It is taboo
We will never tie pepper without untying it
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OGBE®’DI:
It is a taboo
Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di;
It is taboo
We will never tie melon without untying it
It is a taboo
Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di;
It is taboo
We will never tie salt without untying it
It is a taboo
Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di;
It is taboo
We will never tie yam tubers without untying them
It is a taboo
Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di;
It is taboo
We will never tie a fowl without untying it
It is a taboo
Ifa; orders you not to tie the child of Ogbe¾ Di;
It is taboo
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is reveled will not be incapacitated
spiritually, mentally, psychologically, emotionally, economically, socially or
physically. He/she shall be freed from any form of bondage. Ifa; assures this
person that his/her fortunes shall be consummated.
7. Ifa; says that it foresees the blessing of a baby for the person who is
seriously in need of the fruit of the womb. Ifa; says that very soon, this person
shall become a proud father/mother. Not only this, he/she shall showcase
his/her joy for everyone to see.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two hens and
money. Out of these items, two rats, two fish and one hen will also be used
to feed Ifa;. By so doing, Ifa; will ensure that this person is blessed accordingly.
On this aspect, Ifa; says:
O®ni; wiriwiri Ogbe¾ Di;
O®ôla wiriwiri Ogbe¾ Di;
Di;a; fu;n Po;ônn;ge;le;
Eku;n oômoô lo; n; sun
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EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Today, all things point to Ogbe¾ „Di;
Tomorrow, all things point to Ogbe¾‟Di;
This was the Ifa; cast for Poô;nn;ge;le;
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a child
She was advised to offer eôboô
Po;ônn;gele; loved children and young ones to a fault. She was always found in
their midst. She would play with them and tell them different stories. She
would take them to places and organize outings for them. Many times, she
would be the one who would stand sure for the young ones acting as their
mother when these young ones were about to do great things in life. She used
to sponsor many events which would elevate the children and young ones.
They all loved her and respected her like their own mother.
Unfortunately for Po;ônn;gele; however, she had no child of her own. Much as
she tried, she could not get a baby of her own. Many times, she would be on
her bed and cry for hours. Sometimes, she would cry and cry from night till
day break. She prayed to Olodumare and the Divinities to bless her with the
fruit of the womb, but her prayers were yet to be answered. After more than
18 years of prayers, she became desperate. She began to move from one
healing home to another, all to no avail.
One day, she decided to give Ifa; a trial, consequent upon this, she went to the
home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I receive the
blessing of Olodumare by receiving the fruit of the womb? Will I become a
mother of my own biological child? Will I continue being the „mother‟ of
others young ones and children, without being a mother of my own biological
children? If this is the case, how would this happen? What do I need to do
for the good things to happen?
The Awo assured her that she would surely become a mother of many
children of her own. She was told not to lose hope or despair. She was told
not to entertain any fear or doubt. The Awo advised her to offer eôboô and feed
Ifa; as prescribed above. She complied. After this, she went home, full of
hope and expectations.
201
OGBE®’DI:
One lunar month after, Po;ônn;ge;le; discovered to her surprise that she missed
her period. She refused to believe that she was really pregnant. No, it could
not be true. It must be a delay. As time passed, she began to vomit, feel early
morning sickness, weakness of the body and drowsiness. She still refused to
believe that those were symptoms of early pregnancy. She rather considered
them as signs of illness and nothing more.
Four months after this, her breasts had developed and her stomach was
bulging out. People began to greet her the way pregnant women are greeted.
She realised then that she was indeed pregnant. There was no mistake about
that anymore. When the foetus began to kick inside her, she began to imagine
herself talking to her baby, singing for her and sending her on errands.
She imagined herself sitting as the mother when the baby was old enough to
be betrothed to a man. She vowed to herself that the marriage ceremony
would be the talk of the whole community for a very long time to come. In
her soliloquy, she imagined herself cruising into a contented smile as she
proudly handed over the hand of her beloved daughter to her husband who
would in turn hand over the bride to the most senior man in the groom‟s
family.
It would certainly be a grand occasion, she boasted to herself. But wait, what
if the baby turned out to be a male? Well, the difference in sex would make
no difference in the way the baby would be treated by her. But it is said that a
male child is more difficult for a woman to raise on her own unless a father is
present. But anyway, the father was there. She vowed to ensure that the
father, played an active part in the raising and upbringing her boy. He would
be beside her to ensure that her baby was given the best training. She almost
swore that the boy would take after his father in stature, likeness, strength and
character.
She smiled with satisfaction at the thought of her boy growing up to become
the best farmer, wrestler and administrator in the community, just as his father
had proven over and over. With those thoughts, she slept off. That was the
way she used to tease herself to sleep every single night during her pregnancy.
On the 10th lunar month, Po;ônn;ge;le; gave birth to a baby. She was
overwhelmed with joy that she never bothered to know the sex of the baby.
When she got to know it however, it made no difference to her. The next
thing she did was to start singing and dancing saying:
Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; di¾ o
Po;ônn;ge;le;
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Emi; ti; d’oôlo;ômoô o
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; di; o
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Emi; ti; d’oôlo;ômoô o
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Translation:
Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; Di;
Po;ônn¾ge¾le;
I have become a proud mother
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; Di;
Po;ônn;ge;le;
I am now a mother
Po;ônn;ge;le;
The whole community rejoiced with her on the occasion of her blessing. It
was a big celebration in the community. For three days, people from far and
near kept trooping to Poô;n;nge;le;‟s home to look at her bundle of joy and to
celebrate with her.
O®ni; wiriwiri Ogbe¾ Di;
O®ôla wiriwiri Ogbe¾ Di;
Di;a; fu;n Po;ônn;ge;le;
Eku;n oômoô lo; n; sun
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O; gb’e;ôboô, o; ru’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna
EÙ wa; ba; ni; ni; je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô
Nje Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; di¾ o
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Emi; ti; d’oôlo;ômoô o
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; di; o
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Emi; ti; d’oôlo;ômoô o
Po;ônn;ge;le;
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OGBE®’DI:
Translation:
Today, all things point to Ogbe¾ „Di;
Tomorrow, all things point to Ogbe¾‟Di;
This was the Ifa; cast for Poô;nn;ge;le;
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget a child
She was advised to offer eôboô
She complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the celebration of a new baby
Now, Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; Di;
Po;ônn¾ge¾le;
I have become a proud mother
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Ogbe; Di; Ogbe; Di;
Po;ônn;ge;le;
I am now a mother
Po;ônn;ge;le;
Ifa; assures the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed that he/she will be
blessed with a new baby. With Ifa;, it is never too late for anyone to receive
the blessing that would change his/her life from sadness to joy and from
desperation to contentment.
8. Ifa; advises a woman who has only one child to offer eôboô so as to avoid a
situation where this will be her only child in her life. Ifá warns this person to
work on having more children now when it is not yet too late for her to do so.
If this is not done as quickly as possible, it will be difficult for her to give
birth to more children and in her later years of life, she will end up having
many pains and regrets for the rest of her life.
Ifa; recommends for her to offer eôboô with a completely black mature female
goat and money. After the eôboô, she will need to make herself positively
disposed towards having more children.
On this, Ogbe;-„Di; says:
Ogbe; di;ndi; ko¾ ya;a; bu¾ ku¾
Di;a¾ fu;n E®Ùki¾ri¾
Ti; yo;o¾ bi; o¾ôkan na;a¾
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Ti; yo;o; pa¾’di; moôô;
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾ dindi; is not easy to reduce
This was the Ifa; cast for EÙ®ki¾ri¾ (The bush Goat)
Who would give birth to only one child
And who would stop child bearing
She was advised to offer eôboô
EÙ¾®ki¾ri¾, the Bush Goat was blessed with a baby very early on in her life. She
was really proud of her God-given gift. As soon as she had the baby, she felt
that there was the need for her to take a long break from making any more
babies. She wanted to achieve all the good things she needed in life. She
however began to struggle to succeed in life. Any mention of child-bearing to
her was out of it. She took good care of her only child all right, but she did
not want to hear of having more. She was only interested in material
acquisition and social elevation.
In order to acquire more success and recognition, she went to the home of the
Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in life? Will I be
accorded more recognition? Will I make a lot of profit that will enable me to
purchase dresses, jewellery and ornaments? Will I be able to go to places to
enjoy myself? During Ifa; consultation, Ogbe¾-O¾di; was revealed.
The Awo assured her that she would certainly succeed in life. She was told
that all her heart‟s desires would be accomplished. The Awo made it clear to
her that whether she offered eôboô or not, she would reach the apex of her
chosen career in life.
She was however advised that there was the need for her to offer eôboô and to
work seriously on ensuring that she gave birth to more children before it was
too late to do so. She was also warned against concentrating all her efforts on
the pursuit of mundane things at the expense of having more children. Her
eôboô materials, the Awo said, were one giant black she-goat and money.
When E®ôki¾ri¾ heard all these statements from her Awo, she became livid with
rage. If she disrupted her quest to reach the top of her career in life with the
silly idea of becoming pregnant at this particular point in her lifetime when
she had everything going for her, what type of gains would she be able to
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OGBE®’DI:
make? No, this Awo must be either drunk, ignorant, or mischievous. Either
way, she will not allow anyone to truncate her goals and ideals, her Awo
inclusive. Instead of arguing with her Awo, she simply stood up, took back
the five cowries she paid for the Ifá consultation and left the house of the
Awo. The Awo looked at her in utter disbelief. He could not understand what
was wrong with her. As she left, she vowed never to return to the Awo again
in her life.
Truly, she was making progress in her chosen career. Truly, she became the
envy of all her colleagues. And truly, she was recognised as a truly successful
woman. The thought of having more children never crossed her mind again.
One day however, she was greeted with the sad news that her only daughter
was seriously ill. All medications administered on her simply failed to work.
For three long years, EÙ¾ki¾ri¾ was moving from one health home to the other, in
search of a solution to her daughter‟s health problems. Yet, she could not find
any. She began to live in constant fear for the life of her daughter.
She soon realised that she could not do any work again, as she had nobody to
help her stay with her daughter where she was receiving medical attention.
She also realised that had she had another child, then the other child would
have been of help to her during this period. Her business began to go down
since there was nobody to look after her business.
She concluded that she must work on having another child but two things
worked against her: one, her age, and two, she simply did not have the time to
work on having a child since there was nobody to look after her child or
business. In a nutshell, it was too late for her to have any more children. She
constantly remembered the advice of the Awo that she needed to have more
children before it was too late. She lived and died with her regret.
Ogbe; di;ndi; ko¾ ya;a; bu¾ ku¾
Di;a¾ fu;n E®Ùki¾ri¾
Ti; yo;o¾ bi; o¾ôkan na;a¾
Ti; yo;o; pa¾’di; moôô;
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
EÙ¾ki¾ri¾ i¾ ba; te¾te¾ mo¾
I® ba; wa; f’owo; sô’a¾ru;fi;n eôboô
I®ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ô
Gbogbo i¾sôo¾wo¾ O®pe¾ô
EÙni gb’eôboô ni;’beô, ko; sô’eôboô o
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Translation:
Ogbe¾ dindi; is not easy to reduce
This was the Ifa; cast for EÙ®ki¾ri¾ (The bush Goat)
Who would give birth to only one child
And who would stop child bearing
She was advised to offer eôboô
Had EÙ¾ki¾ri¾ known ahead of time
She would have spent her money on offering the eôboô
If only she had known ahead of time
All adherents of the Holy Palm tree
Let those who are advised to offer eôboô do so
Ifa; says that it shall not allow this person to live and die with avoidable
regrets. This person also needs to ensure that he/she does not pursue wealth at
the expense of children. If children are pursued before it is too late, then
everlasting regrets will be avoided.
9. Ifa; says that it foresees decisive victory over adversaries for the person for
whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that his/her colleagues, relatives and/or
close friends are behind his/her travails. Ifa; assures this person that victory is
certain, no matter how strong the opposition may be.
Ifa; says that this person may have cause to travel outside his/her normal place
of abode on business together with many people. Ifa; says that he/she will face
serious opposition where they are going. Ifa; however assures him/her not to
entertain any fear as he/she shall overcome all oppositions. Ifa; assures this
person that he/she will not only overcome, he/she will also return home with
honour, prestige and success. He/she shall be accorded well deserved respect
where he/she will go to.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with two cocks, two sharp knives and
money. There is also the need to feed Ifa; with one mature hen.
On all these, Ogbe¾-O®di; says:
A®ro¾ôni¾ lo; ni; mo pa akoôgun i¾ya; o¾hun j¾eô o
Di;a; fu;n Gbogbo I®wo¾ro¾
Wo;ôn n; sôawo loô ibi oô¾na¾ to; j¾i¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôj;o;ô
Eôboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
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OGBE®’DI:
Translation:
A®ro¾ôni¾ was he who accused me of killing his mother‟s warrior
This was Ifa;‟s message to all the A¾wo¾ro¾
When going on a spiritual mission to a far distant place
They were advised to offer eôboô
Out of the over 400 A¾wo¾ro¾, EÙse¾ô kan sôosôo Ogbe¾ had left no one in doubt that
he was the most competent and the most gifted among them. He had the
record to show for it. He could not count the number of debtors whom he had
turned into financially buoyant people. There were countless invalid people
who had regained their health and vitality. Several barren people had been
turned into proud mothers. Many more impotent men had become sexually
active again. Those who were destined to die young had been able to live up
to their old age. Whenever there was crisis in the community, he knew
exactly what to do to return the community to normal. He had also helped the
community to develop financially, economically, socially and spiritually.
On this particular trip, it was generally assumed that Ogbe¾ would excel where
all others had failed. That was precisely what the other I®wo¾ro¾ would never
tolerate, not to mention accept. They were prepared to do anything and
everything to stop him from out-shinning them, even if it meant killing him.
When all the I®wo¾ro¾ planned to proceed on this spiritual journey, they went for
Ifa; consultation in the home of the Awo mentioned above: Would they
succeed in their mission? Would every one of them return home safely and
happily? Would they gain recognition and fame? Would they also be
spiritually elevated? Was there anything for them to do in order to bring
accomplishment to the group?
The Awo assured them that they would all succeed in their spiritual mission
and sojourn. He told them that their lives would have meaning. They were
told that there was the need for them to cooperate with each other in order for
them to achieve resounding success and recognition. They must not conspire
against anyone among them or plan evil against any member of the group.
They were warned that this must never occur. They were all advised to offer
eôboô as stated above.
Meanwhile, all the I®wo¾ro¾ who planned to go on that mission were determined
to ensure that Ogbe¾ did not out-shine them. Consequent upon this, they saw
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
no reason why they should offer the eôboô since they knew that they needed to
plan against him in order to make him fail. There was therefore no reason
whatsoever to offer eôboô. For this reason, they simply ignored the advice of
the Awo to offer eôboô and not to conspire against anyone.
A®ro¾ôni¾ lo; ni; mo pa akoôgun i¾ya; ohun jeô o
Di;a; fu;n EÙsôe¾ kan sôosôo Ogbe¾
Ti; n; sôawo loô ibi oô¾na¾ to; jin gboôoôroô bi; oj;o;ô
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Translation:
A®ro¾ôni¾ was he who accused me of killing his mother‟s warrior
This was Ifa;‟s message for one leg of Ogbe¾
When going on a spiritual mission to a far distant place
He was advised to offer eôboô
EÙse¾ô kan Sôosôo Ogbe¾ was having the sensation that he was not safe. He felt that
a grand conspiracy was being planned against him. From where, he was not
sure. He did not suspect his fellow I®wo¾ro¾ O®ri¾sôa¾ in any way whatsoever. He
continued to have bad dreams and terrible premonitions. Unable to stand it
any longer, he decided to visit the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation:
Am I safe? Will I overcome all the problems I have been feeling? The feeling
of uncertainty and intrigue he was having had become very palpable. Will I
succeed and be victorious? What will I do to survive, overcome and succeed
where I am going along with all the other A®wo¾ro¾?
The Awo made it clear to Ogbe¾ that he was not safe. He told Ogbe¾ that he
was right in the midst of conspiracy and treachery. He was told that his
colleagues were the ones planning evil against him. He was however assured
that he would certainly overcome and succeed. The Awo advised Ogbe¾ to
offer eôboô with two cocks, two sharp knives and money. He was also
advised to feed Ifa; with a big hen. He complied. After the eôboô and ibọ the
Awo gave Ogbe¾ one of the two knives to keep with him all the time. He was
told to take it along with him on his journey. With this assurance, Ogbe¾ left.
Very early on the day of their departure, all the I®wo¾ro¾, with the exception of
Ogbe¾, had a quick meeting. In their deliberation, they concluded that the only
way to stop Ogbe¾ from doing better than all of them was to eliminate him.
They stated that in order not to make anyone suspect any form of foul play, it
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OGBE®’DI:
was advisable for them to do so in such a way that no tell-tale evidence would
be left behind. His corpse must not be left anywhere for anyone to discover,
so that no embarrassing questions would be asked. Consequently, it was
concluded that Erin, the Elephant, would be made to swallow him completely.
By so doing, they reasoned, nobody would be able to trace any part of him at
all. This plan was unanimously endorsed by these conspirators.
When they set out on their journey, Erin was the most friendly to Ogbe¾. For
this reason, Ogbe¾ relied on him as a friend who would defend and protect him
with his huge frame and power. Unknown to him, Erin was supposed to be
his executioner. When they were almost approaching their destination, Erin
moved close to his unsuspecting prey and before Ogbe¾ could realise what was
actually happening, Erin gripped him from behind and swallowed him from
head to toe! Why is this happening? Ogbe¾ was totally confused.
He was engulfed in total darkness and unbearable heat: Why was this
happening? He had offered all the eôboô and ibo that the Awo prescribed for
him. Why must he meet with this type of calamity? Why must it be Erin, his
confidant and friend who would end up being his killer? Why must he end up
as food for his erstwhile friend who turned out to be his betrayer? Why must
Erin betray the trust and confidence he had in him? Why? Why? Why?
There were so many other whys that he had in mind to ask but there was
nobody to talk to. Why was their nobody to talk to? That was another why in
itself.
As these thoughts entered into Ogbe¾‟s mind inside the belly of Eri;n, he began
to feel unbearable pain. He became more confused. Suddenly, it occurred to
him that the mere fact that he was feeling pain and discomfort indicated that
he was still alive. It also showed that he was still breathing. How come that
he was still breathing in the midst of the offal, excrement and half-digested
food? The truth was E®sôu¾ was responsible for keeping him alive. E®ôsôu¾ then
appeared to Ogbe¾ and said: “Have no fear, Ogbe¾. You have offered the eôboô
and iboô prescribed for you. Those who offer their eôboô are always my friends.
I will support you and you shall overcome all the conspiracies hatched against
you?
“Who are you? I do not know you”, Ogbe¾ said. Funny enough Ogbe¾ was able
to see this being inside the belly of Eri;n. “I am E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra. I am your friend. I
will get you out of this trouble. Just do as i tell you. It shall be well with
you”. With this assurance Ogbe¾ relaxed a little. After a while, E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra
said, bring out the knife that the Awo gave to you, use the knife to cut the
intestine of Eri;n”. Ogbe¾ did as he was instructed. As soon as he did this, Eri;n
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felt a terrible pain inside his gut, he staggered but kept going. Now, use your
knife to cut the liver, I shall show you where the liver is located.” E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra
said. Ogbe¾ did as instructed. Eri;n felt like fainting. He shouted at the top of
his voice! The other conspirators urged him to keep going on. They told him
that it would be a shame if he succumbed to fatigue at this juncture. Eri;n kept
going on. Next E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra told Ogbe¾; “Use your knife to pierce through the
heart. This is where the heart is located”.
E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra pointed out the heart to Ogbe¾. With all his might, Ogbe¾ then
pierced through the heart. Blood gushed out of the organ. Eri;n coughed out
blood from his mouth. His steps became more unsteady. By this time
however, they were by the boundary of their destination. They continuously
urged Eri;n to move on. He did. It was clear that it was raw will-power that
kept him going. He continued to find each step extremely difficult to take.
E®sôu¾ O®da¾ra then told Ogbe¾. “Look at this. It is the large intestine. It leads to
the anus of your enemy. Cut it into two and then enter there. It will lead you
out”. Ogbe¾ cut the intestine into two. Eri;n fell down.
A few moments after, he bided the world good night. Just before his death, it
occurred to him that there was no gain in conspiring against anyone. Ogbe¾
entered through the large intestine and moved downwards. He came out
through the anus of Eri;n. It was a surprise to everyone present, both friends
and foes alike. They all concluded that since Ogbe¾ had come out of the
Elephant‟s anus. He should be known and called Ogbe¾-Ti¾di;i;.
A®ro¾ôni¾ lo; ni; mo pa akoôgun i¾ya; o¾hun j¾eô o
Di;a; fu;n Gbogbo I®wo¾ro¾
Wo;ôn n; sôawo loô o¾ôna¾ to; j¾i¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôjo;ô
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
A®ro¾ôni¾ lo; ni; mo pa akoôgun i¾ya; o¾hun j¾eô o
Di;a¾ fu;n EÙse¾ô kan sôosôo Ogbe¾
O: n; sôawo loô o¾ôna¾ to; j¾i¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôjo;ô
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
EÙse¾ô kan sôosôo Ogbe¾ ni¾kan ni¾ n;beô le;ôyi¾n ti; n;;sôeôboô o
N®®je;ô Ogbe¾ to; ti¾di; Erin bo;ô
Ka; ma;a pe¾e; mi; Ogbe¾-Ti¾di;
E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾ O®ôfa¾
Ogun lo; n; sôe;ô fu;n’ni ni;beôô¾
To; ba; bi; ni; o
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OGBE®’DI:
Translation:
¾ô i¾ was he who accused me of killing his mother‟s warrior
A®ron
This was Ifa;‟s message to all the A¾wo¾ro¾
When going on a spiritual mission to a far distant place
They were advised to offer eôboô
A®ro¾ôni¾ was he who accused me of killing his mother‟s warrior
This was Ifa;‟s message for one leg of Ogbe¾
When going on a spiritual mission to a far distant place
He was advised to offer eôboô
Only Ogbe¾ complied with the advice of the Awo
Now, the Ogbe¾ who comes out of the Elephant‟s anus
Let him be known as, and be called Ogbe¾-Ti¾di;i;
Travellers to Ìpo and Ofa;
The ability to overcome adversity is guaranteed
If this Odu¾ is one's birth Odu¾
Ifa; assures this person not to entertain any fear whatsoever. He/she shall
overcome all the evil designs fashioned against him/her. In the same breadth,
he/she must never be part of any conspiracy or evil design against anyone. If
this warning is not heeded, it will lead to only one destination-disaster.
10.Ifa; assures the person for whom Ogbe¾-Ti¾di;i; is revealed that he/she shall
overcome. Ifa; says that there is a plan to dispose this person of his/her hardearned money, goods or prosperity. Ifa; says that those planning to cheat
him/her shall fail woefully.
Ifa; says that the diabolical plans of some tricksters, fraudulent people or/and
con men/women shall be exposed and they shall be put to ridicule. The
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed needs to put his/her faith in Ifa;. He/she
needs not entertain any doubt, no matter how bad the situation may be.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with two cocks and money. He/she also
needs to feed Ifa; with one very big smoked catfish.
On this aspect, Ifa; says:
O®gu;n ni;i; deô Ifo;ôn
O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsi¾ ni;i; boô i¾ge¾re¾
Yemo¾o; ni;i; sôe oni;po¾ôn'ti; O®ri¾sôa¾
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Di;a¾ fu;n O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; woôô;n o; j’ogu;n du¾n
Ti; woôn o; ni; pi;n l’o;;gu;n
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
O®gu;n hunts with arrows
O®ôsôoô;o¾ôsôi¾ propitiates the fishing net
Yemo¾o; is the one in charge of the O®ri¾sôa¾ brewery
These were Ifa;‟s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾
When he was denied his own share of their ancestral legacy
And was not given any share
He was advised to offer eôboô
OÙÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ and seven others were beneficiaries of the will of a very influential
woman in the community. When this woman was alive, she took O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ as
her son because she had no child in life. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ took care of her and made
her happy. Whenever she fell ill, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ was always available to take care
of her. She trusted O®ôru;nmi¾la¾¾ more than any other person in the world. This
woman was very wealthy. She was the most successful woman in her
community. As a matter of fact, this woman owned nearly half of all the
property in the community. Everybody in the community respected her for
her luck, business sense and ability to read economic trends correctly. She
had seven relatives but she relied on O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ for everything. She would tell
whoever cared to listen that her properties must be divided into two parts, one
part must be given to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ while the remaining half was to be shared
equally among her seven relatives whenever she died.
The seven relatives however saw no reason why O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ should be given
any part of the woman‟s property, not to mention him being given the lion‟s
share. They did not complain while the woman was alive but as soon as the
woman died, they sprang into action. They blocked every avenue for
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to claim any part of the property bequeathed to him. As if that was
not bad enough they confiscated all the personal properties of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
claiming that he tricked other people before he could acquire them. Any
attempt by O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to explain himself was met with rebuff. They would
shout him down and call him names.
To make matters worse, the seven relatives were very influential in the
community. Those who knew them as being related to the departed woman
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OGBE®’DI:
respected them and were ready to do their bidding. Together with others, they
stripped O®Ùru;nmi¾la; completely naked. To eat became a problem for him. He
was ridiculed and victimized on top of him being stripped of his hard-earned
possessions.
One day, O®ôru;nmi¾la¾¾ decided to go to the home of the group of Babala;wo
mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be able to regain all my lost
possessions? Will I overcome this grand conspiracy? Will my enemies be put
into their proper places? Will I be victorious in the end? Would the
community be able to see the truth at the end of the day?
The group of Awo told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ that he had been treated unjustly. He had
suffered unduly. He was told to put his mind at rest. He was told that all his
lost possessions would be recovered. Not only this, those who had usurped
his possessions would suffer terribly. The group of Awo advised him to offer
eôboô as prescribed above. He complied. After this, he was told to go about his
day to day business.
Meanwhile, the seven conspirators, two women and five men had a meeting
on how to share the proceeds from their loot. They concluded that it would
not be wise to share the loot; but rather, each person should be given money
from time to time according to each individual‟s needs. All of them saw this
as the most realistic thing to do under the circumstances. What they never
bargained for was the surprise that E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ would pull on them.
As soon as OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered the eôboô, E®sôu¾ gave one of the two women the gift
of yaws and gave one of the men the gift of being a hunchback. They all
began to look for solutions from several healing homes but there was no relief.
They kept spending the money from the joint loot. The remaining
conspirators began to complain after about six months that the two infected
members were spending too much money on themselves at the expense of the
others. Before long, one of the remaining men developed elephantiasis of the
scrotum. Two months after, the other woman developed goitre. Three weeks
after this, one of the three remaining men developed epilepsy; the second went
totally blind while the third and last conspirator developed palsy. Why is all
this happening to us? They concluded that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ must be responsible for
all their woes. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ must be dealt with by all of us and by any means. It
got to a stage that none of them had time nor paid attention to the much
cherished loot.
It did not take long before people began to insinuate that they were suffering
from greed. People began saying that they had cheated and they were paying
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for their misconduct. The talk of the people was even more painful to the
conspirators than their actual ailments.
One day, the seven conspirators went to the group of Awo mentioned above
for Ifa; consultation; they wanted the Awo to do two things for them; one, find
solutions to their ailments; and two, to punish O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ for their woes. Were
these possible?
The Awo told them that they encountered their misfortunes simply because
they lacked honesty. They were told to go home and change their attitudes.
They must be honest. They must not cheat others. They must not conspire
against anybody. If they had done so already, they must change and right the
wrong. They were also told that they must forget about punishing O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
because he had never wronged them or planned evil against them. To plan
against him would only bring more woes on them. The group of Awo asked
the conspirators to go and apologize to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ and ensure that anything
they had done wrong against him was corrected accordingly.
The seven conspirators left the home of the Awo totally disappointed. Why
must they go and apologize to someone who has inflicted so much pain and
agony on them? They wondered. The conspirators concluded that it was a
mistake to go to the home of the Awo to find a solution to their problems in
the first place. They said that the Awo were all OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾‟s ex-students and
they were bound to support him. Maybe they were the ones O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ used to
inflict pain on them. For that reason, they were bound to support their master.
If he had used the Awo to punish them, then they were no longer safe. The
Awo had touched all of them; they sat down on their mats; they had used the
consultation instruments to touch their hands, foreheads and chests! What if
they had poisoned the instruments? Yes, they must have poisoned the
instruments! What a mistake! They were going to be in more trouble! God!
Why did they not think well and properly before they approached the Awo?
They had dug their own graves by themselves! All of them began to panic. In
their state of confusion, they began to make more and more mistakes. In the
end, they heaped all the blames on the one among them who suggested that
they should go to the Awo for Ifá consultation. That was the one with the
elephantiasis of the scrotum.
He got angry and began to rain curses on those blaming him. Before long, a
big fight ensued. They were beating, cursing and tearing each other apart.
Soon after this, a huge crowd gathered to watch the macabre scene. They
began to expose each other and to explain to the watching crowd the role each
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and every one of them played in the grand conspiracy. They were so busy
exposing each other that none of them wanted the others to outplay him or her
in the revelation.
In the end, they were all marched to the OÙba‟s palace. They narrated their
stories to the OÙba. The whole community was in shock when they heard the
story. In the end, the council of Chiefs ordered that the seven of them should
be banished from the community. All of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾‟s possessions which they
had unjustly usurped were returned to him. The community apologised to
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ for not finding out the truth earlier when the matter first came up.
O®gu;n ni;i; deô Ifo;ôn
O®Ùsôo;ôo¾ôsi¾ ni;i; boô i¾ge¾re¾
Yemo¾o; ni;i; sôe oni;po¾ôn'ti; O®ri¾sôa¾
Di;a¾ fu;n O®®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; woôô;n o; j’ogu;n du¾n
Ti; woôn o; ni; pi;n l’o;;gu;n
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ j¾i¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba¾ni¾ la;ru¾us; ôe;ô o¾gu;n
OÙ®ru;nmi;la¾ si¾ ru;boô ni;be¾ô
O:: sôe;ôgun
Translation:
O®gu;n hunts with arrows
O®ôsôoô;o¾ôsôi¾ propitiates the fishing net
Yemo¾o; is the one in charge of the O®ri¾sôa¾ brewery
These were Ifa;‟s messages for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾
When he was denied his own share of their ancestral legacy
And was not given any share
He was advised to offer eôboô
Before long, not too far
Join us where we enjoy victory
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; offered eôboô there
And he had victory
Ifa; says that this person shall surely be victorious over conspirators. In the
same vein, Ifa; warns this person never to conspire with others to cheat
anyone. This is because their victim shall be victorious in the end.
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11. Ifa; promises that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall
succeed and be prosperous in life. Ifa; advises this person to continuously offer
the eôboô of victory over adversity together with that of prosperity. Ifa; says that
in the life of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed, there is going to be
success coupled with contention. After the success of this person, those close
to him/her shall begin to raised inquiry on his/her source of prosperity. They
will want to know how and from where he/she has made his/her wealth and
prosperity.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, two pigeons
and money. After this, he/she needs to procure kola nuts which have only
one lobe, beads which have been broken into two and which no longer have
holes that can be used to string them together, the leather used to cover the
gu;du;gu;du; drum and amu;ni¾mu;ye¾ leaves. All these shall be pounded together
by the Awo and this Odu¾ will be recited into it and be given to the person for
whom this Odù is revealed to bathe with.
On this, a stanza in Ogbe¾ „Di¾i; says:
SÙa;ka; bale¾ô, sôa;ka; ro; yagbayagba
I®sôu¾ o¾ôro¾ô bale¾ô ko; ra¾ti¾ra¾ti¾
E®Ùe¾ôru¾n lo; de;, loômoôde; ‘Ku¾nrin d’o¾ri; Ifa;
Di;a¾ fu;n O®ôru;nmi¾la;
Baba n¾sôawo loô si;le; A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾
Ni;gba¾ti; o; n;fojooju;mo;ô sun-unrun i¾su¾nku;su¾n
To; n;fojooju;mo;ô la; a¾la;ka;la¾a;
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
SÙa;ka; bale¾ô sôa;ka; ro; yagbayagba
I®sôu¾ o¾ôro¾ô bale¾ô ko; ra¾ti¾ra¾ti¾
E®Ùe¾ôru¾n lo; de;, loômoôde; „Ku¾nrin d‟o¾ri; Ifa;
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
When going on an Ifa; mission to the home of A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾
When A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was having sleepless nights
And was having nightmares
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was advised to offer eôboô
The life of A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was in complete disarray. He had lost almost all what
he had made in his life. His business was in ruins.
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OGBE®’DI:
His problems were compounded when his wives and children abandoned him
unceremoniously. He found it impossible to believe that his beloved wives
and children would abandon him at this time that he needed their support the
most. He cried and cried. Weeping only compounded his problems instead of
solving them. Before long after his family left him, he began to have terrible
and terrifying dreams. Sometimes, he would see himself being tied to a stake
by some fierce-looking men and before he could shout for help, he would be
doused with oil and fire would be set on him. Sometimes, he would be
thrown into a swamp infested with giant open mouthed crocodiles and
alligators. Within the twinkling of an eye, these amphibians would be feasting
on his body. He would then scream out only to realise that he was dreaming.
Sometimes, he would see himself being pursued with clubs, knives, sticks,
cutlasses, swords and machetes. He would run and run only to see his
pursuers overpowering him. Just as his attackers were about to deliver their
deadly blows on him, he would wake up startled and have a terrible headache.
Tired of all of this, he approached many medicine men and women for
solutions to his problems. There was none. He tried many seers. There was
no solution. Somebody told him about O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾. He decided to give him a
trial. He therefore sent some people to go and invite O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to his house,
telling OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ that his assistance was urgently needed.
When OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ saw A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s delegates, he decided to approach the
group of Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed at
A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s house? Will I be able to proffer solutions to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s
numerous problems? Will it be possible to move A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s present state
of poverty to one of affluence? Will his family members who have
abandoned him return to him again? If it is possible for me to do accomplish
these things, what do I need to do? What eôboô do I need to offer? What advice
do I need to give A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾@
The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ that whether he offered the eôboô of success or not,
he would surely succeed in finding solutions to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s problems. He
was however told that the main eôboô which he really needed to offer was that
of victory over oppositions. He was advised to offer eôboô with one mature hegoat for victory and two pigeons for success. He complied. After this, the
Awo prepared the Ifa; work for him as listed above. He was advised to use the
herbal soap to bathe with until it was exhausted. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ also complied.
The following day, he set out on his journey to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s house.
When O®Ùru;nmi¾la; got there, he set out on his mission to improve his client‟s life
immediately. All the advice of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ was carried out by A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾.
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O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ explained to him that the main reason why the problems were
occurring in the first place was that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was out of tune with the
Irunmoôle¾ who were guiding and protecting him. Because A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ had
chosen to abandon these Iru;nmoôleôô¾ they too had abandoned him. When he was
facing all the problems and tribulations, there was no guiding Iru;nmoôleôô¾ who
was prepared to raise a finger to protect or defend him. A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was
advised to offer eôboô and feed all the Iru;nmoôleôô¾ and O®ri¾sa¾ that he was affiliated
to. He complied. He decided to embrace them all and feed them on a regular
basis.
Before long, A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾‟s businesses, which had hitherto collapsed began to
pick up. Soon after, he was back in the serious and profit-making businesses.
He began to control huge amounts of money as he used to do before. When
the wives heard that their husband had met with fortune once more and that
success had begun to smile on him again, they too decided to return home
together with their children to be part of the aspects of his life where smiles
would light up his face.
Within 15 lunar months, A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ had become stupendously wealthy. He
began to control vast business estates. He was sought after by the high and
the mighty. His wealth surpassed what he had before. He became the most
successful man in his community.
One day, A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ sat down and took stock of his journey so far. He
realised that within 16 lunar months, he had moved from poverty to opulence.
He had moved from severe want to surplus. All the members of his family
who had abandoned him had returned to him. His nightmarish dreams had
become things of the past. He had become happier, more influential, more
respected and more honourable than ever before. He also noted that, but for
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ all these would never have happened. He was very moved that
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had stood by him when he had nothing and he did not work for him
with monetary consideration. He concluded that the only right thing for him
to do was to show his gratitude to him. How would he do this? He decided to
reward O®Ùru;nmi¾la; with one quarter of his vast business estates. This amounted
to more than enough for seven families to spend throughout their lifetimes.
As soon as people found out that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had been given that much, envy
set in. How could he be given such an amount of money and assets? What
had he done which others had never done before? They concluded that
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ must have used undue influence to twist the arms of A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ for
him to part with such a huge amount of money and assets. These antagonists
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OGBE®’DI:
went to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ to convince him to change his mind and withdraw all the
money and assets from O®Ùru;nmi¾la;. They told him that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was a
fraudster, a cheat and wicked man who had used diabolical means to get all
the things which A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ had given him. A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was however not
impressed with their submissions. He chased them away and told them never
to return to his house again.
When they failed to persuade A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, the antagonists decided to deal
with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ in their own way. They began to prepare potent charms to
destroy O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. They failed. The charms had no effect on him whatsoever.
They began to conspire against him. They did this for several months. It had
no effect on him in any way. That was when one of them said that someone
among them must be going to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ to reveal their plans. This led to
mutual suspicion among the conspirators.
One day, things blew up into an open confrontation. They fought for several
hours. That was when someone went to call O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to come and see what
was happening among the group of conspirators. When he got there, the
conspirators shamelessly began to reveal all their diabolical plans against
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to him.
As they were exposing each other O®Ùru;nmi¾la; kept smiling knowingly. When
he was asked why he was smiling, he stated thus:
EÙÙ®yin o¾ mo¾ô wi;pe; la;ki;ri;boto kan ki¾¾i; lo;ju; aweôô;
E®ôla¾ i¾le¾ôke¾ô kan ki¾i; lo;ju; a¾toku¾nbo
Bi; a ba; n; fu;n gu;du;gu;du;
N®sôe lara re¾ô ma;a; n; le
OÙwoô; o¾ô mi; wa; b’ewe; amu;ni;mu;ye¾ e te¾mi;
Po¾ro¾ ti; mo ba; de;
Ifa; Ka¾sa¾i¾ ba; mi; mu; wo;ôn ni;ye¾ i¾ku;n
Translation:
Don‟t you know that the la;ki;ri;boto kola nut has no lobe
A split bead has nowhere to put string through
If we pull on the leather used to make the gu;du;gu;du; drum
It‟s sound will become more audible
I have now gotten a hold of my own amu;ni;mu;ye¾ leaves
As soon as i arrive
Ifá will becloud their consicousiness
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O®ôru;nmi¾la¾ explained that since la;ki;ri;boto kola nut has no value because it
cannot be split into pieces, all of them could not design anything that would
affect him adversely. He said that since a bead that is split into two cannot be
strung together again, no malicious designs of his enemies would have any
adverse effect on him. He said that when the gu;du;gu;du; drum was tightened, it
only made the drum stronger, all their conspiracies would only make him
stronger; and it was Amu;ni;mu;ye¾ leaves that had ordered that all his enemies
would lose concentration and cohesion. That was why all their diabolic plans
had not been able to affect him in any way.
When the conspirators heard these statements they simply disposed in
disarray, OÙr® u;nmi¾la¾ was given free hand to enjoy his hard-earned wealth.
SÙa;ka; bale;ô, sôa;ka; ro; yagbayagba
Is¾ôu¾ o¾ôro¾ô bale¾ô ko; ra¾ti¾ra¾ti¾
E®Ùe¾ôru¾n lo; de;, loômoôde; ‘Ku¾nrin d’o¾ri; Ifa;
Di;a; fu;n O®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sôawo loô si;le; A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾
I®igba¾ti; o; n;fojooju;mo;ô sun-unrun i¾su¾nkusun
To; n;fojooju;mo;ô la; a¾la;ka;la¾a;
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O® gb’e¾ôboô, o; ru’boô
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; de;le; A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾
O: tu;n aye; A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ sôe
O: wa; gba;gu;n owo;
O: gba;gu;n ola;
O: gba;gu;n ola;
O: gba;gu;n oôlo;ôgi¾nni¾ng¾ i¾nni¾ asôoô I®ra¾da¾
Wo;ôn wa; ni; ni;bo ni; yo;o; gbe;e gba¾?
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; ni; e¾ôyi¾n o; mo;ô wi;pe; la;ki;ri;boto ki¾i; loj;u; awe;ô
E®ôla¾ i¾le;ôke;ô kan ki¾i; lo;ju¾ a¾toku¾nbo¾ô
Bi; a ba; n; fu;n gu;du;gu;du;
Nsôe lara re¾ô ma;a n; le
OÙwo;ô o¾ô mi; wa; b’ewe; amu;nimu;ye¾ e te¾mi¾
Po¾ro¾ ti; mo ba; de;
Ifa; Ka¾sôa¾i¾ ba; mi; mu; wo;ôn ni;ye¾ i;ku¾n
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni; ni; a¾ru;se;ô ogun
Aj¾a¾sôe;ô ogun l¾a¾a; ba; ni; le;ôse¾ô OÙba;ri¾sôa;
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OGBE®’DI:
Translation:
SÙa;ka; bale;ô, sôa;ka; ro; yagbayagba
Is¾ôu¾ o¾ôro¾ô bale¾ô ko; ra¾ti¾ra¾ti¾
E®Ùe¾ôru¾n lo; de;, loômoôde; „Ku¾nrin d‟o¾ri; Ifa;
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for O®ôru;nmi¾la;
When going on an Ifa; mission to the home of A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾
When A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was having sleepless nights
And was having nightmares
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
When he arrived at A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ home
He received gifts of cash
He received gifts of clothing
And received gifts of land and ornaments
His antagonists threatened that he would not be able to
consummate these fortunes
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; declared, Don‟t you know that the la;ki;ri;boto kola nut
has no lobe
A split bead has nowhere to put string through
If we pull on the leather used to make the gu;du;gu;du; drum
It‟s sound will become more audible
I have now gotten a hold of my own amu;nimu;ye¾ leaves
As soon as i arrive
Ifa; will becloud their consciousness
Before long, not too far
Join us where we enjoy victory
Victory over adversity is what Ifa; guarantees for its followers
Ifa; assures this person victory over all those who plan to block his/her
fortunes and ensure that he/she fails to actualise his/her dreams and enjoy the
fruit of his/her labour.
12.Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô urgently in
order to prevent himself/herself from experiencing untimely death. Ifá says
that the ground that will consume him/her is already open. The ground must
be covered (propitiated) as quickly as possible. To do this, Ifa; recommends
this person to procure one mature he-goat, plenty of idi; leaves and money.
After the eôboô, a hole will be dug in the ground; the same he-goat from the eôbo
will be sacrificed into the hole and the head of the he-goat will be placed
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inside the hole; the leaves will be placed on top of the goat‟s head. The Odu¾
(Ogbe¾-Odi;) will need to be imprinted on I®yer¾ô o¾su¾n in an OÙpon;ô Ifa; and this
stanza will be recited. After this, the I®yer¾ô o¾su¾n will be poured on top of the
leaves and the ground will then be covered with soil. That is when the threat
of death will be eliminated for this person.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾ Odi; says:
Iku; du;du; ni;i; k’osu¾n du;du;
Iku; pupa ni;i; k’osu¾n pupa
Ai¾ri;ku¾n a ku¾n’le¾ôpa do¾do¾o¾do¾
Ti; n;beô l’a;la¾de O®®Ùrun
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ni;jo;ô oô wo;ôn ni; ile¾¾ô la'nu ni';le; e Baba
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Black death is it that paints itself with charcoal
Red death is it that paints itself with camwood
That which has nothing to use will rub on itself dug-up soil
That resides in heaven above
These were Ifa;‟s declarations for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
On the day that the ground opened in his home
He was advised to offer eôboô
To sleep was a serious issue. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ considered sleeping, even taking a
nap as an ordeal that he was better off without. Why? The dreams that he
was having were more than enough to drive anyone crazy. The dreams
created serious fears and unbelievable premonitions in him. Yet, to sleep was
sometimes inevitable. He dreaded the time that he would close his eyes. He
used to see himself in the midst of wild animals being torn into shreds and
scattered everywhere. Sometimes, he would see himself being buried alive,
only for him to realise that he was just sleeping. Anytime that he slept, he
would wake up with startled because of his terrible dreams.
For how long would he continue to endure this discomfort? That was why,
one day, he made up his mind to consult Ifá in order to put an end to these
undesirable experiences. What did he need to do to get rid of these
premonitions? He asked.
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OGBE®’DI:
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la; that the ground had opened in order to consume him.
He was however assured that it would not happen. He was told that what he
needed to do was to perform the necessary eôboô to fill up the hole that was
meant to be his grave. He was advised to offer the eôboô as stated above.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ procured the eôboô materials immediately. The Awo performed the
ceremony for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ that same day. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ returned home, full of hope
and confidence.
In the evening on that day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ fell asleep and woke up without any
untoward incident. He even had a sweet dream! From that day onward,
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ slept and woke up as normally as other people. He was so happy
that his premonitions had all disappeared. He was able to concentrate on his
assignments throughout his sojourn on earth.
Iku; du;du; ni;i; k’osu¾n du;du;
Iku; pupa ni;i; k’osu¾n pupa
Ai¾ri;ku¾n a ku¾n’le¾ôpa do¾do¾o¾do¾
Ti; n;beô l’a;la¾de O®®Ùrun
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ni;jo;ô oô wo;ôn ni; ile¾¾ô la'nu ni';le; e Baba
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;;ôboô, o; ru;boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri
A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n, o; j’oyin loô
Translation:
Black death is it that paints itself with charcoal
Red death is it that paints itself with camwood
That which has nothing to use will rub on itself dug-up soil
That resides in heaven above
These were Ifa;‟s declarations for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
On the day that the ground opened in his home
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us where we enjoy long life
The longevity guaranteed by Ifa; is sweeter than honey
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Ifa; says that this person shall not experience any untimely death. He/she shall
live long, grow old and die peacefully.
13.Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô against untimely death. This person is
being threatened by death and there is the urgent need to address the problem.
Ifa; warns this person never to keep fowls in his/her home or engage in poultry
business. This is indeed a very serious taboo for those born by this Odu¾¾. If it
is revealed during routine Ifa; consultation, the person needs to stay away from
where fowls are kept or reared. It is not in his/her best interest to be close to
these birds.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one he-goat, plenty of idi; leaves, a
long strip of fu;u¾ cloth and money.
On this, Ifa; says:
Ogbe¾ di;
Ogbe¾ sôin
SÙangiliti o¾ôpe¾ô sôinsôi¾nsôin
Di;a; fu;n OÙloômoô A-gbo;ô-ha¾a¾-adi¾¾eô-ku;
E®yi; ti; wo;ôn ni; ko; ru;’boô si; lai¾ku; araa reô
Translation:
Ogbe¾ di;
Ogbe¾ sôin
SÙangiliti o¾ôpe¾ô sôinsôi¾nsôin
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for OÙloômoô-A-gbo;ô-ha¾a¾-adi¾eô-ku;
(He-who-hears-the-sound-of-a-fowl-and-dies)
Who was advised to offer the eôboô against untimely death
OÙloômoô A-gbo-;ô ha¾a¾-adi¾eô-ku; was seriously ill. Most of her family members had
almost lost hope of her ability to survive the illness. They did not even know
what the illness was in the first place. They had spent a lot of money. Yet,
there was no improvement on her state of health. At a certain stage, many of
her family members no longer came to visit her. They felt that no amount of
money could help her regain her health.
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OGBE®’DI:
Her husband and two immediate family members however stood firmly by
her. They did not hesitate to continue spending any amount on her in order to
make her regain her health and vitality. They were prepared to go to anyone
who claimed to have the knowledge or remedy for her ailment. One day, they
heard about the group of Ifá priests mentioned above and off they went to seek
a solution to A-gbo;ô-ha;a¾-adi¾eô-ku;‟s problem. When they got there, Ifa;; was
consulted on her behalf and Ogbe-„Di was revealed.
The group of Awo explained to them that A-gbo;ô-ha;a¾-adi¾eô-ku; was suffering
from ailments caused by breaking taboos. They were told that she was the
victim of a spiritual allergy which was caused by her close contact with fowls.
The Awo told them that she might lose her life if she did not move away from
where there were fowls and other birds. They were also advised to offer eôboô
as stated above. They offered the eôboô instantly.
When they returned home, they moved away all the fowls in the compound.
They ensured that no animal with feathers gained entrance into their
compound. Before two weeks, they noticed a slight improvement in the
condition of her health. Could it be true that her close contact with birds was
really what was responsible for her ill-health? They continued to apply the
medication given to them by the Awo on her. Five weeks after, she was able
to stand and walk by herself. Her appetite improved.
Eight weeks after the eôboô was offered, they noticed a little smile on her face.
This was too good to be true. They also noticed that some of her family
members who had hitherto stayed away from her returned, giving all sorts of
excuses for their long absence. Three months after, A-gbo;ô-ha;a-¾ adi¾eô-ku;
regained her health. She returned to her normal business. She was full of
gratitude to OÙlodumare, Ifa;, the Awo and her family members who stood by
her during her health ordeal.
Ogbe¾ di;
Ogbe¾ sôi;n
SÙangiliti o¾ôpe¾ô sôinsôi¾nsôin
Di;a; fu;n OÙloômoô- A-gboô;-ha¾a¾-;adi;eô-ku;
E®yi; ti; wo;ôn ni; ko; ru;'boô si; lai¾ku; araa reô
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ j¾i¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba¾ ni; la;i¾ku; kangiri
Ai¾ku; Ifa; du¾n o; j'oyin loô
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Translation:
Ogbe¾ di;
Ogbe¾ sôi;n
SÙangiliti o¾ôpe¾ô sôinsôi¾nsôin
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for OÙloômoô-A-gbo;ô-ha¾a¾-adi¾eô-ku;
(He-who-hears-the-sound-of-a-fowl-and-dies)
Who was advised to offer eôboô against untimely death
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us where we enjoy long life
The longevity guaranteed by Ifa; is sweeter than honey
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall enjoy his/her life
to the fullest, he/she shall live long without any health challenges which may
cut short his/her life.
14.Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to deliberate carefully
before taking any major decisions in life. He/she needs to ensure that he/she
does not take any decision that may bounce back on him/her in the end. In
other words, this person is advised not to inadvertantly set traps against
himself/herself.
Ifa; equally warns this person not to be too rigid in any pronouncement that
he/she makes. He/she needs to be cautious when enacting any law or rule that
is expected to be followed strictly by all and sundry.
On the other hand, it is possible that this person has already made some
pronouncements or laws which have backfired on them. He/she has
sanctioned others with the pronouncement but right now, he/she has become a
victim of his/her own pronouncements.
Ifa; therefore advises this person to offer eôboô in order to pull himself/herself
out of the dilemma.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three cocks, two fresh fowl eggs,
shea butter and money. After this, Ifa; says that there is the urgent need to
review some enactments where this Odu¾ is revealed. Any law or enactment
which has become unrealistic must be reviewed accordingly.
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OGBE®’DI:
On these aspects, Ogbe¾‟Di¾i; says:
Ee;wo n;la; ni;i; soô i¾mo¾ôra¾n l’e;ônu
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; n;;lo¾ôoô; jeô ol’o;ri; asôo¾fin i¾lu;;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
A big boil exasperates an understanding person
This was Ifa;‟s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la;
When going to become the head of the law-makers in the
community
He was advised to offer eôboô
There were too many criminals in town. Consequent upon this, there was
general consensus that such drastic problems required even more drastic
solutions. It was therefore decided that all those who committed crimes, big
or small, must be put to death on the very day that the crime was committed.
Nobody was above the law; nobody should be treated as being above the law.
All criminals must be executed the day that they were caught, even for small
offenses.
One day, Ala;ra;‟s son was caught eating a morsel of meat that he took from his
mother‟s pot of soup without first asking for permission from his mother.
Before he could explain himself to those who had caught him, he was
beheaded in broad daylight! This made Ala;ra; grieve uncontrollably. He could
do nothing about it because he was one of the people who had decreed this
punitive law.
Three weeks after this, Ajero¾‟s daughter, his only female child was caught
rubbing her mother‟s coconut oil into her hair. She had gone inside her
mother‟s room to pick the oil when her mother was not at home. Why was
she using her mother‟s oil without asking for permission? What belongs to
her mother also belongs to her impressed none of the prosecutors. She
however was adjudged guilty and was beheaded instantly.
There was a serious disagreement between two families over land issues. One
of the two warring families set fire on the disputed land. They were caught.
The whole family was arrested, arraigned and executed that same day.
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In the estimation of the community, that was the best way to curb any form of
crime. Petty larceny, adultery, promiscuity, rudeness, public assault, and any
other small or big offense deserved capital punishment..
It was at this period that O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was conferred with a chieftaincy title. As
an additional responsibility, he was told to be the head of the law makers. It
was pronounced that all criminals must be brought before him. He would have
to listen to the case and pronounce the suspect guilty or innocent. The moment
the culprit was pronounced guilty, he/she would be executed instantly. There
was no room for postponement of any case. It must be concluded on the very
day that the crime was committed.
When these explanations were given to O®Ùru;nmi¾la;, he knew instantly that this
was not wise. Why must all offences carry the same punishment? Why must
the punishment be capital punishment? Why must someone who used his/her
parents' things without permission be killed because of that? Why must
someone who eats two pieces of stolen bananas be killed for that? Why must
there be capital punishment for people who were found guilty of rudeness?
What kind of society were they trying to build? O®Ùru;nmi¾la; concluded that there
was an urgent need to review this law. It was clear to O®Ùru;nmi¾la; that those who
promulgated these laws did so without proper deliberation and wisdom. They
failed to think about the future and the consequences of the laws they were
making. That was why many of the lawmakers had become victims of the
same laws they had promulgated. Instead of regulating anything in the society,
they had actually set traps for themselves and many of them had fallen into
these traps.
These laws must be reviewed, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; vowed. But how? He had no idea.
That was why he went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will
I do well as the head of the law makers in the community? What do I need to
do in order to succeed in my new assignment?
The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He was also assured
that there would be an opportunity to effect the much needed change because
it is highly imperative to ensure that the changes took place, and very urgently
too.
Four days after he became the head of the law makers, something serious
happened; his son, the child of OÙlo;ôfin, the daughter of Ala;ra;, two of the
children of Ajero¾, two of the children of OÙwa;ra¾ngu;n-A®ga and the daughter of
Olo;jom¾bo; were caught eating coconuts that were assumed not to be theirs.
Their explanations did not impress those who accosted them. They were
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OGBE®’DI:
beaten to a pulp. Those who beat them up decided to take them to O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s
house that same evening in order for them to be summarily executed.
While they were on their way, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ rushed ahead of them to go and leak
out their plans to O®Ùru;nmi¾la;. Why must eight young ones be executed simply
because they were caught eating coconuts that were not theirs? Who will
benefit from this law? What must he do to avert the death of these children?
He asked himself. Eṣu however assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la; that the young ones would
not die that day. He said that he would ensure that O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was not in any
position to make any pronouncements that day. He then proceeded by rubbing
the body of O®Ùru;nmi¾la; with the shea butter that he used as part of his eôboô
materials. He also deposited the two fresh eggs into his mouth. He told
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to feign illness when the people arrived in his house.
Soon after this, both the accusers and the accused arrived. They were
prevented from entering O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s room by E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾. He told them that
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was very ill. They insisted that there was the need for O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to
make a pronouncement on the eight culprits this very day. That was the law
and the law must be obeyed. E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ said that it was not possible for
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; to make any pronouncement because he was very ill. The accusers
would have none of that, they insisted that he must do so. E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ then told
them to choose two people among them to enter the room to see O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s
condition. They did. When they entered the room, E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ hit O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s
left cheek with his elbow. One of the two eggs lodged in his mouth broke. He
threw everything down, it looked like vomit. E®sôu¾ O®®Ùda¾ra¾ told the accusers that
it was because they were trying to force O®ôru;nmi¾la¾¾ to speak that he vomited.
Before they could say anything, E®sôu¾ O®®Ùda¾ra¾ hit O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s right cheek with his
elbow and the second egg broke. He "vomited" again. E®sôu¾ O®®Ùda¾ra¾ then chased
them away from O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s house. As soon as they left, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; and E®sôu®
O®®Ùda¾ra¾ had a good laugh. The trick was perfectly executed. It also brought the
desired result.
Very early the next day, the accusers returned. They met E®sôu¾ O®®Ùda¾ra¾ again. He
asked them what their mission was. They told him. E®sôu¾ OÙÙ®da¾ra¾ then shouted at
the top of his voice and called them names. He said, "You are all fools!" He
shouted; "you have all spoilt this law! This judgement should have occurred
yesterday! You all are stupid people! Why are you all coming now? What
have you found out now that was different from what you discovered
yesterday? Fools! Idiots! Why didn‟t you use your brains yesterday? Have
you idiots found new information now? If yes, what did you find out"?
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
That was when one of them responded that they had since found out that the
young ones actually bought the coconuts from the owner and didn‟t steal
them. They were assured that the coconuts were not stolen. It was an error of
judgement in the first place to accuse the young ones of stealing.
"When did you find this out?" E®sôu¾ OÙda¾ra¾ asked. "We discovered this just this
morning", they responded. "Why did you rush here yesterday when you had
not done your investigations properly?" E®sôu¾ asked them. They had no answers
to that. After this E®sôu¾ said, "If O®Ùru;nmi¾la; had been well yesterday, you all
would have taken the lives of these innocent children!" They kept quiet.
"Nitwits! Fools! Murderers! Blood suckers! Wicked souls! Why are you
taking delight in taking innocent lives? Olodumare will punish you all for
killing innocent people." The accusers were totally confused to open up this
time. They wished for the ground to open up and swallow them.
This was when O®Ùru;nmi¾la; came out of his house and declared that the laws
were supposed to be made for the benefit of mankind. Any law serving no
benefit to mankind must be reviewed further. He declared that all laws
promulgated in the land must be reviewed and amended as required. He then
set the eight young ones free.
Ee;wo n;la; ni;i; soô i¾mo¾ôra¾n l’e;ônu
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; n;lo¾ôoô; jeô ol’o;ri; asôo¾fin i¾lu;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô'boô o; ru';boô
Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni; ba;yo¾ô
EÙ wa; wo're o
Translation:
A big boil exasperates an understanding person
This was Ifa‟s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la;
When going to become the head of the law-makers
in the community
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
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OGBE®’DI:
Ifa; says that this person shall not be allowed to make a law that will backfire
against him/her in the end. This is the reason why he/she needs to weigh any
pronouncement and really think about its impact and effectiveness before
declaring something as law.
15. Ifa; says that if conditions are unfavourable for the person for whom this
Odu¾ is revealed and if this condition has failed to improve after much effort,
the reason for this is that the person has made a solemn promise that he/she
has failed to fulfil.
Ifa; says that this person has paid the good deeds of his/her benefactors with
evil. He/she has bitten the hand that feeds him/her. This is the reason why
his/her situation had deteriorated and defied all solutions.
Ifa; also says that if this person borrows any money, he/she will attempt to
delay the time they need to pay back the money. If care is not taken, he/she
may even look for means and ways of ensuring that the money is never paid
back and may even intend on inflicting pain on his/her benefactor.
Ifa; stresses the fact that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed is actually
suffering from a curse placed on his/her head by someone who he/she had
wronged. Until and unless this curse is removed, this person shall continue to
live a life of sorrow, agony, and regrets.
Ifa; advises someone whose situation has gone from bad to worse to go and be
initiated into Ifá. This person has no money to do the initiation right now.
He/she may be assisted by the Awo but the Awo should know that this person
may not honour any pledge that he/she makes to the Awo. Ifá however warns
this person to ensure that he/she does not forget or maltreat his/her
benefactors.
No matter what this person offers as ẹbọ, the most important thing is for
him/her to never repay good with evil and to always honour his/her pledges.
On these aspects, Ogbe¾-O®di; says:
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; ni; bo;ô ba; ka¾n ni;'pa;
EÙ je;ô ko; ka¾n ni;'pa;
Bo; ba; ka¾n ni; ja¾ge¾de¾
Ki; a ka¾n-a;n ni; ja¾ge¾de¾
Ta ti¾le¾ô ni ko¾ mo¾ô wi;pe; ja¾de¾ge¾ ni; yo;o; ti; le¾ô ko;ôko;ô d 'a;ye;?
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
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Baba n; loô re¾e; teô A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ ni;'fa;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ declares that if it requires physical force
Let us use physical force
If it requires the use of preternatural force
Let us use preternatural force
Who does not know that preternatural forces manifest
before any other force
These were Ifa;'s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
When going to initiate A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ into Ifa;
He was advised to offer eôboô
By the time that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, the master of strong charms and preternatural
manifestations, came to O®Ùru;nmi¾la; for Ifa; consultation, he was simply fed up
with life. He could not understand why despite his mastery of vast esoteric
knowledge, everything good just refused to move into his life. He had the
knowledge on how to conjure things and yet he had nothing to show for it. For
instance, he could turn stones into meat, sand into grains and water into blood
but he had failed woefully to turn his own life around from the situation where
he had run it aground. He prepared several good luck and success potions
which worked perfectly for others but which simply failed to work for him.
What was this supposed to mean, he asked himself repeatedly. He could not
come up with any concrete answer. He could only guess why his life had not
improved.
His enemies must be responsible for his woes, he concluded. If not, what else
could it be? He began to convince himself that this must be the case. Before
long, he began to believe that it was simply the case. He convinced himself
that it was the case. He began to use several potions against his enemies and
adversaries. There was no solution. As a matter of fact, his case went from
bad to worse. He soon concluded that the best thing was to confront these
enemies. But who were they? He could not be so certain of who to confront.
Before long, all his strong charms failed to work anymore. He could not use
his hands to do anything effective for anyone. His two hands became spiritual
and esoterically dead. What was this? Hunger and frustration set in. Soon
after, desperation joined his woes. He concluded that he was better off dead
than being alive. Before he died however, he decided to go to O®Ùru;nmi¾lá to
find out why his life had failed so badly. He had worked himself up so much
that his mind was not thinking of any turn-around in his life. He believed that
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OGBE®’DI:
if there was any chance of improvement in his life, his strong charms would
have done it. He only wanted to know why his life had collapsed before he
committed suicide.
In O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s home, A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was informed that even though his success
chances had run down considerably, nobody was responsible for his failure.
He was assured that his situation would improve and he would be able to
actualize his potentials. He was advised to go and get himself initiated into Ifá
immediately, as that was the only thing lacking in his life and was the only
thing that could break the yoke of failure and poverty for him.
It was with amazement and utter disbelieve that A®roôô¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ heard what
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; said. So, it was because he had not been initiated into Ifá that his
life had gone down completely? So, there was nobody trying to put him
down? So, his life could still improve and his things go up again? So, joy and
contentment could still return into his life? So, his hands could be resurrected
to make his charms work again? Well, he reasoned, if that is the case, then he
had better give it a trial and if there is no improvement, especially after about
six full moons, he would then go ahead and terminate his life.
There was another problem however; where would he get all the money and
materials to use for his initiation when he knew for certain that he was worth
nothing as he sat before O®Ùru;nmi¾la;?He knew of nobody who would take the
risk of lending him money, when they knew that he had no means of paying
back the loan.
Well may be his lot was not to succeed in life. If not, what could explain what
had been happening to him. The advice of O®Ùru;nmi¾la; which he wanted to give
a trial had become impossible because he had nobody to lend him the money.
In pain, agony and disillusion he stood up to go. O®Ùru;nmi¾la; asked him what
was amiss. He responded that much as he would have loved to comply with
O®Ùru;nmi¾la;'s recommendation for him, he did not have the money or materials
to do the initiation. He concluded that he had come into the world to fail and
be frustrated. He had therefore decided to return to his house to die.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; took pity on A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji¾a¾ when he heard what he said. He decided to
help him out. Consequently, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; got all the materials for A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji¾a¾ and
the initiation was performed. It was a comprehensive affair. All the money
spent for the initiation was calculated and A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ promised to refund
everything if his life improved as O®Ùru;nmi¾la; had assured him that it would.
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The day A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾ ¾left the Igbo;du¾, he had not reached his own house before
he knew that his life and condition had actually improved. All his clients who
had hitherto abandoned him were looking for him. He even gained more
customers. Seven days after he completed his initiation and left the Igbo;du¾,
his main problem was how to satisfy his numerous clients. He employed more
hands and got more students who were to study under him. By the time it was
six months since he had left the Igbo;du¾, he had success stories to tell.
He had however forgotten about O®Ùru;nmi¾la; and the money he was owing him.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; gave A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾ two years before he decided to ask for the money
that he was owing him. By this time, A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji;;a¾ had become the most
successful person in the community. He was held in awe because of his
numerous charms. Nobody dared to confront him on anything he did. That
was why O®Ùru;nmi¾la; could not understand why A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji;a¾ failed to redeem the
pledge he made on paying back the money. O®Ùru;nmi¾la; concluded that
A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji;a¾ must have forgotten about the money. All he needed to do was to
remind him and he (A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾ji;a¾) would send over the money immediately.
The amount that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ was owing O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was like a drop of water in
a deep well. Consequently O®Ùru;nmi¾la; sent one of his students to A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia to
inform him not to forget his pledge.
When the student returned home, he had been beaten black and blue. One of
his legs was broken. Blood was flowing all over his body. What went wrong?
O®Ùru;nm¾ila¾¾ was informed that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ considered it an insult for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
to remind him of such money. A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾ told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾„s student that such
money would never be paid back. He also warned O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ never to send
anyone to ask for the money again. When O®Ùru;nmi¾la; heard this, he felt strongly
that it must have been the manner in which his student approached A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾
that had infuriated him. He asked the student if visitors were present when the
message was being relayed. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was not satisfied with his students
explanation.
Two days after, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; sent another student to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾. This student
was senior to the first one and was also older in age. He told the student to go
and apologise to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji¾a¾ if the former student had embarrassed him in any
way and for A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ to use his discretion on when the money would be
refunded. The older student returned with a broken arm. He lost two of his
fingers and five of his teeth. O®Ùru;nmi¾la; asked his student what had happened.
The student said that A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia was angry that he was sent to come and
demand for money. The student was also hit with a rod and the rod broke his
arm. When he narrated his ordeal to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, he was totally at a loss as to
235
OGBE®’DI:
why the youths were finding it so difficult to show humility and respect to an
elder. He was still of the opinion that his students were the ones who
provoked A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia. He restrained himself from blaming the two students
because he realised that they were in deep pain. Still he wanted to prove to
them that their approach was wrong. He wanted to show them that A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia
was a responsible person who would not pay good with evil or display
wickedness where kindness had been shown to him.
Five days after the second incident, he sent the eldest of all his students to
A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia with the instruction that he should apologise for the misconduct of
his two students and after that, he could then ask A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia about the money.
He was warned to ensure that he was very diplomatic in his approach. He
must not be rude in any way to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾. He left for A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾'s house. As
soon as he left, O®Ùru;nmi¾la; told all his students that they would see that the
eldest student would bring good results back from A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾'s house. He
lectured them on the virtues of respect for elders, humility and diplomacy.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ vouched for A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾'s good character. He stated further that
those who lacked humility, respect, diplomacy and meekness would be
appropriately sanctioned.
They were still on this lecture session when the Awo returned missing one
eye. He was also accompanied by one of A®ro®Ùni¾ma¾jia¾'s aides. The aide told
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ just pitied the student sent to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ and that
was why his (the student's) life was spared. The aide also warned O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
never to send any other person to A®Ùro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a's¾ house again, stating that the
money should be forgotten as it would not be paid back. If anyone was sent to
A®Ùro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a's¾ house again, the aide emphasised, that person would be dealt
with without mercy as force and strong charms would be liberally used to
attack the person.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; could not believe his ears when he heard all that A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾'s aide
had finished saying. He spoke with utter arrogance and disrespect. He
slammed shut the door when he left the house. All of them kept looking at the
Aide as he walked down the street until he disappeared from sight.
After some time had passed that seemed like an eternity, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ told his
Awo that it was time for him to go there and see things for himself. He
however waited for another five days before he went to A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾'s house.
When he got there, he met A®Ùro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ in the frontage of his house. He greeted
A®Ùro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ but the greeting was not returned. He began by apologising to
A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ on behalf of the three students whom he claimed had been rude
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and disrespectful to him (Aroni). Before he could finish, A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ gave him
a heavy blow to the eye. This shook O®Ùru;nmi¾la; and dazed him. He picked a
long cane and began to whip O®Ùru;nmi¾la; with the cane. He beat him until he
(A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾) was exhausted. He then kicked O®Ùru;nmi¾la; with his right leg and
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; fell down.
As O®Ùru;nmi¾la; was on the ground, A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ started kicking him with both
legs. That was when O®Ùru;nmi¾la; made his weeping the weeping of shouting, he
made is i¾ye¾ôre¾¾, the i¾ye¾ôre¾ô of lamentation, and declared thus:
A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko;ô eô ni;'po
O ma¾we; mi
Apa; reô kan a; loô si
A®roô¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo koô; eô ni;'po
O ma¾we; mi
Esôe¾ô reô kan a; loô si
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko;ô eô ni';po
O ma¾we; mi;
Oju; reô kan a; loô si
A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko; eô ni;po
O ma¾we; mi; o!
Translation:
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, I initiated you and made you great
But you pay me back with ingratitude
One of your arms shall be lost because of this
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, I initiated you and opened the doors
of opportunity for you
But you pay me back with wickedness
One of your legs shall be lost because of this
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a,¾ I initiated you and ensured that you
would become great in life
But you pay me back with malevolence
One of your eyes shall be lost because of this
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a,¾ I initiated you and made you relevant and
important in life
But you pay me back with inconsideration
As soon as O®ru;nmi¾la¾ finished this i¾ye¾¾ôre¾¾ô, it turned into a curse and all the Awo
in heaven and earth, those under the sea, ground, rivers, lakes, mountains and
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OGBE®’DI:
hills upheld the curse. A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ began to experience strange feelings around
him; they cut his right arm off, then his left leg, and removed his right eye.
That was how A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾ became an entity with one arm, one leg and one eye
up until today.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la; ni; bo;ô ba; ka¾n ni;'pa;
EÙ je;ô ko; ka¾n ni;'pa;
Bo; ba; ka¾n ni; ja¾ge¾de¾
Ki; a ka¾n-a;n ni; ja¾ge¾de¾
Ta ti¾le¾ô ni ko¾ mo¾ô wi;pe; ja¾de¾ge¾ ni; yo;o; ti; le¾ô ko;ôko;ô d 'a;ye;?
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n; loô re¾e; teô A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ ni;'fa;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O gb'eô;boô, o; ru;'boô
A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko;ô eô ni;'po
O ma¾we; mi
Apa; reô kan a; loô si
A®roô¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo koô; eô ni;'po
O ma¾we; mi
Esôe¾ô reô kan a; loô si
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko;ô eô ni';po
O ma¾we; mi;
Oju; reô kan a; loô si
A®ro¾¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾, mo ko; eô ni;po
O ma¾we; mi; o!
E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾ o¾fa¾
Eni¾ gb' eô¾boô ni; be;ô ko; wa;a; sôeboô o
Translation:
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ declares that if it requires physical force
Let us use physical force
If it requires the use of preternatural force
Let us use preternatural force
Who does not know that preternatural forces manifest
before any other force
These were Ifa;'s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
When going to initiate A®ro¾ôni¾ma¾ji;a¾ into Ifa;
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
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A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, I initiated you and made you great
But you pay me back with ingratitude
One of your arms shall be lost because of this
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a¾, I initiated you and opened the doors of
opportunity for you
But you pay me back with wickedness
One of your legs shall be lost because of this
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a,¾ I initiated you and ensured that you
would become great in life
But you pay me back with malevolence
One of your eyes shall be lost because of this
A®ro¾ni¾ma¾ji;a,¾ I initiated you and made you relevant and
important in life
But you pay me back with inconsideration
Travellers to Ìpo and o¾fa¾
Let those advised to offer eôboô comply accordingly
Ifa; says that it shall not let the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed live with
a curse for the rest of his/her life. This person however needs to appreciate the
value of paying back goodness with goodness.
Ifa; also advises one Babala;wo/Iyanifa to be very careful before using his/her
own money to procure eôboô materials (or other form of financial assistance) for
a client. This client may not be inclined to refund the money when it is due.
16. Ifa; says that where this Odu¾ is revealed, someone has recently been
initiated into Ifa;. This initiate has used the lkin of a dead person to do his/her
Iteôni;fa;. The dead person may be the parent, relative, family member or close
acquaintance of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed.
Ifa; says that this dead person whose lkin was used to perform the Iteôni;fa; for
the person for whom this Odù is revealed was also initiated into Ifa; but the
final burial rites were not performed according to Ifa;; specifications. The dead
person is waiting impatiently for the rite to be performed and if it is not done,
the consequences will be very grave for the person who has used the dead
person‟s lkin to perform iteôni;fa;.
Ifa; says that there is the urgent need to bury all the lkin at the back of the
house where the water from the bathroom, kitchen and restroom normally
passes outside the house. A hole will be dug, cocoyam leaves will be spread
at the bottom of the shallow hole, the lkin will be emptied in the hole, and a
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OGBE®’DI:
mature pig will be slaughtered and the blood drained into the hole where the
lkin have been placed. An Ifa; tray will be procured and Iyerosun will be used
to imprint Ogbe¾-O®®di; on the tray. The Odù will be recited and the Iyerosun will
be poured into the hole. The hole will then be covered back with sand. After
this, a new set of lkin will be prepared for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed. Once all these have been performed, this person‟s life will be full of
life.
On this aspect, Ifa; states thus:
A®gba; n; sôubu; l' a¾gba;
Ogi¾dan n; sôubu; lu ogidan
I®pe¾se¾ n; sôubu; lu i¾pe¾se¾
Di;a; fu;n Ewu;
Ti; yo;o; gba lkin O®Ùro¾¾ôroôô¾ te¾ô
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
A®gba;; drums are falling on other A®gba;; drums
Ogidan drums are falling on other Ogidan drums
Ìpe¾se¾ drums are falling on other Ìpe¾se¾ drums
This was the message of Ifa; for Ewu;
Who was initiated with Ikin that were earlier used by
O¾ô®roôô¾ro¾¾ô for initiation
He was advised to offer eôboô
OÙ®ro¾ôroôô¾ was a fantastic Ifa; priest and practitioner when he was alive. He abided
by all the rules and regulations of Ifa;. Not only this, he was well trained, very
efficient, effective, honest, humble and hopeful. He was benevolent to a fault.
He was always looking for ways and means of assisting others. Any time there
was any problem, OÙÙ®roôô¾ro¾¾ô would be one of the people who would find a lasting
solution to the problem. Anyone who went to him for help would never be
disappointed.
When OÙÙ®roôô¾roôô¾ died, it was a big loss to the whole community. The family had a
quick meeting and decided to ensure that at least one of his children continued
where he had left off. It was unanimously decided that Ewu; must be the one to
continue the good work of his father.
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O®Ùro¾ro¾ died during breakfast time and he was buried at dinner time. The same
Ikin that he used while he was alive were used to initiate Ewu; into Ifa; three
days after. Ewu; spent 17 days inside the Igbodu¾ and all the rites were
comprehensively performed.
When O®®Ùroôô¾ro¾¾ô arrived in heaven, his good character eminently qualified him for
oôgba¾ i¾ter;ô o¾ô, the garden of eternal peace. He was welcomed to the gate of ogba¾
ite;rô oô¾ with pomp and pageantry. The sentries in heaven asked him questions on
how he lived on earth with respect. He responded with humility. The sentries
in heaven told him that his good character was his passport to enter oôgba¾
ite;rô o¾ô. He was assured that he was more than qualified to be in oôgba¾ ite;rô o¾ô.
They then demanded for his Ikin which were supposed to be buried with him
after all necessary rituals had been performed on him and his Ikin. (The
normal practice is for one hand of Ifa; (16 lkin) to be buried with the dead in
order to serve as his/her visa to oôgba¾ ite;rô o¾ô). None were buried with him.
O®Ùro¾ôro¾ô simply told the sentries in heaven that his children and loved ones
would soon perform the remaining rites and his Ikin would soon be buried
with him inside his grave. The sentries then told him that even though he had
the passport to be in oôgba¾- ite;rô o¾ô, his visa (the Ikin) to enter the innermost
chamber of oôgba¾ ite;rô o¾ô were not available. For this reason, OÙÙ®ro¾¾ôroôô¾ was told that
he was not allowed to enter the main garden of oôgba¾ ite;rô o¾ô. He was therefore
told to stay outside the garden. Even though the outside garden was peaceful
and comfortable, OÙÙ®ro¾¾ôroôô¾ was not satisfied, but there was nothing he could do
about it. The only thing he could do was wait for his loved ones on earth to
perform the rituals to qualify him to gain entrance into the innermost garden.
For seven years, he waited. Ewu; simply continued to use his father‟s Ikin to
perform as his father OÙÙ®ro¾¾ôroôô¾ was doing while on earth. In the end, O®Ùroôô¾ro¾¾ô
became restless and uncomfortable. He decided to pay a visit to earth and
bring back his Ikin by himself. Ewu; began to have frightening dreams and
terrible premonitions. That was why they took him to the home of the Awo
mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: What is the meaning of the dreams I am
having?
The Awo told him that the owner of the Ikin that he was initiated with wanted
the Ikin back and they must be returned to the owner. Ewu; was advised to do
it as explained above. When Ewu; got home, he was totally convinced that the
Awo was being mischievous. How could he go and bury the Ikin that his
father had used successfully and which was also giving him success? No.
That would not be done. If he had been told to bury a new set of Ikin, he
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OGBE®’DI:
could do that; but to give away his father‟s Ikin, this was totally out of the
question. For this reason, he did not offer the eôboô.
Before the end of the year, O®Ùro¾¾ôroôô¾ finally arrived on earth. He went straight to
Ewu;'s house. He grabbed his Ikin together with Ewu; and pulled both Ewu; and
the Ikin to heaven!
A®gba; n; sôubu; l' a¾gba;
Ogidan n; sôubu; lu ogidan
I®pe¾se¾ n; sôubu; lu i¾pe¾se¾
Di;a; fu;n Ewu;
Ti; yo;o; gba lkin O®Ùro¾¾ôroôô¾ te¾ô
EÙboô ni; wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O;: ko'ôti; oôô¾gboônhin s'ôe;ôboô
N®je;ô o; n;gbe; ikin re¾ôe;ô loô o
O: n; gbe; ikin re¾ôe;ô loô o
E®Ùyin o¾ ri; O®®Ùro¾¾ôroôô¾
Ti; n¾gbe; ikin re¾ôe;ô loô
Pe¾ôlu; Ewu;
O: n¾gbe; ikin re¾ôe;ô loô o
Translation:
A®gba; drums are falling on other A®gba; drums
Ogidan drums are falling on other Ogidan drums
Ìpe¾se¾ drums are falling on other Ìpe¾se¾ drums
This was the message of Ifa; for Ewu;
Who was initiated with Ikin that were earlier used by O¾ô®roôô¾ro¾¾ô for
initiation
He was advised to offer eôboô
He simply ignored the eôboô
Behold, he is carrying away his Ikin
He is taking away his Ikin
Can't you see OÙ®ro¾¾ôroôô¾
Who is taking away his Ikin
Together with Ewu;
He is taking away his Ikin
Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed never to ignore this
warning. Doing so can only lead to grief and gnashing of the teeth.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
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B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® O®DI: FOR THOSE BORN BY
THIS ODU DURING I®KOÙSEÙD
® A:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA:
When Ogbe¾ O®di; children were coming from heaven, the Ire of financial
success, compatible spouse, great children, sound health, several properties,
longlife, and self actualization were specifically loaded into their Ori as part
of their destinies on earth. Consequent upon this, there is no aspect of Ire that
they will not achieve. Not only this, Ogbe¾ O®di; children also have the luck of
being elevated over and above their contemporaries.
For all Ogbe¾ O®di; children, males and females, they usually contend with five
major issues in their lives. These issues are i) There Ori appears not to be
strong enough to withstand the evil plans and activities of their detractors. ii)
They also have health challenges that usually take them to healing homes on a
regular basis. iii) They are always implicated on issues which they know little
or nothing about. iv) They find it a challenge to enjoy the fullness of their
lives, this is because they are always having feelings that something important
is missing in their lives. And v) They find it difficult to actualise their
expectations in life. With appropriate eôboô however, all these shall become
things of the past. This is the reason why it is advisable for all Ogbe¾ O®di;
children, males and females, to feed their Ifa; and Ori; regularly.
For Ogbe¾ O®di; children, males and females, it is imperative for them to note
that anytime that they want to undertake any project or assignment that is very
important to their lives, they must never send other people. It is in their own
interest to personally attend to such assignments. The reason for this is that if
they send someone to do for them what is very crucial to their lives, there
exists the tendency that the person sent on this errand will end up taking the
glory and the profit of the assignment.
Ogbe¾ O®di; children are always threatened by death. There is therefore the
need for them to ensure that they offer appropriate eôboô on a regular basis.
There is therefore the need for Ogbe¾ O®di; children, males and females, to
regularly consult Ifa; and offer eôboô on their health issues. As long as this can
be done regularly, Ogbe¾ O®di; children have nothing to fear.
In the day to day activities of Ogbe¾-O®di; children, they end up gathering a lot
of opposition and enemies. The good thing is that they also have the good
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OGBE®’DI:
luck of overcoming all their enemies. Also, people love to cheat Ogbe¾ O®di;
children and dispossess them of their hard earned money and belongings.
Again, Ifa; says that with appropriate eôboô, they will be victorious over their
detractors.
Ogbe¾ O®di; children have the tendency of forgetting those who assist them to
get to the top as soon as they feel comfortable in life. This is something that
they need to take into serious consideration and prevent from happening.
Failure to recognise those who do good to them and refusal to honour such
good deeds are major things that may lead to the downfall of Ogbe¾ O®di;
children.
For Ogbe¾ O®di; female children, they appear to be trouble mongers, especially
if they are of short stature. They love to create problems and when confronted,
they simply burst into uncontrollable tears that can last for several hours.
Many times, this is the behaviour that leads to separation or divorce for this
woman. For Ogbe¾ O®di; male children, they appear to be quick tempered and
they easily jump into conclusions. This makes them to act first and regret
later. There is the need for them to review this character in order to live in
harmony with others.
In general, Ogbe¾ O®di; children, males and females, have come into this world
to live rewarding, contented and profitable lives. They will have cause to
celebrate their success in life. They are also blessed with great children who
will carry on their names when they have departed from this world.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
C. AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA/¾ AND IRU;NMOÙLEÙ® OF OGBE® O®DI:
1. Ifa; - for progress, direction, victory, long life, elevation, protection,
contentment, and overall wellbeing.
2. Ori; - for fulfilment of destiny, victory, support, sanctuary, elevation,
direction, contentment, and self actualization
3. E®sôu¾-OÙ®da¾ra¾ - For victory, sanctuary, protection, support, long life, elevation,
and overall success
4. O®gu;n - For victory, leadership, success, elevation, and general wellbeing
5. O®Ùna¾ - For achievement, direction, success, elevation, and general wellbeing
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
6. OÙ®sôun - For compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing, protection, and
general wellbeing
7. OÙba¾ta;la; - For leadership, success, comfort, support, elevation, and general
wellbeing
8. EÙgbeô; - For comradeship, leadership, elevation, support, success, victory,
and general wellbeing
9. Baa;ya¾nni¾ - For financial success, elevation, progress, direction,
contentment and overall wellbeing
10. I®beji¾ - For childbearing, childrearing, support, financial success, and
general wellbeing
11. SÙa¾ngo; - for victory, leadership, success, elevation and general wellbeing
12. Egu;ngu;n - for ancestral support, leadership, progress, victory and general
wellbeing
D.
TABOOS OF OGBE® O®DI: CHILDREN
1. Must never produce, consume or sell alcohol - to avoid unconsummated
fortune, failure, regrets and disaster
2. Must never draw money with force from debtors - to avoid disaster, threat
to life and calamity
3. Must never repay good deeds with evil - to avoid unconsummated fortune,
failure, disaster and regrets
4. Must never engage in usury - to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure,
calamity, and regret
5. Must never accompany anyone going to draw money with force from a
debtor - to avoid calamity, and regrets
6. Must never send another person on an errand that is very important to
his/her life - to avoid losing his/her success opportunities to others
7. Must never use any Ikin that was used for the initiation of a deceased
person - to avoid untimely death and calamity
8. Must never use any part of the elephant for anything - to avoid dwindling
success chances, failure and regrets
9. Must never act before proper deliberation is performed on any issue - to
avoid unconsummated fortune, ridicule, humiliation, and regret
10. Must never engage in poultry business or consume fowl - to avoid threat
to life and disaster
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OGBE®’DI:
E. POSSBILE NAMES OF OGBE® O®DI: CHILDREN
i. MALES
1. OÙla;gbe;nro; - Honour elevates and sustains me
2. OÙla;n;rewa;ju; - Honour is progressing
3. Ifa;korede; - Ifa; brings all the Ire of life
4. Ifa;la¾na¾ - Ifa paves the way
5. Ifa;di;ya¾ - Ifa; blocks the paths against suffering
ii. FEMALES
1. Olu;ko;yin - The Lord brings honour to my life
2. Ifa;sôee;ke;ô - Ifa; is worthy of pampering
3. Ifa;da;mila;re - Ifa; absorbs me
4. Ifa;pami;le;ôrin - Ifa; makes me smile
5. Ifa;peô¾ro¾ô - Ifa; brings peace into my life
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
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Chapter 4
Ogbè Ìrosùn
II
II
II I
II I
247
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
OGBE® DO®SU®MU:
OGBE® DA:’WO:Ù O®SU® TEÙ’LEÙ®
A.1.Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed during
I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa; shall live a fulfilled life. He/she shall be given
space to exhibit his/her full potentials. Ifá says that this person shall
succeed more in the rural environment than in an urban centre.
This is not to say that he/she cannot succeed in the urban centre, what
it means is that he/she will have better chances in a rural setting, or try
to consider getting involved in urban agriculture. In this way the
connection with the Earth and agricultural land use is established and
maintained.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea
fowls and money. A handful of red peppers (hot) should also be
added as part of the ẹbọ materials. They should also serve O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko
as appropriate and indicated by Ifá.
On this, a stanza in Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; says:
Ogbe¾ d’o;ko, n lo; f’eôseô¾ OÙsi¾n teô’leô¾ l’oô;da¾n
Di;a; fu;n Ata Pupa
Ti; n;loô oko a¾lero¾ l’oô;du;n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾ got to the farm and stretched her legs of
royalty to the grass-field
This was Ifá‟s message for Ata-Pupa, the Hot-Red Pepper
When going to the farm for the annual cultivation
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
Ata Pupa was full of potential and promise. She planned to multiply in
order to satisfy the common good. For this reason, she wanted to
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
know which location would make her exhibit her full potentials best.
After much deliberation, she decided to go to the farm to stay and
multiply. After she had taken this decision, she decided to go to the
home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation. Will I make it
as expected if I and stay on the farm? Will I be able to multiply and
come up in surplus if I invest myself on the farm or if I do this in any
other place? Will I be able to satisfy the common good? These and
many more were the questions on the mind of Ata Pupa when she
approached the Awo for Ifá consultation.
The Awo informed Ata Pupa that she had come to determine her
success chances where she was going to establish herself. He informed
her that she would succeed where she was going because she had a
better success chances in a rural area than in the city.
When she said that she was actually going to the farm, the Awo told
her that no location could be better than that for her. She was informed
that her investment would succeed and multiply. She was advised to
offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied.
A few days after, she headed for the farm. She buried herself in the
ground. Five days after, she began to come out of the ground with
leaves. A month after this, she had bloomed splendidly.
Three months after, she had multiplied herself in several hundreds.
The outcome was beyond her expectations. She was very glad and
grateful to Olo;du¾mare for the blessings of multiplying.
Ogbe¾ d’o;ko, n lo; f’eôseô¾ OÙsi¾n teô’leô¾ l’o;ôda¾n
Di;a; fu;n Ata Pupa
Ti; n;loô oko a¾lero¾ l’oô;du;n
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
Ifa; ma; je¾ôeô; k’a;ye; e¾ mi o; le¾ p’e¾ôdi;n o
Ata Pupa, ki¾i; p’e¾ôdi;n oôr’oô;be¾ô
Ata Pupa
Ifa; ma; je¾ôeô; k’i;re mi o; le¾ p’e¾ôdi;n o
Ata Pupa, ki¾i; p’e¾ôdi;n oôr’o;ôbeô¾
Ata Pupa
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Translation:
Ogbe¾ got to the farm and stretched her legs of
royalty to the grass-field
This was Ifá‟s message for Ata-Pupa, the Red Pepper
When going to the farm for the annual cultivation
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
She complied
Ifá please do not let my life reduce
Ata Pupa (the red pepper) will never have its life
reduced in any soup
The Red Pepper
Ifá please do not let my Ire reduce
Ata Pupa will never have its Ire reduced in any soup
The Red Pepper
Ifá says the person for whom this Ifá is cast will receive the support of
Ifá, and have success in his/her choosen field. What he/she needs to do
is hold Ifá close and follow the advises of Ifá, while also appeasing the
O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko (deity of the Farm). Furthermore they should not abuse the
Earth and plant pepper seeds close to their place of abode.
2.
Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of boundless prosperity for the
person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this person shall
return home from where he/she is going with abundant Ire. This
person has a very good chance of succeeding in rural areas compared
to urban centres. This person may set up his/her home in the city but
he/she will do better by setting up his/her workplace in the rural area.
By so doing, he/she shall become influential and honourable.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guinea
fowls, two hens, two cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed
Odù deity as Ifá specifies.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾nmu on this says:
Ogbe¾ da;’wo;ô o¾su¾ teô’leô¾
O: sô’oju; sôorosôoro
Di;a; fu;n Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
Ti; n; re’nu; i¾gbeô; lo¾ôoô; k’a;je; wa;’le;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
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Translations:
Ogbe¾ used O®su¾ as a walking stick
And its tip left a deep narrow hole (eye) in the ground
This was Ifá‟s message for Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
When going into the forest to bring home wealth
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
Odu¾-Kek
¾ô eô¾ was the container in which the 256 Odu¾-Ifa; resided. Nobody
could go for initiation without picking one of the Odu¾-Ifa; from her.
When she wanted to start the business of initiating people, she thought
about where to set up her business that would be the most convenient
and most profitable. After much thought, she decided to use the
forest for her business.
(This is why Babaláwo call the forest of initiation Igbo;du¾ - the forest of
Odù). Before starting her business however, she went for Ifá
consultation to know for sure how successful her business would be:
Will I be able to impact the initiates positively from the forest? Will my
business strive in the forest?
The Awo told her that the most convenient place to set up her business
was in the forest. She would make profit beyond her wildest dreams.
She would also be able to transact her business without much
distraction in the forest. She was reminded that her business was not
the type that allowed for much interference or interruptions. She was
dealing with the esoteric aspect of people‟s lives. Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ was told
that she could live in the city but her business was best transacted in
the forest where there would be peace and space.
Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ was advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied.
Soon after, she went to the forest to look for the most conducive area
which would be close to a stream for her business. If anyone planned
to go for Ifá initiation, the person would be advised to procure 16
fowls, 16 pigeons, guinea-fowls, part of an antelope, part of a
bush-goat, giant rats, plenty of kola nuts, bitter kolas, alligator
peppers, palm-oil and so on. The person would then be taken to
the forest to meet Odù. During the process of initiation, the person
would undergo a spiritual rebirth and one of the Odù-Ifá would give
birth to the new initiate. At the end of the exercise, people would know
which Odù-Ifá gave birth to the initiate and that would become the
symbol of his/her full destiny.
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
The more the initiates came for initiation in the forest, the more
successful Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾ became. She was so successful that she had
nothing to say but to give thanks and praise to Olo;du¾mare and Ifá for
all the days of her life from that period until today. Odù promised to
continue to give thanks and praise till the end of life and existence on
this planet earth. This was because as long as life remained on earth,
initiations would continue to take place and she would continue to
make profit during the initiations.
Ogbe¾¾ da;’wo;ô o¾su¾ teô’leô¾
O: sô’oju; sôorosôoro
Di;a; fu;n Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
Ti; n; re’nu; i¾gbe;ô loô¾o;ô k’a;je; wa;’le;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;,ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾
Ire gbogbo wa; ya de; tu¾tu;ru
N®je;ô i¾woô Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
Ifa; n;ko;’re e; bo¾ô wa; ba; oô o
I®woô Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
Translation:
Ogbe¾ used O®su¾ as a walking stick
And its tip left a deep narrow hole (eye) in the ground
This was Ifá‟s message for Odu¾-Kek¾ô eô¾
When going into the forest to bring home wealth
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
She complied
Before long, not too far
All the Ire of life came trooping in
Behold, Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
Ifá is ushering in all the Ire of life to you
Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
Ifá says that all the good and beneficial things of life shall be brought to
the person for whom this Odù is revealed wherever he/she stays.
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He/she does not need to struggle or scramble for great things before
they are giving to him/her.
3. Ifá says that there is the need for many people to be initiated into
Ifá when this Odù revealed. Ifá advises the person for whom this
Odù is revealed to be initiated into Ifá and at the same time,
for his/her siblings to be initiated too. If they cannot do the
initiation together, Ifá advises them to do so one after the other in
quick succession.
Ifá says that if this can be done, everyone will have cause to be
grateful to Olo;du¾mare for the rest of their lives. Going for initiation will
make their luck shine. They will all be able to achieve all their heart‟s
desires. The whole household will succeed together in their various
fields of endeavour.
On this particular aspect, Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾nmu; says:
Ogbe¾ da;’wo;ô o¾su¾ teô’leô¾
O: sô’oju; sôorosôoro
Di;a; fu;n Odu¾-Ke¾ôkeô¾
Ti; n; re’nu; i¾gbeô; lo¾ôoô; k’a;je; wa;’le;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The small hill here and now
The ditch here and now
These were Ifá‟s declarations to E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ (the shoulders)
When carrying O®su¾ to Igbo;du to be initiated into Ifá
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
O®su¾ was very ill. All medications administered on him proved
ineffective. He was even dying. He did not want to die. He was
determined to live, but his ailments were tearing his body and soul
apart.
While he was battling with his life, his immediate younger brother was
in deep trouble with the state. He was being accused of planning
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
against the state. All efforts to prove his innocence fell on deaf ears.
The fact that he was not in the vicinity when the offence took place did
not seem to impress anyone at all.
The one next to this one was unhappily married. She had been turned
into a punching bag in her husband‟s house. All of his family was asking
her to leave but she would refuse to leave. Where would she go when
she already had five children for her husband? They promised to make
life unbearable if she did not leave. They accused her of many things
she knew nothing about. It even got to a stage where they began
calling her the head of the Red Witches and accused her of running her
husband‟s fortunes to the ground. The fact that she had been made to
swear on ordeals two times to prove her innocence and she survived
the two ordeals impressed nobody. She must be kicked out of the
husband‟s house, they vowed.
The last brother in the house was running away from his creditors. He
had no peace of mind whatsoever. His business had collapsed and he
was being pursued by both creditors and by those who stood sure for
him. To make matters worse, his father-in-law was one of the people
who had stood sure for him. His creditors had been pestering the life
of his father-in-law who in turn had been putting pressure on his wife
to ensure that the loan was paid forthwith. At a stage, nobody believed
him anymore. They were all of the opinion that he had diverted all the
money into something else and was pretending that the business had
collapsed. His father-in-law was already considering taking steps to
take his daughter from him. There was crisis and confrontation in his
house. He didn‟t even have respect among his neighbours. He was
being looked down upon and scorned anywhere he went.
When O®su¾ had exhausted all avenues to get himself healed and all
proved abortive, he called on his bosom friend E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ to help
him. That same day, E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ went to the home of the two
Babaláwo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will my friend get the
much needed healing that he is looking for? Will he survive this
ailment?
The Awo told E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ that his friend was in deep trouble at that
particular point in time. The Awo said that it was not only him that was
in trouble. All his other siblings were equally in trouble. The Awo
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explained to E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ that O®su¾ and all his other siblings came into
the world with great destinies, but there is negative interference which
must be cleared up and straightened out. To do this, all of them need
to be initiated into Ifá as quickly as possible. That was the most
realistic step to take. The Awo however implored E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ to
assist his friend during the initiation process. They told him that he
would have to carry O®su¾ to the Igbo;du¾ for the initiation. He agreed to
inform him and to carry him into the Igbo;du¾.
When E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ returned home, he discussed the messages of Ifá
with O®su¾ and all the other members of his family. The family
concluded that O®su¾ should be taken to Igbo;du¾ for initiation first before
any decision could be taken on other family members. The family had
no money to finance the I®teô¾ni;fa; ceremony. That was when E®ji¾ka;Go¾go¾ro¾ volunteered to pay the bill of his friend‟s initiation. Three days
after, O®su¾ was taken to Igbo;du¾ with the help of his friend E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾
both financially, physically and morally.
Three weeks after the initiation, O®su¾ bounced back to his normal self.
He had returned to his boisterous and lively self. Except for the fact
that he had not yet fully regained his weight, it was difficult for anyone
who was seeing him for the first time after a while to believe that he
had just recovered from a very serious illness.
The result that they got from O®su¾‟s initiation prompted the family to sell
a part of the family land to finance the initiation of the brother who was
having problems with the state. Again, E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ was there to
assist in the initiation process. When he came out of the Igbo;du¾ after
the initiation, he was summoned to the Ϙba‟s Palace. He was informed
that after a thorough investigation, it was discovered that he had no
hand in the plot against the state. Consequently, he was discharged
and acquitted.
The day of his discharge and acquittal was the day his immediate
younger sister was sent out of her matrimonial home in an
unceremonial manner. The woman cried and cried. The family decided
to take her to the Igbo;du¾ for initiation. They looked for money and sold
more part of the family land to raise money. The woman went for
initiation; E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ also played a vital role in her initiation. The day
she came out of the Igbo;du¾, she met her husband and his family by her
255
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
family‟s compound‟s doorstep. They were begging for her to return
home. The family discussed everything fully and it was agreed that she
would return to her husband‟s house as long as the abuses ceased and
never occurred again. Her husband then said that he too would like to
undergo Ifá initiation together with the last brother in her family.
One week after, the woman‟s husband and the man who was in debt
went into the Igbo;du¾ together. E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ was there with them. They
performed all the rituals for them together. When they came out of the
Igbo;du¾, it was clear to them that all their problems were over. The
husband began to see his wife in a very loving and positive way.
He then began to take proper care of her and give her all the attention
and respect she deserved. On the other hand, those who her brother
owed ended up giving him space to find their money. Before long, he
was back on his feet and was doing very well in his business. His
father-in-law even became his business partner. They both succeeded
together.
Gegele ba;yi¾i;-ba;yi¾¾i;
Ko¾to¾-ko¾to¾ ba;yi¾i; ba;yi¾i;
Di;a; fu;n E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾
To; n; gbe; O®su¾ re Igbo;du¾ loô teô¾ ni;fa;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
Ire gbogob wa; ya de; tu¾tu;ru
N®jeô; wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ la¾ n; ka'se¾ô Odu¾
Ti; a ba;; teô eô¾gboôn
; ta;n o
Ka; tu;n teô a¾bu;ro¾
Wa¾ra¾wa¾ra¾ la¾ n; ka'seô¾ Odu¾
Translation:
The small hill here and now
The ditch here and now
These were Ifá‟s declarations to E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro¾ (the shoulders)
When carrying O®su¾ to Igbo;du to be initiated into Ifá
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
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Before long, not too far
All Ire came trooping in
In quick succession do we do initiation
After initiating the elder sibling
Let us initiate the younger ones too
In quick succession do we do initiation
Ifá says that it shall be well for all the people that Ifá speaks about
where this Odù is revealed. As soon as they undergo Ifá initiation, all
their problems shall become things of the past.
4. Ifá says that if anything is lost where this Odù is revealed, the thing
shall be found, no matter what it is that is missing. Once the person
offers the ẹbọ the missing item shall be found.
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is Ifá's child. As
soon as he/she undergoes I®ten
¾ô i;fa;, all his/her problems shall disappear.
Ifá says that if this person is suffering from illness, no matter how
grave the illness may be, it will disappear as soon as he/she undergoes
Ifá initiation.
Ifá says that the problems and tribulations of the person for whom this
Odù is revealed shall become joy and fulfilled dreams very soon. They
should offer ẹbọ with three cocks and money. They should also
serve Ifá and O®su¾ as indicated while feeding the ground.
On these, Ifá says:
A®te;’ô woô; Awo ni
A®te;’ô seô¾ Awo ni
E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ Awo ni
O®su¾ Ga¾ga¾ag
¾ a¾ ni;i; sô'oômoô i¾keôyi¾n woôn le;n;je-le;n;je
A®woôn meô;re¾ôeô¾rin n; sô’awo loô si;’le;; OÙloô;fin
A®wo¾ro¾ Aja; OÙloô;fin lo; soônu¾
O®un le¾ ri; aja; o¾un lo; da;’fa; si;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Translation:
A®teô;’wo;ô, the Palm is an Awo
A®te;ô’seô¾, the Foot is an Awo
E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾, the Shoulders is an Awo
O®su¾ Ga¾¾ga¾ag
¾ a¾ is the youngest among them
The four of them went on an Ifá mission to OÙloô;fin’s Palace
A®wo¾ro,OÙloô;fin’s dog, got lost
How to get his dog back was the reason why he summoned
the Awo for Ifá consultation
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
A®wo¾ro was the name of OÙloô;fin’s favourite dog. A®wo¾ro used to sleep in
OÙloô;fin’s Palace. The dog was of the opinion that she was actually a
human being. She would stay in the palace without going anywhere if
the Ϙba was around. If there was any important meeting in the Palace,
A®wo¾ro would definitely be there. If she was chased out of the meeting
venue, she would act as if her rights had been infringed upon! The
next thing would be for OÙloô;fin to bring her back into the fold! That was
the extent of OÙloô;fin’s love for A®wo¾ro.
One day however, it was discovered that A®wo¾ro had disappear! Where
had she gone to? Nobody knew. A search party was organized to find
the dog. The party returned empty-handed. That was when OÙloô;fin
summoned the four Babaláwo mentioned above to come and cast Ifá
for him on how to find the dog.
The Awo told OÙloô;fin’s that something was missing in his household and
that he would surely find it. They asked OÙloô;fin to offer ẹbọ with three
cocks and money. OÙloô;fin did.
The Awo told O®su¾ who was the youngest of the four of them to go and
place the ẹbọ that they just offered at the E®sôu¾ shrine. On his way to
the shrine, a big rainfall started. The flood of the rainfall washed O®su¾
off his feet and he fell down and was unable to stand up again. He was
just rolling and crawling on the ground by the E®sôu¾ shrine.
Meanwhile, the rainfall also washed A®wo¾ro, OÙloô;fin’s dog into the palace.
There was a big celebration in the palace. But when they realized that
O®su¾ who had gone to place the ẹbọ by the E®sôu¾ shrine had not yet
returned, they thought that he was still looking for the dog. The three
other Babaláwo went out, saying:
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Wa;’le;, O®su¾ wa;’le;
A r’A:wo¾ro¾ he o
O®su¾ wa;’le; o
A ti r’A:wo¾ro¾ he o
Translation:
Return, O®su¾ please return home
We have found A®wo¾ro¾
O®su¾ please return home
We have found A®wo¾ro¾
While they were singing this song, they were moving towards the E®sôu
shrine. When they got there, they saw O®su¾ still crawling and rolling on
the ground! What went wrong? O®su¾ told them that the flood had
washed him off his feet and much as he tried, he could not stand up on
his feet again. When they wanted to help him to his feet, he said:
ô oô; oô reô,¾ A®tel;ô esô e,ô¾ o; ya; ma;a
“A®teôl; eôwoô; gbe; mi, E®ji®k¾ a; Go¾go¾ro¾, gba¾ mi; l'o;w
gbe; mi ni¾sôo;; meaning; “A®te;ôleôwoô;, the Palm, please lift me up, E®ji¾ka;
Go¾go¾ro¾, the Shoulders, pull me up from the Palm; and A®te;ôleôseô¾, the
Foot, move on and take me back home”.
As they were going back home, the three Awo were singing, saying:
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’o;ri;
EÙÙ gb’O:su¾ l’eô;se¾ô o o¾
L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’o;ri; o
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’e;ôseô¾
L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ Awo
Translation:
Lift O®su¾ on your head
Move O®su¾ with your legs
Straight and erect does one find O®su¾
Lift O®su¾ on your head
And move O®su¾ with your legs
Straight and erect does one find the O®su¾ of an Awo
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Note: O®su¾ must never lie prostrate in the presence of an Awo.
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will not fall ill
and if he/she is ill, he/she will rise up and recover his/her health. They
should be inviting Awo to be serving O®su¾ on their behalf.
A®te;’ô woô; Awo ni
A®te;’ô seô¾ Awo ni
E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ Awo ni
O®®su¾ Ga¾ga¾ag
¾ a¾ ni;i; sô'oômoô i¾keôyi¾n woôn le;n;je-le;n;je
A®woôn meô;re¾ôeô¾rin n; sô’awo loô si;’le; OÙloô;fin
A®wo¾ro¾ Aja; OÙloô;fin lo; soônu¾
O®un le¾ ri; aja; o¾un lo; da;’fa; si;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O; gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’o;ri;
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’eôô;se¾ô o o¾
L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’o;ri; o
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’e;ôseô¾
L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ Awo
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;i¾ku; kangiri
N®je;ô eô gb’O:su¾ l’O:ri;
EÙ gb’O:su¾ l’e;ôseô¾ o o¾
L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾
O®su¾ ki¾i; do;ôgbaleô¾ l'o;ju; Awo
Translation:
A®teô;’wo;ô, the Palm is an Awo
A®te;ô’seô¾, the Foot is an Awo
E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾, the Shoulders is an Awo
O®su¾ Ga¾¾ga¾ag
¾ a¾ is the youngest among them
The four of them went on an Ifá mission to OÙloô;fin’s Palace
A®wo¾ro,OÙloô;fin’s dog, got lost
How to get his dog back was the reason why he summoned
the Awo for Ifá consultation
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
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Lift O®su¾ on your head
Move O®su¾ with your legs
Straight and erect does one find O®su¾
Lift O®su¾ on your head
Move O®su¾ with your legs
Straight and erect does one find the O®su¾ of an Awo
Before long, no too far
Join us where we enjoy longevity
Now, lift O®su¾ on your head
Move O®su¾ with your legs
Straight and erect do one find O®su¾
O®su¾ will never lie prostrate in the presence of an Awo
Ifá says that all shall be well for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed. He/she needs to be initiated into Ifá where the O®su¾ will
be carried into the Igbo;du¾ for him/her when the initiation takes
place.
5. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a new baby where this Odù is
revealed. Ifá says that the person who needs the Ire of a new baby
needs to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens and money.
Ifá also says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to
offer ẹbọ in order to be blessed with sound health and vitality. He/she
needs to offer ẹbọ against ill-health. For this to happen, he/she needs
to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and money. The he-goat
must not be slaughtered. He/she also needs to feed O®su¾ with whatever
material that Ifá recommends to be used.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-Da;wo;ô-O®su¾-teô'leô¾ on this aspect says:
I®ri¾ wo¾ôoô¾wo¾ôoô¾ ni;i; p’a¾gbe¾ô l’eô;yi¾n
Di;a; fu;n O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾
Ti; n;s’ô awo loô s’o;de I®se
ô rô i
Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô
Translation:
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
The dew is it that wets the back of a farmer
This was Ifá‟s message for O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾
When going on an Ifá mission to I®sôerô i land
He was advised to offer ẹbọ of long life and vitality
O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ was an accomplished Babaláwo. He had consulted Ifá for
the high and mighty and his predictions had come to pass. He was
held in high esteem by all and sundry. When any serious Ifá
consultation was about to be made, O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ was everyone‟s first
choice; it was only when he was not available that any alternative
Babaláwo would be approached with some measure of reluctance.
When the inhabitants of I®sôerô i felt the urgent need to do Ifá
consultation, it was O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ they approached.
When he received the message of the inhabitants of I®sôerô i for him to
come and consult Ifá for them, O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ went to I®ri¾ woo
¾ô w
ô¾ oo
¾ô ô¾ ni;i;
p’a¾gbe¾ô ley
ô; i¾n, another Babaláwo, for Ifá consultation: How will his
sojourn to I®sôeôri land be? Will I be able to solve the problems of the
people who called upon him for Ifá consultation? Will I succeed in I®sôerô i
land? These were the questions which O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ asked his Awo
when he did the consultation.
The Awo told O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ that he was called to I®sôerô i land because
many of the women in that land were suffering from infertility. The Awo
said that he would be able to solve the problems that would be brought
to his attention in the land. He was told that he would be highly
honoured and respected because of the level of success that he would
record in the land.
O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ was however warned that he should not overwork himself
in the land, even though he would be in very high demand. He was
cautioned to take things easy because if the warning was not heeded,
he stood the chance of ruining his health and losing his life in the
process.
The Awo advised O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat
and money. He was informed that the he-goat was not to be
slaughtered. O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾ complied with the advice of the Awo and
offered the ẹbọ before he set out on his journey to I®sôerô i.
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O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, Awo woôn l’o;;de I®se
ô rô i
Di;a; fu;n woôn l’o;de I®se
ô rô i
EÙku;n oômoô ni woô;n n; sun
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Translation:
O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, their Awo in I®sôerô i land
He cast Ifá for the inhabitants of I®sôerô i land
When they were weeping in lamentation for their inability
to bear children
They were advised to offer ẹbọ
The inhabitants of I®sôerô i land were eagerly awaiting the arrival of O®su¾
Go¾go¾ro¾. When he eventually arrived in the land, they took him directly
to the Palace of the Oni;sôerô i,, the Ϙba of the land. Oni;sôerô i, was an old
kind-hearted man who took the overall interest of the land to heart. He
could not bear to hear the cry of pain and grief of the women who had
not been blessed with the fruit of the womb who had been married for
several years.
When O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, arrived, the Ϙba ordered that he should be settled
in his palace and that the consultation must be made as soon as O®su¾
Go¾go¾ro¾, settled down. He also instructed that the consultation must be
made in the presence of all his chiefs who would act as witnesses and
would be able to relay the messages of Ifá to all those concerned in
their various wards.
When O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, consulted Ifá for the inhabitants of I®sôerô i land,
Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; was revealed. He informed all those present that the
main problem in the land which warranted Ifá consultation was that of
infertility. He explained that the problem of infertility in the land was
actually divided into three parts but the inhabitants had been looking at
only one part all along; the three parts were: (i) male infertility; (ii)
female infertility; and (iii) infertility of both male and female. He said
that the problem was evenly distributed in the land but efforts had been
concentrated on only female infertility because they expected the
woman to produce the evidence of pregnancy but if it did not come,
they assumed that the problem was from the woman. How would a
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
woman become pregnant if her husband‟s semen was not viable? He
asked.
He explained to them that he would have to make Ifá preparations for
them to use. One of the preparations would be for the man to use
separately; one for the woman to use separately and the third for the
couple to use jointly. He also advised each couple looking for the
blessing of the womb to offer Ϙba with four rats, four fish, two
hens and money. All the chiefs went to their respective wards to
inform all the affected couples of what O®su¾ had just said and what they
needed to do in terms of solution to their problems.
The next day, as early as dawn, there was a long line made from the
couples who had come to O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, with their ẹbọ materials. When
he saw the people, he quickly took care of his personal hygiene and set
out to work. He offered ẹbọ from morning till late at night. He
promised those who he offered ẹbọ for to come and collect their Ifá
preparations three days after.
Before sunrise the next day, he was already on his way to the forest,
looking for the herbs, roots, barks, leaves and animals to use in
preparing the remedies for the people. He could hardly sleep.
Two months after the arrival of O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, in I®sôerô i land, many
couples had begun to congratulate each other and thank their Orí
secretly for the blessing of Olo;du¾mare¾ in their lives but could not
announce openly because it was not the custom to do so. The ẹbọ and
remedies which O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, gave to them had worked! This made the
demand for him to be even higher. The success story had left nobody
in doubt that O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, held the key to their joy in I®sôerô i land.
For one full year, O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, could not go back home. Many women
had delivered safely. He was the one they continued to call upon to
take charge of the deliveries. He was a very busy man. He was also a
very successful man.
After two years from his arrival in I®sôerô i land, Oni;sôerô i, died. He was
given a befitting burial. The Chiefs and other elders in the land put
their heads together and proposed O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, as the next Oni;sôerô i, on
the premise that he had brought so much joy to the land than they
could ever imagine. The honour they could give him was to make him
the Ϙba. He remembered that his Awo, I®ri¾ wo¾o
ô ôw
¾ oo
¾ô ô¾ ni;i; p’a¾gbe¾ô l'eyô; i¾n had
once predicted that he would be highly honoured in the land. He
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accepted the honour on the condition that it would not affect his work
as a Babaláwo. His installation was grand. He still continued as a
Babaláwo.
One day, the strain and pressure of his work took its toll on O®su¾
Go¾go¾ro¾. He collapsed while attending to some of his subjects. He had
not slept for three days. Pandemonium erupted. The news spread like
wild fire. What could they do? O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, could not afford to fall ill,
not to mention die! There were several people waiting for him to take
care of them.
¾ô ô¾woo
¾ô ô¾ ni;i; p’a¾gbe¾ô
The next morning, he quickly sent for his Awo, I®ri¾ woo
l'eôy; i¾n to come quickly and help his friend and colleague. I®ri¾ woo
¾ô w
ô¾ oo
¾ô ô¾
dropped everything he was doing and set out on the journey as soon as
he heard that O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, was ill. When he got to I®sôerô i land, he
began serious Ifá work for Oni;sôerô i, also known as O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾. He
instructed all the inhabitants to come and sing Ifá songs for O®su¾
Go¾go¾ro¾, every day until he recovered and became hale and hearty
again. He taught them to continuously sing thus:
Oni;se
ô rô i m’o;ri; ro; o
Ko; o ma; du¾bu;le¾ô eô
I®du;ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾
O®su¾ o¾ ba; ma¾ m’o;ri; ro; o
Ko; o ma; du¾bu;le¾ô
L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ o
Translation:
Oni;sôerô i, please raise up your head
Do not lie prostrate
Straight and erect does one find O®su¾
O®su¾, please rise up and stand
Do not lie down
Straight and erect does one find O®su¾
After 17 days of intensive Ifá preparation and continuous singing of the
I®ye¾ôreô¾, O®su¾ regained his health. Nobody preached to him after that time
before he knew that he needed to take all things easy.
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
I®ri¾ ¾wo¾ôoô¾wo¾ôoô¾ ni;i; p’a¾gbe¾ô l’eô;yi¾n
Di;a; fu;n O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾¾
Ti; n;s’ô awo loô s’o;de I®se
ô rô i
Woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô si; lai¾ku; araa reô¾
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, Awo woôn l’o;de I®se
ô rô i
Di;a; fu;n woôn l’o;de I®se
ô rô i
EÙku;n oômoô ni woô;n n; sun
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Woô;n gbe;ô’boô, woô;n ru;’boô
Ko¾¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾¾nna¾¾
Ire gbogbo wa; ya de; tu¾tu;ru
N®jeô; Oni;se
ô rô i m’o;ri; ro; oKo; o ma; du¾bu;le¾ô
I®du;ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾
O®su¾ o¾ ba; ma¾ m’o;ri; ro; o
Ko; o ma; du¾bu;le¾ô
L’o;o¾ro; gangan la¾a; b’O:su¾ o
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®ôÙfa¾
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
The dew is it that wets the back of a farmer
This was Ifá‟s message for O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾
When going on an Ifá mission to I®sôerô i land
He was advised to offer ẹbọ for long life and vitality
He complied
O®su¾ Go¾go¾ro¾, their Awo in I®sôerô i land
He cast Ifá for the inhabitants of I®sôerô i land
When they were weeping in lamentation for their inability
to bear children
They were advised to offer ẹbọ
They complied
Before long, not too far
All the Ire of life came trooping in
Oni;sôerô i, please raise up your head
Do not lie prostrate
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Straight and erect does one find O®su¾¾
O®su¾, please rise up and stand
Do not lie down
Straight and erect does one find O®su¾¾
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Ifá says that this person shall enjoy his/her life in good health. He/she
shall be blessed with all the Ire of life. However, he/she needs to take
things slow and easy in order to enjoy the fruit of his/her labour.
6. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to persevere.
Only a little time remains for all his/her efforts to materialize and for
him/her to actualize his/her destiny. Ifá assures this person that all
his/her struggles, sufferings and toiling in life are about to end. These
then will be replaced with contentment, peace and accomplishment.
Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ with
two pigeons, two guinea fowls, two hens, two cocks and
money. He/she also needs to feed O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko as appropriate.
On this aspect, Ifá has this to say:
I®ya¾ la¾a; jeô teô;’le¾ô iku¾n
Ka; to;o; j’oore o
Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko;-Irin
Ti; n; sô’awo o; loô s’o;de I®ra¾wo¾ô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
There is the need to experience suffering and tribulations
Before experiencing favour and benevolence
This was Ifá‟s declaration to Kok; o;-Irin, the Iron
Knob Collection
When going on spiritual mission to I®ra¾wo¾ô land
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Kok; o;-Irin, was the collection of Iron knobs. He was known by nobody
important and he was also a nobody. He was suffering and facing a
series of tribulations. To feed himself was a very serious problem, not
to mention to cloth himself. He continued to persevere.
One day, Kok
; o;-Irin, planned to go on a spiritual mission to I®ra¾wo¾ô land.
That was why he decided to go for Ifá consultation in the home of the
Awo mentioned above in order to determine his success chances in
I®ra¾wo¾ô land where he was going: Will I succeed in I®ra¾wo¾ô land? Will my
sufferings and tribulations end when I get to the land? Will I be
recognized where I am going? Will I become someone important and
be given reverence over there?
The Awo told Kok
; o;-Irin, that even though he had been suffering
throughout his lifetime, only a little period remained for all his
sufferings and tribulations to end. He was advised to persevere. The
Awo told him that it is better to face suffering and tribulation before
entering into enjoyment, favours and benevolence than to enjoy first
and then enter into sufferings and pains. He was told that his sufferings
remained just a little; and after that, he would become a very important
personality in life.
The Awo advised Kok
; o;-Irin, to offer ẹbọ as stated above and at the
same time, be ready to face the remaining hardship in his life with
courage and perseverance. Kok; o;-Irin, complied. A few days after, he
set out on his journey to I®ra¾wo¾ô land.
As soon as Kok
; o;-Irin, got to I®ra¾wo¾ô he was recognized as fit and proper
to be moulded into an O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko staff. They gathered all the Kok; o;-Irin,
and placed it into an iron container. They placed it on fire, real red-hot
fire! Ko;ko;-Irin, screamed. “But you all told me that I would become
somebody important. What then is the reason why you should set me
on fire!? The Blacksmiths who were working on Ko;ko;-Irin, responded;
“Patience please. Your suffering is about to end. Just persevere”.
Before long, Ko;ko;-Irin, was moulded into a hoe. They placed the hoe
on an anvil and used a big sledge hammer to pound him into shape.
The pain was unbearable and Ko;ko;-Irin, screamed in agony. He was
counselled to exercise patience and to have persevere.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
A few days after this, Kok
; o;-Irin, was again placed on fire and melted
again. He screamed and cried. He was told to persevere. He was
moulded into a long Iron staff. He was placed on the anvil again and
hammered into shape once more. When the Blacksmiths had become
satisfied with what they had turned Ko;ko;-Irin, into, they looked for an
iron sponge and started to scrub Ko;ko;-Irin, with it. He screamed. He
was advised to persevere. He did.
After this, they began to put ornaments and other decorations on Kok; o;Irin,. In the end, he became an O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko staff. He was fed with one
she-goat per day for 16 consecutive days. He became the most
expensive O®ri¾sôa¾ to acquire. He found out that everyone came to pay
respect to him, saying; “O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko pe¾lô eô; o, A®gba¾ I®ra¾wo¾ô” – meaning;
greetings to O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko, the Elder in I®ra¾wo¾ô land.
From that day onwards, his sufferings ended and he became the most
important personality in I®ra¾wo¾ô land.
I®ya¾ la¾a; jeô teô’leô¾ iku¾n
Ka; to;o; j’oore o
Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko; Irin
E®yi; ti; n;s’ô awo loô s’o;de I®ra¾wo¾ô
Ti yo;o; loô k’oô;ro¾ô wa;’le;
Ti; yo;o; j’oye¾ Ajori;-Iwin
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
N®jeô; O®ri¾sa
ô -¾ Oko peô¾le;ô o
A®gba¾ I®ra¾wo¾ô
O: wa;a; d’eôni a¾pe;si¾n
Translation:
There is the need to experience suffering and tribulations
Before experiencing favour and benevolence
This was Ifá‟s declaration to Kok; o;-Irin, the Iron
Knob Collection
When going on spiritual mission to I®ra¾wo¾ô land
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Greetings, O®ri¾sôa¾-Oko
The Elder in I®ra¾wo¾ land
You have now become someone that
is collectively venerated
Ifá says that this person shall be honoured and respected. He/she shall
be placed in the highest position among his colleagues. He/she only
needs to persevere as his/her time to succeed and prosper is close at
hand.
NOTE: Ajori;-Iwin or Olo;ri;-Iwin is the highest title among the O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko
devotees.
7. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of resounding victory for the person
for whom Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; is revealed. He/she shall overcome all his/her
antagonists and enemies. None of his/her enemies will be able to inflict
any harm on him/her. In fact, the enemies will disperse with tales of
woe to tell, which would have happened to them.
Ifá also advises a woman where this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ of
victory for her child in order to enable the child to overcome all his/her
enemies. Ifá says that there are many people who are after her child
but they shall all fail in their evil designs.
Ifá advises those involved here to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat
and money. As usual, the he-goat must not be slaughtered. There is
also the need to feed O®ri¾sôa-¾ Oko with whatever Ifá recommends.
On this, Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; says:
Ogbe¾ du;ro; ni;nu; igbo;
O: fi¾’di; O®su¾ la’le¾ô ga¾ar¾ a¾ga¾ ja;’na¾¾
Di;a; fu;n Gboônna¾
Ti;i; sôe’¾ ya; O®ke¾
Ni;gba¾ti; O®ke¾ n;beô l’a;ar¾ in E®di¾di¾
Ti; n;beô l’a;ar¾ in o¾ôta;
Ti; n;f’ojooju;mo;ô koôminu; ogun
Awo;, oô¾ta; O®ke¾ ni
Olo;bu¾ro;, o¾ôta; O®ke¾ ni
A®paro¾, oô¾ta; O®ke¾ ni
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Translation:
Ogbe¾ stood in the forest
And used the O®su¾ staff to draw a line from the forest
to the main road
This was Ifá‟s declaration to Gboônna¾
The-mother-of-O®ke¾
When O®ke¾ was in the midst of enemies
And living with the anticipation of an uprising
Awo;, (the Guinea-fowl) was O®ke¾‟s enemy
Olo;bu¾ro; was O®ke¾‟s enemy
A®paro¾, (the Partridge) was O®ke¾‟s enemy
She (Gboônna¾) was advised to offer ẹbọ
Gboônna¾ was the mother of O®ke¾. O®ke¾ was her only child. It took
Gboônna¾ several years before she could be blessed with O®ke¾. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
was the Awo that she cried to for help when she was unable to become
pregnant and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ prepared several Ifá works and ẹbọ for her
before Olo;du¾mare¾ answered her prayers and gave her O®ke¾. When she
gave birth to O®ke¾ and the I®koôseôda;ye; rite was performed on the third
day of the baby‟s birth, it was clear that O®ke¾ was much more than 20
children put together. She was a very special child!
When O®ke¾ was growing up into her adolescent age, her rising profile
was very daunting. She instantly became the enemy of some people
who could not handle her high profile. These people were: Awo; (the
Guinea fowl) Olo;bu¾ro,; and A®paro (the Patridge). These three hated
O®ke¾, the daughter of Gboônna¾ with passion. Why should this child with
such a magnificent personality come from Gboônna¾, and not from any of
the three of them? They queried. This was what they could not
handle. Consequent upon this, they planned to eliminate O®ke¾ by any
means available to them. Instead of Gboônna¾ receiving blessings from
her child, which would give her additional popularity in the community,
it was better for all of them to get rid of the child and so neither of
them would have popularity or prominence. They decided to sneak into
Gboônna¾‟s home at night, strike O®ke¾ to death with their beaks and
consume her remains or part at least part of her.
This arrangement suited the three conspirators and they congratulated
each other. To them, it was a fool-proof plot. They would execute
271
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
their plot whenever Gboônna¾ was not at home. Gboônna¾ was a big time
trader who travelled from place to place at regular intervals. To make
the plot easy to execute, any time that Gboônna¾ was about to travel,
she would call her three “friends” and put her home and only daughter
into their care.
A few days after this, Gboônna¾ was preparing to travel on business as
usual. She planned to spend two weeks before she returned. She
went to inform her three „friends‟ that she would be leaving her only
daughter in their care. The „friends‟ willingly agreed to help her look
after her house and daughter. Gboônna¾ however did what they did not
expect her to do - she went for Ifá consultation before going on her
trip. Primarily, her intention was to find out how her journey would be
and the chance of her making huge profit on her journey and business
transaction. These were the only things on her mind.
When the Awo consulted Ifá for her, they informed her that there was
no problem whatsoever with her business. They equally told her that
death was dangling precariously over the head of her only child. They
said that the death was coming as a result of the evil plans of envious
and treacherous people in the community. They warned her that her
daughter must not die, that if she died, there would be a terrible chain
of events which would bring disaster upon disaster to the world and to
all those living in it.
The Awo advised her to offer ẹbọ to save the life of her daughter as
stated above. She offered the ẹbọ that same day. They told her to go
and bring O®ke¾. She did. The Awo prepared some potent Ifá works for
O®ke¾ and made her use them all that same day. After that, they asked
both mother and child to return home with the assurance that nothing
evil would happen to the child anymore.
As soon as they got home, O®ke¾ transformed into a mighty hill. Her
sheer size and structure became very daunting and intimidating. Those
who saw O®ke¾ the next moment marvelled at her from a distance.
The size of O®ke¾ however did not intimidate A®paro, Olo;bu¾ro;, or Awó in
any way. If anything, it only increased their envy and their
determination to eliminate her. As soon as Gboônna¾ travelled to
transact her business, the three conspirators went to work. Awó flew
upward to strike her on the head. As she did so with all her might, her
beak broke into pieces! Not only this, she tasted sour dust in her
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
mouth. She cried out in agony saying: O®ke¾ kan go;go;o;go;!!! - meaning;
“O®ke¾ is very acidic and sour!!!
Unknown to Olo;bu¾ro; that A®paro was already in trouble, she too flew up
in order to strike O®ke¾ her own deadly blow. She planned to strike her
on the neck. She did. Her beak also broke and her lower jaw bent
sideways. She screamed saying “O®ke¾ La;kir;;a”!!! meaning “O®ke¾ is very
sturdy”!!! She returned home in pain, holding her broken lower jaw
with her two hands.
When A®paro saw Olo;bu¾ro; holding her lower jaw with her hands, E®sôu¾
appeared and said she had struck O®ke¾ and had eaten her flesh to her
satisfaction and was only taking part of O®ke¾‟s flesh home to be
consumed later! A®paro then rushed out of her house to go and have a
piece of the action herself. She flew up in order to strike O®ke¾ in the
mouth. She did so mightily. She lost her beak and broke her neck. She
wailed in agony, saying; “EÙnu reô¾ ku¾ra¾mi¾”!!! meaning “her mouth is solid
rock”!!!
When the three conspirators met, they only had tales of woe to tell
each other. O®ke¾ became unmovable, untouchable and beyond the
scope of their evil designs. They however learnt to live with O®ke¾ and
used her as their sanctuary when there was heavy heat as a result of
intense sunlight or when they were being attacked by other people.
Ogbe¾ du;ro; ni;’nu; igbo;
O: f'i¾di; O®su¾ la’le¾ô ga¾ar¾ a¾ga¾ ja;’na¾
Di;a; fu;n Gboônna¾
Ti;i; sôe’¾ ya; O®ke¾
Ni;gba¾ti; O®ke¾ n;beô l’a;ar¾ in E®di¾di¾
Ti; n;beô l’a;ar¾ in o¾ôta;
Ti; n;fojooju;mo;ô koôminu; ogun
Awo;, o¾ôta; O®ke¾ ni
Olo;bu¾r¾o;, o¾ôta; O®ke¾ ni
A®paro¾, o¾¾ôta; O®ke¾ ni
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ;ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'e;ôboô, ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;se
ô ô; ogun
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
A®ja¾se
ô ô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ O®Ùpe¾ô
Awo; ni;; O®ke¾ kan go;go;o;go;
Olo;bu¾ro; ni; O®ke¾ l'a;ki;ra o
A®paro¾ ni; eônu reô¾ ku¾ra¾mu¾
Translation:
Ogbe¾ stood in the forest
And used the O®su¾ staff to draw a line from the forest
to the main road
This was Ifá‟s declaration to Gboônna¾
The mother of O®ke¾
When O®ke¾ was in the midst of enemies
And living with the anticipation of an uprising
Awo;, (the Guinea-fowl) was O®ke¾‟s enemy
Olo;bu¾ro; was O®ke¾‟s enemy
A®paro¾, (the Partridge) was O®ke¾‟s enemy
She (Gboônna¾) was advised to offer ẹbọ
She complied
Before long, not too far
Join us where we enjoy victory
Victory over enemies is what Ifá guarantees
for all its devotees
Awó declared that O®ke¾ is very acidic and sour
Olo;bu¾ro; screamed that O®ke¾ is just very sturdy
And A®paro¾, wailed that O®ke¾‟s mouth is solid rock
Ifá declares that the enemies of the person for whom this Odù is
revealed will have tales of woe to tell if they ever make any attempt to
harm him/her. It is better to leave him/her alone as he/she has not
offended them at all.
Conversely, Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed never
to conspire against anyone. If he/she does so, he/she will also have
tales of woe to tell at the end of the day. There will be weeping,
moaning and gnashing of teeth for him/her to contend with for the rest
of his/her life.
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8. Ifá assures the person for whom this Odù is revealed that he/she will
never be disgraced or humiliated. Ifá says that this person is about to
be given an impossible task to perform. He/she needs not refuse to do
it. Ifá says that it will make the impossible possible. Ifá advises this
person to leave all things in the hands of Ifá and Ifá will make him/her
shine.
Ifá also advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one big container filled
with guinea corn, one mature she-goat, a lot of palm-oil and
money.
On this, Ifá says:
E®Ùseô n¾gbi¾n
EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô
Di;a; fu;n E®Ùri¾ndi;nlo;gu;n Oju; Odu¾
Woô;n n;; re’le; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Translation:
EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n (The legs plant)
EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô (The legs step on)
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for the 16 major Odù
When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace for Ifá business
They were advised to offer ẹbọ
OÙloô;fin could be very mischievous and funny sometimes. He was in a
mischievous mood when he called the 16 principal Odù to his palace to
come and consult Ifá for him. Prior to the time that he summoned the
16 Awo, he called his domestic servants and told them to get him a
container filled with guinea-corn grains. When this was procured, he
asked them to go and boil the guinea-corn. When it had been well
boiled, he instructed the domestic servants to go and plant the corn in
his farm. After this had been done, he asked one of the servants to go
and call the 16 principal Odù for him. What he wanted to know from
them was whether or not the boiled guinea corn grains that he had just
ordered to be planted would germinate and grow.
275
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
When the 16 Odù received his message they went to EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n and
EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô for Ifá consultation: Will we succeed where we are going? Will
we be able to satisfy OÙloô;fin this time around? Will we be given respect
and honour?
The two Awo told the 16 principal Odù that it was something impossible
that OÙloô;fin wanted them to make possible. They told the 16 Odù that
Ifá would make it possible. They only needed to inform OÙloô;fin that Ifá
said that even though he had asked them for the impossible, Ifá would
make it possible in five days‟ time. They then warned the 16 Odù never
to refuse to do OÙloô;fin‟s bidding.
They also recommended for them to offer ẹbọ with a container filled
with fresh guinea-corn, one she-goat (which must not be
slaughtered), plenty of palm-oil, and money. They complied.
After this, they headed for OÙloô;fin‟s palace.
When the 16 principal Odù got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace, they cast Ifá for him
and the Odù that was revealed was Ogbe¾-Da;wo;ô-O®su¾-teôleô¾. They told
OÙloô;fin that he had done something that he felt he would use to test the
efficacy of the Awo. They said that Ifá assured him that what he had
done would germinate and bring forth good fruits.
That was when OÙloô;fin told them that what he had done was to boil
guinea-corn grains and then instructed his servants to plant them in his
farm. He had asked if it was possible for the boiled grains to germinate
and grow. The Awo responded that they would sprout forth leaves in
five days' time. OÙloô;fin declared that the 16 Principal Odù were the most
incredulous Awo he had ever come across in his life. How could they
tell him that the grains would germinate when they had been boiled
already before they were planted. He said that they must tell him what
they wanted him to do against them if the planted grains failed to
germinate. The Awo responded that the grains would surely germinate
in five days‟ time and that if they failed to do so, OÙloô;fin was free to do
whatever pleased him against them. When OÙloô;fin heard this, he asked
the 16 Awo to state their ẹbọ. They did. OÙloô;fin offered the ẹbọ.
The 16 principal Odù returned to EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n and EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô to explain to
them what they encountered in OÙloô;fin‟s palace. They explained to the
two Awo that OÙloô;fin had planted boiled guinea-corn grains in his farm
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and expected the grains to germinate. The Awo told the 16 Odù that
the grains would surely germinate since that was what Ifá had said.
E®sôu¾ then appeared and brought out the container of the guinea-corn
used as ẹbọ and they fed SÙan
¾ go; with one big cock. Ϙya was also fed
with one hen. Ϙya started with her strong wind and SÙan
¾ go; opened the
door of rainfall and the rain fell from evening till the next day.
Meanwhile, the farm owned by OÙloô;fin was highly fortified and guarded
by many skilled soldiers. To circumvent this, E®sôu¾ employed the services
of Iku;n (the squirrels) to carry the guinea-corn grains to OÙloô;fin‟s farm
for planting. Iku;n went to work. They however had problems knowing
which areas to plant the grains and which ones to leave out because
there was no light. When E®sôu¾ realized this, he informed the 16 principal
Odù. That was when they started to chant I®ye¾rô eô¾ for lightening to strike
at regular intervals in order to allow the squirrels to see what they were
doing and where to plant the grains.
The I®ye¾ôreô¾ went thus:
O® ba; sa;n n ri;’ran o
I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô sa;;n, n ri;’ran
I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô o
O®jo¾ n;la; ni; n; bo’se¾ô OÙloô¾run
I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô sa;n, n ri;’;ran
I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô
Di;a; fu;n E®Ùri¾ndi;nlo;gu;n Oro;du¾
I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô sa;n, n ri;’ran
I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô
Ti; wo;ôn n; sô'awo loô si;’le; OÙloô;fin
I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô sa;n, n ri;’ran
I®mo¾ôn¾mo¾ô
We¾re;we¾re; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; Iku;n
I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô sa;n, n ri;’ran
I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô
Sa;n n ri;’ran o
I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô sa;n, n ri;'ran
I®moô¾n¾mo¾ô
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Translation:
Strike for me to see
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾ (lightning), please strike for me to see
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾ (lightning)
Heavy rain is it that covers the legs of the high heavens
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾, please strike for me to see
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾
They cast Ifá for the 16 principal Odù
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾, please strike for me to see
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾
When going on an Ifá mission to OÙloô;fin’s Palace
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾, please strike for me to see
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾
Quietly is how squirrels work
I®moô¾nm
¾ o¾, please strike for me to see
I®moôn
¾ m
¾ o¾
That was the way the 16 principal Odù chanted the I®yer¾ô eô¾ from dusk till
dawn and the squirrels planted the fresh guinea-corn grains from dusk
till dawn, until the whole farm was touched. For the five days, SÙan
¾ go;
continuously opened the door of rainfall in very moderate proportions
for the grains, and the grains were doing very well.
Very early on the fifth day, OÙloô;fin summoned the 16 Principal Odù to
his palace. He asked them to cast Ifá for him. They did. Again, Ogbe¾Da;'wo;ô-O®su¾-teô'leô¾ was revealed. The Awo told OÙloô;fin that what he
planted five days ago was what he wanted to know about. They
assured him that it had germinated and had come out very well. They
told him that he thought that it was not possible but Ifá and E®sôu¾
O®Ùda¾ra, together with SÙan
¾ go; and Ϙya had made the impossible
possible. OÙloô;fin asked his domestic servants to lock all the doors in
order to prevent the 16 Awo from running away. They however assured
OÙloô;fin that they would go nowhere. The doors were securely locked
anyway.
OÙloô;fin asked the O®ro¾reô; bird to go out to his farm and check what had
happened on the farm. He went. When he returned, he told OÙloô;fin
“Baba, O: ku;n Si;nmu;-si;nmu;”” meaning, “father, it is filled up to the
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edge of the farm”. What? It‟s the germinated grains. OÙloô;fin said that
O®ro¾reô; must have consumed too much alcohol to be saying such
nonsense. OÙloô;fin sent the Eg
®Ù a¾, bird (the Palm-bird), to go and check
his farm and report back to him. Eg
®Ù a¾, went. When he came back, he
declared; “o; ga sôoôr¾ o¾sô ôoôr¾ o¾ô” meaning “they have all grown tall for
everyone to see”. OÙloô;fin stood up by himself and opened the door that
led to his farm; Behold, all the grains have filled the farm! He could not
believe what he was seeing.
When he returned to his seat, he declared that the Babaláwo were
really great. He said that he witnessed the boiling and cooking of the
grains before they were planted. How was it possible? The Babaláwo
responded that they too did not know but he needed to not forget that
Ifá had promised to make what was impossible possible.
With this, OÙloô;fin went inside his chambers and honoured the 16
principal Odù. They all became an instant success.
EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n
EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô
Di;a; fu;n E®Ùri¾ndi;nlo;gu;;n Oju; Odu¾
Woô;n n; re’le; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; woô;n wa;a; sôe
Woô;n gbe;ô’boô, woô;n ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô, eô wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
EÙseô¾ n¾gbi¾n (The legs plant)
EÙseô¾ n¾te¾ô (The legs step on)
They were the Awo who cast Ifá for the 16 major Odù
When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace for Ifá business
They were advised to offer ẹbọ
They complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Ifá says that the person(s) for whom this Odù is revealed must never
plan to humiliate or disgrace anyone. If he/she plans this, he/she shall
fail. The Divinities shall find a way of protecting his/her/their would-be
victim(s).
9. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to offer ẹbọ in
order for his/her secrets not to be exposed to those who are not
supposed to know the secrets. Ifá however assures this person that
his/her secrets will remain unexposed.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat, strong
rope or twine and money. He/she also needs to feed Oro¾ with
whatever Ifá recommends.
On this aspect, Ifá has this to say:
Ogbe¾ d’a;wo;ô O®su¾ teô’leô¾
Di;a; fu;n La¾ka¾la¾ka¾
Ti; n; sô’awo re’gbo; EÙ®gba;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾ stuck the tip of the O®su¾ in the ground
This was Ifá‟s message for La¾ka¾la¾ka¾, the Oro¾ blade
When going on spiritual mission to the EÙ®gba; grove
He was advised to offer eôboô
La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ also known as Abeô Oro¾ was the Oro¾ blade. He had to have a
rope attached to him to make him work as expected. (This cannot be
explained beyond this point because of the secrets surrounding this
cult).
When La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ planned to go to the E®Ùgba; grove on a spiritual mission,
he went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation.
The Awo told him that the only thing he needed to do was to offer eôboô
so that his secrets would not be exposed to the un-initiated, especially
women.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
He was told that his secrets might be exposed during that particular
journey. He was advised that in order to prevent that from happening,
he needed to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat, a long strong
rope or twine. He also needed to add money to it. After this, he
needed to feed I®ta; and I®re¾ôleô,¾ the Oro¾ Divinity icons, for them to make
his secrets remain intact. La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ complied.
When they got to the E®ôÙgba; grove and the ceremony was about to
begin, they called on La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ to send everyone a note of warning that
the Oro¾ ceremony was about to start. He did. When the ceremony
began, La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ was making the Oro¾ sound as expected. Suddenly, it
was discovered that the rope that La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ was attached to was about
to break. That was when E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ came into the scene and began to
sing I®ye¾rô eô¾ song;
E®sôu¾ O®ôda¾ra¾ sung:
EÙ ba; wa w’o;ku¾n to; yigbe¾ e¾
EÙ ba; wa w’o;ku¾n to; yigbe¾
La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ ki¾i; gbe¾ e; ja; o
EÙ ba; wa w’o;ku¾n to; yigbe¾
Translation:
Please look for a strong rope for us
Please fetch us a strong rope
It won't take long for La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ to break off
Please look for a strong rope
Those present knew that if La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ should break, he would just fling
away and would certainly fall into the hands of the uninitiated ones, in
particular, women. If that were to happen the secrets of La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ and
those of Oro¾ would be exposed for the world to see. They quickly
looked for stronger rope. They could not find any. E®sôu¾ however
supplied the rope that was added to the ẹbọ. They attached it to
La¾ka¾la¾ka¾. It was strong enough to sustain La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ throughout the
ceremony. This was how the secrets of La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ remained unexposed.
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Ogbe¾ da;’wo;ô O®su¾ teô’leô¾
Di;a; fu;n La¾ka¾la¾ka¾
Ti; n; sô’awo re’gbo; E®Ùgba;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
N®je;ô eô ba; wa w’o;ku¾n yigbe¾ e¾
EÙ ba; wa w’o;ku¾n to; yigbe¾
La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ ki¾i; gbe¾ e; ja; o
EÙ ba; wa w’o;kun to; yigbe¾ o
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
Ogbe¾ stuck the tip of the O®su¾ in the ground
This was Ifá‟s message for La¾ka¾la¾ka¾, the Oro¾ blade
When going on spiritual mission to the EÙ®gba; grove
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Now, please look for a strong rope for us
Please fetch us a strong rope
It won't take long for La¾ka¾la¾ka¾ to break off
Please look for a strong rope for us
Before long, and not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have
his/her secrets kept intact. This however does not suggest that he/she
is at liberty to take undue risks with his/her secrets.
Conversely, this person must never be a party to the unjustifiable
exposure of other people‟s secrets. He/she must never plan to do so.
If he/she does, Olo;du¾mare will protect his/her would-be victim and
he/she will be put to well deserved shame. Protection is granted to
those whom adhere to this advice.
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10. Ifá says that if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is not a
practicing Babaláwo/I®ya;ni;fa;, then two great things are coming his/her
way during the coming dry season or summer time. Ifá says that a third
Ire will come but that one is for his/her Awo. It is not for him/her. If
the third Ire comes, he/she needs to refer it to his/her Awo
immediately.
On the other hand, if the person for whom this Odù is revealed is a
practising Babaláwo/I®ya;ni;fa, then he/she needs to understand that the
first two great things that will come during the coming dry/summer
season (or change of season) do not belong to him/her. It is the third
great thing that is really his/hers. He/she must not be avaricious on
this matter.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with a mature she-goat. This
animal is not to be slaughtered. It must be taken away to live by the
Awo. After this, he/she needs to feed his Orí with a very big catfish.
Ifá says that two of the ancestors of the person for whom this Odù is
revealed were very prominent personalities when they were alive. Both
of them are in the same location in heaven. They are both looking
after the person for whom this Odù is revealed together with other
members of his/her extended family. Ifá recommends that a big live
catfish needs to be used; to feed Odù so that all these great things will
come as predicted.
On these aspects, Ifá states thus:
O®gbo;lo;gbo¾o; Oni;sôe¾gu¾n lo; su¾n l’e;ji¾gbo¾ôn
Lo; fi o;n;de¾ e re¾ô roô’ri; poônpoôn-oônpoôn
Di;a; fu;n Ma¾ga¾la;ja;
Ti; n;loô ile; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
A great Herbalist was sleeping in the corner of a room
And was resting his head firmly on his leather charm belt
This was Ifá‟s message for Ma¾ga¾la;ja;
When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace for on an Ifá mission
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
283
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
There was chaos and tension in the land. Something urgent had to be
done to bring the land back to normal. OÙloô;fin was concerned. That was
why he sent for this great Babaláwo called Ma¾ga¾la;ja; to come and
consult Ifá for him in order to know what to do to ward off all the evil
principalities in the land.
When Ma¾ga¾la;ja; heard the news that OÙloô;fin was looking for him to come
and consult Ifá in his palace, he went to the home of the Awo
mentioned above for his own consultation: Will I succeed in OÙloô;fin‟s
palace? Will I be able to solve OÙloô;fin‟s problems?
The Awo told Ma¾ga¾la;ja; that Ile;-Ife was in chaos. There was the need
to do high-level e¾tu¾tu¾ for the land in order to ward off all the
negativities there. He was assured that he was capable of doing it. He
was however warned to be very careful and watch his tongue while
there, so as not to say something that would put himself into deep
trouble while performing his duty. Ma¾ga¾la;ja; thanked the Awo and left.
He could see no way how he would land himself into trouble while
performing his duty.
When he got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace, he consulted Ifá for the Ϙba and Ogbe¾Do¾su¾-mu; was revealed. He told OÙloô;fin that there was crises in the land
and that he was capable of warding off the evil. He told OÙloô;fin that all
what he needed to bring were four she-goats, one man suffering from
elephantiasis of the scrotum, four sacks of cowries and four large kegs
of palm oil. He insisted that the ẹbọ must be performed on that same
day.
OÙloô;fin sent all his domestic servants out to go and look for the
materials. They combed everywhere and were able to procure the four
she-goats, four kegs of palm-oil, four sacks of cowries but they could
not find a man afflicted with elephantiasis of the scrotum. Time was of
paramount importance. OÙloô;fin instructed Ma¾ga¾la;ja; to commence with
the e¾tu¾tu¾. He did. When he completed the preparation, he told OÙloô;fin
that the only item remaining was the man afflicted with swollen
testicles. He said that they needed to slice the man open and pour
plenty of palm-oil on his intestines and the e¾tu¾tu¾ would be completed.
Where would this e¾tu¾tu¾ be placed? OÙloô;fin asked Ma¾ga¾la;ja;.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
He responded that each goat would be buried in each corner of the
town while the man with elephantiasis of the scrotum would be thrown
into the middle of a flowing river.
OÙloô;fin then whispered to one of his domestic servants to hit Ma¾ga¾la;ja;‟s
head with a pestle. The servant did, and Ma¾ga¾la;ja; died instantly. He
was stripped naked. That was when they discovered that he was
suffering from elephantiasis of the scrotum. OÙloô;fin told them that he
had noticed this as soon as Ma¾ga¾la;ja; had entered his palace. They
sliced the chest of Ma¾ga¾la;ja; open and completed the e¾tu¾tu¾ as he had
instructed them to do. They buried the e¾tu¾tu¾ in the areas that Ma¾ga¾la;ja;
had earlier specified. His corpse was then thrown into a river.
With the e¾tu¾tu¾ done, there was no improvement in the land. The
situation was simply getting worse. What did they need to do now?
Bi; Babala;wo ba; gbo;ô’f;a; l’a;gboô¾o;ôju¾
Araa woôn ni woô;n n; ya¾n m’eô;boô
Di;a; fu;n Se¾kunda;
Ti; n; loô ile; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
If a Babaláwo understands Ifá too excessively
He will end up recommending himself as ẹbọ material
This was Ifá‟s message for Se¾kunda;
When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace on an Ifá mission
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
When there was no solution yet to the problems plaguing Ile;-Ife, OÙloô;fin
summoned Se¾kunda; for Ifá consultation: What is to be done to put a
permanent stop to all the crises in the land?
When Se¾kunda got OÙloô;fin‟s message, he went to the home of the Awo
mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed in OÙloô;fin‟s palace?
Will I be able to solve the problems in the land? Will I be adequately
rewarded?
285
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
The Awo informed Se¾kunda; that there was a series of problems in Ile;Ife. They told him that he would be capable of solving all the problems
there. They however warned him against being over-zealous or showing
that he could analyze Ifá better than O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ himself. He was advised
to watch his utterances and weigh every statement that he would
pronounce before voicing it out, lest he put himself into trouble by his
statements. Se¾kunda; thanked the Awo and left. He could not see how
he would analyze and put himself in trouble. As a matter of fact, he
reasoned, it was his in-depth knowledge and accurate analysis of Ifá
that made the high and the mighty to come looking for him any time
that there were problems in their lands. He had analyzed Ifá for Ala;ra;,
Ajero¾, Oni;sôerô i, Oni;mia, and so on and all his analyses had been found
to be very accurate. He concluded within himself that the group of
Babaláwo were just envious of his chain of achievements. He refused
to offer their ẹbọ. How could he, when they were just a bunch of
jealous fools? The next day, he set out on his journey to OÙloô;fin‟s
palace.
When Se¾kunda got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace, he consulted Ifá and Ogbe¾Do¾su¾mu; was revealed. He told OÙloô;fin that there was an urgent need to
offer ẹbọ in order to chase away all the evil spirits causing problems in
the land. He said that the ẹbọ must be performed that same day. The
ẹbọ materials were four mature she-goats, 16 sacks of cowries, four
kegs of palm-oil and one bald headed man. He had totally forgotten
that he was a bald headed man before he pronounced the ẹbọ
materials. OÙloô;fin instructed his domestic servants to go and fetch all the
items. They went and got all the materials - minus the bald-headed
man. OÙloô;fin told Se¾kunda to proceed with the ẹbọ. When he finished,
he told OÙloô;fin that it was only the bald-headed man that was delaying
the ẹbọ. How can that be done? OÙloô;fin asked. Se¾kunda responded that
the bald-headed man needed to be sliced open and the I®yeôr¾ o¾su¾n used
for the ẹbọ would be poured over the intestines, together with plenty of
palm-oil. The ẹbọ was to be deposited inside the river while the four
she-goats were to be buried in the four corners of the town.
OÙloô;fin gave his domestic servants the signal. They understood. They
got the pestle and hit it heavily on Se¾kunda‟s head. In the split
moment before his death, he remembered the warning of the Awo that
he had gone to meet, he remembered that he was indeed a baldheaded man, and realized to his everlasting regret that he was the one
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
who had actually pronounced himself to be used as part of the ẹbọ
materials. His corpse was sliced open, the I®yerô¾ o¾su¾n and palm-oil were
poured inside and he was deposited inside the river.
As soon as this was done, the situation in Ile;-Ife worsened. On that
very day, many evil things happened to the inhabitants of the land. Life
became very unbearable for the inhabitants. Many of them began to
contemplate leaving the land for other places altogether.
What is it that I need to do? OÙloô;fin questioned himself. He concluded
that he would continue to look for competent Ifá priests to come and
help him solve the problems until he got an Awo or group of Awo who
would find him a lasting solution and chase away the evil spirits
plaguing the land.
Iku;; to; pa e¾bu¾ e¾siô ;n n;beô l’oô;ru¾n ebe¾
Iku; to; pa baba oômoô
O: n; wa; oômoô kiri
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùwoô¾nni-we¾re¾
Ti; n; re;’le OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
What killed the yam piece that was planted last year
is still on the farm heap
What killed the father is still looking everywhere
for the child
These were Ifá‟s declarations to O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾
When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace on an Ifá mission
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
When OÙloô;fin heard that O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ was a very competent Babaláwo,
he sent for him to come and help him solve the problems in his land.
When O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ received the message of OÙloô;fin, he went to the
group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will I succeed
where two other great Babaláwo have failed?
The Awo told O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ to be very careful with where he was
going. He was told that there was the need for him to procure a lot of
287
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
beef, cook it well, and use it to feed O®Ùsu
ô n in the river. By so
doing, he was told, he would understand exactly what to do when he
got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace. He thanked the Awo and left.
When he got home, he went straight to the market to procure the beef.
He cooked the meat and took the soup to the river. As soon as he got
to the river, I®ya; O®Ùsôun appeared to him. O®Ùsôun asked him, why have you
come to feed me? He explained to O®Ùsôun that he was summoned by
OÙloô;fin to come and consult Ifá for him. Two other Babaláwo had earlier
gone to OÙloô;fin‟s palace but they never returned home. He said that that
was the reason why he was concerned. He had gone to his Awo and
they were the ones who advised him to come and feed O®Ùsôun before
going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace.
O®Ùsôun then told O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ that when he got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace and
after the Ifá consultation, he must not recommend more than four
pigeons and four sacks of cowries as ebo. He must also not
slaughter any of the pigeons. If OÙloô;fin asked him what remained to
do done, he must tell OÙloô;fin that what remained was the benefits which
OÙloô;fin would receive during the coming dry season. O®Ùsôun told O®Ùwoô¾nniWe¾re¾ to inform OÙloô;fin that before the end of the following dry season,
three great things would come to OÙloô;fin. The first two of these things
belonged to OÙloô;fin while the third and last one belonged to O®Ùwoô¾nniWe¾re¾, the Awo. She informed O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ that the third one that was
his would come from the river and must be taken directly to his
(O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾) house. When it had been taken it to his house, he
must lock all the doors and windows of his house before he began to
examine it. O®Ùwoôn
¾ ni-We¾re¾ thanked O®Ùsôun and left. The next day, he
headed for OÙloô;fin‟s palace.
When he got to OÙloô;fin‟s palace, he cast Ifá for OÙloô;fin, and again, Ogbe¾Do¾su¾mu; was revealed. He told OÙloô;fin that there was a series of
problems and crises in the land. Evil spirits had taken over the land. He
however assured OÙloô;fin that all the problems would soon disappear. He
said that there was no need to slaughter any animal, as doing so would
only invite more evil spirits to the land. He therefore recommended
four pigeons and four sacks of money as ẹbọ material. Are you
sure these are all the materials we need for the ẹbọ? OÙloô;fin asked.
O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ assured OÙloô;fin that he did not need more than those
items. He offered the ẹbọ for OÙloô;fin.
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As soon as the ẹbọ was offered, the crises and tension in the land
cooled down. Life returned to normal. Debtors in the land were able to
pay off their debts; the invalid became well and happy; the barren
became pregnant; the pregnant ones had safe deliveries; the farmers
recorded bountiful harvests. Everyone in the land became happy.
When the dry season arrived, a giant elephant left a forest and headed
for OÙloô;fin‟s palace. The elephant fell in front of OÙloô;fin‟s palace and
rested its trunk on the veranda of OÙloô;fin‟s house. The news spread like
wild fire and soon came to the notice of OÙloô;fin. People said it must be
one of the great gifts which O®Ùwoôn
¾ ni-We¾re¾ had predicted for OÙloô;fin.
OÙloô;fin summoned all able-bodied men around to help him dissect the
animal and bring the meat into his innermost chamber. They did so and
the whole town rejoiced with OÙloô;fin.
About three market days after (that is 13 days), a giant buffalo left the
grass-land and headed for OÙloô;fin‟s palace. When it got there, it fell and
rested its two horns on OÙloô;fin‟s veranda. The citizens proclaimed that
O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ had predicted this. They knew that it was the second free
gift that was predicted that had come OÙloô;fin‟s way. They helped him to
dissect the animal and took the parts into his palace‟s innermost
chamber.
Three market days later, early in the morning on the fourth market day,
women who went to the river to fetch water rushed back home to
announce that they saw a fish whose size they had never seen before.
The fish was twice the height and about four times the weight of a tall
human being! Where did this come from? They quickly went to report
their finding to OÙloô;fin.
When he heard this, OÙloô;fin told them that the fish belonged to O®Ùwoô¾nniWe¾re¾. He ordered that it must be taken to O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾‟s house. They
took the fish there. When O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ saw the fish, he knew that the
gift which I®ya; O®Ùsôun had told him had come his way and had just
arrived.
He locked the doors and windows as instructed by O®Ùsôun. He got his
knife ready. He began to slice the fish open. When he got to the belly
of the fish, he heard some voices telling him, “Gently, great Awo.
289
OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Please be careful. Do not cut us with your knife”! Fear gripped him.
What was this supposed to mean? Those inside the fish said; “Great
Awo, please continue with what you are doing. It is well”.
When he sliced open the fish‟s belly Ma¾ga¾la;ja;; was the first to come out.
After that, Se¾kunda; came out. They thanked him profusely. They asked
him to go and bring four knotted calabashes, known as “igba;du¾”. He
brought them. Ma¾ga¾la;ja;; and Se¾kunda; converted themselves into part
of the essences of Igba; Odu¾. They filled the four igba;du¾ and became
Igba; Odu¾. O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾ then fed them accordingly.
Those planning to undergo igba;du¾ ceremony began to visit O®Ùwoô¾nniWe¾re¾ and he began to use the Igba; Odu¾ for them. People then began
to feed them. (more cannot be explained beyond this point because we
need to preserve the secrets of Odù). Those who came to feed Odù or
undergo the igba;du¾ ceremony began to sing thus:
Igba; d'igba; a wa a¾joôboôô wa ni o
Igba; di'gba;; a wa a¾joôboô wa ni
Igba; I®re¾se; o, ti Gbe;ôna¾lo;ko¾
Igba; d'igba; a wa, a¾joôboô wa ni
Translation:
These calabashes have become our joint property that
we need to feed jointly
These calabashes have become our joint property that
we need to feed jointly
The calabashes of I®re¾se and those of Gbe;ôna¾lo;ko
These calabashes have become our joint property that
we need to feed jointly
NOTE: That was how everyone who needed to feed Igba; Odu¾ ensured
that they were done jointly. One set of Igba; Odu¾ is enough for one or
two whole towns to own and use together collectively. It is not
necessary for every Babaláwo to think of possessing Igba; Odu¾
individually.
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O®gbo;lo;gbo¾o; Oni;sôe¾gu¾n lo; su¾n l’e;ji¾gbo¾ôn
Lo; fi¾ o;n;de¾ e re¾ô roô’ri; poônpoôn-oônpoôn
Di;a; fu;n Ma¾ga¾la;ja;
Ti; n;loô ile; OÙlofô;in lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
EÙboô ni woôô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: f’eti; o¾ôtu;n gb’e;ôboôô
O: fi t’o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾
Bi; Babala;wo ba; gboô;’fa; l’a;gbo¾ôoô;ju¾
Ara a woôn ni woô;n n; ya¾n m’e;ôboô
Di;a; fu;n Se¾kunda;
Ti; n; re’le; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: koô’ti; o¾ôgboônyin s’eô;boô
Iku; to; p’e¾eb
¾ u¾ e¾siô ;n n;beô l’oô;ru¾n ebe¾
Iku; to; pa baba oômoô
O: n;wa; oômoô kiri
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®woô¾nni-We¾re¾
Ti; n;re’le; OÙloô;fin lo¾ôoô; gb’awo
EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e::ôboô,ô o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®je;ô igba; d'igba; a wa a¾joôboôô wa ni o
Igba; di'gba;; a wa a¾joôboô wa ni
Igba; I®re¾se; o, ti Gbe;ôna¾lo;ko¾
Igba; d'igba; a wa, a¾joôboô wa ni
Translation:
A great Herbalist was sleeping in the corner of a room
And was resting his head firmly on his leather charm belt
This was Ifá‟s message for Ma¾ga¾la;ja;
When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace for on an Ifá mission
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He heard the advice with his right ear
But threw the advice out with his left ear
If a Babaláwo understands Ifá too excessively
He will end up recommending himself as ẹbọ material
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
This was Ifá‟s message for Se¾kunda;
When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace on an Ifá mission
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He paid no attention to the advice
What killed the yam piece that was planted last year
is still on the farm heap
What killed the father is still looking everywhere
for the child
These were Ifá‟s declarations to O®Ùwoô¾nni-We¾re¾
When going to OÙloô;fin‟s palace on an Ifá mission
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Now, these calabashes have become our joint property
that we need to feed jointly
These calabashes have become our joint property that
we need to feed jointly
The calabashes of I®re¾se and those of Gbe;ôna¾lo;ko¾
These calabashes have become our joint property that
we need to feed jointly
Ifá says that it shall be well where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says also
that if there is any serious problem or crisis where this Odù is revealed,
the ẹbọ materials should not exceed four pigeons and four sacks of
money. If this is done, then normalcy will return to the place very
quickly. There should not be any slaughtering of any animal, lest
the presiding Awo put his/her life on the line. These are the messages
of Ifá on that matter.
11. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of wealth and accomplishment for
the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she shall
succeed.
Ifá advises this person never to sleep in total darkness. This is just to
enable Ajé the divinity of Wealth to see him/her wherever he/she sleeps
so that the Divinity can come and stay with him/her for the rest of
his/her life.
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Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with four pigeons and money.
After the ebo, feed E®sôu¾ with one mature cock and feed Ajé with
E®kuru, honey, and land snails.
On these aspects, Ifá says:
A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
To; ji; l’o;ro¾o¾ru Ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾
Ti; ko¾ ri; oo;kan a¾a; yoô oô; na;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni
He was the Awo who cast Ifá for Ogbe¾
Who woke up early in the morning
But had no money to spend
He was advised to offer eôboô
Ogbe¾ could not understand why he would work so hard without seeing
anything to justify all his hard work. He worked more than his
contemporaries, yet he was not as successful as any of them. True, he
was told that there was reward in working hard, but all what he got for
his own hard work, however, was starvation, want and hunger. When
would these end? He wondered. If he had no money to feed himself,
how could he even talk about marriage and children? Where would he
find the means to feed his wife and children? If he had no wife and
children, how could he ever dream of seeking permission from the head
of his family to erect his own personal building? What would he do with
it? Who would help him to do it? Who would live there with him even
if there was a miraculous development which made it possible for him
to erect his own personal structure? Without his own building, how
could he even dream about buying a horse? Where would he keep it?
Olo;du¾mare¾, is my life on earth a mere waste? Nobody really had faith
or belief in him at all. That was why he had no serious customers. Will
all these things change? Will I turn out to become a great person in my
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
life? These were the thoughts at the back of his mind when he
approached his Awo, A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni for Ifá consultation.
The Awo told Ogbè that he was fretting over his present condition in
life. A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni told him that it was totally unnecessary for him,
Ogbè, to work himself up because his success was just around the
corner. Ogbè was assured that he would certainly attain all the Ire of
life which he had chosen in O®rÙ un. He told Ogbè to be a little more
patient.
A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni explained to Ogbè that his destiny did not like to be in
total darkness. He said that he had remained poor because Ajé, the
Goddess of wealth, could not stay in his house because he loved to
sleep in total darkness. He was advised to ensure that he always put
on light in his room any time he wanted to sleep. He said that on
several occasions, Ajé had made attempts to come and stay with him
but she could not come because Ajé loved to move at night but she
always found his room in total darkness. This had always made Ajé turn
back and go elsewhere. Ogbè was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated
above. He complied. He also ensured that he put on light in his room
every time.
As soon as Ogbè offered the ẹbọ and started to put light in his room
every night, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ went to work, whispering into the ears of all the
people in the community that Ogbè was a very competent Ifá priest
who specialized in all matters of Ifá consultation. He informed the
people that whenever they needed any medical or spiritual service,
Ogbè‟s home must be their first port of call. That was exactly what the
people began to do.
Ogbè woke up one day and found a long line of people waiting to
consult Ifá from him. He quickly dressed up and began to consult Ifá
for all the people. The number of people trooping into his house was
so many that it was obvious that he needed assistants within a few
days that this started. Ogbè got two more hands as students.
As this was going on, some of his clients suggested to him that he
would need a wife who could be taking care of his domestic needs,
someone who he could have conversations with, have children with,
and raise his family with. He had the means to do this at that point in
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time. These clients and his family put their heads together. They found
Ogbè a compatible wife.
He loved the wife very much and the wife loved him too. In between
the two of them, they raised several children, both biological and
adopted.
Within a few years, it was obvious that the house he was using had
become very inadequate for the present size of his family. Ogbè, his
wife and children, together with many well-wishers erected a big
mansion. It was the talk of the whole community. Everyone in the
community came to rejoice with Ogbè on the achievement. To crown
the gain, Ogbè was presented with a horse by the Ϙba of the town. He
became an honourable man in his community. He was loved and
respected by all. When Ogbè looked at the way his life had changed
within a short period of time, he began to give many thanks and praises
to Olo;du¾mare.
A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
To; ji; l’o;ro¾o¾ru Ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾
Ti; ko¾ ri; oo;kan a¾a; yoô oô; na;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
N®je;ô Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n
A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni
Owo; fe;ôreô¾e;ô de; na; o
A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni
Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n
Aya fe;rô eô¾eô; de; na; o
A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni
Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n
OÙmoô feô;reô¾eô; de; na;
A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni
Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n
Ile; fe;ôreô¾eô; de; na;
A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni
Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n
EÙsôin feô;re¾ôeô; de; na;
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni
Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n
Ire gbogbo fe;ôre¾ôeô; de; na;
A®lu¾ki;nri;njingi;nni
Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾
EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni
He was the Awo who cast Ifá for Ogbè
Who woke up early in the morning
But had no money to spend
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Ogbè, please do not fall asleep
Wealth is coming soon
A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni
Ogbè, please do not fall asleep
A spouse is coming soon
A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni
Ogbè, please do not fall asleep
Children are coming soon
A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni
Ogbè please do not fall asleep
Property is coming soon
A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni
Ogbè, please do not fall asleep
Horses are coming soon
A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni
Ogbè, please do not fall asleep
All the good things of life are coming soon
A®lu¾ki;nnri;njingi;nni
Ogbè, please do not fall asleep
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
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Ifá assures this person that he/she shall be blessed with all the Ire of
life. There is nothing that he/she fervently wishes for which will not be
given to him/her. He/she needs not despair or lose hope.
12. Ifá warns that there is a fair-skinned woman where this Odù is
revealed. This woman is Ifá‟s daughter and wife from heaven. No man
who has not undergone I®te¾ôni;fa; ceremony can marry her and have a
successful relationship. If anyone wishes to marry her, then the person
must be advised to go for initiation as soon as possible.
On the other hand, if a man is already initiated into Ifá and wishes to
marry this woman, a thorough investigation must be made to ensure
that this woman is not with an Awo already. If this woman is not with
anyone already, then further steps can be taken.
Ifá advises the man planning to marry this woman to offer ẹbọ with
four rats, four fish, two hens and money. The woman needs to
offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two cocks and money. She also
needs to feed Ifá as recommended.
On these aspects, Ifá says:
A su;re; ni;’nu; e¾ôeô¾kan
Ko¾ sôe l’o;ri; asa;n
Bi; ko¾ ba; le; nn¾kan
Nn¾kan lo; n; le; e
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Teô;e;ôreô;
Ti; yo;o; sô’oôkoô I®rosu¾n pupa
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
He who runs inside the blade grass
It cannot be for nothing
If he is not pursuing something
Then something is pursuing him
This was Ifá‟s message for the Slender Ogbè
When planning to marry the light skinned I®rosu¾n
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Since the time that I®rosu¾n was born, her parents had been told that she
could not marry any man who was not initiated into Ifá. This was
because she had certain characteristics that only someone who was
initiated into Ifá, casted Ifá, and offered ẹbọ regularly could handle her.
For this reason, she had resisted all proposals from all men who had
approached her to be their wife, especially if they informed her that
they were not initiated into Ifá.
One day, Ogbè met I®rosu¾n on the road and became attracted to her.
Ogbè was a slim tall man while I®rosu¾n was a fair skinned woman. He
could not concentrate any longer. He longed to see her and stay close
to her all day. When this was becoming very unbearable to him, he
informed his relatives. That was when they went to the home of the
Awo stated above for Ifá consultation: Will Ogbè be able to marry
I®rosu¾n? Will the relationship be peaceful and will it be blessed with
children? Will both of them live long and enjoy the fruits of their
labour? Will there be no regrets from both families?
The Awo informed them that the woman in question was an Apet¾ô eb
ô¾ i;
from heaven therefore, she had to marry an initiated man. Since Ogbè
had already been initiated into Ifá, the relationship stood a good chance
of succeeding. The Awo however informed them that they needed to
investigate in order to ensure that I®rosu¾n was not involved with another
man already.
The Awo advised them to offer ẹbọ as stated above. They complied
and left the home of the Awo to go and investigate I®rosu¾n.
Their investigation revealed that I®rosu¾n had no man. They also
discovered that she was a very kind-hearted and attentive person.
When they discovered this, the family of Ogbè was very happy. They
sent people to the family of I®rosu¾n in order to inform them of their
interest to have I®rosu¾n be a part of their family.
The family of I®rosu¾n did their own investigations, both physical and
spiritual. They found that both of them stood a good chance of living
happily as husband and wife.
Before long, the marriage was
contracted. Both of them lived happily ever after. They were equally
blessed with children, long life and sound health.
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A su;re; ni;nu; e¾ek
¾ an
Ki¾i; sôe l’o;ri; asa;n
Bi; ko¾ ba; le; nn¾kan
Nn¾kan n; le;e
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾ Te;ôeô;re;ô
Ti; yo;o; sôô’oôkoô I®rosu¾n Pupa
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
He who runs inside the blade-grass
It cannot be for nothing
If he is not pursuing something
Then something is pursuing him
This was Ifá‟s message for the Slender Ogbè
When planning to marry the light-skinned I®rosu¾n
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Before long, not too far
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Ifá says that it shall be well for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed. Ifá says that the relationship shall be blessed and rewarded
for both the man and the woman.
13. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of pregnancy and bouncing baby for
a woman who is desperately in need of the fruit of the womb. Ifá says
that this woman has toiled and cried endlessly to receive this blessing
for a long time and all to no avail.
Ifá advises this woman to continue to be positive as her time to receive
her own blessing is at hand. She must not think about how much she
has spent to receive help as Ifá will answer her prayers.
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
Ifá also advises her to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens
and a lot of money. She also needs to feed Ajé with whatever Ifá
recommends for feeding the Divinity.
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ da;'wo;ô O®su¾ teô’leô¾ jinngi;nni
Di;a; fu;n Are;bu¾jo;
E®yi; to; ji; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾
To; n;f’omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾ used O®su¾ as a walking stick and stepped gingerly
This was Ifá‟s message for Are;bu¾jo;
She who was waking up early in the morning
And weeping profusely in lamentation for her inability
to bear any child
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
Every morning of her marital life, she would weep. Why? She was yet
to be blessed with the fruit of the womb. Imagine this, she would say,
a fowl which has nobody to take care of her medically or spiritually is
able to lay several eggs and hatch them without any form of assistance.
Yet, she has moved from one herbal home to the other for several
years and has not had any pregnancy at all! A small she-goat was
given to her neighbour just a year ago. This she-goat had delivered two
small kids of her own and was again pregnant! If the deities could
answer the prayers of birds and beast, why were her own prayers
remaining unanswered? Why? She cried.
When would her sorrow end? She searched for solutions in far distant
places and found none. She looked for solutions around her, there was
also none. That was when she was advised by a neighbour to try Ogbè
and see if Olo;du¾mare¾ would answer her prayer. This prompted her to
go to the home of the Awo for Ifá consultation. Will I be blessed with
the fruit of the womb? Will I have a baby of my own? Will I be a
mother who has given birth to her own baby and quit the league of
barren women? Will my wailing stop? Will I have my own children that
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I will be able to send on errands? She remembered vividly one incident
which made her feel depressed for a very long time. She remembered
when she sent her neighbour‟s son out to buy something for her in the
market. The boy went eagerly. As soon as the boy left, the mother
marched into her house, complaining that she did not like her son being
sent on such errands. What if his father was to return home and did not
meet his son at home? She gave Are;bu¾jo; a piece of advice though:
why don‟t you pray to Olo;du¾mare¾ to give you your own child, instead
of sending other people‟s children on errands?
Well, it was not the woman‟s fault. It was her own Ori; destiny who
allowed such an insult to be passed on to her. That was what she
thought about until she got to Ogbè‟s home. She asked Ogbè to consult
Ifá for her. Ogbè did. Ogbe¾-Do¾su¾mu; was revealed during Ifá
consultation. The Awo told her that Ifá foresaw two Ire for her: The Ire
of wealth and the Ire of a baby. Ogbè said that she would be very
happy and would have cause to celebrate. She was told that she would
be able to bear babies who would grow up in one day and she would
bear babies who she would give her own breast milk to and train to her
satisfaction. The children she would bear who would grow up in one
day were not the ones who would suck her breast milk; they were the
ones who would be weaned and trained by other women. The two sets
of children would make her happy and fulfilled. The Awo advised her to
continue to do good and to spend her money on the right courses and
projects. She must also assist people in the community and ensure that
her presence is always felt in all community projects. The Awo also
advised her to offer ẹbọ with the materials stated above. She
complied.
As soon as she returned home, she intensified her good deeds in her
home, her environment and in the whole neighbourhood.
She
extended her good will to all.
About five days after, Are;bu¾jo; carried her keg to go and fetch water in
the stream. One of her neighbours saw her. She rushed out of her
home and said: “No! You should not do that. Let my daughter fetch
the water for you. She is your daughter too. Remember, anytime you
want to fetch water, call her and she will do it for you. The girl is your
daughter”. Are;bu¾jo; thanked the woman profusely. The water was
fetched for her. Every day, the girl would come to her to ask for what
she needed to do in the house. Before long, the girl packed her things
and moved into Are;bu¾jo;‟s house to live.
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OGBE® I®ROSU®N
At another time, Are;bu¾jo; grabbed her cutlass to go into the forest to
look for firewood. A man saw her and stopped her from going. “Why
are you going into the forest to cut wood? My son can do that for you.
He is equally your son. Anytime you need to do something like that,
call him and he will do it for you”.
Before long, the boy packed his things and moved into Are;bu¾jo;‟s house.
Within six months, Are;bu¾jo; had five children living with her. That was
when she remembered what the Awo told her that she would bear
children in one day and the children would grow up in one day. She
also remembered that the Awo said that she would not be the person
who had breast fed the children.
Two months after the ẹbọ was offered, Are;bu¾jo; became pregnant.
She needed a lot of rest. The children in her house were doing all the
domestic chores that she would hitherto have been doing. They
washed the clothes, the dishes and the floor for her. They swept the
ground, they fetched water, they cut firewood, they went to the market
and would do all other work that made life easier for Are;bu¾jo;.
By the time Are;bu¾jo; gave birth to her first child, she already had five
other children. Her joy knew no bound. The whole community rejoiced
with her. She later gave birth to many more children. She lived and
died a very contented woman. She agreed that money put into the
right use could make one give birth to a child in one day and the child
would be able to go on errands for one on that very day!
Ogbe¾ da;’wo;;ô O®su¾ teô’leô¾ jinngi;;nni
Di;a; fu;n Are;bu¾jo;
E®yi; to; ji; ni; ku¾tu¾ku¾tu¾
To; n;f’omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; wo¾ôwoô; oômoô rere
Woô¾wo;ô oômoô rere la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙ®pe¾ô
N®je;ô Are;bu¾jo; O®ôÙja¾ja¾
Owo; ni;i; bi;’moô l’o;o¾jo;ô
T’o¾un ti¾’kooro l’eô;nu o
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Translation:
Ogbe¾ used O®su¾ as a walking stick and stepped gingerly
This was Ifá‟s message for Are;bu¾jo;
She who was waking up early in the morning
And weeping profusely in lamentation for her inability to
bear any child
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
She complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of good children
Good children are what Ifá guarantees
Behold Are;bu¾jo; O®Ùja¾ja¾
Money is it that gives birth to a child in one day
And the child will have all his teeth complete
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall have her
dreams fulfilled. She will live happily and die content.
14. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed has a friend
who is very dear to him/her. This friend also thinks high of him/her and
is ready to do anything he/she can to improve the quality ofhis/her
friend‟s life. Unfortunately however, this friend finds it difficult to be
present any time his/her friend is doing something.
This is either due to the fact that the friend has problems with his/her
legs or his/her work schedule is such that it is difficult for him/her to be
present.
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to take
the patience of ensuring that this friend is present anytime he/she is
doing anything. The friend‟s presence will add quality to whatever
he/she is doing. Ifá says that both of them will help each other.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two hens, two
cocks, two guinea fowls and money. He/she also needs to move
close to his/her parents all the time.
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On this, Ifá; says:
Ogbe¾ da;'wo;ô o¾su¾ teô’leô¾
O: du;ro; jinngi;nni
Di;a; fu;n E®®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾
Ti; yo;o; gbe; O®su¾ de;’gbo;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾ struck O®su¾ down
It stood gingerly
This was Ifá‟s message for ®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ (the Shoulders)
Who would help carry O®su¾ to the Igbo;du¾
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
O®su¾ was the best friend of E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro. They loved each other dearly.
Unfortunately, anytime that E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro had anything to do, O®su¾ was
never present. This was because O®su¾ could not walk. Anytime that
E®ji¾ka; was doing anything, he would have to contend with missing the
energy of his best friend. This gave him much concern. That was why
E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation:
What can I do to help my best friend?
The Awo told E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro that O®su¾ was very important to have in
anything that he was doing. His absence in all rituals and initiations
which E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro was doing was a big minus. Consequent upon this,
E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro was advised to ensure that O®su¾ was carried by him to the
Igbo;du¾ anytime that an initiation rite was to be performed. By so doing,
E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro was assured, it would be beneficial to both friends.
The Awo also advised E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He
complied. The next time that initiation was to be performed, E®ji¾ka;Go¾go¾ro made it a point of duty to carry O®su¾ to the Igbo;du¾. It was a
grand performance that the two friends recorded.
Before long, E®ji¾ka;-Go¾go¾ro ensured that O®su¾ was not too far away from
the Igbo;du¾. This made it more convenient for both friends. They both
recorded more successes than ever before.
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Ogbe¾ da;’wo;ô o¾su¾ teô’leô¾
O: du;ro; jinngi;nni
Di;a; fu;n E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾
Ti; yo;o; gbe; O®su¾ de;’gbo;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
N®jeô; eôni eôni l’oni;ra¾nwo;ô eôni o
EÙniô eôni l’oni;ra¾nwoô; eôni
E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro¾ ni yo;o; gb’O:su¾ de;’gbo;
EÙni eôni l’oni;ra¾nwo;ô eôni o
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;;a; ba; ni ni; wo¾ôwoô; ire gbogbo
Translation:
Ogbe¾ struck O®su¾ down
It stood gingerly
This was Ifá‟s message for E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro (the Shoulders)
Who will help carry O®su¾ to the Igbo;du¾
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
One‟s person is one‟s helper
One‟s person is one‟s supporter
E®ji¾ka; Go¾go¾ro is the one to carry O®su¾ to Igbo;du¾
One‟s person is one‟s helper
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life
Ifá says that it shall be well for two friends who genuinely love each
other. Their relationship shall be mutually beneficial to the two of
them.
15. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed loves
children beyond description. Ifá says that for this reason, he/she shall
enjoy the benefits of children and young ones. He/she shall also be
loved, honoured and respected by the children. They will not live to do
anything to hurt him/her because they know that he/she has suffered
for them.
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Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two rats, two fish, two
hens and money. He/she also needs to feed Ifá as appropriate.
On this, Ifá says:
I®lu; ke;re;je, ki¾ki¾ ohu¾n gooro
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; ko¾ ni; le¾ su¾n
Ni;tori; oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;;a; sôe
Translation:
A small town with loud voices
This was Ifá‟s message for Ogbè
Who was not able to sleep
Because of children
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
Ogbè could not sleep because of his children. How could he sleep? He
had suffered a lot before he could give birth to these children. He
suffered even more when he was raising them. He suffered to ensure
that they became useful children to him and to themselves. How could
he sleep, when there were many fearful and fearsome things happening
everyday out there? He could not sleep because he feared for his
children. He could not sleep because he loved his children very much.
He could not sleep because his children had not reached the height that
he prayed Olo;du¾mare¾ and all the 401 Iru;nmoôleô¾ to let them be. He could
not sleep because there was still a very long way to go. This was the
reason why he went for Ifá consultation: Will my children be useful to
me, to themselves and to the society at large? Will they be protected
against all the dangers of life? Will they live long enough to succeed?
These and many more were the questions that he asked Ifá during the
consultation.
The Awo informed Ogbè that even though he had every reason to be
apprehensive on the welfare and well-being of his children, he however
needed to take things easy because only Olo;du¾mare¾ could take care of
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children. If not for Olo;du¾mare¾, he, Ogbè, too would be totally
powerless to do anything about his children. This was not to suggest
that he needed not perform his parental roles on the children though.
Ogbè was assured that these children would turn out to be great
children who would all make his life easy, who would make him proud
and happy, and who would became great ambassadors of their family,
their community and the whole society at large.
The Awo advised Ogbè to offer ẹbọ as stated above, ensure that the
children were given the necessary parental guidance and leave the rest
in the hands of Olo;du¾mare¾. That was exactly what Ogbè did. In turn,
the children turned out to be exactly whom Ogbè wanted them to be.
I®lu; ke;re;je, ki¾ki¾ ohu¾n gooro
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; ko¾ ni; le su¾n
Ni;tori; oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;to¾le; ire
A®to¾le; Ire la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ O®Ùpeô¾
N®jeô; i¾lu; ke;re;je o
Ogbe¾ ma; ma¾ su¾n
Translation:
A small town with loud voices
This was Ifá‟s message for Ogbè
Who was not able to sleep
Because of children
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life
Piling up all the Ire of life is what Ifá guarantees
its devotees
Now, The small town
Ogbè, please do not sleep
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Ifá says that all shall be well for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed. The must ensure to socialize their children well and be a role
model for them and others.
16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed not to be a
doubter. If he/she fails to heed this warning, it may spell doom for
him/her.
Ifá advises this person not to go out when it is dark for 17 days.
Heeding this warning will help him/her ward off any impending disaster
coming his/her way.
Ifá also advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature she-goat,
his/her coverlet and money. The she-goat must not be slaughtered.
All that the Awo needs to do is cut a tiny part of the goat‟s ear in such a
way that blood will not come out of the cut part, cut a part of the rope
used to tie the goat, and cut tiny parts off the four edges of the
coverlet and put all these into the ẹbọ. The ẹbọ is to then be buried by
the E®®sôu¾ shrine. The Awo is then to take the goat away live. The Awo is
free to do whatever pleases him/her with the goat when he/she takes it
to his/her own house.
This is what Ifá says on this aspect:
Aa;ya;n ile; ni;i; fe;ô’raa woôn l’e;ti;-l’e;ti
O®Ùoô¾ku¾n gi¾di¾gba¾ ni¾;i; ri¾n t’araare¾ô-t’araareô¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙÙloô;fin ade;ôja¾a;
Wo;ôn ni; ko; f’asôoô ru;’boô ni;tori; iku;
Translation:
Cockroaches are insects which blow air into each other ears
The millipede is the animal that walks alone on the road
This was Ifá‟s message for doubting OÙloô;fin
Who was advised to offer his coverlet as ẹbọ in order
to avert untimely death
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What kind of dream was this? OÙloô;fin wondered. Why must he see
himself being pierced with arrows, spears and javelins in his dream? To
make matters worse, all those who came to his rescue just stood by
watching the massacre scene. Certainly, his enemies were at work, he
concluded.
But wait a moment; the weapons which were used were actually
brought out from the palace. Not only this, he was the one who
handed over the weapons to them before they turned them against
him! What was this supposed to mean? Surely, there is conspiracy
against him by those close to him. Well, he knew how to deal with
that, he assured himself.
As soon as he woke up in the morning, he rounded up all the palace
guards and locked them up. Not only this, he ensured that a new set
of palace guards were put in their places immediately. Those who
planned to use the guards against him would be surprised and
disappointed, he assured himself with a deep sense of satisfaction.
He went to sleep in the evening of that day with a high sense of relief.
At night, however, he had the same dream, this time around, with more
people hitting and striking him with weapons. He saw his blood flowing
freely with nobody to come to his aid!
When he woke up, he realized with a deep sense of urgency that this
was more than the conspiracy of his enemies. He concluded that there
was the need for him to consult Ifá as quickly as possible. He therefore
summoned the Awo mentioned above to come and consult Ifá for him
urgently. What is the meaning of these dreams that I have had? Who
are these enemies planning against him? What must I do to overcome
them? After overcoming these enemies, what punishment must be
meted out to them to serve as a deterrent to others?
The Awo consulted Ifá and informed OÙloô;fin that even though death was
hovering round his head, it was not as a result of anyone or any group
conspiring against him. He was informed that a bad omen was around
him at that particular point in time. Not only that, life-threatening spirits
were surrounding him. They had settled down with him in preparation
to snuffing out his life.
The Awo advised OÙloô;fin to offer ẹbọ as stated above. He was also
advised not to go out at night for 17 days. He was assured that if
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these advices could be kept, then the evil spirits would pack up and
leave him alone.
OÙloô;fin was very skeptical of the fact that nobody was responsible for
the threat to his life. Nonetheless, he offered the ẹbọ as advised. He
began to plan frantically to ensure that his enemies were dealt with
ruthlessly. He ordered four of his guards to be on the alert every night.
These guards were:
O®ri;si;nsi;n-tasi;n oôdeô OÙlo;ôfin
O®ri;si¾nsi¾n-tasi¾n oôdeô OÙloô;fin
Atama;ta¾se; oôdeô OÙloô;fin
O®ri;yii-ta¾ri;-o¾yi¾i¾yi oôdeô OÙloô;fin
Translation:
O®ri;nsi;nsi;n-tasi;n OÙloô;fin‟s guard
O®ri;si¾nsi¾n-tasi¾n another guard of OÙloô;fin
The-Expert-Whose-Shot-Never-Misses-its-Target,
OÙloô;fin‟s guard
O®ri;yi ta¾ri; o¾yi¾i¾yi, OÙloô;fin‟s guard
OÙloô;fin instructed them that if they saw any movement around his main
chamber in the palace any time at any night henceforth, they must
shoot first and ask questions later. He went inside and brought out
more bows and arrows, spears and javelins for the guards. He felt
secured after this.
In the evening when he went to bed, his favourite wife came to his
room and told OÙloô;fin that she would like to have a word with him.
OÙloô;fin let her in. As soon as she sat down, she said, “Ka;bi;es¾ i;, is it wise
for fraudsters to come inside this palace to dupe you? Can‟t you see
that these people no longer fear or respect your Royal Majesty? Why
do you allow tricksters to be close to this palace in the first place?”
OÙloô;fin looked at his favourite wife, but he could not understand what
exactly she meant. “What are you trying to tell me, dear? Let me
know who has come to dupe me in this palace.”
“Your so-called Babaláwo have come to dupe you! They were the ones
who have come to cheat you! They are liars and cheats! Those bunch
of incompetent fools! They must be dealt with ruthlessly!”
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“What exactly did they do? I must know before I take any action.”
“You want to know? Surely, you shall know. Did those thieves who call
themselves Babaláwo not tell you that they were going to bury the goat
and your coverlet by the E®sôu¾ shrine? I was watching the bastards
when they were offering the ẹbọ for you. They didn‟t know that I was
watching them. What did I see? They cut the rope on the neck of the
goat, the skin of the ear of the goat, bits of cloth from the four edges of
your coverlet and buried all these things together with the ẹbọ. They
took away the goat and your coverlet right in my presence! I swear!
Those Babaláwo are thieves!
“Is that so?” OÙloô;fin asked incredulously. "Ok, don‟t worry my dear, I
shall take appropriate action. Those Awo will be taught a lesson that
will serve as a deterrent to others. Go and have your well-deserved
sleep”.
As soon as his favourite wife left, OÙloô;fin began to roll over what he had
just heard in his mind. “So, these Awo are thieves. So they were the
ones who put imprecations on me to have such terrible and terrifying
dreams in order for them to come and dupe me of my she goat and
coverlet. Anyway, they will suffer. I swear by the spirit of my
forefathers. They will suffer!” OÙloô;fin declared repeatedly.
As he was doing this, he was also planning the type of punishment for
them. After much deliberation, he concluded that the most appropriate
punishment for the two Babaláwo was for them to be burnt alive.
When he settled this in his mind, he settled down to sleep.
Even though he had settled the punishment of the two Babaláwo in his
mind when he settled down to sleep, his mind could not settle. Why?
Something kept nagging him that he had not investigated the allegation
to be sure that what his favourite wife was telling him was the truth.
How could his wife lie to him? He queried in his mind, yet the nagging
did not stop. That was when he stood up in the middle of the night to
go and investigate. Truly, if he investigated, his assurance would be
double and all doubts would be removed completely.
As he moved to go, he toyed with the idea of going with a lamp. What
for? Something told him. There was no need to take a lamp. There was
no point in disturbing other people in the palace. As he was going, he
smiled to himself: he was a very good investigator who his subjects
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ought to praise and respect. If not for his royal calling, he would have
been a full-time spy or investigator, he mused.
When he got to the E®sôu¾ shrine, he saw freshly dug and covered sand
beside the shrine. He knew that it must be the site where the thieves
who called themselves Babaláwo had buried his ẹbọ. He used his hand
to dig the soil. As he did so, his hand touched the rope that was used
to tie the she goat. He pulled the rope; and behold, the full goat was
pulled out, together with his coverlet! The goat began to bleat loudly!
As the goat began to bleat, this attracted OÙloô;fin‟s four hunters/guards.
They wasted no time in unleashing their poisoned weapons in the
direction of the sound. After all, they had the standing order of OÙloô;fin
himself to shoot first and ask questions later.
The arrow struck OÙloô;fin in the throat and came out the other side of his
neck; the spear struck him in the chest and pierced through his heart
and came out at his back; the javelin struck him in the stomach, tore
open his liver and came out from his back; and the boomerangs sliced
his bowels open. Blood flowed everywhere. In the split second before
his death, he remembered his two dreams and recollected that he was
the one who had given the guards the weapons with which he was
struck dead. He died by the E®sôu¾ shrine.
A:a;yan ile; ni;i; fe;ô’raa woôn l’e;ti;-l’e;ti;
O®Ùoô¾ku¾n gi¾di¾gba¾ ni;i; ri¾n t’araare¾ô-t’araareô¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙloô;fin ade;ôja¾¾a;
Wo;ôn ni; ko; f’asôoô ru;’boô ni;tori; iku;
O: gb'e;ôboô, o ru;’boô
SÙu¾gboô;n ko¾¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô moô;
A®woôn O®ri;si;nsi;n-tasi;n oôdeô OÙlo;ôfin
O®ri;si¾nsi¾n-tasi¾n oôdeô OÙloô;fin
Atama;ta¾se; oôdeô OÙloô;fin
O®ri;yii-ta¾ri;-o¾yi¾i¾yi oôdeô OÙloô;fin
OÙlo;ôfin o¾ ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ô
I®® ba; wa;a; f’owo; sôô’a¾ru;fi;n eôboô
E®ro¾ I®po e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾
EÙni gb’eô;boô ni;’be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô o
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Translation:
Cockroaches are insects which blow air into each other ears
The millipede is the animal that walks alone on the road
This was Ifá‟s message for doubting OÙloô;fin
Who was advised to offer his coverlet as ẹbọ in order to avert
untimely death
He offered the eôboô
But he refused to respect the warning
O®ri;nsi;nsi;n-tasi;n, OÙloô;fin‟s guard
O®ri;si¾nsi¾n-tasi¾n, another guard of OÙloô;fin
The expert whose shot never misses its target,
OÙloô;fin‟s guard
O®ri;yi ta¾ri; o¾yi¾i¾yi, OÙloô;fin‟s guard
Had OÙloô;fin known the implication
He would have offered the prescribed eôboô
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Let those warned to offer eôboô do so
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will not be
allowed to die a violent death. He/she however MUST heed the
warnings of Ifá. He/she must NEVER doubt his/her Awo.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
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B.
SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® DO®SU®MU: FOR THOSE
BORN BY THIS ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA:
Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, have the potential to
succeed in life. They are also blessed with the ability to live a fulfilled
life and achieve self realization in their various fields of endeavour.
They tend to succeed more in rural areas than in urban centres.
This is not to suggest that they cannot succeed in urban centres as
well; but the point is that their success chances are brighter in rural
settings than in urban settings. This is the reason why it is very good
for Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, to set up their work
places in the rural areas. They may live in urban centres but they
should work in rural areas. They may also live and work in rural areas
in order to double their success chances.
Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, will do much better if they
and all their siblings are initiated together or one after the other. Doing
so will make their luck and success potentials rise together and they will
all be able to realise their hearts' desires together.
For Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, their ability to survive serious ailments is
incredible. No matter how serious ailments may be, they have the
tendency of overcoming such ailments and bouncing back to normalcy
and sound health. The moment that Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children undergo
Ifá initiation, that is when miracles begin to enter into their lives. The
importance of this is that Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females,
live their lives with the blessing of sound health and vitality.
At the initial stage, Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, may
experience some hardship in their lives. All what they need to do is to
persevere. With perseverance and resilience, all their sufferings,
struggles, toiling and hardships in their lives will disappear. They will in
turn be blessed with peace of mind, comfort, contentment, and
accomplishment.
It is not a wise thing for anyone to antagonise Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children
unjustly. Anyone who attempts this will be crushed because the
children of Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; have the support of Ifá, Orí, E®sôu-¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾¾, and
O®ri¾sôa¾ Oko. These four Iru;nmoôleô¾ are solidly behind them and they
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always assist them in crushing all their antagonists. As an adjunct to
this, Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children always make impossible things possible.
They have the blessing of Ifá, E®sôu-¾ O®Ùda¾ra, SÙan
¾ go; and OÙya and they will
never allow this person to be disgraced or humiliated in any venture
that they set their minds on. Their secrets can never be exposed to
those who are not supposed to know them.
When offering the ẹbọ of Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu;, on no condition must there
be slaughtering of any animal. Also the Ikin of Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children
must never be fed with blood of any kind. This is very important to
note in order to avoid a situation where blood spilling will lead to more
complications instead of solving any problem.
Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; male and female children are generally very inquisitive,
they love to see and know what are behind closed doors. They are
never satisfied with accepting that there is something or anything that
they are not supposed to see or touch. They want to know everything
and see everything. Many times, when Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children are in
deep trouble, their curiosity and inquisitiveness are responsible for the
trouble.
For all Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; female children it is advisable for them to marry
people who are either Ifá practitioners or those who are initiated into
Ifá. It is a taboo for all Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; female children to be involved in
adultery or promiscuity. Doing so may make their Orí turn against
them and refuse to support them in any of their undertakings in life.
For Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; male children, they must never be dishonest or
cheat in their businesses and in their love lives. They must also
investigate extensively before they get involved in any business
transaction or any love relationship. Doing this will help them avoid
suffering, gnashing of teeth and regrets.
Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children, males and females, love their children deeply,
both biological and adopted, with passion. This is the reason why
Olo;du¾mare¾ makes it possible for them to enjoy the benefits of children
and young ones. The children that they give birth to and raise have the
potential to be useful to themselves, to their parents, to their
contemporaries, to their communities and to their countries at large.
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On the overall, Ogbe¾ Do¾su¾mu; children live their lives in such a way
that they leave their marks on the sand of time that it becomes very
difficult to forget them in a haste.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾.
C.
AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ/® O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® DO®SU®MU:
1. Ifá - For success, victory, direction, leadership, elevation, sanctuary,
protection, security, support, contentment, fulfilment, and self
actualisation
2. Orí - For fulfilment of destiny, guidance, protection, leadership,
support, sanctuary, elevation, protection, contentment and self
realisation
3. E®su
ô ¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾ - For support, sanctuary, protection, victory, leadership,
elevation, achievement, direction, protection, and overall wellbeing.
4. O®gu;n (especially that of the Blacksmiths) - For success, victory,
inspiration, guidance, direction, support, leadership, and overall
wellbeing
5. O®ri¾sa
ô -¾ Oko- For financial success, victory, support, leadership,
elevation, and general wellbeing
6. SÙan
¾ go;- For victory, support, achievement, leadership, protection,
sanctuary, and general wellbeing
7. O®su¾- For sanctuary, support, sound health, success, and general
wellbeing
8. EÙgbeô;- For success, leadership, victory, comradeship, direction, and
general wellbeing
9. O®Ùsu
ô n- For childbearing, childrearing, success, victory, compatible
spouse selection, direction, guidance and general success
10. O®ri¾sa
ô ¾ O®ke¾- For leadership, victory over enemies, sanctuary,
protection and general wellbeing
11. Odu¾¾- For financial success, leadership, general acceptance,
elevation, protection, and general wellbeing
12. Aje; - For financial success, elevation, contentment, leadership, self
realization and general wellbeing
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D.
TABOOS OF OGBE DO®SU®MU:
1. Must never eat Okra - To avoid a threat to the lives of his/her
children, unconsummated fortune and failure
2. Must not go out at night - To avoid a threat to one‟s life,
unconsummated fortune, failure, regrets and disaster
3. Must never put blood on his/her Ikin - To avoid
unconsummated fortune, threat to life, failure, regrets and disaster
4. Must never be avaricious - To avoid unconsummated fortune,
failure, humiliation, and regrets
5. Must never engage in secret love affairs/promiscuity - To
avoid unconsummated fortune, dwindling resources, failure, regrets and
disappointment
6. Must never ignore his/her dreams - To avoid regrets, and
disappointments
7. Must never plan to disgrace or humiliate anyone - To avoid
unconsummated fortune, failure, disappointment, regrets and disaster
8. Must never be in a hurry to achieve success - To avoid failed
opportunities, disappointments and regrets
9. Must not walk bare footed, especially on farms - To avoid
serious injury that may lead to a threat to one‟s life
10. Must never abandon his wife when she is ill - To avoid losing
her to the healer who treats her.
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E.
POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® DO®SU®MU:
i.
MALE
1. Do¾su¾mu; - I hold onto the O®su¾ staff for support
2. Ifa;so
ô ôla; - Ifa; brings me honour
3. Ifa;gbe;miga - Ifa; elevates me
4. Ifa;sa
ô yoô¾ - Ifa; brings joy
5. Ifa;se
ô ô;gun - Ifa; gives me victory
6. Ifa;ra¾nmi;lo;ôwoô; - Ifa; comes to my aid
7. O®ke¾se
ô ô;gun - O®ke¾ brings me victory
ii.
FEMALE
1. Ala;la¾at; a¾ - She who turns her dreams into money making ventures
2. Ifa;da;ra¾ - Ifa; performs wonders in my life
3. Ifa;sa
ô yoô¾ - Ifa; brings me joy
4. O®ke¾gba¾mi;la¾ - O®ke¾ comes to my rescue
5. Odu¾so
ô ôla; - Odu¾ brings me honour and prosperity
6. Ayo¾m
ô i;de; - My joy has arrived
A®boôru; A®boôye¾.
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Chapter 5
Ogbè Ọ̀wọ́nrín
II I
II I
II
II
319
OGBE® OÙ®WOÙ:NRI:N
OGBE® WU:N’LE:
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
A.1. Ifá says that, for a person born by this Odù during I®te¾ôni;fa; or
I®koôseô¾da;ye;, at least six different kinds of Ire are coming for him/her
within four days. If this person does not have these Ire in his/her
hands, the foundation of all the Ire will be laid within the four days.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with six pigeons and money.
There is also the need to feed Ifá with whatever Ifá prescribes for this
person.
On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ hu;n’le;
Ile; la¾a; hu;n
Di;a; fu;n O®ôru;nmi¾la¾
Baba yo;o; ri; ire me;ôfa¾ ni;’re¾ni;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbè, please mind your home
It is one’s home that one should mind was the declaration
of Ifá to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When going to be the recipient of six Ire in four days
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
The dream convinced him that some things of great significance were
about to take place in his life. But what were they? OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ could not
readily put his fingers to it. Much as he tried to understand the
dream, he realized that there were too many possible explanations to
the dream. To be very sure of what the dream was all about,
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ summoned his Awo who incidentally was one of his former
students to come and consult Ifá for him. During Ifá consultation,
Ogbe¾ OÙ®woôô;nri;n was revealed.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he was approaching six different Ire of
life which would change his life forever. Not only that, these Ire would
also make all those who came in contact with him to view him with
more honour and respect. The Awo advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ
with six pigeons and money. He was also advised to feed his Ifá as
appropriate. The Awo explained further that Olo;du¾mare¾ had placed
him under close observation and the report which Olo;du¾mare¾ got on
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had been very satisfactory. For this reason, Olo;du¾mare¾ had
decided to reward him with the six Ire as stipulated above. All the Ire
would however arrive and be in the reach of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ within four
days. The Awo congratulated OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ in advance.
On that very day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied by offering the ẹbọ. He even
found out what exactly Ifá wanted for him to use as the feeding
material. After verification, he feed Ifá accordingly. When all these
had been done, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was full of hope that his life would change
for the better.
The first thing that he noticed very early on the next day was that
there was an unusually large number of people who were at his house
entrance waiting for him to wake up in order to consult Ifá for them.
He quickly took care of his personal hygiene, prayed together with all
the members of his household and set to work. Before evening he
had realized in one day what he could not make in six months! Even
at night time, people kept trooping into his house! All of them told
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that they were asked to come to his house by one short
man. They stated that the man told them that the only person who
had the capability to turn their lives from bad to good was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾.
Who then was this short man?
How could OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ know that the short man who kept referring
everybody to his house was E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾? How could he know that
immediately after OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ offered the ẹbọ, Olo;du¾mare¾ had
summoned E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ to carry the ẹbọ to I®wa¾run where all ẹbọ are
deposited in the spirit world. From there, Olo;du¾mare¾ ordered the ẹbọ
to be transferred to Ibu¾da¾ where all ẹbọ are accepted in the spirit
world. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ was also ordered to point his A®sôeô to the ẹbọ for all
the Ire of life which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was craving for to manifest. All these
happened in quick succession.
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
After these had been done, Olo;du¾mare¾ mandated E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ to
ensure that all the six Ire that Ifá promised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ got to him
within four days as specified. What OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was experiencing in his
home was the manifestation of financial success in his life. It was a
big surprise to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he was making so much money that had
transformed him into an instant success. This was no surprise to E®sôu¾
O®Ùda¾ra¾ and Olo;du¾mare¾. They knew that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was reaping the
profit of what he had sowed.
People kept coming to his house.
Those whose crops had failed, they could not understand why their
own crops could fail in spite of the fact that they were blessed with
fertile soil. Why should their own crops fail when all their colleagues
who had their farms adjacent to theirs recorded bountiful harvest?
How could anyone explain to them that their farms were destroyed by
pests when the farms of all their neighbours were left unaffected?
Why should pests single out their own farms for destruction? Why?
Why? Why?
People kept coming to his house.
Those whose health had failed, they could not understand why they
should be suffering from malaria when all their colleagues who were
living in the same environment with them were enjoying sound
health? Some of them were vomiting and defecating at the same
time. The disease was called Oni;gba;-Me;ji¾ the ailment which makes
victims use two containers (one for defecating and the other for
vomiting)'. Why should this happen to them? They were told that
the water they drank had venoms of OÙbalu;aye; which caused them to
stool and vomit at the same time. Nonsense! Were they the only
people who drank the water? Why must they be the ones afflicted by
this disease? Why must OÙbalu;aye; single them out for punishment?
Even if OÙbalu;aye; wanted to punish them, why this particular type of
disease and not other water-borne diseases? There must be an
explanation for what was happening to them.
People kept coming to his house.
Those whose brother, father, son or relative fell from a tall palm-tree
and broke their backs, or lost their lives in the process; those whose
family members or relatives were struck to death by poisonous
snakes; those whose family members or relatives were killed by wild
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animals; those whose relatives or family members were victims in a
canoe mishap; those whose family members or relatives were victims
of fire outbreak; those whose family members or relatives lost their
ways in the wilderness and were not found. The list was endless.
They all came to find out from OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ two things? One, why is this
happening to their own relatives and not someone else's? Two, what
could they do to either find a solution to the problem or put an end to
such problems?
People kept coming to his house.
Those whose lives had begun to look brighter; those whose economic
outlook had begun to improve; those who have course to celebrate
one thing or the other in their lives; those who had just met the
partners of their dreams; those looking for the blessings of the fruits
of the womb; those going on a journey; those who were about to
start a business undertaking; those whose spouses were pregnant
and were praying for safe delivery; those whose spouses had just
delivered and were looking for the best for their bundle of joy; those
who just wanted routine Ifá consultation in order to have something
to guide their lives so as not to make any mistakes. They came to
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ in order to receive appropriate Ifá guidance.
All of these people who came to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house returned to their
homes, satisfied that if anyone could assist them, it was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾.
E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ ensured that all what OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told them met their
satisfaction. They were also prepared to offer all the ẹbọ which
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ recommended for them.
The second Ire that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received was for him to be able to give
satisfactory answers to all the questions and inquiries of all his clients.
It was this ability that kept convincing the clients to offer the ẹbọ. It
also gave them the hope that once the ẹbọ was offered the solutions
to their problems would come.
It also convinced them that
improvement and stability would come to their lives. This ability is
called A®soôgba¾ – The ability to give a acceptable explanations to
questions.
The third Ire that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received within four days was known as
A®sôegba¾. This was the ability to embark on what will meet the
acceptance of the Divinities and Olo;du¾mare¾. All the ẹbọ, i¾boô and
a¾ko;sôe that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ performed for all these clients were accepted by
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
the Divinities and they all had positive impacts on the lives of his
clients. This alone convinced them beyond all doubts that the most
sensible thing for them to do was to stick to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and invite all
members of their household to make OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ their personal doctor.
This made OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s popularity skyrocket beyond his wildest
imagination.
The fourth Ire which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was blessed with was that the whole
community began to see him with genuine love, honour and respect.
They saw him as indispensable to the community. They felt that they
needed to consult him before any major decision was taken in the
community.
The fifth Ire that came to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was that he found himself more
and more relevant in the community. He was regarded as an
intelligent and understanding elder in the community whose opinion
on any issue counted very much. He became the crises resolution
elder, a progressive member of the society and the right hand man of
the Ϙba of the community.
The sixth Ire that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ received was contentment. He was
satisfied with the blessings of Olo;du¾mare¾ in his life. He was
reasonable and realistic enough to understand that Olo;du¾mare¾
showered His blessings on whosoever He pleased and that the
decision of Olo;du¾mare¾ could not be questioned or challenged. He was
always grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾ over what Olo;du¾mare¾ gave him. He did
not envy the blessings of others.
Instead of that, he was always prepared to rejoice with those that
Olo;du¾mare¾ had chosen to shower blessings upon.
Ogbe¾ hu;n’le;
Ile; la¾a; hu;n
Di;a; fu;n O®ôru;nmi¾la¾
Baba yo;o; ri; ire me;ôfa¾ ni;’re¾ni;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
OÙ®runmi¾la¾ EÙri¾gi¾ I®ya¾nda¾
Ifa; ma; je¾ôeô; ki; ire me;ôfa¾ o; se;; mi o
Translation:
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Ogbè, please mind your home
It is one’s home that one should mind
This was the declaration of Ifá to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When going to be the recipient of six Ire in four days
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ also known as EÙri¾gi¾ I®ya¾nda¾
Ifá please do not let my six Ire of life skip me by
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed must not miss
the six Ire that is coming his/her way within four days. These six Ire
will also not be allowed to skip him/her by. This is the message of Ifá
for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. He/she needs to
prepare his/her mind for the acceptance of these six Ire.
2. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for
whom this Odù is revealed together with another person who is living
far away from the place of abode of this person. Ifá says that both of
them shall succeed together in their different localities.
Ifá advises each of these people to offer ẹbọ with four white
pigeons and money.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Hu;nl'e; says:
Hun’le;
Hu;n’de
Di;a; fu;n Akeôsôeô
A bu¾ fu;n O®go¾do¾
EÙboô aje; ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn sôe
Translation:
Mind your home
Mind what’s outside
This was Ifá’s message for Akeôôsôeô (the silk cotton)
And for O®go¾do¾ (the cotton wool)
They were both advised to offer ẹbọ for prosperity
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Akeôôsôeô, the Silk Cotton and O®go¾do¾, the Cotton wool were bosom
friends. They had been friends from youth. They loved each other
and they loved to do things together. Many people would often
mistake one for the other.
One day, the two friends decided to pursue their professional careers
and were determined to reach the zenith of their chosen professions.
Both of them went for Ifá consultation. The Awo told Akeôôsôeô that he
would succeed in the home while O®go¾do¾ would succeed in the farm.
Both of them agreed and Akeôôsôeô stayed at home while O®go¾do¾ moved
to the farm. They maintained close contact with each other though.
About six months after this, Akeôôsôeô went for another round of Ifá
consultation; this time to determine his success chance in life. During
Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾ Hunle; was revealed.
The Awo assured Akeôôsôeô that he would be very successful. Not only
this, he would also become a very prominent person in life. He was
informed that he had another friend who was not living in the same
locality with him who would also succeed like him. The Awo told
Akeôôsôeô that both he and O®go¾¾do¾ would have achievement and they
would be prominent in their communities. They would also have
course to showcase their achievement in life. The Awo advised each
of them to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons and money.
That very day, Akeôôsôeô sent a message to O®go¾¾do¾ to inform him of what
the Awo had said. Both friends procured the ẹbọ materials and
returned to the Awo in order to offer the ẹbọ for them.
It did not take long before they were convinced that their ẹbọ had
been accepted. Both of them blossomed in majestic splendour.
Everyone began to seek them. Their products became precious and
invaluable to those who were lucky to acquire them. The products
were being converted to dresses and garments. Both Akeôôsôeô and
O®go¾¾do¾ were being treated with honour and respect. Their lives
changed for the better and they moved up in the social-economic
cadre of their society.
When asked how they became so successful in a short time, they
responded that it was simply because they were children of Ogbe¾Hunle;! It is therefore not a surprise to see children of Ogbe¾-Hunle;
succeeding beyond their wildest dreams.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Hun’le;
Hu;n’de
Di;a; fu;n Akeôsôeô
A bu¾ fu;n O®go¾do¾
EÙboô aje; ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn sôe
Woô;n gb’eô;boô, woôn ru;’boô
Akeôsôeô la¾ nile¾ô
O®go¾do la¾ lo;ko
Gbogbo wa la o; je;ô’woô; oômoô Ogbe¾-Hu;nle;
Translation:
Mind your home
Mind what’s outside
This was Ifá’s message for Akeôsôeô (the silk cotton)
And for O®go¾do¾ (the cotton wool)
They were both advised to offer ẹbọ for prosperity
They both complied
Akeôsôeô succeeded at home
And O®go¾do¾ succeeded on the farm
We shall all display the success potentials of Ogbè-Hu;nle;
children
Ifá says that those who have come for Ifá consultation where this
Odù is revealed shall succeed in their various localities. Their success
will turn them to prominent and highly respected personalities in their
localities. They need to follow the advice of Ifá, be hopeful and
hardworking. Success is very close to them.
3. Ifá says that there is the need for this person to go and receive
prayers from his/her mother. The prayers from his/her mother will
change his/her life from bad to good and from good to better. The
solemn prayers from this person’s mother are more potent and more
efficacious than any strong charm or ẹbọ material in the world. If this
person’s mother is dead he/she needs to visit the burial site of his/her
mother and pray solemnly for all what he/she wants in life. If the
burial site of the mother is not accessible due to one reason or the
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
other, the person needs to summon the spirit of his/her mother either
through Ifá or Ile¾,ô the mother Earth.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four guinea-fowls and
money. After this, he/she needs to ask for the solemn prayers of
his/her mother.
On these aspects, Ifá says:
EÙtu ko; k'a;ra ki;ri; l’aje;
O®o¾ri¾ ko; k’a;ra ki;;ri; l’agbe¾
A®ri¾jo¾ ti; yo;o; ba; jo;
Ko; m’e;ôse¾ô eô re¾ô ko; le kokooko
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾re¾ô Se¾ôgi¾
Ti;i; sô'oômoô EÙleô;ku¾re;ô
EÙbo a¾sôeyoôri; ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a sôe
Translation:
Let the antelope prepare himself for financial success
Let the O®o¾ri¾ bird get ready to play the Agbè
(the calabash drum) music
Those who will dance to the music
Let them have strong legs for manoeuvring
These were Ifá’s declarations to O®o¾reôô¾ Se¾¾ôgi (the porcupine)
The offspring of EÙleô;ku¾re;ô
He was advised to offer the ẹbọ of accomplishment
O®o¾re¾-Se¾ôgi¾, the Porcupine, the offspring of EÙleô;ku¾re; was a very
hardworking person. He was very ambitious. His eyes were always on
the zenith of the socio-economic ladder. He dreamt of being there all
the time. For this reason, he worked hard, he sweated, and he toiled
and stressed himself to the limit. Yet, he had very little to show for all
his efforts.
He changed his line of work many times. He started as a farmer. No
success. He changed to being a sculptor. No success. He changed
to being a trader, yet there was no success! That was why he
decided to go for Ifá consultation in order to determine what exactly
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
was wrong with him that made him fail in all his chosen careers. He
also wanted to know what he must do to convert his failure to
success. During Ifá consultation Ogbe¾-Hun'le; was revealed.
The Awo told O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ that he had come into this world to succeed
in life. He was told that he had no business with failure in any way
whatsoever. The Awo told him that he had been experiencing failure
in his life simply because he needed to receive the solemn prayer of
his mother and he had not done so yet. He was told that changing his
profession was not the solution to this problem. He only needed to
offer ẹbọ and go to his mother for comprehensive prayer that only a
mother can give her child. The Awo advised O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ to offer ẹbọ
with four guinea-fowls and money.
After this, he needed to go to his mother for prayer. The Awo told
O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ that his mother needed to raise her voice aloud to
screaming level when giving him the prayer in order for all the
Divinities in heaven to hear her voice. This was because whenever
the guinea-fowl summons her children, it is always with a loud voice.
The next day, O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ procured all the ẹbọ materials and the ẹbọ
was offered. As soon as this was completed, he headed for the home
of his mother. He pleaded with her to give her a solemn prayer as
prescribed by his Awo. The mother raised her voice as loud as she
could and gave her son a prayer from the very bottom of her heart.
A few days after this, those who had hitherto failed to notice O®o¾re¾ôSeô¾gi¾ as a trader who dealt in clothes sales began to notice and
patronize him. Within a short time, O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾ was able to support
himself and fend for his family financially. Soon after this, he was
able to save enough money to start thinking of erecting his own
personal property. Life became comfortable for O®o¾re¾ô-Seô¾gi¾, the
offspring of Eleôku¾re;. He had course to be grateful to Olodumare and
his mother. He saw no reason why he should not celebrate his
success.
EÙtu ko; k'a;ra ki;ri; l’aje;
O®o¾ri¾ ko; k’a;ra ki;;ri; l’agbe;
A®ri¾jo¾ ti; yo;o; ba; jo;
Ko; m’e;ôse¾ô eô re¾ ko; le kokooko
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾re¾ Se¾ôgi¾
Ti;i; sô'oômoô EÙleô;ku¾re;ô
EÙboô a¾sôeyoôri; ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a sôe
O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô
N®je;ô I®ya; a; mi ni yo;o; gbe¾ mi; o
Igbe Kankan
L’eôtu¾ n; ke; p’oômo reô¾
Igbe kanka¾n
Translation:
Let the antelope prepare himself for financial success
Let the O®o¾ri¾ bird get ready to play the Agbè
(the calabash drum) music
Those who will dance to the music
Let them have strong legs for manoeuvring
These were Ifá’s declarations to O®o¾reôô¾ Se¾¾ôgi (the porcupine)
The offspring of EÙleô;ku¾re;ô
He was advised to offer the ẹbọ of accomplishment
He complied
My mother is the one to give me support
With a very loud voice
The guinea-fowl summons her children
With a very loud voice
Ifá says that this person shall succeed through the support of his/her
mother. Ifá says that this person needs the spiritual support and
prayer of his/her mother more than any other thing in life. If these
steps can be taken, success is assured.
4. Ifá says that it foresees all the Ire of life for the person for whom
this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this person shall accomplish all
his/her hearts desires in life. Ifá assures this person that Ifá will
personally direct all the Ire of life that he/she is craving for to his/her
direction.
This is because all the things that have been making him sad and
dejected are also making Ifá sad and dejected. For this reason, Ifá
will ensure that this person is happy and contented so as to make Ifá
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
happy and contented. Ifá says that it cannot afford seeing this
person in a sad and uncomfortable mood.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons, four hens,
four guinea-fowls, four roosters, six bananas, and money.
He/she also needs to feed Ifá with one pigeon, one guinea-fowl,
one hen and plenty of bananas.
On all these, Ifá says:
Ala;ba¾n¾toto¾-o mi eô¾lu¾ju¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ifa; n; sunkun Aka;po¾ o re¾ô kiri
Eôboô ni; woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
My unripe banana tree of the wilderness
This was Ifá’s declaration to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When weeping in lamentation for his Aka;po¾’s pitiful
condition
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
The Aka;po¾ was well trained. He was versatile in his chosen career.
He served OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ with undivided loyalty for a very long period. He
was truthful, honest, pious, hopeful, dedicated, steadfast, humble and
unassuming. In spite of all these noble qualities, the Aka;po¾ had very
little to show in terms of achievement. The Aka;po¾ had no money. He
could not afford to eat two times in a day. He had been due for a wife
for over ten years, yet he remained a chronic bachelor because he
had no money to have a wife. How could he even think of having his
own children when he had no wife of his own? A person who has no
money, no wife, and no child cannot dream of erecting a personal
property of his own, and if he dreams of it, such will remain a mere
dream that can never become a reality.
The Aka;po¾ knew within himself that he had abided by all Ifá’s
injunctions; and yet he remained unknown and unsuccessful. He also
knew without being told that he was a failure in all aspects of life. He
had no money, no spouse, no children, and no personal property. It
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
got to a stage that his health began to deteriorate as a result of
constant sorrow.
Sadness and weeping became his regular
companions.
It was for this reason that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ took it upon himself to consult Ifá
on behalf of his Aka;po¾. How could an Aka;po¾ score so many high
points in terms of moral and ethics and yet score so low in the areas
of achievement? OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was convinced that people would soon
begin to make jest of his Aka;po¾ as a result of his failure and by
extension make jest of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ too. The failure of the Aka;po¾ became
very worrisome to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. The sadness of the Aka;po¾ became
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s constant source of worry. That was why OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ decided
to go for Ifá consultation on behalf of his Aka;po¾ in order to find a
lasting solution to the problem that the Aka;po¾ was facing. During Ifá
consultation Ogbe¾-hu;n'le; was revealed.
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the pains of his Aka;po¾ were also his
pains. The failures of the Aka;po¾ were also his failures because people
assess others through their products. The Aka;po¾ was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s
product and if he remained unsuccessful, then by extension OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
was also unsuccessful. He however assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the
situation of the Aka;po¾ would improve and that he would soon have
course to smile and celebrate his success and achievements. The
Awo advised OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with four pigeons, four hens,
four guinea-fowls, four roosters, six bananas and money on
behalf of his Aka;po¾. He was also advised to feed Ifá as stated above.
On that very day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied with the advice of the Awo. He
invited the Aka;po¾ and his (Aka;po¾’s) Ifá was propitiated as advised by
the Awo.
Four days after the ẹbọ was offered the wife of the Basôoôrun of the
land was very ill, all medications proved ineffective. That was the
reason why they came to the house of the Aka;po¾ for Ifá consultation:
Will there be relief for his wife? Will she regain her health and
vitality? These and many more were the questions which the Basôoôrun
asked Ifá.
The Aka;po¾ told Basôoôrun that his wife would regain her health and
vitality in no time. He prescribed ẹbọ for Basôoôrun and all the ẹbọ
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materials were procured immediately for the ẹbọ to be offered. The
Aka;po¾ prepared all the necessary medication remedies for the wife of
Basôoôrun and within five days, she was already attending to all her
personal business. There and then, the Basôoôrun turned the Aka;po¾
into his household Babaláwo. He showered the Aka;po¾ with money
and other gifts. He also introduced his friends to the Aka;po¾. Before
long, the Aka;po¾’s name became a household name in the community.
The elders in the community who had benefitted from the efficacy of
the Aka;po¾’s work gathered their heads together one day and decided
that the Aka;po¾ must not be allowed to remain a bachelor. They
reasoned that he alone could not continue to attend to the needs of
all his clients, which had grown tremendously and at the same time
attended to his own personal needs all by himself. The Aka;po¾ needed
an assistant and the best assistant for him was a wife. They arranged
for this and got the Aka;po¾ a very nice woman. Both the Aka;po¾ and
the woman were compatible and grew to be very fond of each other.
The marriage was considered to be the marriage of the whole
community.
All the nobilities including OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ attended the
ceremony. It was the talk of the whole community for a long time.
Less than one year after the marriage, the whole community gathered
once again to celebrate the naming of the couple’s bouncing baby.
Many more children came after this. The community gave the Aka;po¾
a parcel of land to erect his personal property. He did. Many people
assisted him to do this. He became a highly respected member of the
community. He was very happy. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ his mentor also became
very happy.
Ala;ba¾n¾toto¾-o mi eô¾lu¾ju¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ifa; n; sunkun Aka;po¾ o re¾ô kiri
Eôboô ni; woôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O gb’ebo, o ru’bo
Ire Aje; ti; mi¾ o¾ ni;
Ni’fa; n; sunku;n-u¾n mi to¾ o; si;
OÙÙ®ge¾ôde¾ô oôm
¾ i¾ni¾ ma¾ de; o¾
Abomi¾ oju; su¾u¾ru¾su¾
Ire aya ti; mi; o¾ ni;
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Ni;’fa; n; sunku;n-u¾n mi to¾ o; si;
O®ôge¾ôde¾ oô¾mi¾ni¾ ma¾ de; o¾
Abomi¾ oju; su¾u¾ru¾su¾
Ire oômoô ti; mi; o¾ ni;
Ni;’fa; n; sunku;n-u¾n mi to¾ o; si;
O®Ùge¾ôdeô¾ o¾ômi¾ni¾ ma¾ de; o¾
Abomi¾ oju; su¾u¾ru¾su¾
Ire i¾le;ô gbogbo ti; mi; o¾ ni;
Ni’fa; n; sunku;n-u¾n mi to¾ o; si;
O®®Ùgeô¾de¾ô oôm
¾ i¾ni¾ ma¾ de;; o¾
Abomi¾ oju; su¾u¾ru¾su¾
Ire gbogbo ti; mi; o¾ ni;
Ni’fa; n; sunkun-u¾n mi to¾ o; si;;
O®Ùgeô¾de¾ô o¾ômi¾ni¾ ma¾ de; o¾
Abomi¾ oju; su¾u¾ru¾su¾
Translation:
My unripe banana tree of the wilderness
This was Ifá’s declaration to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When weeping in lamentation for his Aka;po¾’s pitiful
condition
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
The blessing of financial success that I lacked
Was the reason why Ifá was crying profusely
over my predicament
Here comes the banana
The owner of profuse tears
The blessing of spouse that I lacked
Was the reason why Ifá was crying profusely
over my predicament
Here comes the banana
The owner of profuse tears
The blessing of children that I lacked
Was the reason why Ifá was crying profusely
over my predicament
Here comes the banana
The owner of profuse tears
The blessing of property that I lacked
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Was the reason why Ifá was crying profusely
over my predicament
Here comes the banana
The owner of profuse tears
The blessing of all the Ire of life that I lacked
Was the reason why Ifá was crying profusely
over my predicament
Here comes the banana
The owner of profuse tears
Ifá says that the tears in the eyes of the person for whom this Odù is
revealed shall be wiped off and be replaced with smiles and
contentment. Ifá assures this person that he/she shall soon have
course to be happy and celebrate his/her success and achievements
in life.
5. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a compatible spouse for a
woman for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that her Orí has
brought her to the person and place where her life will experience
peace, comfort and contentment. She will be very happy in the
relationship. The man will cater to all her needs and treat her very
nicely. She only needs to be careful of not being misled by others.
She must not allow people to talk her into leaving her matrimonial
home for any reason whatsoever.
Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two
hens and money. She also needs to feed her Orí with one hen.
On this, Ifá says:
Ori;san Awo ko;ko¾
Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko¾¾
Ti n; loô¾oô; s’obi¾nrin A®ku¾ro¾ô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; se
Translation:
Ori;san, the Awo of Ko;ko® (Cocoyam)
He cast Ifa; for Ko;ko¾
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
When going to become the wife of A®ku¾ro¾ô (the Swamp)
She was advised to offer eôboô
Right from her adolescent age, her ambition in life was to become a
successful married woman in order to enjoy matrimonial bliss. She
watched all the wives in her area very closely in order to determine
what a woman needed to do to make her man happy. She
understood and perfected those little gestures which made men run
crazy with love and adoration. Before long, she convinced herself that
she was ready and fully prepared for the marriage market. She was
sure that she would spoil her man with love.
The first person she met who wanted her hand in marriage was
A®pa;ta, the Rock. It did not take long before she realized that she
could not find the much deserved contentment and comfort that she
craved for in the relationship. Next came O®Ùda¾n, the Savannah. She
also realized that the relationship was bound to fail. She continued to
pray for a compatible man. When she met A®ku¾ro¾, the swamp,
something told her that she had just met the right man in her life. In
order to be very certain, she went to the home of Ori;san for Ifá
consultation: Will the relationship be good if I marry A®ku¾ro¾? Will I live
with peace, satisfaction and comfort? Will I be able to satisfy my man
when I get married? Will my man appreciate what I do for him and
will he love me in return? Will my man’s family members treat me
with respect and honour? Will I be able to beget nice children with
A®ku¾ro¾?
All these formed part of the questions which she posed to Ifá during
Ifá consultation. The Odù that was revealed was Ogbe¾-Hu;'nle.
The Awo assured Ko;ko¾ that her Orí had just directed her to the right
person who would turn her dreams into reality. The Awo told her that
she would be loved, adored, honoured, respected and appreciated by
all if she agreed to marry A®ku¾ro. She was also told that she would
give birth to, and raise, all her babies in relative comfort. She was
told that she would not experience any want or lack anything in her
life
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The Awo advised Ko;ko¾ to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two
hens and money. She was also advised to feed her Orí with one
hen. She complied.
Her marriage ceremony was simple but eventful. All the predictions
of Ifá on her relationship with A®ku¾ro¾ came to pass. Her children were
also blessed with all what it takes for children to be great in the
future. She was so happy that her Orí made it possible for her to
meet a man like A®ku¾ro¾ in her life.
Ori;san Awo ko;ko¾
Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko¾¾
Ti n; loô¾oô; s’obi¾nrin A®ku¾ro¾ô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; se
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’bo
N®je;ô Ori; san Ko;ko¾
O: ba; A®ku¾roô¾ pa¾de;
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
Ori;san, the Awo of Ko;ko® (Cocoyam)
He cast Ifa; for Ko;ko¾
When going to become the wife of A®ku¾ro¾ô (the Swamp)
She was advised to offer eôboô
She complied
Orí favours Ko;ko¾
She met A®ku¾ro¾ô
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Come and join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Ifá says that the woman for whom this Odù is revealed shall live a
very happy and comfortable life in her matrimonial home. She will be
loved, adored, respected, honoured and pampered. Her children shall
be well trained in the right direction.
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
6. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of victory, success and
accomplishment for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá
says that this person and someone else are in competition but that
he/she shall be victorious over his/her co-contestant.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two guineafowls, two roosters and money. He/she also needs to feed
his/her Orí with one pigeon and one guinea-fowl and feed
OÙba¾ta;la; with 16 snails, shea butter and chalk.
On this, Ifá says:
Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾, Awo Oyi¾nbo;
Te¾mi;-le;ke¾ Awo Ori¾sa¾ (OÙba¾ta;la)
Di;a; fu;n Ori¾sa¾n;la; O®Ùsôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾
T'o;un Oyi¾nbo; jo¾ô n;le;re; oôna¾ oôô; po¾¾ô
EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni;; ko; sôe
Translation:
Te¾mi¾-le;kè (mine is triumphant), the Awo of Oyi¾nbo;
Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾, the Awo of O¾ri¾sa¾
He cast Ifa; for Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾
When he was in competition with Oyi¾nbo; over who was
the better designer
He was advised to offer eôboô
It was an established fact that Oyi¾nbo; had a lot of designs to his
credit. There was nothing to think of that Oyi¾nbo; had not designed.
All the designs were working and were very relevant to human beings
in order to bring comfort and to make their day-to-day activities very
easy to perform. All these designs were imitations of the original
designs of Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾. The problem however was that
Oyi¾nbo; had used a lot of Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ publicity to promote
his own designs to the extent that many people believed that the
designs of Oyi¾nbo; were the original ones while those of Ori¾sa¾nla;
O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ were the imitations. This situation swelled up the head
of Oyi¾nbo; to a point where he challenged Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ to a
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contest in order to determine who was a better designer among the
two of them. A date was fixed for the competition. OÙba¾ta;la; was not
too keen on the contest but everyone around did not want to hear
that OÙba¾ta;la; would not contest. If he did not contest, they considered
that to mean the admission of his inferiority.
When only nine days remained for the contest to occur, Oyi¾nbo; went
to the home of Te¾mi;-le;kè for Ifá consultation in order to determine
his success chances. He was advised to offer ẹbọ. He saw no reason
why he should do that, especially when all evidence pointed to the
fact that he would be triumphant in the contest. He simply left the
home of the Awo and promised himself never to return until he had
been declared the winner of the contest.
OÙba¾ta;la; also went to the home of the same Awo for Ifá consultation.
The Awo told him to offer ẹbọ in order to come out triumphant. He
complied. He was also told to feed his Orí and his Oke-Ipori¾ as stated
above. He also complied.
On the day of the contest, it was evident that Oyi¾nbo; had prepared
himself fully. He came out to talk. As soon as he stepped out, the
whole arena went dead silent. His presence was intimidating. He
talked with confidence and authority. He cleared his throat and
declared; “the white dress worn by Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾ was my
design. If it wasn’t for me, what would he be wearing today?" The
audience remained silent. “The sandals on his feet, the A®ja¾ in his
hands, all the Seôseô-Efun beads round his neck and wrist were all my
designs! If not for me, OÙba¾ta;la; would be here now completely
naked!" Oyi¾nbo; allowed the information to sink in very well before he
turned to the spectators. He declared; "If not for me, what would all
of you be using? I designed everything that you are wearing or using
in your homes. I even designed your various homes, your streets,
your kitchens and even made sure that I designed what you use to
improve the quantities and qualities of your farm products. If not for
me, you all would be starving to death!” He cleared his throat again
and continued, ”Where was OÙba¾ta;la; when I was designing all these
things? Who is he to now come here and contest superiority over
me? I expect him to bury his head in shame and go back to his home
which I designed quietly.”
339
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Some of those present knew that not everything said by Oyi¾nbo; was
true and correct. They knew that most of the things which he
claimed to have designed had been in use even before the advent of
Oyi¾nbo; man himself. He however sounded so sure and so convincing
that most of the people present had began to accept his statements
for a fact. The whole place still remained silent. Many were convinced
that Ori®sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ would have nothing to say. Some were
looking at him with pity. They felt that instead of saying anything
that would bring him further humiliation, he ought to do as Oyi¾nbo;
had said and return to his home quietly.
To their surprise Ori®sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ came out to speak. He was
even smiling. He started by thanking everybody present and wished
them well in all their undertakings in life. He continued thus; "Even
though you have heard all what Oyi¾nbo; has said and what he claims
to have designed, I am not here to contest the validity of his
statements. I am here to congratulate him for all his achievements.
He paused a little. He then continued and said, “In spite of all these
achievements, he cannot deny the fact that I, Ori®sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾
am the one who designed him. If not for me, he would not be alive
today to design all the things that he claims to have rightly and falsely
designed.” He then simply bowed his head and went back to his seat.
After this statement, the whole place busted into a tumultuous shout
in praise and honour of OÙba¾ta;la;. Even Oyi¾nbo; rose from his seat and
came to prostrate flat for Ori®sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾. Without being told,
it became clear to everyone present that Ori®sa¾n;la; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ was
far superior than Oyi¾nbo;. Instead of Ori®sa¾nl; a; returning home in
shame, it was Oyi¾nbo; who did so.
Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾, Awo Oyi¾nbo;
Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾ Awo Ori¾sa¾
Di;a; fu;n Ori¾sa¾n;la; Osôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
T'o;un Oyi¾nbo; joô¾ n;le;ri; oôna¾ o;ô poô¾
Eôboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ko; sôe
Ori¾sa¾n;la; Osôeô¾e¾ôreô¾ma¾gbo¾ ni¾kan ni; n;beô l'e;ôyi¾n ti¾ n;s'ô eôboô
N®je; te¾mi ni¾ yo;o; sôeô;'te¾ô eô ti¾ woôn o
Ori¾sa¾nla; Osôeô¾e¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾ ni¾ yo;o; sôe'ô;te¾ô eôô t’Oyi¾nbo;
T'awo ni® yo;o; sôeô;’te¾ô eô ti ¾won o
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Translation:
Te¾mi¾-le;kè (mine is triumphant), the Awo of Oyi¾nbo;
Te¾mi¾-le;ke¾, the Awo of O¾ri¾sa¾
He cast Ifa; for Ori¾sa¾nla; O®sôeô®reô¾eô¾ma¾gbo¾
When he was in competition with Oyi¾nbo; over who was
the better designer
He was advised to offer eôboô
Only Ori¾sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾re¾ôeô¾ma¾gbo¾ complied
Now, mine will always overcome theirs
The designs of Ori¾sa¾nl; a; Osôeô¾re¾ôeô¾ma¾gbo¾ will always
overcome those of Oyi¾nbo;
An Awo will always overcome theirs
Ifá assures this person that he/she will always overcome those
contesting with him/her. Ifá says that he/she will always have cause
to celebrate his/her success over competitors and antagonists. As
long as he/she hands over all his/her activities to Ifá, OÙba¾ta;la; and
Olo;du¾mare¾, he/she will always be victorious.
7. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of longevity for the person for
whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá assures this person that he/she will
not experience any form of premature death. He/she will live to
his/her old age. He/she will also live a contented life. Ifá however
says that this person has been experiencing life-threatening issues
and has been having dreams that were not making him/her
comfortable. Ifá says that it is not as a result of any negative design
of enemies or evil people. It is coming from heaven. He/she shall
however overcome the situation.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature ram and lots
of money. He/she will need to mount a ram several times and allow
his/her weight to make the ram collapse. This will be done as many
times as practicable. After this, the ram will be used as ẹbọ. The ram
should not be slaughtered on that day. The next day Ifá will be asked
whether or not to ram should be slaughtered or not. This person also
needs to feed Ifá as specified.
341
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
On this, Ifá says:
Oro;gbo;
Osôu¾gbo;
A®ja¾na¾-on ma¾ gbo; ti¾e¾ô-ti¾e¾ô
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Woôô;n n; ra;n’ni¾i; p’e¾ôdu; l’o;;ôrun
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
Oro;gbo;
And Osôu¾gbo;
A®ja¾na¾ who will become old and feeble with age
They cast Ifá for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When delegates were sent to bring him back to heaven
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He woke up with a start. He was sweating in all parts of his body.
He was even shivering a little. The dream was terrible. Why was he
seeing himself being carried away and being dragged from inside the
safety of his home outside to be loaded onto a heavenly horse back to
O®ôrun in an unceremonious manner? True, he had never been afraid
of returning to O®ôrun but the point was that he had not completed his
assignment that he was given yet. He needed to complete this
assignment before returning to O®ôrun. This was what was giving
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ cause for concern. He realized, without being told that he
was being summoned to return to O®ôrun. He also knew that going to
O®ôrun at this point in time was not in his best interest; neither was it in
the best interest of the assignment which Olo;du¾mare¾ gave him to
come and perform on earth. What must he do then? The best and
most realistic option left to him was to go for Ifá consultation. He
knew that he would find a solution on how best to deal with the
situation when Ifá was consulted. Incidentally, the three Awo were
his former students whom he had given intensive training and who
had proved their competence before they became independent. The
only question which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked Ifá was what he needed to do in
order to avoid going to O®ôrun at that particular point in time. During
Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Wu;n’le; was revealed.
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The Awo assured OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that even though all arrangements had
been completed to drag OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to heaven if need be, he would not
go to O®ôrun at that particular point in time. He told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to go and
procure a mature ram instead of a horse and announce that he was
prepared to ride on this ram to O®ôrun. It was clear that the ram would
not be able to carry his weight and it would collapse as soon as he
mounted it. After many trials, he would tell the delegates from O®ôrun
that he was not opposed to following them back to heaven, but that
the ram that he had procured to ride to O®ôrun had simply and bluntly
refused to move!
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied with all the instructions and advice of the Awo. He
offered the ẹbọ as stated above and also fed his OÙ®ke¾ô-Ipoô¾ri;. He
returned to his home full of confidence that the threat of death was
all over.
On the day that the delegates arrived to take him to O®ôrun, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
was fully prepared for them. He welcomed them with respect and
friendliness which was totally strange to give from anyone who was
about to bid the world farewell. He told the delegates that he had
been expecting them earlier. He told them that he had already
procured his ram that he would ride to O®ôrun. He saddled the ram and
mounted it. As soon as he did this, his massive weight was too much
for the ram. It collapsed instantly. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ stood up and picked up
the ram. He mounted the ram once again and the ram collapsed and
fell down again. This exercise went on over and over, and again and
again, and the ram would always collapse and fall down. When it was
getting late, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told the delegates from O®ôrun to inform those
who sent them that it was not as if he did not want to go, but that his
ram was refusing to carry him there. He told them that he needed to
feed the ram very well and make him strong so he could make the
journey some other time when the ram was strong enough to make
the journey. The delegates left OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house with regrets.
For several years, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ would keep feeding the ram to make it
strong enough for the journey to O®ôrun. For several years, the ram
was still unable to support the weight of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. That was how
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was able to stay on earth to accomplish all his major
assignments on earth.
343
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Oro;gbo;
O®sôu¾gbo;
A®ja¾na¾-on ma¾ gbo; ti¾e¾ô-ti¾e¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Woôô;n n; ra;n’ni¾i; p’e¾ôdu; l’oô¾run
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô
EÙ wi; fu;n woôn l’o¾¾ôrun
Eô ni; n o¾ wa; mo;ô o
A®gbo¾ E®Ùdu; ma¾ ko¾ô’ri¾n
E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾¾ O®Ùfa¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni¾ la;i¾ku; kangiri¾
A®i¾ku; kangiri la¾ a; ba;’ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sa
ô ¾
Translation:
Oro;gbo;
And Osôu¾gbo;
A®ja¾na¾ who will become old and feeble with age
They cast Ifá for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When delegates were sent to bring him back to heaven
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Please inform them in OÙ®run
That I am no longer coming
The ram procured by E®du; has refused to move
Travellers to Ìpo and O®Ùfa¾
Join us where we enjoy the blessing of longevity
In the midst of longevity does one find Ifá devotees
Ifá says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odù is revealed
to experience untimely death. Instead he/she will be blessed with the
opportunity to accomplish all his/her major assignments in life before
returning to heaven a fulfilled man/woman.
In the same vein, those planning the premature death of this person
will fail woefully. It is also not advisable for this person to plan against
others. If he/she does so he/she will fail woefully too. That is the
message of Ifá.
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8. Ifá says that this person has someone who he/she considers to be
his/her friend but who is actually his/her enemy. This so-called friend
had been busy planning to humiliate, and cause harm to the person
for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that there is the need for the
person for whom this Odù is revealed to identify this so-called friend
and give him/her social and physical distance.
On the other hand, Ifá says that there is a particular ailment that is
afflicting the person for whom this Odù is revealed on a periodic
basis. This ailment has been making it difficult if not totally
impossible for this person to exercise his/her full potentials in all the
things that he/she is doing. There is the need to identify this ailment
and find a lasting solution to it.
Ifá however promises that the bad friend and/or the ailment will
disappear from the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed
that very season. Ifá assures him/her that his/her problems will not
extend to the next season.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one matured he-goat and
money. After this, a special soap will be prepared for him/her
with the head of a male lizard, the head of a female lizard,
and plenty of re¾k
ô u¾re¾k
ô u¾ leaves (cassia rotundifolia). They will
then be pounded together into a paste and mixed with soap
for the person for whom this Odù is revealed to bathe with.
On this aspect, Ifá says:
A®ta¾n¾pa¾ko¾ ni;i; f’ori;i; ‘la;am
¾ u¾ so;ôoô¾oÙ;ka;n
Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko; Orí
Ti; n; ba; Orí sô’oô¾re;ô iku;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
The thumb of the hand makes the head of the
lizard appear to be looking straight forward
This was Ifá’s message for Ko;ko; Ori; (the lump on
the head)
That was involved in a fatal friendship with Orí (the Head)
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Ko;ko; Ori; was the closest friend that Orí had. Orí was very proud of
his friend and was ready to allow Ko;ko; Orí to accompany him to
anywhere he went. Anywhere and anytime one found Orí, one could
be certain that Ko;ko; Ori; would be there. It got to a stage where
both of them had become inseparable.
Unknown to Orí however, Ko;ko; Ori; had been nursing a deep hatred
for his friend for a very long time. He could not understand why
everyone would give Orí more attention than him. The loath became
so intense that he concluded that the only thing that would satisfy
him was to ensure that Orí was eliminated. Ko;ko; Ori; was prepared to
die too, as long as Orí died with him. He could no longer tolerate
seeing Orí taking all the glory and honour. If anyone wanted to
propitiate his/her Orí, he/she would propitiate only Orí and he/she
would totally ignore him and this was not acceptable! He could never
allow this to happen again. If anyone had a narrow escape from
danger, the person would be advised to give thanks to Orí and he/she
would ignore him! This brought Ko;ko; Ori; a lot of serious frustration
and he vowed to do something drastic about it, and do it fast too! If
someone had made a good choice of a spouse or a business
opportunity, such a person would be advised to give thanks and
praise to his Orí while he, Ko;ko; Ori; would not be noticed or
recognized at all! No! This simply could not be allowed to continue! To
make the matter worse, Orí had never for once cautioned the people
and asked them to pay him, Ko;ko; Ori; respect and honour at all. Ko;ko;
Ori; vowed that Orí must be made to pay for it. He must suffer for
making him go through all this humiliation without effecting any
correction.
That was the reason why Ko;ko; Ori; went to the home of the Awo
mentioned above for Ifá consultation. All he wanted to know was
how and what he needed to do to inflict maximum punishment on Orí
and at the same time ensure that his death was extremely painful but
very slow. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe;-Wu;nle; revealed.
The Awo told Ko;ko; Ori; that he was about to inflict pain and
undeserved punishment on an innocent friend who not only loved
him, but equally trusted him deeply. He was blamed for allowing such
negative thoughts to cross his mind at all. The Awo then warned him
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
to desist from taking any further steps as it would only backfire and
end up destroying him. He was also advised to offer ẹbọ with one
mature he-goat and money.
Ko;ko; Ori; left the home of the Awo, livid with anger. Instead of
desisting, he was more determined to destroy his friend. He believed
that the Awo was supporting his friend against him and that the Awo
was only interested in the he-goat for the ẹbọ and not in giving him
necessary spiritual support with which to deal with and damage his
friend. Ko;ko; Ori; was prepared to destroy himself as long as his
friend was also destroyed in the process. He decided to plan his
strategy all by himself.
One day, Ori; woke up with a slight headache. He thought nothing of
it. Four days later, the headache had become worse. There were
lumps and swelling all over his face. He touched his face and felt
serious pain and discomfort. He complained to his friend Ko;ko; Ori;
and he was told that the lumps and swelling were put on his face and
head in order to help combat the problem of the headache. Ori;
instantly believed what his friend told him. This made Ko;ko; Ori; to
secretly congratulate himself that his plans were working effectively.
About 15 days after, Orí;’s neck had become very stiff. Every part of
his face was swollen. His head had developed various lumps, bumps
and contours of different sizes and shapes. He could no longer go
out. His condition was getting worse by the minute. On the 21st day
of the affliction, it was obvious that Ori; was on his way to his grave if
nothing drastic was done to arrest the situation.
However, the past 21 days were the happiest days in the life of Ko;ko;
Ori;. He was sure that it was just a question of time before his friend
breathed his last breath. He was already making burial preparations.
He promised himself a large keg of palm wine on the day that the
death of his friend was announced.
Everybody in Ori;’s household was worried. What could have brought
about this ailment? They were even more concerned that all the
efforts of Koko Ori; to help solve Ori;’s health problem had only made
the matter worse. The family members called for an emergency
meeting and Ko;ko; Ori; was also invited. In the meeting, Orí’s health
347
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
condition was reviewed and most of those present at the meeting
agreed that there was the need to go for Ifá consultation on the
matter. Ko;ko; Ori; told the family that it was not necessary as he was
sure that all the medications he had administered for Orí would soon
begin to work. The family agreed but still felt that there was the need
to seek extra support from a Babaláwo in order to accelerate the
improvement rate of Orí’s health. Off they went, but Ko;ko; Ori; gave
an excuse and he did not accompany them to the home of the Awo.
A®ta¾n¾pa¾ko¾ ni;i; f’ori;i; ‘la;am
¾ u¾ so;ôoô¾oÙ;ka;n
Di;a; fu;n Orí
Ti; Ko;ko; Ori; n; ba; sô’oôô®re; iku;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The thumb of the hand makes the head of the lizard
appear to be looking straight forward
This was Ifá’s message for Orí
Who Ko;ko; Ori; was in fatal friendship with
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
When they got to the home of the Awo, Orí and his family members
wanted to know what could have caused such serious health problems
for Orí and what could be done for him to get relief from such an
ailment. When the Odù was revealed, it was Ogbe¾-Hu;nle;.
The Awo told them that the ailment being suffered by Orí was not a
natural one. He made it clear to them that it was inflicted on Orí by a
friend of his who was envious of his profile and achievements in life.
He stated further that this friend was very close to him and had
vowed that he would stop at nothing in ensuring that he saw the
demise of Orí.
At this stage, the whole family was in a state of alarm. Who could this
friend be? They decided to find out. The Awo agreed to find out who
this friend was. After much question and investigation through Ifá,
the person was identified. That person was, of all people, Ko;ko; Ori;!
This was a further alarm and shock to the whole family. The Awo
warned them never to allow Ko;ko; Ori; to bring any more medicine for
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Orí. He must never be allowed to move close to him again. All the
lumps, bumps and swelling must be pressed and the contents
expelled from Orí’s body as quickly as practicable.
The Awo also advised the family to offer ẹbọ with one mature hegoat and money. This was offered immediately. The Awo prepared
a special soap for Orí with which to take his bath regularly. He also
prepared other medications for him to use. With this, the family
returned home in a state of utter disbelief. How could Ko;ko; Ori; do
this to his bosom friend? What did he stand to gain? What offence
had Orí committed against Ko;ko; Ori; to warrant this punishment?
How could they know that everything was out of envy and jealousy?
The family was however determined never to allow Ko;ko; Ori; to be too
close to Orí any longer.
Meanwhile, Ko;ko; Orí began to panic. He did not know what the
Babaláwo had told Orí and members of his family. They had not
come to him to inform him of the outcome of their investigations in
the home of the Awo. He regretted not killing Orí instantly. He would
have used a potent poison which would have killed Orí immediately.
His desire to enjoy watching Orí die a slow but painful death had
backfired! What must he do now before it was too late to do
anything? He decided to go to Orí’s house and finish him off, if
possible with force. When going; he armed himself with a bow and
arrow, spear, dagger and machete. He decided that we would use
tricks to gain access to Orí, and after that he would just stab him to
death with his dagger. If the family refused to allow him in
peacefully, he would force his way into Orí’s room and finish the job.
Off he set out on his wicked journey.
As Ko;ko; Orí was going to Orí’s house, one short man was already in
the house, telling the whole family to be fully prepared for any form
of eventuality. He told them to arm themselves against any attack
since they had just been able to identify their enemy. The enemy
might come to put up an unexpected fight against the family. The
family saw this as a realistic precaution. They got themselves armed
immediately! They didn’t know that the short person who had
approached the family was actually E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ himself. Because the
family had offered all the ẹbọ, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ had become the friend of
the family and was ready to give the family all the necessary support.
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
When Ko;ko; Ori; arrived at Orí’s house, he met more than his match.
They were all more than ready for him. He was beaten mercilessly
and he broke his back in the process. He screamed, cursed and
fretted, all to no avail. He was not allowed to be close to Orí again.
It however took the family three full lunar months to affect a total
cure for Orí. This was because the slow poison injected into his body
by Ko;ko; Ori; was also very slow in getting out of his body. In the end
Orí regained his health. As from that day forward, people ensured
that they do did not allow Ko;ko; Ori; any chance to be close to or even
associate with Orí. When Ko;ko; Ori; is noticed, it is removed with
ignominy.
A®ta¾n¾pa¾ko¾ ni;i; f’ori;i; ‘la;am
¾ u¾ so;ôoo
¾ô k
;Ù a;n
Di;a; fu;n Ko;ko; Ori;
Ti; n; ba; Ori; sô’oôr¾ e;ô iku;
EÙboô ni wo;n
ô ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O: koôti; oô¾gboônyin seô;boô
A®ta¾npa¾ko¾ ni;i; f’ori;i ‘La;am
¾ u¾ so;o
ô ¾ôok
ô; a;n
Di;a; fu;n Ori;
Ti; Ko;ko; Ori; n; ba; sô’oôr¾ e;ô iku;
EÙboô ni wo;n
ô ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;b
ô oô, o; ru;’boô
Ko;ko; Ori; to; l'o;un o; p’Ori;
Ko¾ lee¾ p’Ori; mo;ô o
I®gba¾ eôe
¾ ¾rô u¾¾n yi¾i; ni yo;o; loô o
I®gba¾ o¾jo¾ yi¾i; ni yo;o; loô o
Akoô ala;a¾mu¾ ki¾i; la eô¾erô¾ u¾n me;ji¾ ja;
Abo ala;am
¾ u¾ ki¾i; la eô¾erô¾ u¾n me;ji¾ ja;
OÙwo;ô o¾ô mi wa; ba ewe; e sôe’;ô gun-sôôe’;ô te¾ô eô te¾mi
Reôk
¾ô u¾re¾k
ô u¾¾ oko
N:se
ô ni ma¾a; sôe;ô woôn l'o;gun
N:se
ô ni ma¾a; sôe;ô woôn l'oô;te¾ô
Translation:
The thumb of the hand makes the head of the lizard
appear to be looking straight forward
This was Ifá’s message for Ko;ko; Ori; (the lump on
the head)
That was involved in a fatal friendship with Orí (the Head)
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He was advised to offer eôbọ
He refused to comply
The thumb of the hand makes the head of the
lizard appear to be looking straight forward
This was Ifá’s message for Orí
Who Ko;ko; Ori; was in fatal friendship with
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Ko;ko; Ori; boasted that he would kill Orí
He could not kill Orí anymore
It is during this dry season that he will disappear
It is during this rainy season that he will disappear
A male lizard will not survive two dry seasons
A female lizard will not survive two dry seasons
I’ve now gotten a hold of my leaves which overcome
both uprising and conspiracies
Re¾kô u¾re¾kô u¾ leaves
I will surely overcome their uprising
And I will overcome their conspiracies
Ifá says that this person shall live long and shall overcome all those
who pose to be friends but who are working secretly to see his/her
downfall. Ifá says that his/her enemies shall be exposed and be put
to shame.
Conversely, this person must never plan to destroy another person or
subject anyone to ridicule or embarrassment. Ifá warns that if he/she
attempts to do so, he/she will end up carrying all the negative designs
that he had planned for others.
9. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is literally
and figuratively bereft of all the Ire of life. Ifá says that he/she is
going about nakedly. Ifá however promises that he/she shall be
blessed with all the Ire of life that he/she is craving for in no time.
Ifá advises this person to go and procure six bottles of alcohol on
credit and purchase two mats and pay for the mats.
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
These items will then be offered as eôboô for him/her and his/her life
will improve for the better.
Ifá also says that there is a barren woman close to the person for
whom this Odù is revealed or that the woman for whom this Odù is
revealed is praying fervently for the blessing of the fruit of the womb.
Ifá says that this woman shall be blessed with her own child very
soon. Ifá says also that the woman is someone who likes to show
gratitude for any favour that is extended to her.
Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with two hens, four rats, four
fish and money. The Awo also needs to prepare a¾ko;sôe for her to
use in order for her womb to open and for her to receive the blessing
of the fruit of the womb as soon as possible.
On these two aspects, Ifá says:
Bi; Ifa; eôni¾ yo;o; ba; gbe’ni¾
I®se
ô ku;se
ô ni;i; ko;ôoô; sôe’ni¾
Di;a; fu;n E®er¾ e¾ô-Seô¾gi¾
Ti; n; re’le; Oni;ju¾mu; lo¾ôoô; sôu;’ti;
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
When one’s Ifá is about to support one
It will first make one go through tribulation
This was the message of Ifá for E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ (the porcupine)
When going to Oni;ju¾mu;’s house to procure liquor on credit
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾, the Porcupine was one of the most proficient Awo who
ever lived on earth. He was so versatile in all aspects of Ifá to the
extent that those who were close to him felt that he was using other
means to analyze and explain all the reasons why people were coming
for Ifá consultation. He was always so accurate that he regularly left
his clients dumbfounded. Nobody had ever said that E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ had
missed the point on the reason why he/she had come for Ifá
consultation.
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Ironically, E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ was one of the most unsuccessful Awo who ever
lived on earth. It was so ironical that for E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ to eat once in a
day was a big problem. In spite of his huge knowledge, anytime
people came for Ifá consultation and he analyzed all their problems
for them, somehow, they would never return to offer the ẹbọ.
Instead, they would go to the home of other less competent Awo to
offer the ẹbọ. Some of them complained that they did not feel
comfortable with E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾. Others would say that he seemed to be
penetrating their eyes and skull with his gaze. Some others said that
they simply did not trust their lives into the care of someone who
knew so much about them through just one Ifá consultation. The
result of this was that E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ was always hungry and he had no
dress to wear. He was completely naked! His nakedness was the
reason which other people gave for not going to his home to offer
their ẹbọ. If he was that versatile, why had he not found a solution to
his chronic poverty problem, they queried.
What kind of irony is this? E®e¾re¾-Se¾ôgi¾ asked himself over and over.
Tired of living a life of want, inadequacy and frustration, he decided to
approach the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: What do I
need to do to improve the quality of my life? That was the major
question that he asked Ifá when he got to the home of the Awo. The
curious aspect of it was that he went there nakedly because he had
no clothes or dress that he could wear to cover himself. Someone
who had no clothes or dress, how could one expect such a person to
have a wife or child at home? The fact of the matter was that he had
nothing! When he got to the home of the Awo and Ifá was consulted,
Ogbe¾-Wu;n’le; was the Odù that was revealed.
The Awo informed E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ that he had been experiencing hardship,
deprivation and frustration most of his life in spite of the fact that he
was a very competent Ifá priest. He assured E®e¾re¾-Se¾ôgi¾ that all these
would soon disappear and his proficiency would be recognized and
rewarded. The Awo advised him to go and procure six bottles of
liquor and money for ẹbọ.
That was when E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ burst into tears. He explained to the Awo
that he could not boast of even one cowry shell, not to mention
money to buy six bottles of liquor! He cried profusely. That was
353
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
when the idea of going to procure the items on credit was mentioned.
He agreed to approach Oni;ju¾mu;, a very successful business woman
and liquor merchant and solicit her assistance in that regard.
When he got to the shop of Oni;ju¾mu;, he explained to her the reason
why he had come for her assistance. “Please, I really need your
assistance. If you help me, I will come and pay you your money at
the earliest opportunity. Please assist me so that I may get out of
this life of deprivation”.
Oni;ju¾mu;, looked at E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ with disdain. In her response, it was
obvious that she was not prepared to help; “what makes you think
that I will help you? If I had been giving out my things to people in
an indiscriminate manner, do you think that I would still be in
business today? Look at yourself! The only thing that you have in
this world that I can see is your name and the name is worth nothing!
Where will you get the money to pay me back? Tell me! You are
worth nothing and you are nothing”!
When E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ heard this, instead of getting angry, he simply smiled
an innocent and accommodating smile. He responded thus: “it is
certainly not your fault. The way I appear to you without any clothes
on gives you that impression. You are probably right. Outwardly I
am worth nothing and I am indeed nothing. Inwardly however,
Olo;du¾mare¾ has endowed me with the intelligence that is totally
uncommon to find in an average human being. It is in my bid to
improve my outward appearance with my natural endowment that I
have come to you for assistance. For example, my Ifá told me before
I left home that you, Oni;ju¾mu;, had never experienced the pain and
pleasure of being called a mother by your own baby in your life. You
have never been blessed with the fruit of the womb. If you can offer
my ẹbọ you will receive this blessing in no time. There is also the
need to prepare a special Ifá work, a¾ko;sôe for you in order for your
womb to open and carry your own baby. If you are interested your
ẹbọ materials are two hens and money.
This threw Oni;ju¾mu; totally off her guard. She had never heard
anyone speak to her like that before. Not only that, what this naked
man had said was the biggest problem of her life. She had hidden it
from everyone, except her husband who knew of the problem. There
were many children in her house who people believed to be her
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
children but none of them were. Now, this naked man has come from
nowhere to strip her closely-guarded secret! She felt more naked
than the man in front of her. She simply closed her shop and asked
E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi; to follow her to her home. On that very day, the ẹbọ was
offered. The following day, the a¾ko;sôe was given to her to use. She
gave the six bottles of liquor to E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi; on credit.
The following month, Oni;ju¾mu; noticed that she had missed her
period. It was later confirmed that it was pregnancy. On the tenth
month, she gave birth to a bouncing baby.
The whole household of Oni;ju¾mu; erupted into a big celebration. They
announced to the whole world that the naming ceremony would be
the grandest event the whole community had ever witnessed.
Everybody began to prepare for the big day and the big event.
While all these were going on, Oni;ju¾mu;’s mind was filled with worry
and anxiety. How could she celebrate the naming ceremony of her
bundle of joy without the presence of the Awo who made it possible
for her to have the baby in the first place? How could this Awo
appear for the ceremony naked? What could she do to show her own
appreciation to this mighty Awo?
This Awo had covered her
barrenness' nakedness with a baby; it was therefore imperative for
her to cover his own nakedness with dresses. How would she do
this? Who would help her to do this? Where would she go to get this
help?
As she was thinking of all these in her mind, the thought for her to
approach the Awo who asked E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ to procure six bottles of
liquor came to her mind. Without any delay, off she went. She told
the Awo that it was E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ who made it possible for her to become
a proud mother of her own baby.
The naming ceremony of the baby was about to be celebrated in a
grand style. She felt that it would be totally unfair for the celebration
to take place in the absence of E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾. She had come for the help
of the Awo to find a way of ensuring that E®e¾reô¾-Seô¾gi¾ was properly
clothed for the occasion. When Ifá was consulted, again, Ogbe¾Wu;nle; was revealed.
355
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
The Awo told Oni;ju¾mu; to procure two big O®o¾re; mats and money.
They were procured immediately. After this, E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ was invited by
the Awo. When he arrived, he was still naked. He was asked to lie
down on the mat. He did. The ẹbọ was offered for him. The
surprising thing was that as soon as the Awo finished offering the
ẹbọ, all the O®o¾re; mats stuck to the body of E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ and they
became the spikes which covered all his body! His nakedness no
longer showed.
He was looking glorious and majestic! The
transformation was totally unbelievable! E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ entered the home
of the Awo completely naked and came out of the house completely
clothed, from head to toe!
The day of the naming ceremony was magnificent. All roads led to
Oni;ju¾mu;’s compound. Food and drinks were in excess. E®er¾ eô¾-Seô¾gi¾ was
placed on the High Table. There was singing, dancing and merriment
galore.
When it was time for Oni;ju¾mu; and her husband to come to the dance
floor to dance, Oni;ju¾mu; insisted that she would be the one to sing
and the musical band would only chorus her songs. Everybody was
delightfully surprised. As she stepped out, she busted into a song of
joy saying to the amazement of the attendants.
She sang:
Ta lo; soô mi; d’oôloô;moô o?
O®o¾re;-Seô¾gi¾
Lo; soÙÙ mi d’oôlo;ômoô
E®e¾re¾¾ô-Seôgi¾
Lo; soô mi d’onílé
To; soô mi; d’ala;so
ô ô
O®o¾reô¾-seô¾gi¾
Lo; soô mi; d’oôloô;moô
O®o¾reô¾ o o¾! Awo ile; Oni;ju¾mu; o
O®o¾reô¾-se¾gi¾
Lo; soô mi d’oôloô;moô
O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Translation:
Who turned me into a mother?
O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾
He was the one who turned me into a mother
O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾
He turned me into a property owner
He turned me into an owner of garments
O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾
He was the one who turned me into a mother
O®o¾reô¾ o ò, the resident Awo of Oni;ju¾mu; o
O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾
He was the one who turned me into a mother
O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾
On and on, the song continued. All eyes were on O®or¾ eô¾-se¾ôgi¾. He
became an instant celebrity. Everyone wanted to know where he had
been hiding himself all these years. Everybody wanted to try his/her
luck with him. All the chiefs, Ϙbas, market leaders and influential
personalities in the society became his clients instantly. It was the
time for O®or¾ eô¾-se¾ôgi¾ to manifest and fulfil his destiny. He did. None of
the clients were disappointed.
Bi; Ifa; eôni o¾ ba; gbe’ni
I®se
ô ku;se
ô ni;i; ko;o; sôe’ni
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾reô-Seô¾gi¾
Ti; n; re’le; Oni;ju¾mu; loô¾o;ô sôu’ti;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
O®o¾reô-Seô¾gi¾, Awo ile; Oni;ju¾mu;
Di;a; fu;n Oni;ju¾mu;
To; f'eô¾yi¾nti¾ mo;ju; eôku;n su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®jeô; talo; soô mi; d’oôloô;moô?
O®o¾re;-Seô¾gi¾
Lo; soÙÙ mi d’oôlo;ômoô
357
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
E®e¾re¾¾ô-Seôgi¾
Lo; soô mi d’onílé
To; soô mi; d’ala;so
ô ô
O®o¾reô¾-seô¾gi¾
Lo; soô mi; d’oôloô;moô
O®o¾reô¾ o o¾! Awo ile; Oni;ju¾mu; o
O®o¾reô¾-se¾gi¾
Lo; soô mi d’oôloô;moô
O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾
Translation:
When one’s Ifá is about to support one
It will first make one go through tribulation
This was the message of Ifá for E®er¾ e¾-Se¾ôgi¾ (the porcupine)
When going to Oni;ju¾mu;’s house to procure liquor on credit
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
E®e¾re¾-Se¾ôgi¾, the resident Awo of Oni;ju¾mu;
He cast Ifá for Oni;ju¾mu;
When she was weeping in lamentation for her inability to beget
her own child
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
She complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Now, who turned me into a mother?
O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾
He was the one who turned me into a mother
O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾
He turned me into a property owner
He turned me into an owner of garments
O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾
He was the one who turned me into a mother
O®o¾reô¾ o ò, the resident Awo of Oni;ju¾mu; o
O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾
He was the one who turned me into a mother
O®o¾reô¾-se¾ôgi¾
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Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed only needs to
persevere for a little more time as his/her Ire is about to reach his/her
hands. Once he/she gets the Ire, his/her life will never be the same
again.
Ifá also urges somebody here to render a helping hand to the person
who has approached him/her for assistance. Through this person,
his/her own problems will also be solved. There is nothing that this
person lacks in this world that Ifá will not give him/her. Ifá also says
that once he/she gets his/her heart’s desires, he/she will remain
fulfilled for the remaining part of his/her life.
10. Ifá says that the life of this person for whom this Odù is revealed
shall change for the better. This person shall move from obscurity to
prominence. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of prosperity, compatible
spouse, great children, befitting property, longevity and all the Ire of
life for this person. All he/she needs to do is offer ẹbọ and be
hopeful. Ifá advises him/her to persevere. Ifá says that his/her
success will be so sudden that it will baffle those who are close to
him/her.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with four white pigeons, a keg
of honey and money. He/she also needs to feed Aje; (Wealth deity)
with e¾kuru, bean pudding that is prepared without salt, oil or
pepper. Honey however can be added to the e¾kuru.
On this aspect, Ifá says:
A®gba¾ra; o¾jo¾ ni;i; f’a¾ya¾ roô ko;o;ko di';na¾
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾reô¾-Se¾ôgi¾
Ti; yo;o; sôi;’gba; Aje; pi¾ri;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The rain flood is it that drags debris and blocks the
main road
This was Ifá’s message for O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ (the Porcupine)
Who would open the calabash of wealth suddenly
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾, the Porcupine, was a well trained Babaláwo. He was
extremely proficient in his work. As good as he was; he had nothing
to show for it. He had no money. He had no wife. He had no
children. He was living in an abandoned family house. Anytime there
was rainfall, he would have to stay awake overnight because the roof
would leak. He had no good dresses that he could wear to anywhere.
All his family members had abandoned him because they felt that he
could never amount to anything in life ever.
There were only two things left for him in his life as his assets: his
extensive knowledge of Ifá and his hope. Those were the only two
assets that kept him going. He was very sure that the future would
be brighter for him. How? He could not tell. Still, he did not lose
hope for one day. He was ready to persevere until his own time of
success arrived. He knew for sure that his own sun would soon shine.
He slept and woke up in hunger and with inadequacy every time. Yet,
his hope and belief in Ifá was unquestionable.
In his bid to know for sure what the future had in stock for him, O®or¾ eô¾Se¾ôgi¾ went to the home of the Awo mentioned above for Ifá
consultation: Will I succeed in life? Will I be blessed with my own
wife and children? Will I be among those who are destined to have
their own personal properties in life? Will I be accorded with due
honour and respect in life? Will my family members who had hitherto
abandoned me return to me again? Will I stop living a lonely life, full
of despair and disappointments? During Ifá consultation Ogbe¾-Wu;n’le;
was revealed.
The Awo assured O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ that his sun would soon shine for all to
see and appreciate. He was urged to persevere as he was almost
touching his success and opportunities. He was told not to lose hope
or give in to despair. The Awo also advised him to offer ẹbọ with four
white pigeons, and a keg of honey. He was also advised to feed
Ajé as stated above. It took him a lot of effort and self deprivation to
procure the materials. In the end, he got them and the ẹbọ was
offered.
For three full moons, nothing happened. Nothing changed. He was
still living in abject poverty and want. Instead of any improvement,
the situation was deteriorating further. To eat was getting tougher.
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It got to a stage that he could no longer afford the money to buy
soap to bathe! Yet, O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ was hopeful that his sun would soon
shine. For three full lunar months, his sun had failed to shine. His life
remained in total darkness.
One day, a young girl of about 15 years of age came crying into his
house. This girl was covered with scabies all over her body. There
was almost no space on her body that scabies had not covered. She
was thrown out of her home because of the fear that she would infect
others with her ailment. It was believed that she had done something
wrong and O¾Ùbalu;aye; was angry with her. The family believed that the
scabies were a punishment from O¾Ùbalu;aye;. That was why they felt
that it was best to throw her out of the family for her to deal with her
problem alone. When she got to O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾‘s house, she collapsed
and sobbed uncontrollably. She was hungry and totally disoriented.
She was also confused and the pain of being wickedly thrown out by
her own family was too much for her to cope with.
When O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ asked her to explain how it all happened, she could
only cry and cry. She kept repeating "they threw me out” several
times. O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ knew that the ailment that had afflicted the girl had
absolutely nothing to do with O¾Ùbalu;aye;. It was something that he
could cure. The only snag was that there was no money to buy the
materials that he needed to use to cure the girl. There was no food in
the house, and there was no soap to bathe with! He was fully
determined to assist the girl in spite of his condition. The only way
was for him to assure the girl that there was no problem between her
and O¾Ùbalu;aye;. With appropriate medical attention, all the ailments
would disappear from her body. After this, he went to cut down some
dry wood so that he could sell it. He had never done this for himself
before but for this girl, he was ready to do anything within his
capacity to assist her. He only made a little money from this effort.
He spent the money to get some food for the girl.
The next day, he went out on an empty stomach to fetch more wood.
He took the wood to the market for sale. He repeated the trip to the
forest and the market four times that day. He got more money from
the sale. He bought soap and some of the materials needed for the
medication and some food. He did this for three days before all what
he needed to cure the ailment was complete. He prepared the
medicine and administered it on the girl. About 20 days after, the girl
361
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
was totally cured! During the time he had been spending with her he
realized that she was a very lovely person. The girl also felt very
much at home with him. While he would go out to work, the girl
would stay at his home and sweep the ground and fetch water. For
the first time in many years, he saw someone who was ready to assist
him without any consideration.
Now, the next task in helping her out was in how to reconcile the
problem with her parents and the entire household. At first, the girl
felt reluctant to go. After much talk and persuasion however, she
agreed to follow him to her parents’ house.
When they got there, they discovered, to their chagrin, that there was
nobody in the household who was not afflicted with scabies. The only
difference was that they had not thrown anyone else out of the
house. When they saw her, they were surprised that she was looking
fresh without any affliction. O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ explained to the family that
what they were suffering from had nothing to do with O¾Ùbalu;aye;. He
also assured them that it could be cured. They all agreed for him to
cure them of their ailments since they had seen their girl who had
already been cured of the same ailment. They discussed further.
They gave O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ an amount of money he had never seen before.
The money transformed him immediately from a poverty-stricken man
to a man of affluence and opulence. He already had an assistant.
The girl returned with him to prepare the remedy for her household
members.
Three days later, the medicine was ready. About 20 days after, they
were all cured of their ailment. Other families who had been afflicted
approached O®o¾reô¾-Se¾ôgi¾. They paid huge sums of money and they were
all cured. That was how O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ became an instant celebrity. He
also became an instant success story. He became wealthier far
beyond his wildest dreams.
When members of his family who had hitherto abandoned him heard
of his success, they began to look for him. They appealed to him to
forgive them. He did.
Two years after this, O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ woke up one morning only to find the
family members of the girl who had been working with him in front of
his house. They had come to discuss something very important with
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him. Their discussion centred on their girl. Since O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ had
proved to be useful in the community and had assisted all those who
needed his help, the family felt that they could only show their
appreciation by giving him the hand of their daughter in marriage.
When he heard this, he was overwhelmed with joy. He informed his
own family members. They approved of the relationship. Ifá was
consulted on the matter and Ifá gave its go ahead.
The marriage ceremony was a huge spectacle and success.
Everybody was happy. The bride was even happier. The woman
gave him several children after. Their home was transformed from a
leaky abandoned house to a magnificent home befitting an influential
family in the community. He extended his wealth to both his and his
in-laws' family members. Everybody around him was happy.
One day, O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ planned to celebrate the 10th anniversary of his
transformation from poverty to affluence. He also intended it to be a
solemn thanksgiving ceremony. He invited many people to the
occasion. He was pleasantly surprised to see his own family members
and those of his in-laws singing, drumming and dancing together.
They were saying:
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o o
Awo l’O®o¾reô¾-Se¾g
ô i¾ o
O®o¾re¾ô lo sôi'; gba; aje; pi¾ri;
Aje; poô¾ ni;’ran a¾wa
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o o¾
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
O®o¾reô¾ lo; sôi’; gba; Aya pi¾ri;
Aya po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o o¾
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba; OÙmoô pi¾ri;
OÙmoô poô¾ ni;'ran a¾wa
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o o¾
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
363
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba; Ile; pi¾ri;
Ile; po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o o¾
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba ire gbogbo pi¾ri;
Ire gbogbo po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa
Awo l’O®o¾re¾ô Seôg
¾ i¾ o
Translation:
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a great Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a competent Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a prominent Awo
O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened
calabash of wealth
Wealth abounds in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a great Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a competent Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a prominent Awo
O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened
calabash of spouse
Spouses abound in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a great Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a competent Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a prominent Awo
O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened
calabash of children
Children abound in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a great Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a competent Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a prominent Awo
O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened
the calabash of property
Property abounds in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a great Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a competent Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a prominent Awo
O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened
calabash of all Ire
All the Ire of life abounds in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a great Awo
364
the
the
the
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That was how the celebration went with O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ and his woman
feeling on top of the world. They were grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾, their
Orí their Ifá, and all the Iru;nmoôleô¾ too.
A®gba¾ra; o¾jo¾ ni;i; f’a¾ya¾ roô ko;o;ko di;na¾
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾ôgi¾
Ti; yo;o; sôi;’gba; Aje; pi¾ri;
EÙboô ni woôn
; ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;b
ô oô, o; ru;’boô
Nj®eô; Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o o
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
O®o¾re¾ô lo sôi'; gba; aje; pi¾ri;
Aje; poô¾ ni;’ran a¾wa
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o o¾
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
O®o¾reô¾ lo; sôi’; gba; Aya pi¾ri;
Aya po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
ô i¾ o o¾
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba; OÙmoô pi¾ri;
OÙmoô poô¾ ni;'ran a¾wa
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o o¾
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba; Ile; pi¾ri;
Ile; po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o o¾
Awo l’O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ o
O®o¾re¾ô lo; sôi’; gba ire gbogbo pi¾ri;
Ire gbogbo po¾ô ni;'ran a¾wa
Awo l’O®o¾re¾ô Seôg
¾ i¾ o
Translation:
The rain flood is it that drags debris and blocks the main road
This was Ifá’s message for O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ (the Porcupine)
Who would open the calabash of wealth suddenly
365
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Now, O®or¾ eô¾-Se¾ôgi¾ is a great Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a competent Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a prominent Awo
O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened
calabash of wealth
Wealth abounds in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a great Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a competent Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a prominent Awo
O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened
calabash of spouse
Spouses abound in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a great Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a competent Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a prominent Awo
O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened
calabash of children
Children abound in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a great Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a competent Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a prominent Awo
O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened
calabash of property
Property abounds in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a great Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a competent Awo
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a prominent Awo
O®o¾re¾ô is the person who suddenly opened
calabash of all Ire
All the Ire of life abounds in our lineage
O®o¾reô-¾ Se¾g
ô i¾ is a great Awo
the
the
the
the
the
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall move
from grass to grace; from nothing to abundance; and from despair to
boundless opportunities. Ifá enjoins this person never to lose hope.
Ifá says that his/her sun shall shine and when this happens, the sun
shall never set for the rest of his/her life.
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11. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a compatible spouse for the
person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that the woman in
question is a fair skinned woman. The relationship will be beneficial
to both of them and it will be blessed with children.
Ifá says that it is advisable for the couple to never sleep in total
darkness.
Their success and child-bearing chances are more
enhanced if they sleep with at least a little light present. Ifá also
advises the man to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish, two hens
and money. He also needs to feed Ifá with two rats, two fish,
and one hen.
On this, Ifá says:
Aroô ni o¾ roô; gi¾di¾ l’a;;ja¾
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
Ti; yo;o; sô’oôôkoô Amoô;ye¾ye¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
A cripple cannot jump up onto the ceiling of a house
This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾
When going to become the husband of Amoô;ye¾ye¾
(the fair skinned woman)
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ needed a woman who would be his wife. He consulted Ifá
on the matter. Ifá said that the woman that would be compatible to
his life at that; point in time would be a fair skinned woman. He was
also told that the woman would give birth to many fine children for
him.
The revelation was very pleasing to OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ and he therefore
decided to exercise patience for the right woman to come into his life.
One day, OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ met Amoô;ye¾ye¾. Her body features matched the
descriptions of the woman that Ifá had earlier told him that would be
compatible to his life. To make sure however, OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ consulted Ifá
again and Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; was revealed.
367
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
In this Odù, Ifá explained that Amo;;ôye¾ye¾ would make OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ happy
and fulfilled. He was also told that the woman would bear him the
children of his dreams who would make him a proud father. These
children would be useful to themselves, their parents, their siblings,
their friends, their extended family members, their community and the
larger society in general.
The Awo advised OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ to offer ẹbọ with four rats, four fish,
two hens and money. He was also told to feed his O®ke¾-I®po¾ôri; (Ifá)
with two rats, two fish and one hen. OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾ complied.
It was after the ẹbọ and I®boô had been offered that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s family
members went to Amo;;ôye¾ye¾’s family to ask for her hand in marriage.
The family also went for Ifá consultation and it was revealed that the
relationship would be of mutual benefit to everyone.
A short while after this, the wedding ceremony was conducted. In
spite of the fact that all the necessary rites were performed, the
expected gains were not realized. What went wrong? What could
have caused this? Was there anything that they were expected to do
which they had left undone? Was there something they were not
supposed to do which they had been doing? Why was it that the joy,
satisfaction, contentment, self-actualization and babies which Ifá
promised had not materialized? Seven years of marriage had passed
already and still no progress; no satisfaction; not even one single
baby, and no achievement. What could they do now? The only option
left was for them to approach Ifá and demand for an explanation as
to what was amiss. They returned to the home of the Awo mentioned
above for Ifá consultation. In the process, Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; was revealed.
Ifá repeated that the marriage would be blessed with joy, satisfaction,
contentment, elevation, progress, many children and selfactualization. The Awo told them that they would have no cause for
regret in any way whatsoever.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ trusted this Awo. He was one of his former students who
was well trained in all the departments of Ifá pedagogy. In spite of
this, his predictions on this issue had not come to pass. Why?
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ explained the situation to the Awo. They asked Ifá to
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
explain to them what actually was going wrong? That was when they
came to realize that there was something that they ought to be doing
which they had left undone. Better put, there was something which
they had ought not to do which they had been doing. What was that?
After much investigation, it was discovered that the delegates of
Olo;du¾mare¾ and the Iru;nmoôleô¾ô who were responsible for bringing all the
Ire of life that the coupled craved for could not operate in total
darkness. They performed their functions in the middle of the night
but some light had to be present. This was new information to them.
Amo;ôye¾ye¾ was mandated by the Awo to ensure that there was light in
the room they slept in every night. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ left the house of the Awo
full of pride for his former student. All appropriate ẹbọ was offered.
Four days after this revelation, things began to change positively for
the couple. They began to feel joy and satisfaction in their lives.
There was this inexplicable comfort and tranquillity that enveloped
their lives. The next month, Amo;ôye¾ye¾ realized that she had become
pregnant! On the tenth month, she gave birth to a baby girl. Their
joy multiplied. Everything in their lives changed for the good. Their
only regret was that they ought to have had light in their room since
the first night of their marriage!
Aroô ni¾ o¾ ro;ô gi¾di¾ l’a;ja¾
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; yo;o; sô’oôkoô Amo;ôye¾ye¾
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe¾ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yoô¾
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Nje Amoô;ye¾ye¾ tan’na; si;'le;
O®ji;se
ô ô; Iru;nmoôleô¾ n; bo¾ô wa o
Amo;ôye¾ye¾ tan’na; si;’le;
Translation:
A cripple cannot jump up onto the ceiling of a house
This was Ifá’s message for OÙ®ru;;nmi¾la¾
When going to become the husband of Amoô;ye¾ye¾
(the fair skinned woman)
369
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Now, Amoô;ye¾ye¾ light up your room
The delegates of the Iru;nmoôleô¾ are coming
Amoô;ye¾ye¾ light up your room
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will have cause
to celebrate his/her achievements and good luck. The couple for
whom this Odù is revealed will also live satisfied and fulfilled lives.
They will also be blessed with many wonderful children who will be
useful to themselves and to the society at large. The couple will live
for the rest of their lives as contented and self-actualized people as
long as they do not allow anything or anyone to mislead them.
12. Ifá says that a woman has separated from her husband where
this Odù is revealed. The separation may lead to divorce. Ifá says
that it is not in the best interest of the woman to separate from her
husband let alone divorce him. If a woman is contemplating
separation or divorce where this Odù is revealed, it is not advisable
for her to take such steps, it is in her best overall interest to stay in
her matrimonial home and find a means of resolving whatever the
problems were that had brought separation or divorce into her mind.
If the woman has already separated from her husband, she is urged
to return back to her husband.
Ifá also advises a man whose wife has left him to allow her back if the
woman takes steps to return to her matrimonial home. If the woman
does not return, she will undergo further physical and emotional
hardship. There is the need for forgiveness, peace and to give
reconciliation a chance.
Ifá advises this woman to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat, two
guinea-fowls and money. She also needs to feed Ifá with one
mature she-goat. After this, there is the need for her to ensure
that she does not allow anything and anyone to mislead her into
taking wrong and unprofitable decisions.
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On this, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ wu;n’le;
Ile; la¾a; wu;n
OÙ®na¾ eôni la¾a; toô¾
OÙ®na¾ ti; a o¾ toô¾ ri;
O®Ùna¾ ti; a o¾ loô ri;
Ni;i; sôe’ni sôi¾ba;la;-sôi¾bolo
Di;a; fu;n Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾
Ti;i; sô’aya A®ba¾ta¾ l’O:do¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbè remain in your home
It is preferable to stay in one’s home
The path that one has ever taken before
The path that one has ever trekked before
Such a path usually brings confusion
This was Ifa;’s message for Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾
(the Giant Cocoyam)
The wife of A®ba¾ta¾ (the Swamp)
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
Before she got married, Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ had many suitors. They all
promised to take very good care of her. In the end, she went for Ifá
consultation. Ifá advised her to marry A®ba¾ta¾ and if she did, she
would be able to live her life to the fullest. She offered all the
necessary ẹbọ and finally settled for A®ba¾ta¾. In a matter of 10 years
after marriage, she had become a phenomenon. She had realized
most of her desires in life. She was a happy and fulfilled woman. She
also had several children who were well taken care of and these
children all looked like her. There really was nothing that she
fervently desired which Olo;du¾mare¾ would not bless her with.
One day however her friends began to whisper into her ears that
maybe, she would have been happier with another man. Maybe, she
could have had more children for another man. Maybe, she could
have been more fulfilled in the home of another man. Maybe, she
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
could have become a more prominent woman in the home of another
man. Maybe, she could have been accorded more regard and honour
by another man. Maybe, their children could have been taken care of
in a better way by another man. Maybe, her children could have
become more prominent if she had given birth to them for another
man. Maybe, maybe, maybe...
At the initial stage, she took no notice of what her friends were telling
her. The situation got so bad however with her friends, that almost
every time her husband would caution her against doing something,
her friends would scream at her and say,” If you had been married to
Pa;pa; the Savannah) one of your former suitors, he would never had
even thought about ever cautioning you or curtailing any action you
wished to take.”
They vouched that her husband was simply too jealous and envied
how much prominence she had. They would also warn her that if she
failed to take appropriate action, a time would come that her husband
would completely cover up all her talents and potentials! Gradually,
she began to think about what her friends were telling her.
The more she thought about what they would tell her, the more she
convinced herself that her friends were right after all. She convinced
herself that she must take appropriate action. That was what she
must do! She then began to view all the actions and activities of
A®ba¾ta¾ with suspicion. The funny thing was that she had once admired
how her husband would always look out for her and worry about her.
What must she do? What was the appropriate action that she must
take? How must she take the step? Her friends were handy to teach
her what to do. The action that was most appropriate was to divorce
A®ba¾ta¾! Divorce? Oh yes! That was the appropriate action to take!
But, how do you divorce a man who has never offended you in any
way? How do you separate yourself from a man simply because you
suspect that he is trying to control and minimize your full potentials?
How would I explain to my children that my reason for divorcing their
father was based completely on suspicion? True, she had convinced
herself that she would divorce A®ba¾ta¾ but how would she explain this
to her children and family members?
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Apart from this, there were two other things to consider: How would
she move out of her matrimonial home without incurring the odium of
the larger society? And two, if she left, where would she go? It was
obvious that her family members would never take her back because
they could not see any offence that A®ba¾ta¾ had committed against her.
Furthermore, she had never before gone to her family house for one
day to report any misdeed perpetrated by A®ba¾ta¾.
Then again, her friends were handy to tell her what to do and to give
answers to all her questions. First, if there was no evidence against
her husband to warrant a divorce, it could be invented. She could
also provoke him into taking drastic actions against her and that
would be used as evidence against him. She could push his patience
to the limit and ensure that he misbehaved. All her friends promised
to be nearby so that they would be her witnesses.
Second, why must she be concerned about what other people say
anyway? After all, none of them were experiencing the deprivation
and curtailment which A®ba¾ta¾ was subjecting her to. She was the
person facing the problem not them. The best all these people could
be was just sympathizers. She must never allow the opinion of others
to deter her from taking her decision. She could simply walk out of
the relationship and that would be none of anybody’s business.
As for her parents and children, they would forget their anger after
sometime and they would embrace her back. After all, the children
could not substitute another mother for her and her parents could not
have another woman to replace her as their daughter.
Third, where she would go to was obvious: to the home of Pa;pa; of
course! He had promised to take better care of her. He would make
her happier and more fulfilled. He had even promised that he would
take responsibility for the upkeep and maintenance of all her children.
She would feel on top of the world if she moved into his home!
With this assurance, the plan began in earnest. Her attitude changed
completely. She became a stubborn, nagging and snappy woman.
Nothing her husband did ever satisfied her anymore. She would
constantly jump at him and rain curses and abuses on him. She
would provoke him at every opportunity even for very small things.
The husband was totally confused. He was however certain of one
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
thing: this was not the natural attitude of his beloved wife.
Something must be wrong. He resolved to talk it over with her.
He called his wife for a talk. As soon as he called her “my darling
wife”, all became pandemonium. She slapped him repeatedly. She
screamed, kicked and panted. She cursed him for daring to call her
his darling wife. She used her nails to cut him all over his face. Blood
gushed out from the wounds. Yet, A®ba¾ta¾ remained calm. Her friends
rushed in to see what was happening in order to serve as witnesses to
the fact of her being abused. They were all surprised to see that
A®ba¾ta¾ did not even lift one finger to defend himself; let alone raise his
hand against her.
He absorbed everything as if nothing had
happened.
This type of provocation became a common occurrence in their home
but A®ba¾ta¾ would not react in any aggressive way. One day she even
hit him on the head and blood gushed out. He still refused to react.
This brought her more frustration.
Meanwhile, she had been meeting Pa;pa; in a secret location. Pa;pa;
was urging her to pack her things and move into his home as quickly
as possible. He told her that he could not wait to see her in his home.
He promised to do everything that she wanted for her. He also
promised that he would not restrict her from doing whatever she
wished to do.
One day, A®ba¾ta¾ was resting outside his house. He saw his wife
coming along the road with two bundles, one on her head and the
other on her shoulder. He quickly rushed to meet her and help her
with one of the bundles. The wife flared into an uncontrollable rage.
“Who needs your help?" She screamed. She went on and on. When
A®ba¾ta¾ refused to talk, she rushed at him and ripped his clothes off his
body. At this particular moment, members of her own family were
coming to visit her.
When they saw what she had done, they all questioned her and asked
her why she was humiliating her husband in public in such a manner.
This made her very angry. She charged at them and told them to
convert him to their own family member if they wished. She rushed
in and began to pack her things. Her friends were nowhere to be
seen and no one helped her pack her things. All appeals from her
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
husband and her own family members fell on deaf ears. She left that
day. All her things were packed into the home of Pa;pa;.
For three to four months, it was enjoyment for her and her new found
lover. Her friends visited her every day. They brought news of the
sorrow of her former husband to her. It was the rainy season.
Everything was in abundance for her. She hardly thought of her
children and family members.
As soon as the rain stopped however, trouble began. The lack of
water, coupled with intense sun and her exposure to it made her
suffer and she felt uncomfortable. She grew lean and ugly steadily.
Soon after, she fell seriously ill. She called on her friends but they
would not come. They then began to tell her that she left her
husband’s home because she was too greedy.
What else could she have wanted in her life which was not already
given to her? They then made jest of her. She soon realized that she
was all alone. Her behaviours soon began to put Pa;pa; off. He
prayed for her to go away from his home. She was alone and lonely.
She had nobody to console her. That was when she decided to go to
the home of the Awo stated above for Ifá consultation. Her main
question was what she needed to do to get herself out of her present
predicament. During Ifá consultation, Ogbe¾-Hu;nle; was revealed.
The Awo blamed her for listening to bad advice and for taking a bad
and unjustifiable decision. The Awo told her that her husband from
heaven was A®ba¾ta¾ but she deceived herself by moving in with another
man. If she had stayed with her man, she was told, she would have
never faced the predicament she found herself in. The Awo told her
that the only solution was for her to find a way of returning to her
husband’s home. She was advised to go and look for people who
would help her appeal to her husband to accept her back into his life.
She was also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied.
She went to plead with her friends and family members to help her
appeal to her husband to accept her back. The same friends blamed
her for not listening to good advice when they were telling her not to
leave her husband and she refused to listen. She could not argue at
all. She was not in any position to argue. She only wanted them to
help her plead with her husband.
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Her friends and family members went to A®ba¾ta¾. They pleaded with
him to forgive Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ and overlook all the bad decisions she had
made. Surprisingly, A®ba¾ta¾ responded that he knew all along that how
she was acting was not the usual character of his wife. He assured
them that he had forgiven her and she was free to return to her
home.
When Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ heard this news, she was overwhelmed with joy.
She returned to her husband’s home that same evening. As she was
going, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ began singing, saying:
Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ de; o
Aya A®ba¾ta¾
Obi¾nrin n; re’le; oôkoô reô¾ a¾ar; o¾ô o
Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ ma¾ ma¾ de; o
Aya A®ba¾ta¾
Obi¾nrin ma¾ n;re’le; oôkoô reô a¾ar; oô¾ o
Translation
Here comes Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾
The wife of A®ba¾ta¾
The woman is returning to her first husband’s home
Here come Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾
The wife of A®ba¾¾ta¾
The woman is truly returning to her first husband’s home
That was how Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ returned to the home of A®ba¾ta¾. The
following day, A®ba¾ta¾ called her very early in the morning for a serious
discussion. They both discussed for a long long time.
She tendered her unreserved apology to him and although everything
that had happened had hurt him deeply, A®ba¾ta¾ forgave her. Since that
day henceforth, Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ returned to comfort, joy and opulence.
She reunited with her children and family members. She never
listened to bad advice or contemplated taking any nasty steps again.
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Ogbe¾ wu;n’le;
Ile; la¾a; wu;n
OÙ®na¾ eôni la¾a; toô¾
OÙ®na¾ ti; a o¾ toô¾ ri;
O®Ùna¾ ti; a o¾ loô ri;
Ni;i; sôe’ni sôi¾ba;la;-sôi¾bolo
Di;a; fu;n Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾
Ti;i; sô’aya A®ba¾ta¾ l’O:do¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’bo;ô
N®je;ô Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾ o; de; o
Aya A®ba¾ta¾
Obi¾nrin n; re’le; oôkoô reô¾ a¾ar; oô o
Translation:
Ogbè remain in your home
It is preferable to stay in one’s home
The path that one has ever taken before
The path that one has ever trekked before
Such a path usually brings confusion
This was Ifa;’s message for Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾
(the Giant Cocoyam)
The wife of A®ba¾ta¾ (the Swamp)
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
She complied
Here comes Olu;-u-Ko;ko¾
The wife of A®ba¾ta¾
The woman is returning to her first husband’s home
Ifá says that if a woman is facing major tribulation, frustration, or
illness where this Odù is revealed, it is because she has left her
matrimonial home and it was not in her interest to do so. She needs
to find the means and way to return to her matrimonial in order for
normalcy to return to her life. Her man also needs to forgive her. If
the couple can mend the relationship things will go very well for both
of them.
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
13. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of many children for the person
for whom Ogbe¾-Hu;nle; is revealed. Ifá says that this person will not
experience the problem of child-bearing in his/her life. Ifá says that if
this person is already experiencing this problem however, it will
become a thing of the past in no time. Ifá says that the coming baby
has come into the world with its own name. The name of the baby is
Ifa;re¾ômi;le;ôku;n or Reô¾mi;le;ôku;n for short. This name means: Ifá puts an
end to my crying and lamentation.
Ifá says that the coming of the baby will be accompanied with
prosperity, property, success, joy, contentment, sound health,
longevity and all the Ire of life. This person will not lack any Ire in
life, but his/her biggest asset in life will be his/her children.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature she-goat and
money. There is also the need for him/her to feed Ifá with another
mature she-goat.
On this, Ifá says:
O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran
O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾
Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe;
Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti;
Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾re¾ô
Ti;i; n;f'omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Black thread is not easy to spin
It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove
The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away
Sooner or later
The termites will consume it
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Something ran across the road
And swerved to this side
Something ran across the road
And swerved to that side
These were Ifá’s messages for O®or¾ e¾ô (the Porcupine)
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to
beget her own baby
She was advised to offer eôôboô
How could she not cry? Why must she not cry? What is so amusing
in seeing one’s colleagues become pregnant and carrying their own
babies when one’s own womb has remained flat without any seed of
the womb germinating therein? Who could ever advise her not to
cry? She had the right to cry! She was tired of counting the time, the
days, weeks, months and years of her wedding without having any
baby to crown her marital life.
One day, O®or¾ e¾ô cried and cried and cried some more. She slept off.
She had a dream where someone told her that crying would never
solve her problem. She needed to find a solution to her problems
instead of engaging in perpetual weeping. When she woke up, she
headed straight for the home of the group of Awo mentioned above
for Ifá consultation: Will I receive the blessing of the fruit of the
womb in my life? Will my tears be wiped off and be replaced with
laughter? Will I have my own babies and children to shower my love
and attention on? Will I be blessed with my own children to send on
errands? Will I become a mother in my own lifetime before it
becomes too late for me to bear children? These and many more
were the questions which O®or¾ e¾ô asked Ifá during the consultation.
When Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾-Hu;nle; was revealed.
The Awo told O®or¾ e¾ô that through Ifá, Olo;du¾mare¾ was about to wipe off
her tears and replace them with laughter. She was told that
Olo;du¾mare¾ would give her several children to make her happy. The
first baby, she was advised, should be named Reô¾mi;le;ôku;n, she was
also advised to offer ẹbọ as stated above. She complied. She also
propitiated Ifá as she had been advised.
379
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Two months after, O®or¾ e¾ô became pregnant. Because she had been
told that her children would be her biggest blessings in life, she
stopped working altogether for fear of losing the pregnancy. In spite
of this, people kept bringing businesses to her at home. She was
coordinating all her business from home and was making huge profit.
She gave birth to the baby in opulence. The baby was named
Ifa;re¾ômi;le;ôku;n- Ifá puts an end to my crying and lamentation.
O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran
O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾
Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe;
Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti;
Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾re¾ô
Ti;i; n;f'omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
O® ba; re¾ômi; leô;ku;n n da;boô¾
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;boô¾ Aje;
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;boô¾ aya
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;boô¾ oômoô
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô
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O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô ile;
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n n da;bo¾ô
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ômi; le;ôku;n n da;boô¾ ire gbogbo
O®ri¾reô¾
Re¾ômi; leôô;ku;n n da;boô¾
O®ri¾re¾ô
Translation:
Black thread is not easy to spin
It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove
The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away
Sooner or later
The termites will consume it
Something ran across the road
And swerved to this side
Something ran across the road
And swerved to that side
These were Ifá’s messages for O®or¾ e¾ô/O®ri¾reô¾ (the Porcupine)
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to
beget her own baby
She was advised to offer eôôboô
She complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Please replace my tears and make me happy
O®ri¾reô¾
Please replace my tears and make me happy
O®ri¾reô¾
Please replace my tears and make me happy with
financial success
O®ri¾reô¾
Please replace my tears and make me happy
O®ri¾reô¾
Please replace my tears and make me happy
with a compatible spouse
381
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
O®ri¾reô¾
Please replace my tears
O®ri¾reô¾
Please replace my tears
with children
O®ri¾reô¾
Please replace my tears
O®ri¾reô¾
Please replace my tears
happy with properties
O®ri¾reô¾
Please replace my tears
O®ri¾reô¾
Please replace my tears
with all the Ire of life
O®ri¾reô¾
Please replace my tears
O®ri¾reô¾
and make me happy
and make me happy
and make me happy
and make me
and make me happy
and make me happy
and make me happy
Ifá says that the tears of this person shall be wiped off and in their
place will be the blessings of prosperity, spouse, children, properties,
longevity etc. All the blessings of life shall come, one just needs to
hold on to Ifá and be prayerful and dedicated.
14. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed needs to
offer the ẹbọ of childbearing. This is not only for him/her to be able
to beget his/her own children, but also because children are his/her
biggest support and blessing in life. His/her pride and achievements
are in the number of children he/she has and how well-trained the
children are.
The number of children that this person intends to beget in life will
determine the number of hens that he/she will offer as ẹbọ. But if the
number of his/her own children, together with those of his/her own
grand-children and the children of his/her beloved ones are put into
consideration. It is advisable for this person to offer ẹbọ with 50
hens and money. Doing this will guarantee the success and
elevation of his/her own children, grand-children, loved ones and
followers in his/her life time.
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On this, Ifá says:
O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran
O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾
Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe;
Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti;
Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n
Di;a; fu;n Olo;gu;n EÙru; O®de I®bi;ni;
EÙru; o¾un le¾ po¾ô si lo; n;da;fa; si;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Black thread is not easy to spin
It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove
The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away
Sooner or later
The termites will consume it
Something ran across the road
And swerved to this side
Something ran across the road
And swerved to that side
These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of the
20 servants of I®bi;ni; land
When preoccupied with how the number of his
servants would increase
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
Olo;gu;n-EÙru; the owner of 20 servants was a native of I®bi;ni; city. He
was born and raised there. His own idea of wealth and success was
in the accumulation of several servants who would serve him for the
rest of his life. Consequent upon this, his major preoccupation was
how to get more servants. It was for this reason that he went to the
group of Awo stated above for Ifá consultation: Will I be able to
383
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
acquire more slaves? Will I be successful in my life? During Ifá
consultation, Ogbe¾-Wu;nle; was revealed.
The Awo told Olo;gu;n-EÙru; that he would become a very successful
person in life. He would have people to serve him on earth but he
would have no person to carry on his name and lineage after his
death. He was advised to offer ẹbọ with 20 hens so he could have
more servants and 20 more hens so that he could have his own
children and continue his lineage after his death.
Olo;gu;n-EÙru; thought about this for a long time. He concluded that as
long as he was able to find servants who would serve him and follow
all his directives without argument or questioning there was no way
they would not continue doing so after his death. He therefore
offered ẹbọ for him to have more servants only. He there procured
only 20 hens and the Awo offered the ẹbọ for him.
O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran
O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾
Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe;
Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti;
Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙÙlo;ôgboô¾n i¾wo¾ôfa¾ O®de I®ja;moô¾
I®woô¾fa¾ o¾un le¾ po¾ô si lo; n;da';fa; si;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Black thread is not easy to spin
It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove
The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away
Sooner or later
The termites will consume it
Something ran across the road
And swerved to this side
Something ran across the road
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And swerved to that side
These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of the
30 serfs of I®ja;mo¾ô land
When preoccupied with how the number of
his serfs would increase
He was advised to offer
Just like Olo;gu;n-EÙru;, OÙloô;gbo¾ôn I®woô¾fa¾ was also preoccupied with what
to do to increase the number of his serfs so that they would be able
to serve him well and by so doing increase his success and prosperity.
Consequent upon this, he decided to go to the home of the group of
Awo stated above for Ifá consultation: Will it be possible for me to
continue to multiply my wealth through the acquisition of many more
serfs? Will they work for me unquestioningly? When Ifá was
consulted, like Olo;gu;n-EÙru;, Ogbe¾-Wu;nle; was revealed.
The Awo told OÙlo;ôgboôn I®woô¾fa¾ that he too would be very successful in
his lifetime but that the success would go into ruins as soon as he
died. He advised him to offer ẹbọ with 30 hens in order to succeed
and with another 30 hens in order for his success not to perish as
soon as he died.
OÙlo;ôgboôn I®woôf¾ a¾ also thought over what the Awo said and felt that
there was no point offering any ẹbọ whose manifestation would take
place after his death. How would he be certain that the ẹbọ was
really necessary when he would not be alive to know? He decided to
procure only 30 hens and money. The Awo offered the ẹbọ for him
with the 30 hens.
O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran
O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾
Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe;
Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti;
Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n
Di;a; fu;n Ala;aa
¾ ;do;tô a I®ya¾wo; O®de I®ra¾wo¾ô
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
EÙku;n oômoô lo; n; sun
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Black thread is not easy to spin
It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove
The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away
Sooner or later
The termites will consume it
Something ran across the road
And swerved to this side
Something ran across the road
And swerved to that side
These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of
the 50 wives of I®ra¾woô¾ land
When weeping in lamentation of his inability
to beget his own children
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
His major concern was how to beget as many children as possible.
He believed that children were his own prosperity. The more he had,
the more prosperous he would become. For that reason, he married
50 wives. None of these women however were able to become
pregnant. This made him very sad. Consequent upon this, he went
to the home of the same Awo who Olo;gu;n-EÙru; of I®bi;ni; land and
OÙlo;ôgboô¾n I®wo¾ôfa¾ of I®ja;moô¾ land had earlier gone to. Will I be able to
have many children in my life? Will these children be able to carry on
after my demise? What do I need to do to ensure that this happens?
These and more were the questions at the back of his mind when he
went for Ifá consultation. When Ifá was cast for him, Ogbe¾-Hu;nle;
was also revealed.
The Awo told him that he was preoccupied with how he would
determine his success chances in life. He was told that children were
truly the measure of his success. The more well-trained children he
had, the more his success chances in his life. The Awo told him to
offer ẹbọ with 50 hens and money so that he would beget children
who would carry on his lineage after his death. He procured the
materials and offered the ẹbọ that same day.
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Olo;gu;n-EÙru; was able to accumulate more slaves. His business thrived.
He set up a massive trading enterprise. He sat on top of a big
business organization. Money was not his problem. His profit-making
skills were the envy and admiration of those around him. He had a
firm grip on all his business ventures.
As he was getting older however, problems began to rear their ugly
heads up. He was no longer as active as he used to be. He found it
difficult to monitor all his trading activities as he used to do. He had
no child of his own to help him in coordinating all his business
activities. He had earlier felt that it was not necessary. Now he knew
that it was.
However, he realized that it was just too late for him to begin to think
of marriage and child-bearing at his old age. He began to live the rest
of his life with regrets. Before he died, most of his business activities
had gone into the hands of others. His profits were being enjoyed by
his numerous slaves. He had no energy to effect any correction.
When he died, all his slaves shared his remaining belongings and
returned to their various family homes. Olo;gu;n-EÙru; died and lost
everything.
OÙloô;gbo¾ôn-I®woô¾fa¾ began as a farmer. Before long, his farming enterprise
had become very large. In fact, they were larger than anything which
anyone had ever seen before in that community. As he continued to
amass more serfs, so did his farmlands expand where the serfs would
work. He made more money than anybody had ever made before.
He felt that he was on the very top of the world.
When he began to grow older, he too started to lose grip of his
command and authority. He had no child to assist him and his
siblings were just after their own selfish interests. His serfs began to
misbehave but he no longer had the strength to call them to order.
His business enterprises began to reduce right in his lifetime. When
he died, he too lost everything to other people just like Olo;gu;n-EÙru;
his counterpart.
On the day that Ala;aa
¾ d
; o;ôta-I®ya¾wo; went to offer his own ẹbọ, the Awo
told him that the ẹbọ must be placed by the road-side in the dead of
the night. He was told that he would meet a creature by the road-
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
side but he must not entertain any fear. He was to place his ẹbọ by
the side of this creature and then pray fervently for all his heart's
desires. He was assured that all his prayers would be accepted and
answered by Olo;du¾mare¾.
That night, he went out with his ẹbọ. When he got to the spot where
he was to place his ẹbọ by the road-side, he met this creature. All its
body was covered with spikes. As he had earlier been told not to
fear, he didn’t. He prayed for all what he wanted in his life. His
prayers centred primarily on begetting children who would continue
his lineage and would carry on his legacy whenever he died.
As he was praying the creature approached him and asked “what are
the things that you need in your life that impelled you to offer this
ẹbọ?” He responded that he wanted to have well-trained and wellbehaved children who would carry on his lineage and legacy after his
death. “Your prayers are answered. Go home. Please do not look
back until you get home. My name is O®or¾ e¾ô, the Porcupine. I was
created by Olo;du¾mare¾ to put an end to the suffering and lamentation
of human beings. Go and meet your Babaláwo first thing tomorrow
morning and they will tell you more about me. Good night”.
Ala;a¾ad
; oô;ta I®ya¾wo; returned home totally amazed by what he had seen
and heard. The next morning, he went to his group of Awo and
explained to them all what he had experienced. They told him that
his prayers had truly been accepted by Olo;du¾mare¾. He was told to go
home and continue his business. He did.
Three years after, Ala;aa
¾ d
; o;ôta I®ya¾wo; had more than 100 children.
Twenty years after this, his numerous children were the ones in
charge of all his business enterprises. He did not need to exert any
energy in order to ensure that his various businesses moved the way
he wanted. His children were the ones doing that. He was only
coordinating all the activities of his children. As he grew older, he
was sure that his children would not need him so much again as they
were capable of handling the businesses on their own. He made his
first son and his first daughter the head of his business enterprise.
He lived the rest of his life a contented man. He died a fulfilled
person, old in age but young at heart.
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O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran
O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾
Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe;
Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti;
Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n
Di;a; fu;n Olo;gu;n EÙru; O®de I®bi;ni;
EÙru; o¾un le¾ po¾ô si lo; n;da;fa; si;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran
O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾
Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe;
Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti;
Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙÙlo;ôgboô¾n i¾wo¾ôfa¾ O®de I®ja;moô¾
I®woôf¾ a¾ o¾un le¾ po¾ô si lo; n;da;fa; si;
EÙboô ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O®wu; du;du; ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ ran
O®Ùna¾ i¾gba¾le¾ô ko¾ ya;a; ku¾ gi¾i¾ri¾ woô¾ f’oô;loô¾gbe¾ôri¾
Asôoô ti; a fu;n o¾ku; d’e¾gbe;
Bo; ba; pe;ô ti;ti;
Ika;n ni;i; fii; mu o
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ si;’hi¾¾n-i;n
Nn¾kan koô ja;’na¾
O: ku¾ fi¾i¾ri¾ soô;hu¾n-u;n
Di;a; fu;n Ala;aa
¾ ;do;tô a I®ya¾wo; O®de I®ra¾wo¾ô
EÙku;n oômoô lo; n; sun
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Ala;aa
¾ d
; oô;ta I®ya¾wo; ni¾kan ni; n;beô leô;yi¾n to; n; sôeboô
Olo;gu;n-EÙru; ku;
EÙru; re’le;
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
OÙlo;ôgboô¾n I®woô¾fa¾ ku;
I®woô¾fa¾ gba ibo¾mi;ra¾n loô
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙ®yin o¾¾ mo¾ô wi;pe;; oômoô ni i¾gbe¾ôyi¾n oôla¾ ni;pe¾ôkun
N®je;ô ki;nlo; reô ni l'eô;ku;n o
Ti;; mo fi d’e;ôbe¾ô o
O®o¾re¾ô
Lo; re¾ô mi; le;ôku;n o
Ti; mo fi d’e;ôbeôô
O®o¾re¾ô
Translation:
Black thread is not easy to spin
It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove
The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away
Sooner or later
The termites will consume it
Something ran across the road
And swerved to this side
Something ran across the road
And swerved to that side
These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of
the 20 servants of I®bi;ni; land
When preoccupied with how the number of his
servants would increase
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
Black thread is not easy to spin
It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove
The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away
Sooner or later
The termites will consume it
Something ran across the road
And swerved to this side
Something ran across the road
And swerved to that side
These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of the
30 serfs of I®ja;mo¾ô land
When preoccupied with how the number of his
serfs would increase
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He was advised to offer ẹbọ
Black thread is not easy to spin
It is not easy for the uninitiated to enter the grove
The cloth used to bury a corpse will waste away
Sooner or later
The termites will consume it
Something ran across the road
And swerved to this side
Something ran across the road
And swerved to that side
These were Ifá’s messages for the owner of the
50 wives of I®ra¾woô¾ land
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to
beget his own children
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
Only Ala;ad
¾ o;ôta I®ya¾wo; complied
When Olo;gun-EÙru; died
All his slaves returned to their various homes
When OÙlo;ôgbo¾ôn-Iwoôfa¾ died
All his serfs dispersed to different destinations
Travellers to Ìpo and OÙ®fa¾
Can’t you see that it is the legacy of the owner of
well-trained children that cannot go into ruin?
Who was it that wiped off my tears for me to be
blessed with achievement?
O®o¾re¾ô
He was the one that wiped off my tears
And gave me the blessing of achievement
O®o¾re¾ô
Ifá says that this person's tears and melancholy will be wiped off and
be replaced with joy, achievements and self-actualization. Ifá advises
the person for whom this Odù is revealed to take the matter of childbearing, childrearing and child training very seriously because his/hers
biggest blessings and profits will come from his/hers children.
15. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed is in the
habit of doing good for, and pleasing, outsiders at the expense of
his/her own immediate family members. Ifá says that this is a very
391
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
bad and unacceptable habit. There is the need for him/her to change
this habit forthwith. This is because a time is coming when he/she will
suffer and receive serious punishment from outside and he/she will
end up needing the assistance and support of his/her own relatives
but they will never give him the support if he is not helpful to them.
This is the reason why he/she needs to assist his/her relatives in
order for them to rise up in his/her support whenever he/she needs
them.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with one mature he-goat and
money. There is also the need for him/her to have a change of
attitude and render support and help for his/her immediate family
more so than for strangers or outsiders.
On this, Ifá says:
Ile; n'ile; ire
O®de l’o¾de i¾re¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba yo;o; s’a¾se¾ boô; o¾ôka¾nle;nu; Irunmoôle¾ô l’oô;du;n
Wo;ôn o; tu;n ko; pa¾sa;n ti¾i;
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Home is the place where ire of life lives
And outside is where ire of life is displayed
This was Ifa;’s message for O®ru;nmi¾la¾
When feasting the 401 Irunmoôleô¾ during his annual festival
And would be thoroughly beaten in the process
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
True, O®ru;nmi¾la¾ was in the world to satisfy everybody, both his
immediate family and outside. In the spiritual sense, everyone in the
world is like his children. That was why he simply could not
understand why the members of his immediate household and
relatives were always complaining that he was making outsiders
happier than them. He called them together and explained to them
that he needed to be fair to all in his dealings. He stated further that
he could not be seen to lean towards his own family and relatives
more than others.
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In their response, the family members agreed that he ought to be fair
to all. At the same time however they pointed out that he should not
neglect his fundamental responsibilities to his own family and relatives
simply because he wanted to be seen to be fair to everyone. The
discussion went back and forth for a long time. In the end, it
degenerated into a heated argument where both sides stuck to their
points of view. They left the meeting in anger. O®ru;nmi¾la¾ vowed not
to have anything to do with his relatives again. His relatives vowed
not to approach him for assistance again. They were all living in the
same compound but they cut off all form of communication with each
other.
O®ru;nmi¾la¾ surrounded himself with outsiders and did all his things with
them. His relatives were mere onlookers. This went on until the time
for O®ru;nmi¾la¾ to celebrate his annual festival approached. He went for
Ifá consultation in the home of one of his former students. Ogbe¾Hu;n’le; was revealed.
The Awo told O®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he had leaned towards outsiders more
than his own relatives in all his dealings. He told O®ru;nmi¾la¾ that the
outcome of such an action would not be in his best interest. The Awo
urged his former boss to have a change of attitude toward his family
and relatives. He also advised him to offer ẹbọ with one mature hegoat and money.
O®ru;nmi¾la¾ agreed to offer the ẹbọ and he did. He however felt that it
was not yet time for him to reconcile with his relatives. What really
angered him was that he perceived them hoping for his annual
festival to flop! For that reason, he must prove to them that their
refusal to participate would not make his festival to be unsuccessful.
All the pleadings of this Awo fell on O®ru;nmi¾la¾’s deaf ears.
Four days to the festival time, O®ru;nmi¾la¾ house was a beehive of
activities. Everyone was doing everything to ensure the success of
the festival. All the people were total strangers in the house. None of
O®ru;nmi¾la¾’s relatives participated in any of the planning or activities.
O®ru;nmi¾la¾ was moving up and down. He was sweating and toiling
more than he had ever done before when all his relatives participated
in the preparations.
On the day of the festival, there was more than enough food and
drinks for all the 401 invited Irunmole and their companions. He also
393
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
ensured that all the taboos of each Irunmole and devotees were
carefully avoided. Musicians were on the standby. The guests began
to eat and drink. O®ru;nmi¾la¾'s relatives were merely looking at what
was happening from afar. The musicians were the best around. It was
a great occasion. Before long, most of the invited guests got drunk.
Some Egu;ngu;n devotees grouped themselves together in a place and
they began to beat each other with switches. This added glamour to
the occasion. O®ru;nmi¾la¾ was very glad to see that his festival was a
huge success. Towards the end of the festival, O®ru;nmi¾la¾ drew close
to the Egu;ngu;n devotees in order to spend some money on them. In
their state of drunkenness, they mistook his actions for something
else. One of them grabbed O®ru;nmi¾la¾ by the neck, right in front of
O®ru;nmi¾la¾’s relatives. They were just looking at what was happening.
Before he could explain himself, the other Egu;ngu;n devotees
descended on him. He was beaten black and blue. They rolled him on
the ground. All those who rushed to the scene joined in beating
O®ru;nmi¾la¾. He eventually passed out.
He was kicked into
consciousness. They said that he was merely pretending. They
rained another set of beatings on him. He passed out again. He was
kicked back into consciousness again.
That was what was happening when Eṣu OÙ®da¾ra¾ went to meet his
relatives. He told them that if they continued to stand aloof and
watch, O®ru;nmi¾la¾ would be beaten to death. It was going to be the
loss of the whole family. It was in their best interest to intervene and
rescue him from further punishment. He told them that if someone in
your family is so blessed to the extent of procuring a horse for his
personal use, for whatever reason, if they failed to take care of the
horse and the horse died, their family would cease to be known as the
family of horse riders.
When they heard what Eṣu OÙ®da¾ra¾ said, they rose in unison and
stopped the people from inflicting further punishment on O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾.
They took him inside the house. They cleaned his wounds and cuts
and they dressed him up. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ could not believe that it was the
same relatives whom he had ignored in all the things he was doing
that eventually rallied round him and came to his rescue.
Three days after the incident, Eṣu OÙ®da¾ra¾ returned to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s
house. He blamed O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ for his failure to heed the advice of Ifá.
He resolved the problem for the family. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ readily accepted his
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
fault. All the family members embraced one another. They also
mandated O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to prepare their own feast for them as a sign of
total reconciliation. He did. As from that period henceforth, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
started to put his relatives first in all his considerations.
Ile; n'ile; ire
O®de l’o¾de i¾re¾
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Baba yo;o; s’a¾se¾ bo;ô o¾ôka¾nle;nu; Irunmoôleô¾ l’oô;du;n
Wo;n o; tu;n k;o pa¾sa;n ti¾i;
Ebo ni won ni ko waa se
O: gb’eôboô, o; ru;’boô
E®ro¾ Ipo, e¾ro¾ O®fa¾
Eni¾ gb’eô;boô ni;be¾ô ko; wa;a; seôboô o
Translation:
Home is the place where ire of life lives
And outside is where ire of life is displayed
This was Ifa;’s message for O®ru;nmi¾la¾
When feasting the 401 Irunmoôleô¾ during his annual festival
And would be thoroughly beaten in the process
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
Travellers to Ìpo and OÙ®fa¾
Let those advised to offer ẹbọ do so accordingly
Ifá says that it is in the best interest of the person for whom this Odù
is revealed to take good care of his/her household and relatives more
than those who are outsiders. Ifá says that from time to time, he/she
will be needing the help and support of his/her relatives. This may not
be forthcoming if he has not been putting their family’s welfare at the
top of his/her consideration.
16. Ifá says that the problem that the person for whom this Odù is
revealed is having at the present time is caused by the Elders of the
Night. There is therefore the need for him/her to appease the Elders
in order for them to stop their anger against him/her. In order for the
Elders to stop spoiling his/her things, there is the need for him/her to
395
OGBE® HU:N’LE:
procure one mature hen. The hen is to be slaughtered and
dressed. It is also to be cooked well while all necessary condiments
are to be added. The soup is to be poured into a clay plate and be
given as I®pe®se® to the Elders of the Night.
On this, Ifá says:
Ba; mi m’a;dele o¾ sô’apa; ire
Di;a; fu;n Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-sôe
Ti;i; sôe’¾ ya; OÙ®fa¾fa¾
E®yi; ti; yo;o; maa fi; gbogbo owo; oôwoô; oô re¾ô f’e;leôyeô
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
Help chase my fowl is not with good intention
This was Ifa's; message for Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-sôee
(That-is-the-way-she-behaves)
The mother of OÙ®fa¾fa¾ (the Tree Hyrax)
Who would lose all her money to the Elders of the Night
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
She was a very consistent woman. She never liked being advised or
counselled against doing anything that was on her mind. If anyone
tried to correct her, she would turn everything into a fight or serious
argument. That was the way she would behave. Most people knew
her by her attitude. Those who never knew her who ended up
getting into trouble with her were usually told by those who already
knew her that; “don’t you know that woman? That is the way she
behaves”. That was where she got her nickname “that is the way she
behaves”.
Nobody can advise her on her attitude. Neither can she be made to
accept any advice on her child OÙ®fa¾fa¾ (the Tree hyrax). It was this
attitude of hers that put her into trouble with the Elders of the Night.
Nothing that she laid her hands upon ever turned right. When she
would go to the market to buy a bag of grain, she would ensure that
she got the freshest ones, but the next day, the grains would simply
turn bad and be filled with insects and rodents. Anytime she would
buy fresh palm-oil for sale, two days later, the palm-oil would be filled
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with dead ants, gad flies, cockroaches and maggots. Anytime she
would buy clothes and dresses, it would not take three days before
the clothes and dresses would be filled with holes from rodents and
cockroach bites. One day she decided to travel out of her locality in
order to buy things for sale. She borrowed a lot of money for the trip.
She was waylaid on the trip, beaten to a pulp and the money was
snatched away from her. When she returned home empty handed, all
her creditors descended on her and demanded for their money. That
was what dragged her to the home of the Awo stated above for Ifá
consultation. During the process, Ogbe¾-hu;n’le; was revealed
The Awo informed her that the Elders of the Night were responsible
for all her predicaments. She was however assured that the problems
would become things of the past if she could offer I®pe¾se¾ as stated
above. She was also counselled to have a change of attitude.
She told the Awo that she had not offended anyone. She therefore
saw no reason why she should offer I®pe¾se¾ to any Elder. She also told
the Babaláwo that if he was not pleased with the way she was
conducting herself, he was free to jump into and drown himself inside
a lagoon!
She then demanded for a refund of the money she gave the Awo for
Ifá consultation, and the Awo returned it to her. She then stormed out
of the Awo’s house and forcefully banged the door.
From that day onwards, Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-se lived a sad and fruitless life and
died an unfulfilled woman because no one could handle her attitude
let alone be around her.
Ba; mi m’a;dele o¾ sô’apa; ire
Di;a; fu;n Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-sôe
Ti;i; sôe’¾ ya; OÙ®fa¾fa¾
E®yi; ti; yo;o; maa fi; Gbogbo owo; oôwoô; oô reô¾ f'eô;leôyeô
EÙboô ni¾ wo;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O: koôti; oôgboônyin s'eôboô
Nje; Aagba fe;ef¾ e;e¾
Be;e¾ ni;i; sôe o
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙni¾ gb’e;ôboô ni;be¾ ko; wa;a; sôeb
ô oô o
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Translation:
Help chase my fowl is not with good intention
This was Ifa's; message for Be;ôeô¾-ni;i;-sôee
(That-is-the-way-she-behaves)
The mother of OÙ®fa¾fa¾ (the Tree Hyrax)
Who would lose all her money to the Elders of the Night
She was advised to offer ẹbọ
She refused to comply
What a pity
That is the way she behaves
Travellers to Ìpo and O®ôfa¾
Let those advised to offer ẹbọ comply accordingly
Ifá says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odù is revealed
to die a sorrowful and unfulfilled life. This person however needs to
comply with the advice of Ifá, perform all specified rituals and rites,
and have a change of attitude.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
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B.
SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE®-OÙW
® OÙN
: RI:N FOR THOSE
BORN BY THIS ODU: DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:Y:E OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA::
For those born by Ogbe¾-O®Ùwoô;nri;n during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa;, they
normally move from obscurity to prominence, from inadequacy to
surplus and from the bottom to the apex of the ladder in a very short
space of time. Their progress and acceleration are always matters of
surprise, admiration and even envy for those who are close to them.
Before Ogbe¾-O®Ùwoô;nri;n children succeed, they will first face a lot of
tribulations and hardship. The moment that any Ogbe¾-O®Ùwoô;nri;n child
is facing serious hardship, there is the need for him/her to persevere
and hang on, because his/her success period is very close at hand. If
possible, he/she needs to roll out the drums in celebration because
the progress and elevation coming is bound to come very shortly after
the tribulations.
Ogbe¾-O®Ùwoô;nri;n children are blessed with multiple Ire at the same
time. It is therefore not a surprise to see these children celebrating
several achievements together at the same time. It is in their destiny
to do so.
The success and elevation of all Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; children rest on
Olo;du¾mare¾, their Ori;, the Irunmoôleô¾ and their mothers. The closer they
are to their mothers, the more their mothers are happy with them.
The more they receive the blessings and prayers from their mothers,
the more their chances of success. In the same vein, Ifá will also
ensures the success and progress of Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; children because
whatever makes them sad will also make Ifá sad. In order for Ifá not
to become sad, Ifá ensures that Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; children remain happy
throughout their whole lives.
For Ogbe¾-Hu;n’le; male children, it is advisable for them to go for fairskinned women because their success and matrimonial life chances
will be enhanced. For Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; female children, it is advisable
for them to marry someone who is initiated into Ifá. The couple also
needs to ensure that there is always light in the room where they
sleep because the delegates of the Irunmoôleô¾ responsible for bringing
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
Ire to them prefer to do so in the middle of the night when there is
light in the room.
It is forbidden for Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; male children to contemplate divorce
or separation. It is also forbidden for Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; female children to
do so. If however, divorce or separation has taken place, there is the
need for the woman to return to her husband home. All steps must be
taken to ensure that she returns without further delay. The husband
too needs to accept her back and work out the problems. If the
woman does seek forgiveness from her husband, she will experience
continued hardship in her life.
All Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; children must beware of treacherous friends who
plan secretly to destroy them or who plan to make life miserable and
unbearable for them. At any point in the life of Ogbe¾-wu;n’le;
children, males and females, they are bound to encounter these types
of friends and only Ifá and a keen sense of observation can protect
them against these “friends”.
Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; children, males and females are fond of taking good
care of outsiders at the expense of their own family members and
relatives. This is an attitude that they need to change in order for
them not to be ignored by those family members who can assist them
when they need the assistance the most. It is advisable for all Ogbe¾wu;n’le; children to take proper care of their relatives first, before they
venture to render any assistance to outsiders.
It is also noted that most Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; children do not like to be
corrected when they are wrong. They do not handle instruction well.
They are very recalcitrant and they do not hesitate in engaging in
serious quarrels against anyone who tries to correct them or tell them
what they need to do.
On the whole, Ogbe¾-wu;n’le; children, males and females, live
relatively peaceful lives. They move rapidly and steadily to the top.
They live very contented lives and they die feeling fulfilled and selfactualized.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
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C.
AFFILIATED O®RI®SÙA AND IRU:NMOÙLEÙ® OF OGBE®WU:NLE:
1. Ifá – for direction, success, elevation, victory, sanctuary, progress,
contentment and overall wellbeing.
2. Orí – for fulfilment of destiny, direction, progress, success, victory,
elevation, contentment and self actualization
3. E®su
ô ¾-O®ôda¾ra¾-for victory, sanctuary, support, direction, protection,
elevation and general success
4. EÙgbe;ô– for comradeship, leadership, support, progress, elevation
and general wellbeing
5. Aje; -for financial success, leadership, elevation and general
success
6. SÙan
¾ go;– for victory, progress, leadership, elevation and overall
success
7. Egu;ngu;n (A®gan)– for ancestral support, progress, leadership and
general success
8. OÙba¾ta;la;– for leadership, progress, success, elevation,
contentment and overall success
9. O®Ùsu
ô n – for compatible spouse, child-bearing, child-rearing and
general success
10. O®gu;n - for victory, progress, success, protection and general
wellbeing
D. TABOOS OF OGBE® OÙW
® O:N
Ù RI;N
:
1. Must never sleep in complete darkness - to avoid
unconsummated fortune, failure, regrets and sorrow
2. Must never conspire against others - to avoid failure, regrets,
melancholy, crisis and disaster
3. Must never kill, maltreat, consume or use the porcupine for
anything-to avoid unconsummated fortune, failure, regrets,
retrogression, disaster and calamity
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OGBE® HU:N’LE:
4. Must never lose hope over any issue - to avoid losing his/her
success opportunities
5. Must never cater to outsiders more than his/her own
relatives - to avoid losing the support of his/her relatives, suffering
and disappointment
6. Must never fight over a woman and for a woman, must
never allow two men to fight over her - to avoid crisis,
tribulation, regrets, failure and calamity
7. Must never wear red caps or red head gear - to avoid
unconsummated fortune, calamity, failure and shame
8. Must never contemplate separation or divorce - to avoid
failure, regrets, disaster and unconsummated fortunes
9. Must never refuse to heed good advice given to them - to
avoid failure, disaster, regrets and calamity
10. Must never refuse to take to good correction - to avoid
negative public opinion, unconsummated fortune, failure and regrets.
11. Must never love material things at the expense of children
- to avoid failure, disaster, calamity and lack of continuity.
12. Must never consume alcohol - to avoid failure, disaster,
regrets and calamity
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E. POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® OÙW
® O:N
Ù RI;N
:
i. MALE
1. Ifa;re¾ômi;le;ôku;n- Ifa;; puts an end to my crying and lamentation.
2. Ifa;la¾mi;- Ifa; turns me to a prosperous person
3. Ifa;to;o;yi¾nbo;- Ifa; is worthy of praising until one's lips peel off
4. Ifa;gbe¾mi;- Ifa; gives me support
5. Te¾mile;ke¾- Mine is exalted and victorious
6. Ifa;fimi;ha¾n- Ifa; brings me to the forefront
7. Ifa;se
ô ô;gun -Ifa; brings me victory
ii. FEMALES
1. Ifa;reô¾mi;le;ôku;n - Ifa; puts an end to my crying and lamentation
2. Mori;re - I have seen all the Ire of life
3. Ifa;to;o;yo¾s
ô i; - Ifa; is worthy of rejoicing over
4. Ori;sanmi; - My Ori; supports me
5. Ifa;ko;rede; - Ifa; brings all the Ire of life
6. Ifa;gba¾mi;la¾ - Ifa; comes to my rescue
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
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Chapter 6
Ogbè Ọ̀bàrà
II
II I
II I
II I
404
OGBE®-OÙ®BA®RA®
OGBE® GBA®RA®DA:
OGBE BA®A®RA®-BAARA
OGBE¾® ONI:WA®A:RA:
A. 1. Ifa; says that the person for whom Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; is revealed during
I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I¾teô¾lo;du¾ shall perform wonders in his/her lifetime. Ifa; says that this
person shall ride very high on the tide of his/her life. Life shall be very
interesting and highly rewarding to him/her. All what he/she needs to do are:
offer eôboô, feed his/her Ori;, live well and carefully and work really hard.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four rats, four fish, two pigeons, two
hens, two cocks, two guinea-fowls, two ducks and money. He/she also needs to
feed his/her Ori; with a one pure white pigeon and one live catfish.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da; says:
Ogbe¾ Gb'a¾ra¾ da; ta;n
T'eôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾
Ifa; sôe ohun gbogbo ta;n
O:: ku t’eôleô;nu
Di;a; fu;n A®ra¾
Ti;i; s'ôoômoô Olo;du¾mare¾
I®gba¾ti; o; n; t'oô¾run boô¾ wa;';ye;
Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾ had performed wonders
Only the slanderers remained to be pleased
After Ifa; had successfully accomplished all things
Only the foul-tongued despisers remained
This was Ifa;’s message for A®ra¾ (the Marvellous Feat)
The son of Olo;dumare¾
When coming from heaven to earth
He was advised to offer eôboô
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Ar®a¾, the Marvellous Feat, was one of the favourites of Olo;du¾mare¾. He was
always referred to as the child of Olo;du¾mare¾ because he really and truly had
space and privilege with the Almighty. While in OÙ®run, all beings there, be they
Iru;nmoôleô¾, O®ri¾sôa¾, Egu;ngu;n, I®sôeô¾sôe, ancestors and so on, sought to be his friend at
all times. Those who he accepted as friends and companions would
automatically be given space and privilege just like him. Those beings would
then be able to do marvellously wonderful things and perform highly impressive
feats that would be marvelled at by all.
On the other hand, those who could not perform any feat which others would
marvel at were considered not to be favoured by A®ra¾. Such was the profile of
A®ra¾ when he was in OÙ®run.
One day however, A®ra¾ made up his mind to move from OÙ®run to Ile; -Aye; to live
for some time. He went to the domain of A®ja¾la;moô¾pi;n to choose his destiny.
Because he was a favourite of Olo;du¾mare¾, and because A®ra¾ had favoured
A®ja¾la;moô¾pi;n on several occasions before, his destiny was a gloriously
marvellous one.
When A®ra¾ was about to leave OÙ®run for Aye;, all the Divinities in OÙ®run gathered
together to pray for him. In their collective prayer, they declared that everyone
in the world would be looking for him to be his/her friend and close associate,
but only a few would be accepted and favoured. All those who were lucky to be
accepted as his friends would be the ones who would end up becoming the
pillars in the various families, communities, cities, groups, regions, countries or
even continents that they belonged to. Those people would become the movers
and shakers of their communities and they would be favoured, honoured and
respected.
A®ra¾ was advised to offer eôboô and feed his Ori; as stated above. He complied.
As soon as these were done, A®ra¾ proceeded to Aye; to follow and fulfil his
destiny.
When he arrived in Aye;, only those who were favoured where the ones who
ended up becoming A®ra¾’s friends. They were the lucky ones who performed
marvellous feats in the world. They were the ones whose names went down in
history as great men and women who were honoured and even elevated to the
status of O®ri¾sôa¾ or as national heroes and heroines.
406
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Ogbe¾-Gb'a¾ra¾ da; ta;n
Teôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾
Ifa; sôe ohun gbogbo ta;n
O; ku t’eôleô;nu
Di;a; fu;n A®ra¾
Ti;i; s'ôoômoô Olo;du¾mare¾
I®gba¾ti; o; n; t'oô¾run boô¾ wa;';ye;
Eôboô ni wo;ôn ni ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbeô;’boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
Ire gbogbo wa; ya de; tu¾tu;ru
A®ra¾ wa;a¾ de;, oômoô Olo;du¾mare¾
EÙ®yin o¾ moô¾ wi;pe; t’a;ye; ba; yeô’ni
O®un la¾a; da;’ra¾ ire ni?
Translation:
Ogbe¾ had performed wonders
Only the slanderers remained to be pleased
After Ifa had successfully accomplished all things
Only the foul-tongued despisers remained
This was Ifa;’s message for A®ra¾, (the Marvellous feat)
The son of Olo;du¾mare¾
When coming from heaven to earth
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
All the Ire of life came trooping in
Here comes A®ra¾, the child of Olo;du¾mare¾
Don’t you know that it is when life is agreeable to one
That one performs marvellous feats?
Ifa; says that this person shall live an agreeable life and he/she will be one of the
lucky and very few people who will perform marvellous feats on earth. The Ori;
of this person will surely support them. He/she shall be given space and
opportunity to perform and actualize his/her destiny.
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2. Ifa; says that it foresees the Ire of accomplishment for the person for whom
this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that this person shall achieve great feats on earth.
Not only this, Ifa; also promises that all his/her achievements shall never be
ruined or be spoilt while he/she is on this earth or even when he/she has passed
on.
Ifa; advises this person to offer ebo of A®ru;kore - that is, an all-encompassing eôboô
with two rats, two fish, two pigeons, two hens, two cocks, two guinea-fowls,
two ducks and money. Ifa; says that this person will excel in all spheres of life.
He/she shall lack nothing on earth.
On this, Ifa; says:
Ogbe¾ gba¾ra¾ da; ta;n
T’eôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾
Ifa; sôe ohun gbogbo ta;n
O: ku t’eôleô;nu
Di;a; fu;n I®sôa¾ga;
OÙmoô af’o¾kun sô’e¾re
OÙmoô af’oô¾sa¾ sôe’yoô¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾ had performed wonders
Only the slanderers remained to be pleased
After Ifa; had successfully accomplished all things
Only the foul-tongued despisers remained
This was Ifa;’s message for I®sôa¾ga;
Offspring of those who worship the High Seas
And get their table salt from the Lagoon
He was advised to offer eôboô
I®sôa¾g¾a; came from a family of ship/boat builders - from both his father’s and
mother’s lineages. He was born into the business. He knew of no other trade.
Well, the only other venture he could handle a little bit was fishing. Ship and
boat building and fishing went together on many occasions. Farming, blacksmithery, cloth-weaving, carving, dye-making, pottery, music and so on were
408
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
definitely not for him. Not only were they not for him, he was simply not
interested in them.
In his innermost mind, I®sôa¾ga; planned to succeed in all spheres of life, he wanted
his social, economic, family, religious, cultural and sentimental life to be a huge
success. He also worked so hard toward achieving the goal. It was as a result
of this fervent desire to succeed that he was pushed to go to the home of the
Awo mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I live in good health throughout
my life? Will I be happily married? Will I be blessed with children? Will my
children become great law-abiding children who will be useful to themselves
and the society in which they live? Will my business be successful? Will I be
credited with new innovations and inventions in my ship-building business?
Would I be able to make huge profits that I can use to develop myself, my
family, my community, the whole society, and then lay a good foundation for
the future generation? Will I live and be a happy and contented man? Will I
die a satisfied and accomplished man? These were the questions at the back of
I®sôa¾ga;’s mind when he approached his Awo for Ifa; consultation.
The Awo assured I®sôa¾ga; that he had nothing to worry about. He said that I®sôa¾ga;
would be blessed with sound health throughout his life; he would grow up to be
a good husband to his spouses; he would be a wonderful father to his children,
both biological and adopted; he would be a gentleman to his neighbours; he
would be a useful and respected man among his in-laws; he would be a
successful man among his business associates; he would be a genius in his
work; he would be blessed with children who would live and work within the
boundaries of the laws of the land and make him proud and fulfilled; he would
be honoured for all his good and exemplary activities in the land; and in short, he
would be a very lucky and accomplished man overall.
The Awo advised I®sôa¾ga; to offer eôboô of A¾ru;kore as stated above. He complied.
After this, he counselled I®sôa¾ga to be transparent in all his activities. He told him
never to show anger or impatience toward anyone or anything, and must never
allow anything, anybody or even any development to frustrate him at all. I®sôa¾ga;
was warned that many people would attempt to pull him down because attaining
success and accomplishment did not come cheap or easy; he however needed to
remain focused and Ifa; would take care of the rest for him. He was assured that
his detractors and despisers would be the ones to pursue him to where he would
record more success and achievement than his original anticipation. With these
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
done, I®sôa¾ga; returned to his home, full of determination to succeed than ever
before.
When he returned home, I®sôa¾ga; followed the advice of his Awo to the minute
details in all his dealings. He harboured no ill-feelings against anyone. Nothing
that anyone thought, spoke or did against him annoyed or frustrated him in any
way. He never lied, cheated or planned any evil against anyone. He never
demanded for what did not belong to him. He was very hard-working and he
concentrated on his ship-building work. He had no time for idle gossip. He
worked with his spouses and trained his children to do the same. He was
always looking for ways and means to improve the lot of himself, his immediate
and extended families, and his society and community at large. He succeeded
considerably.
His ship-building styles were far ahead of those of all his competitors. He was
regarded as the friend of the High-Seas. None of his boats and ships ever
capsized, no matter how strong a storm was. Many thought he had entered into a
secret covenant with Olu;weôri so that all his (I®sôa¾ga;’s) handiwork would always
be respected and spared from any storm or strong weather on the high seas.
All the huge successes recorded by I®sôa¾ga; made him the toast of his society. He
was able to impact positively his friends and foes. He never listened to gossip
or cheap talk. He worked hard all the time. He trained many people and was
able to live behind a good legacy.
The leaders in the community were impressed with his achievements, both
morally and socially. He was accorded befitting honour and recognition.
Ogbe¾ gba¾ra¾ da; ta;n
T’eôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾
Ifa; sôe ohun gbogbo ta;n
O: ku t’eôleô;nu
Di;a; fu;n I®sôa¾ga;
OÙmoô af’o¾¾kun sô’e¾re
OÙmoô af’oô¾sa¾ sôe’yoô¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbeô;’boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; Ire gbogbo
410
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
A®ra¾ ti; I®sôa¾ga; n; da; ko¾ lee¾ ba¾jeô; la;i;la;i;
Pi;pele lo; n;pele
A®ra¾ ti; Ifa; ni; ki nda; o¾ ni;i; parun
Translation:
Ogbe¾ had performed wonders
Only the slanderers remained to be pleased
After Ifa; had successfully accomplished all things
Only the foul-tongued despisers remained
This was Ifa’s message for I®sôa¾ga;
Offspring of those who worship the High Seas
And get their table salt from the Lagoon
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life
The marvellous wonders that I®sôa¾ga; is performing will never be ruined
They will be multiplying
The marvellous wonders that Ifa; has asked me to perform
will never be ruined
Ifa; says that this person will surely leave a legacy that will endure from
generation to generation. He/she will live and die happily and satisfactorily.
He/she will have children who will also reap the benefits of their parents efforts
while leaving a positive mark upon the Earth.
3. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall be blessed with
all the Ire of life. He/she shall lack nothing in life. It may be rough in the initial
stages, but he/she needs to understand that he/she is being prepared for things to
come in the future. He/she is being processed to know and appreciate the fact
that success does not come cheap or easy.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô of a¾ru;kore with two rats, two fish, two
pigeons, two hens, two guinea-fowls, two cocks, two ducks and money. He/she
also needs to feed Ifa; with two rats, two fish and one hen.
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On this, Ifa; says:
Adi¾eô o¾pi¾pi¾ ye; moô ni';wo¾ôn
Ko; o le¾ r’a;pa; b’eôyin
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ifa; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni;’re o
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
O®pi¾pi¾, the featherless hen, do not lay too many eggs
In order to enable your wings to cover all your eggs
This was Ifa;’s message for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting for his inability to acquire all the Ire of life
He was advised to offer eôboô
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was living a very harsh and hard life . He had nothing to show for all
his hard work. He had no money, no wife, no child, no personal property and
no good health. What was all this supposed to mean? Granted, he had chosen
the best destiny while coming from O®Ùrun to Aye;, if this was so, why was he
facing these untold hardships and pains? Was he not supposed to have a smooth
sail on earth when he had chosen a destiny to be able to accomplish all great
things in life? Why must he toil and sweat before he could eat twice in a day?
Why must he labour and go through suffering before he could change his
garment? Why did he need to go to other people’s houses before he could get
someone to send to the market? At his age, why was he the only one cooking,
washing, cleaning and tidying up his environment? When would he begin to
actualize his potentials and fulfil his destiny? Would he come into this world
empty handed and return to OÙ®run empty-handed, without a spouse, child, legacy
or a name or deed to remember by the coming generation? All these were what
was on the mind of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ when he went to the home of the Awo mentioned
above who incidentally was one of his ex-students, for Ifa; consultation. He
asked, will I receive all the Ire of life? When Ifa; was consulted, Ogbe¾Oni;wa¾a;ra; was revealed.
The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ not to be preoccupied with his present condition as
everything would surely change for the better. He told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he was
the one who taught them that the same Divinities who made sweet things were
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
also the ones who made things bitter. They said he was tasting bitter things in
his life at this point in time to prepare him in readiness for the sweet things that
would surely come later. He urged OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to persevere. He assured his
former teacher that joy and sweetness was just around the corner, waiting for
him to come and grab them.
The Awo advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to offer eôboô and feed his (OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ ’s) personal Ifa;
as stated above. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied. He continued to persevere and he was
hopeful that he would surely taste sweetness soon.
His lucky break came about three months after when the only child of the
richest woman in the community fell from a velvet tamarind tree, broke his neck
and went into a coma. The mother of the child rushed back home from the
market when she heard of the news. They rushed the child to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. His
mother nearly ran crazy. She did not know what to do. OÙ®runmi¾la¾ assured her
that all would be well. The child’s mother told O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that she would pay
any amount that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ wanted to take from her as long as her jewel
survived.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ assured her once again that her son would live. He commenced the
treatment instantly. He concentrated on the neck and discovered that the boy
also had a fractured skull. He began to treat the two parts together. He used
incantations, herbs, roots and animal parts freely. It took 11 market days (that is
42 days) for the broken bones to heal properly. In the end, the boy recovered
completely.
The mother of the child insisted that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ must name his price for healing
her child. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ said that there was no need for that. The woman thanked
him profusely and left. Five days after, she came with many people to thank
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. They left him with food supplies that would last him for about three
months. Two weeks after this, she came with another group of people to come
and erect a bigger and more befitting house for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. This was completed
within nine market days.
One day, this woman came to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ for a serious discussion. She told
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she did not like to sound rude or to interfere in his personal life,
but she felt that it was high time that he had a wife in his house. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ told
her that he would love to have one but he was not financially stable enough. In
between the two of them, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ secured a wife. The wife turned out to be
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an ideal wife for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. They understood each other very well. She was
willing to do anything for her husband and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was prepared to do
anything for her at all times. Two months after marriage, she became pregnant.
She gave birth to a bouncing baby and after that, she begot several more
children for her husband.
Before long, the reputation of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ as a very competent and humanitarian
man spread beyond the confines of the community where he lived. He was
loved, respected and sought after. At a stage, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was wealthy enough to
help develop the society where he lived. He participated in many community
projects. Any serious function in the community that excluded him was
considered incomplete. He never disappointed anyone.
One day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ sat down to ruminate over his journey. He realized that
within a few years, he had moved from a virtual nobody to a very prominent
person in the community. He lacked nothing and he had several things in
excess. He could not but give thanks and praises to Olo;du¾mare¾ and Ifa;.
Adi¾eô o¾pi¾pi¾ ye; moô ni;'wo¾ôn
Ko; o le¾ r’a;pa; b’eôyin
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ifa; n; sunku;n o¾un o¾ ni;’re o
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
E®ro I®po, E®ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;’yoô¾
EÙ wa; wo’re o
Translation:
O®pi¾pi¾, the featherless hen, do not lay too many eggs
In order to enable your wings to cover all your eggs
This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When lamenting for his inability to acquire all the Ire of life
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Come and join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
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® A®RA®
Ifa; says that this person shall receive all the Ire of life. He/she chose all the
good things of life while in heaven and none of them shall elude him/her when
they arrive on earth.
4. Ifa; foresees the Ire of prosperity for the person for whom this Odu¾ is
revealed. Ifa; says that this person shall become honourable and respectable in
his/her life. Ifa; assures this person that he/she shall become very wealthy in
his/her life. He/she however needs to work hard, consult Ifa; regularly and
follow all the instructions of Ifa.; It shall be well for him/her if they follow these
directives.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with three pigeons and money.
On this, Ogbe¾-Ba¾a¾ra¾-baara says:
Ogbe¾ ba¾a¾ra¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l’oo¾gu¾n
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l’egbo¾ogi
O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;;i; je;ô
EÙ ma; gb'i;ye¾ le o
Di;a; fu;n Du¾nn;ba;de;
OÙmoô agbe;’ga¾nna; wo¾’ye o
I®gba¾ ti; n; sunku;n oôwo;ô o¾un o¾ to;’re
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Plentifully do we pound eôôti¾
Only the tip of its head has medicinal value
Only the tip of its head has herbal use
Any preparation that is not going to be effective
Do not rely on it
These were Ifa;’s declarations to Du¾nn;ba;de;
He who observes what goes on in the street from across the
fence of his premises
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to acquire all
the Ire of life
He was advised to offer eôboô
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Du¾nn;ba;de; was a multi-talented man. He was a good farmer. He knew how to
weave clothing. He was also a very good hunter. He was an expert in boat
rowing and a fantastic fisherman. He was a versatile story-teller, singer and
musician of a very high degree.
In spite of his vast talents however, he had a bad story to tell about himself.
What was this bad story? When he went to the forest to hunt, he saw a big
antelope. He shot the antelope with his arrow. It caught the animal in the chest.
The animal began to take a death run with the arrow. He tried tracking it from
mid-morning until evening time. He could not find the dying animal. Three
days after, some women who went to the forest to cut firewood found the
stinking dead body of the antelope, full of maggots and useless for
consumption. He rushed there, only to see that he must have missed spotting
the animal since it fell very close to where he had shot at it in the first place.
A few days later he went fishing. His net caught a mighty fish. The fish, in its
struggle to escape, pulled him into the water. As he tried to save himself from
being dragged farther into the sea, he let go of the net. He lost the net and the
big fish. But for the fact that he was a very good swimmer, he would have lost
his life too.
A few days after this incident, he was busy weaving clothes. He would never
let any setback or disappointment weigh him down, he assured himself. That
was why he went to get several bales of cotton wool on credit. He spun the
wool into thread. He began to weave clothes. They came out strong and
beautiful. Those who saw him at it ordered for many complete sets of asôoô o¾ke¾,
agba;da;, bu¾ba;, sôo¾ko¾to¾, ge¾le¾, i¾ro; , i¾boru¾n, fi¾la¾, ke¾ômb¾ e¾ô and so on in advance. He
told all of them to meet him in the market on the market day. On the eve of the
market day however, fire gutted his house and everything he ever had in life,
including all the clothes he had just weaved and the weaving machine, all went
up in flames! He was left with the clothes that he had on him and debts from
several quarters.
That was when he knew that his matter was not that which he would sit by and
look. He must seek spiritual assistance. That was exactly what he did. The
next day, as soon as sympathizers left him, he went straight to the home of the
group of Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation: Will I ever succeed in life?
Will fortune ever smile on me? Will I have cause to celebrate and rejoice in
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® A®RA®
life? Those and many more were the questions he asked Ifa during the Ifa;
consultation.
The Awo told Du¾nn;ba;de; that even though he had been experiencing agony and
hardship in recent times, joy and comfort would soon be his lot. He was urged
to persevere. He was informed that when the time came to actualize his destiny,
he would surely forget all the pains and agony of the past. The Awo explained
to him that he could not expect life to be full of joy perpetually. He must be
prepared to experience some measure of sadness every once in a while. If it
was joy all through, life would be boring and there would be no challenge to
make life very exciting. The Awo assured him that he would soon have cause
to laugh and celebrate. Very soon!
The Awo also advised Du¾nn;ba;de; to offer eôboô as stated above. Du¾nn;ba;de;
gathered more debt from people and offered the eôboô.
As soon as he returned home, he knew that he had his numerous creditors to
contend with. He had absolutely no money to use to offset his debts.
Consequent upon this, he devised a means of leaving what was left of his room
and moving into the main compound. There, he had an advantage of observing
everything happening on the main road from across the fence of his compound.
If any of his creditors were coming into the compound, he would simply
disappear from the scene by hiding himself somewhere. He would stay in his
hiding place until the creditor left. The creditors would usually leave threatening
words behind before leaving. Before long, Du¾nn;ba;de; was spending more time
in his hiding place than in his room.
One day, the woman who gave the bales of cotton wool to Du¾nn;ba;de; on credit
got a contract to supply dresses to members of a very large association. The
notice given to her was very short. Who could work hard enough and good
enough to meet the deadline and the quality prescription of the association?
Du¾nn;ba;de; of course! Only Du¾nn;ba;de; could do that!
Not only this, the dresses must be delivered to the members of the association
who lived across the river. They would need to use a strong boat to transport
the dresses. The woman went to the owner of the boat to discuss the terms.
The owner knew that someone experienced and powerful would have to be the
one to do the job. Who could that be? Du¾nn;ba;de; of course! Only Du¾nn;ba;de;
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could do it! E®sÙôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ kept suggesting the name of Du¾nn;ba;d;e; in the minds of
everyone.
The only problem that remained was how to locate Du¾nn;ba;de;. Nobody cared
anymore about the debt he was owing them. They then thought to themselves
that on the day of the ceremony, stories must be told and music must be played.
Who could combine the two together and do it to the satisfaction of all? Again,
Du¾nn;ba;de; of course! Only Du¾nn;ba;de; could do it! But how could this elusive
Du¾nn;ba;de; be found? Everyone set out to look for him and fish him out.
People then began to think about the food preparations! The guests must be
entertained. People must wine and dine. A lot of fish must be used. Who could
do this and get enough fish to satisfy the numerous guests that had been invited
for the occasion? Once more, Du¾nn;ba;de; of course! Only Du¾nn;ba;de; could do it!
Time was very important! Who could help locate Du¾nn;ba;de;? Time was running
out! Du¾nn;ba;de;, where are you?
While all these were happening, Du¾nn;ba;de; was totally unaware. He was busy
planning how to hide himself from all these creditors and safe himself from
their inevitable embarrassment and harassment. Meanwhile, all those who
needed his services, who incidentally were the same set of people he was owing
huge amount of money, gathered together to discuss how to get hold of him. In
the end, they concluded that they must all troop into what remained of his house
and lay siege on him. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ urged them to move immediately. That was
the day that he overslept and was totally unprepared to rush into his hiding
place. The numerous creditors woke him up. When he raised up his head from
his mat, he was glaring at the faces of his creditors. He wished the ground to
open at that instance and swallow him up.
For a long but short moment, he could not move or say a word. The ice was
broken by the woman who sold the cotton wool to him on credit. She told him
the reason why they came to him and told him that he needed to let them sit
down and work out how to pay back all the debts he was owing people, instead
of running and hiding. By the time the woman explained all the businesses that
had been lined up for him, Du¾nn;ba;de; prostrated flat in gratitude to Olo;du¾mare¾.
Surely, the profits he would make were not enough to offset all his debts, but at
least, his good business relationship with all his creditors would resume in
earnest. By that, he would have the opportunity of feeding himself regularly,
pay off his numerous debts, build himself up and actualize his destiny.
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They all agreed on the terms of payment of his debts and the business began
immediately.
The business was a huge success for both Du¾nn;ba;de; and his creditors. Six
months after this, Du¾nn;ba;de; had no more debt to pay. Three years after he was
one of the most successful people in the community. What was important
however was that everyone knew Du¾nn;ba;de; as the person who knew how to
satisfy the people’s needs most in the community. He was regarded as the
utility man of the community. He was adequately honoured and respected for
it.
Ogbe¾ ba¾a¾ra¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l’oo¾gu¾n
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l’egbo¾ogi
O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;;i; je;ô
EÙ ma; gb'i;ye¾ le o
Di;a; fu;n Du¾nn;ba;de;
OÙmoô agbe;’ga¾nna; wo¾’ye o
I®gba¾ ti; n; sunku;n oôwo;ô o¾un o¾ to;’re
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o;; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa; wo’re o
Translation:
Plentifully do we pound eôôti¾
Only the tip of its head has medicinal value
Only the tip of its head has herbal use
Any preparation that is not going to be effective
Do not rely on it
These were Ifa;’s declarations to Du¾nn;ba;de;
He who observes what goes on in the street from across the
fence of his premises
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to acquire all
the Ire of life
He was advised to offer eôboô
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He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Ifa; says that all shall be well with the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed.
He/she shall certainly fulfil his/her destiny by actualizing his/her potentials and
talents.
5. Ifa; says that all the Ire of life shall enter the home of the person for whom
this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that he/she shall have cause to jubilee. Success
and accomplishment shall be his/hers. He/she will be grateful to Olo;du¾mare¾ for
his/her achievements in life.
Ifa; advises this person to use the grass-cutter rat to feed Ifa;. As soon as this is
done, all the Ire of life will enter the home of this person.
On this, Ifa; says:
A®da; oni;sôe¾gu¾n ni;i; m’egbo¾, ni;i; m'ewe;
Di;a; fu;n I®ya; OÙmo;ôdu¾n, ni;'sa¾le¾ô A®re¾ômu;
E®yi; to; ni; Ire gbogbo n;loô l'o;de
OÙ®kan o¾ ya’le;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
An herbalist’s cutlass is well accustomed to both roots and herbs
This was Ifa;’s message to I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n
Who lived down at A®re¾ômu; Quarters
And was complaining that all the Ire of life was passing by outside
And that none would enter into her home
She was advised to offer eôboô
I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n was very hardworking, yet the Ire she expected did not come her
way. She worked harder than most of her colleagues and contemporaries in her
village, yet they seemed better off than her. Why? What was really responsible
for this? What must she do to right this wrong? Would she continue her life
without receiving any Ire of life? Would she live her life and die without a
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
husband, child, joy or accomplishment of anything or any kind? These were the
thoughts at the back of her mind when she decided to approach the Awo stated
above for Ifa; consultation: Will I actualize the promises of my destiny? If yes,
how soon?
The Awo assured I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n that she surely would receive all the great things
of life and it would not be too long before she received them. He said that many
great things of life had been coming in her direction but they did not know
exactly where she resided in order to come and stay with her for the rest of her
life. All what she needed to do was to offer eôboô and feed Ifa; with a grass-cutter
rat so as to enable all the Ire to know her home and to bring them in to stay.
The Awo also made it clear to her that the children that she would give birth to
would become the jewels of her life. They were the ones who would make her
glow and give her all the remaining great things of life that she craved for: joy,
wealth, vitality, sound health, pride, achievement, contentment and longevity.
I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n complied with the advice given to her by the Awo and offered the
eôboô accordingly.
When she returned home, those who had never taken notice of her began to see
her as a beautiful, good-looking woman, if not outright gorgeous. Many would
swear that she was a beauty. Suitors began to troop to her home. She took her
time and chose her man through Ifa; consultation. Before long, the two families
met and marriage was discussed. When the families agreed on the lines of
action to take, the marriage ceremony was performed. It was a solemn event.
That same month, I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n became pregnant. She gave birth to a baby girl
as her first child. She named the baby “OÙmo;ôdu¾n” meaning “Having one’s child
is sweet”. That was how everybody started to call her “I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n”, meaning
OÙmoô;du¾n’s mother. She gave birth to many more children. These children
literally worshipped her. They took care of her; they protected her; they
promoted her interests; they obeyed her; they never made her unhappy for one
day; and they ensured that she got anything that she demanded for. The children
built a new home for the family, not because of their father or the extended
family, but primarily because of her. Every member of the community
considered her a very lucky woman. She lived her life happily. She was indeed
a contented woman, just as Ifa; had promised.
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A®da; oni;sôe¾gu¾n ni;i; m’egbo¾, ni;i; m'ewe;
Di;a; fu;n I®ya; OÙmo;du¾n, ni;'sa¾le¾ô A®re¾ômu;
E®yi; to; ni; Ire gbogbo n;loô l'o;de
OÙ®kan o¾ ya’le;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; woô¾woô; Ire gbogbo
N®je;ô ki;nlo; ni;’re o; ya¾ ni';le; Awo?
EÙran OÙ®ya¾
Lo; ni;'re o; ya¾ ni;'le; Awo
EÙran OÙ®ya¾
Translation:
An herbalist’s cutlass is well accustomed to both roots and herbs
This was Ifa;’s message to I®ya; OÙmoô;du¾n
Who lived down at A®re¾ômu; Quarters
And was complaining that all the Ire of life was passing by outside
And that none would enter into her home
She was advised to offer eôboô
She complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of all the Ire of life
Now, what authorized all the Ire of life to enter the
home of the Awo?
It was grass-cutter meat
That was what authorized all the Ire to enter the home of Awo
It was grass-cutter meat
Ifa; says that all the Ire of life shall come to the home of the person for whom
this Odu¾ is revealed and stay with him/her for the rest of his/her life. His/her
children are his/her jewels who must be taken proper care of and be guided
aright at all times.
6. Ifa; says that there is a woman where this Odu¾ is revealed who is desperately
awaiting that time that Olo;du¾mare¾ will open her womb for her to become
pregnant and give birth to her own baby. Ifa; says that this woman has never
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® A®RA®
menstruated in her life; and if for some reason she has, she has not seen her
period in a long, long time. If she says that she is seeing her period regularly,
she is just deceiving her partner to cover up her problem. Ifa; says that it foresees
the Ire of a bouncing baby for this woman.
Ifa; advises this woman to offer eôboô with one ram and to go and feed Erôinleô¾ with
another ram and then Ileô,¾ (Mother Earth). By so doing, she will menstruate
normally and become pregnant.
Ifa; says that the woman in question is the third generation of women suffering
from such a problem in her family, or there are three women suffering from the
same problem where this Odu¾ is revealed. Whichever the case may be, Ifa;
foresees the Ire of pregnancy and child-bearing for the woman or women.
On these, Ogbe¾ gba¾ra¾da; says:
Isôeô; n¾ sôe n¾toô;ju;
O®wo¾ n¾sôe n¾be;e¾re¾
Bi; wo;ôn ba; n; gbo;ôn'do¾ l'o;do¾
Omi a ta si; woôn l'o;ju;
Omi a ta si; woôn l'enô; u
Omi a wo;ô si; woôn ni; po¾ro¾poro po¾ga;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ja;-O®Ùgboô¾ku;
Ti; n;m'o;ju; su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
One’s business ought to be taken care of
And one’s trade ought to be handled well
If one stays in the river to drain the water there in
Water will splash on one’s face
And splash into one’s mouth
And splash all over one’s body
This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùja;-OÙ®gbo¾ôku;
When lamenting for her inability to beget her own baby
She was advised to offer eôboô
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OÙ®ja;-O®Ùgboô¾ku; enjoyed all things in her husband’s home, but yet, she was not a
happy or fulfilled woman. True, her husband and all the members of his family
loved and pampered her. They looked after her and took care of her interests.
They even protected her and absorbed her completely as one of the family. She
was never treated as a wife; but rather, as a sister in the family. Yet she was not
happy. Why, because she had no child for this loving family. Considering all
the good things this family had done for her, how good would it be if she could
pay such love and kindness back by her having her own children for the family?
She believed that she would remain incomplete if she was not able to give birth
to her own babies for this family. How then could she be happy when she
remained incomplete? She asked.
One day, OÙ®ja;-O®Ùgbo¾ôku; went to the home of the group of Awo stated above for
Ifa; consultation. Will I ever be blessed with the fruit of the womb? That was
all she asked for. That was all that mattered to her.
The Awo told O®Ùja;-O®Ùgboô¾ku; to keep her mind at rest. She was told that there was
no need for her to work herself up because of her childlessness. She was
assured that she would be blessed with the fruit of the womb. She was advised
to offer eôboô with a matured ram. She was also advised to feed Ileô¾, the Mother
Earth as appropriate. She complied.
Six weeks after she offered the eôboô and fed Ileô¾, she realized that she was
pregnant. She was full of joy. She gave birth to her baby with relative ease.
She was blessed with a female baby. The whole family had a big celebration.
What would be the name of this new arrival; this bundle of joy? The family
invited the Awo to come and help them find a suitable name for the baby.
When the Awo arrived, they reasoned that since Ile¾,¾ô Mother Earth was
propitiated before the mother could become pregnant, the baby should be
considered as the egg that Ileô¾ had laid. They therefore named the baby
“EÙyinle¾ô”, the egg laid by Ileô¾. Everybody knew and called the baby EÙyinleô¾ as
instructed by the Awo.
EÙyinleô¾ wa; da¾gba¾ ta;n
O: n;m'o;mi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Woô;n ni; ko; f’aja; ru;'boô
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Translation:
When EÙyinleô¾ grew up
She too was lamenting her inability to have a baby
She was advised to offer eôboô
The Awo asked her to use a dog as eôboô material
When EÙyinleô¾ grew up, she got married and she was, like her mother, the
beloved of her husband's family. Unfortunately, she could not beget any baby.
Just like her mother, she went to the home of the same group of Awo for Ifa;
consultation. The Awo told her that she would be blessed with the fruit of the
womb. She was advised to offer her own eôboô with a dog. She did. After the
ebo, the dog was slaughtered and some of the meat was cut into long strips,
called I®ja¾n¾ja;. These I®ja¾n¾ja; were again cut into bits and cooked with
are;ôyi¾ngbo;ômoôpoô¾n leaves and given to EÙyinleô¾ to consume. She did.
The following month EÙyinleô¾ became pregnant. She too delivered safely. What
name were they going to give this baby? E®sôu¾ responded that since it was the
I®ja¾n¾ja; of dog that was cooked for the mother to eat before she became pregnant,
the baby ought to be named as I®ja¾n¾ja;, the child of EÙyinleô¾. That was exactly
what they did.
I®ja¾n¾ja; na;a¾ wa;a; da¾gba¾ ta;n
Beô;e¾ô ni ko¾ ri; o¾de re¾ô ri;
O: wa; n;f'omi oju; su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
When I®ja¾n¾ja; grew up to adulthood
She never saw her menstrual period for a day
She was weeping in lamentation for her inability to have a baby
She was advised to offer eôboô
Just like her mother EÙyinleô¾, I®ja¾n¾ja; had no problem getting married into a
comfortable home. Everyone in her husband’s family loved and cherished her.
However, she could not tell her husband or any member of his family that she
had never menstruated in her life! They were both worried that she had not
become pregnant after over three years of marriage. She secretly nursed the
fear that she might never become pregnant in her life; but she told nobody. She
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however hoped that one day, she would see her period which would help her
become a true woman. A woman who has never menstruated in her life is no
different from a man. This thought is what led her to go to the home of the
same group of Awo that her grand-mother and mother went to for Ifa;
consultation. Will I succeed in seeing my period and become pregnant and
give birth to my own babies? She asked.
The Awo assured her that she would certainly have her own baby. She was told
to go and meet her mother by the river side and pray to her mother EÙyinleô¾ to let
her beget her own child. By that time, her mother had become an O®ri¾sôa¾ after
her death and she was residing inside the river.
I®ja¾n¾ja; was advised to procure one matured ram, 50 bitter kolas, 50 kola nuts,
plenty of beans, plenty of palm-oil, a¾ma¾la¾ and so on, for her to go to the
riverside to meet her mother. She also invited Ba¾ta; drummers to accompany her
to the river. With the food and drinks that she prepared, and the Ba¾ta; drummers,
they all went to the river. Several other people accompanied her to the river.
When they placed everything that they brought to the river with which to meet
her mother for prayers and blessings at the appropriate places that they were to
be placed, she began to sing:
Mo ko;’ro;gbo;
Mo fi wa; I®ya;a¾ mi wa;
Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
Erin–j'ogu;n-oôla;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f'oôla; yan
I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de;
OÙmoô EÙyinleô¾ l'o;do¾
Mo ko;'bi¾ a¾ba¾ta¾
Mo fi wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
I®ja¾n¾ja; mo ko;’bi¾ mo Ka¾a;la;
Mo ko;’ro;;gbo;
Mo Ka;’taare
Mo fi wa; I®ya;a¾ mi wa;
Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
EÙyinleô¾ su;re; wa;
O wa;a; gba’hun Oro¾ l'oô;do¾ô oômoô
Erin–j'ogu;n-oôla;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f'oôla; yan
426
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de;
OÙmoô Eyinleô¾ l'o;do¾
Mo tu;n l'o;ôpoô¾ e¾ôwa¾
Mo fi wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
Mo wa;'ya;a¾ mi wa;
Erin–j'ogu;n-oôla;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan
I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de;
OÙmoô EÙyinleô¾ l'o;do¾
Mo m'a;gbo¾ gi¾i¾sôa¾
Mo fi wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
EÙyinle¾¾ô su;re; wa;
O wa; gb’ahun Oro¾ l'oô;doô¾ oômoô
Erin j'ogu;n-oôla;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan
I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de;
OÙmoô EÙyinleô¾ l'o;do¾
Translation:
I have brought bitter-kolas
To come and meet my mother
Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;, the Elephant has honour as its inheritance
Offspring of the Elephant that marches majestically with honour
I®ja¾n¾ja;, here I come
The daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river
I have brought kola nuts
To come and meet my mother
I have really come in search of my mother
I®ja¾n¾ja;, I have brought kola nuts and bitter kolas
I have brought bitter kolas
And have also brought alligator pepper
To come and meet my mother
I have come in search of my mother
EÙyinleô¾, please come quickly
And take all the ritual materials from your daughter
Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;
Offspring of the Elephant that marches majestically with honour
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
I®ja¾n¾ja;, here I come
Daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river
I have also brought a lot of black-eyed peas
To come and meet my mother
Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan
I®ja¾n¾ja; here I come
Daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river
I have also brought a matured ram
To come and meet my mother
I have come in search of my mother
EÙyinleô¾, please come quickly
And accept all ritual materials from your daughter
Erin j'ogu;n-oôla;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan
I®ja¾n¾ja;, here I come
The daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river
As soon as she said this, her mother arrived! She simply packed all the ritual
materials and threw them into the river! The whole place became charged with
spiritual energy! I®ja¾n¾ja; started to pray. She narrated all her problems to her
mother and her mother blessed her. While she was doing this, the Ba¾ta;
drummers also began to play the drums right at the river side, the drums said:
EÙyinleô¾ o¾ j’aja;
EÙyinleô¾ o¾ j’a¾gbo¾
Ko; sôa; bu¾n mi l’oô;moô!
Ko; sôa; bu¾n mi l’oô;moô!
Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô reôp¾ e;ô !!
Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô pe¾ôreô;!!!
Translation:
Even if EÙÙyinleô¾ will not eat my dog
Even if she will not consume my ram
All I pray for is for her to give me my baby!
All I need is for her to bless me with my baby!
Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô reô¾pe;ô !!
Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô pe¾ôreô;!!!
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Sometime afterward everyone left the river-side, confident that I®j®a¾n¾ja;’s prayers
had been given favourable consideration and had been answered. She began to
dance round the town. As she was dancing about, she noticed, to her
everlasting joy and surprise, that her menstruation started! With the menses,
she danced round the whole town. That was the only menstruation she had
before she became pregnant. She gave birth to several children in quick
successions.
Isôeô; n¾ sôe n¾toô;ju;
O®wo¾ n¾sôe n¾be;e¾re¾
Bi; wo;ôn ba; n; gbo;ôn'do¾ l'o;do¾
Omi a ta si; woôn l'o;ju;
Omi a ta si; woôn l'enô; u
Omi a wo;ô si; woôn ni; po¾ro¾poro po¾ga;n
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ja;-O®Ùgboô¾ku;
Ti; n;m'o;ju; su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'eôboô, o; ru;’boô
O: bi'moô na;a¾ ta;n
Wo;ôn s'oômoô na;a¾ ni; EÙÙyinleô¾
EÙyinleô¾ wa; da¾gba¾ ta;n
O: n;m'o;mi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Woô;n ni; ko; f’aja; ru;'boô
O: gb'ebô; oô, o; ru;'boô
O bi'mo naa tan
Won s'omo naa ni Ijanja
I®ja¾n¾ja; na;a¾ wa;a; da¾gba¾ ta;n
Beô;e¾ô ni ko¾ ri; o¾de re¾ô ri;
O: wa; n;f'omi oju; su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Ow
: a; ko; oun eôboô loô s'o;do¾ loô ba; EÙyinleô¾ i¾ya; a re¾ô
Mo ko;’ro;gbo;
Mo fi wa; I®ya;a¾ mi wa;
Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
Erin–j'ogu;n-oôla;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f'oôla; yan
I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de;
OÙmoô EÙyinleô¾ l'o;do¾
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Mo ko;'bi¾ a¾ba¾ta¾
Mo fi wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
I®ja¾n¾ja; mo ko;’bi¾ mo Ka¾a;la;
Mo ko;’ro;;gbo;
Mo Ka;’taare
Mo fi wa; I®ya;a¾ mi wa;
Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
EÙyinleô¾ su;re; wa;
O wa;a; gba’hun Oro¾ l'oô;do¾ô oômoô
Erin–j'ogu;n-oôla;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f'oôla; yan
I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de;
OÙmoô Eyinleô¾ l'o;do¾
Mo tu;n l'o;ôpoô¾ e¾ôwa¾
Mo fi wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
Mo wa;'ya;a¾ mi wa;
Erin–j'ogu;n-oôla;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan
I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de;
OÙmoô EÙyinleô¾ l'o;do¾
Mo m'a;gbo¾ gi¾i¾sôa¾
Mo fi wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
Mo wa;’ya;a¾ mi wa;
EÙyinle¾¾ô su;re; wa;
O wa; gb’ahun Oro¾ l'oô;doô¾ oômoô
Erin j'ogu;n-oôla;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan
I®ja¾n¾ja; mo de;
OÙmoô EÙyinleô¾ l'o;do¾
Nje EÙyinleô¾ o¾ j’aja;
EÙyinleô¾ o¾ j’a¾gbo¾
Ko; sôa; bu¾n mi l’oô;moô!
Ko; sôa; bu¾n mi l’oô;moô!
Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô reôp¾ e;ô !!
Peô¾te¾ôpeôteô pe¾ôreô;!!!
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; oômoô
Jeô¾bu;tu; oômoô la¾a; ba; ni l'e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sôa¾
430
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Translation:
One’s business ought to be taken care of
And one’s trade ought to be handled well
If one stays in the river to drain the water there in
Water will splash on one’s face
And splash into one’s mouth
And splash all over one’s body
This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùja;-OÙ®gbo¾ôku;
When lamenting for her inability to beget her own baby
She was advised to offer eôboô
She complied
After giving birth to the baby
She named the baby EÙyinleô¾
When EÙyinleô¾ grew up
She too was lamenting for her inability to have a baby
She was advised to offer eôboô
The Awo asked her to use a dog as eôboô material
She complied
After giving birth to the baby
She named the baby I®ja¾n¾ja;
When I®ja¾n¾ja; grew up to adulthood
She never saw her menstrual period for a day
She was weeping in lamentation for her inability to have a baby
She was advised to offer eôboô
And was asked to go and meet her mother by the river-side
I have brought bitter-kolas
To come and meet my mother
Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;, the Elephant has honour as its inheritance
Offspring of the Elephant that marches majestically with honour
I®ja¾n¾ja;, here I come
The daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river
I have brought kola nuts
To come and meet my mother
I have really come in search of my mother
I®ja¾n¾ja;, I have brought kola nuts and bitter kolas
I have brought bitter kolas
And have also brought alligator pepper
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To come and meet my mother
I have come in search of my mother
EÙyinleô¾, please come quickly
And take all the ritual materials from your daughter
Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;
Offspring of the Elephant that marches majestically with honour
I®ja¾n¾ja;, here I come
Daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river
I have also brought a lot of black-eyed peas
To come and meet my mother
Erin-j'ogu;n-oôla;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan
I®ja¾n¾ja; here I come
Daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river
I have also brought a matured ram
To come and meet my mother
I have come in search of my mother
EÙyinleô¾, please come quickly
And accept all ritual materials from your daughter
Erin j'ogu;n-oôla;
OÙmoô erin ti;i; f’oôla; yan
I®ja¾n¾ja;, here I come
The daughter of EÙyinleô¾ who resides in the river
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of several children
Several children is what Ifa; guarantees
Ifa; says that this person shall be blessed with children. As a matter of fact, if
any barren woman has come to Ifa; to seek solution to her barrenness and this
Odu¾ is revealed (Ogbe¾-OÙ®ba¾ra¾), it is advisable to recommend that the barren
woman go and feed EÙyinleô¾ with all the ritual materials listed above.
7. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed has been subservient to
someone for a long time. Ifa; is now ready to make him/her greater than his/her
former boss. Ifa; says that this person shall be made a leader among leaders.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with four big mortars, four pigeons, 10 yards
of velvet cloth and money.
432
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
On this, Ifa; says:
Asôoô fe;ôleô;fe;lô eô; ni;i; b'oju; Egu;ngu;n
Awoôô feô;e;ôreô; ni;i; b’e¾ôjeô¾ moô;’le¾ô
A jeô; oôloô¾te¾ô-e¾e¾ya¾n ma;-l'e;ôgba¾a; kan-a¾a;-yoôoô;-na;
Di;a; fu;n Erin du;du; igbo; I®do¾ôgoô¾
Ti; n;loô¾oô; fi gbogbo ara si¾n l'oô;do¾ô EÙtu
EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Light cloth covers the face of the masquerade
Thin skin covers the blood in the body
He who conspires-will-not-have-any-money-to-spend
They were the ones who cast Ifa; for Erin dudu (the dark skinned
Elephant) of I®do¾ôgoô¾ forest
When going to be a servant under EÙtu (the Antelope)
He was advised to offer eôboô
In the beginning, Erin the elephant was not as big as a rodent. On top of that, he
was frail and angular. He would fall ill today and get well tomorrow. He was
also working under EÙtu, the Antelope, a very wicked and totally inconsiderate
boss. EÙtu was ready to work Erin to death. Erin had no time for himself at all.
One day, Erin took some time out to go to the home of the three Awo
mentioned above for Ifa; consultation: Will I amount to anything in my life?
Will I continue to work for, and die as the slave of EÙtu? Will a miracle happen
in my life so that I can exert my freedom and independence? Will I ever be my
own boss so that I no longer have to answer to anyone? Will there be a time in
my life that I will walk majestically around in the forest without fear of reprisal
from any quarter? In short, will I ever be happy, proud and contented in my
life? These were the questions which Erin asked Ifa; during consultation.
The Awo told Erin that he would certainly become a great person in his life. He
was assured that all those who acted as his boss at that time would eventually
come to bow and shiver under him. He was advised to persevere as his time to
assume his destined position of glory was very close. They told Erin not to
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despise his boss anymore because it was just a matter of time. Erin was told to
go and prepare himself for everlasting celebration.
The Awo advised Erin to offer eôboô with four large mortars, 10 yards of velvet
clothing material, four pigeons and money. Erin had no money, but he was
determined to offer the eôboô. When he returned to EÙtu for work, he got the
beating of his life for coming late to his work. This did not deter Erin from
offering the eôboô. He was determined to get another beating in order to get his
freedom. He stressed himself and went to get all the eôboô materials on credit,
promising that he would offset his loan very soon.
When Erin got to the home of the Awo, the eôboô was offered. Towards the end
of the offering process however, the Awo instructed Erin to stretch out his
limbs. Erin complied. The Awo pulled the limbs and they stretched as if they
were made of elastic substance! The Awo placed each limb in each one of the
mortars. He covered Erin with the velvet clothing material and prayed for him.
What did one see next? Lo and behold, Erin transformed into a mountain! The
roof of the home of the Awo was burst open by the sheer size and might of Erin.
The four mortars became his feet! He felt and looked enormous. When he
forced his way out of the home of the Awo, the whole building simply
collapsed!
As soon as Erin noticed this transformation in his life, he made for EÙ tu’s farm
immediately. When EÙtu saw the mountainous figure coming towards him, he
simply took to his heels! From that day to the present, Erin has not taken a
compassionate look at EÙtu. Anytime that Erin sets his eyes on EÙtu, he is ready to
avenge all the ill-treatment he was subjected to by EÙtu.
That was how Erin became the biggest animal in the forest. He became the
Lord of the wilderness. All those who had hitherto been looking down upon him
became his subjects. No one dared to look at him in the face anymore. Those
who knew Erin before could not help but wonder how he became a
mountainous animal within the twinkle of an eye.
Asôoô fe;ôleô;fe;lô eô; ni;i; b'oju; Egu;ngu;n
Awoôô feô;e;ôreô; ni;i; b’e¾ôjeô¾ moô;’le¾ô
A jeô; oôloô¾te¾ô-e¾e¾ya¾n ma;-l'e;ôgba¾a; kan-a¾a;-yoôoô;-na;
Di;a; fu;n Erin du;du; igbo; I®do¾ôgoô¾
434
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Ti; n;loô¾oô; fi gbogbo ara si¾n l'oô;do¾ô EÙtu
EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa; wo’re o
N®je;ô ni;si¾nyi; la r’e;rin
Erin ni;gba¾ wo lo wa d’o¾ke¾?
Translation:
Light cloth covers the face of the masquerade
Thin skin covers the blood in the body
He who conspires-will-not-have-any-money-to-spend
They were the ones who cast Ifa; for Erin dudu (the dark skinned
Elephant) of I®do¾ôgoô¾ forest
When going to be a servant under EÙtu (the Antelope)
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and see all the Ire of life
Now, we have just seen Erin
When did you transform into a mountain
Ifa; says that the transformation of the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed
from grass to grace and from rubbish to royalty will happen so suddenly that
he/she too will not believe his/her good luck. He/she only needs to persevere
and live his/her life the Ifa; way. He/she needs to think no evil, speak no evil
and do no evil. That is the Ifa; way.
8. Ifa says that the person for whom this Odu is revealed is planning to take
something away from its owner. Ifa says that it is possible for him/her to do so
but there may be trouble initially, but in the end, he/she will take the thing away
completely and the original owner will not be able to do anything about it.
Conversely, Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô in
order to prevent a situation where someone will take away from him/her
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
something/someone which he/she values very much. If the eôboô is not offered
quickly and the thing/person is taken, it will not be possible to retrieve the item
or person.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she
also needs to feed Ifa; with one hen or she-goat, depending on which one Ifa;
chooses.
On this, Ifa; says:
Ogbe¾ gba¾ra¾ da; ta;n
T'eôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾
Ifa; sôe ohun gbogbo ta;n
O: ku ti gb'e;ônu-gb'eô;nu
Di;a; fu;n OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
Ifa; n; lo¾ôoô; gba A®ri¾ra;
Ti;i; sô'obi¾nrin SÙaÙ¾ngo;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾ had performed wonders
Only the slanderers remained to be pleased
After Ifa; had successfully accomplished all things
Only the foul-tongued despisers remained
This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going to snatch away A®ri¾ra; (the Thunder)
The wife of SÙa¾ngo;
He was advised to offer eôboô
A®ri¾ra; was the tool which SÙa¾ngo; used to employ to fight off his enemies. The
weapon was being used indiscriminately by SÙa¾ngo; , this thunder-strike had
destroyed the lives and homes of more innocent people than guilty ones. This
was what gave O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ serious cause for concern: why must this be happening
when there are better ways of employing this power? He wondered. That was
what made O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to resolve within his mind that he must have a serious
dialogue with SÙa¾ngo; over the matter.
436
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
One day, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ went to SÙa¾ngo;’s home very early in the morning. He
explained to him what he had observed on the way that SÙa¾ngo; had been using
A®ri¾ra indiscriminately; and told SÙa¾ngo; that such usage was unfair to innocent
victims who had been losing their properties and even their lives when the
thunder would strike their homes. He pleaded with SÙa¾ngo; to let there be a
review of usage which would make only the guilty ones suffer and spare the
innocent. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ pointed out to him that many of his own children who were
his adherents had also been affected by the thunder strike. Some of them did
not only lose their properties, they also died in the process. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declared
that this was totally unacceptable to him. He pleaded with SÙa¾ngo; to spare all
the children of Ifa; for his sake.
In his response, SÙa¾ngo; sympathized with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ on the loss of his followers.
He however told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that A®ri¾ra; was not only his weapon, she was also
considered his wife. He said that he was at liberty to employ the usage of his
wife as it pleased him and he would not entertain anyone to counsel him on how
to do what pleased him with A®ri¾ra;. He advised O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to inform all his
followers to make the fear of A®ri¾ra; the beginning of wisdom for them.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ pleaded with SÙa¾ngo; for several moments for him to have a change of
heart, but all to no avail. With the deadlock both of them departed.
While OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was on his way back to his home, he heard several thunder
strikes. He also heard people screaming and wailing over the loss of their
properties and the lives of their loved ones. That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ made up
his mind that A®ri¾ra; must be taken away from SÙa¾ngo;.
This decision was what took O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ to the home of the Awo stated above for
Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in snatching A®ri¾ra; away from SÙa¾ngo;? Will I be
able to overcome SÙa¾ngo; in the eventual confrontation?
The Awo assured O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ that he would be able to do what he planned to do.
He would also overcome SÙa¾ngo; if he ventured to confront him. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was
advised to offer eôboô and feed Ifa as stated above. He complied.
A few weeks after, the essence of A®ri¾ra; was securely in the hands of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ .
This infuriated SÙa¾ngo; to the extent that he prepared himself for confrontation
with O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. As he planned this, somehow he could not make himself
execute his plan. For this reason, SÙa¾ngo; decided to use the same thunder to
strike down OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and all his followers. He realized however that even
though the thunder struck, the homes of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and all his followers were
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spared. That was how SÙa¾n¾go; lost the battle to retrieve the essence of A®ri¾ra; that
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾ took away from him.
Ogbe¾ gba¾ra¾ da; ta;n
T'eôleô;ga¾n lo; ku¾
Ifa; sôe ohun gbogbo ta;n
O: ku ti gbe;ônu-gbeô;nu
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ifa; n; lo¾ôoô; gba A®ri¾ra;
Ti;i; s;ô'obi¾nrin SÙa¾ngo;;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba;’ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
N®jeô; nini ni yo;o; maa tu¾ wa; nini
O®ko¾ a¾ra; o¾ ni;i; ba;'le¾ô
Ko; woô'le; Ifa;
Nini ni yo;o; maa tu¾ wa; nini
Translation:
Ogbe¾ had performed wonders
Only the slanderers remained to be pleased
After Ifa; had successfully accomplished all things
Only the foul-tongued despisers remained
This was Ifa;’s message for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When going to snatch away A®ri¾ra; (the Thunder)
The wife of SÙa¾ngo;
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us where we use eôboô to ensure victory
Behold, peace and comfort shall be our lot
The thunder stone will not strike the ground
And enter the home of Ifa;
Peace and comfort shall be our lot
438
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed will overcome. He/she
shall take whatever he/she plans to take away from its original owner. But it
must be for the benefit of all.
In this particular stanza, two things become apparent as Ifa; has stated:
i.
No true Ifa; priest/priestess will ever suffer from damage caused
by a thunder-strike. Any Babala;wo/I®ya;ni;fa; who suffers this loss is considered
to be a liar and a cheat and he/she has done something terribly wrong which has
stripped him/her of the protection of Ifa;.
ii.
No true Babala;wo/I®ya;ni;fa; should ever find it difficult to summon rainfall.
He/she will also never find it difficult to stop rainfall. This is because the very
essence of A®®ri¾ra; is securely in the hands of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾.
iii. No true Babala;wo/I®ya;ni;fa; must ever use thunder to strike down anyone,
ruin anyone’s home or life, or bring trouble into the community. It is against
the spirit for which O®Ùru;;nmi¾la¾ snatched A®ri¾ra; from SÙa¾ngo;.
9. Ifa; advises the man for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to take good care of his
wife at all times. He also needs to ensure that he is not too thrifty or cheap with
her. By making sure that he makes her happy, the woman will go to any length
to ensure that her man get the best out of life. She will help him with all her
power and protect his interests at all times. He will be happy and will enjoy
marital bliss.
Ifa; advises this man to offer eôboô with two pigeons, one mature he-goat and
money. He also needs to be more forthcoming in his desire to satisfy his wife’s
financial and emotional demands, which must be done within his capabilities.
On this, Ifa; says:
Obi¾nrin sô'oôwoô; ku;du;ru;
O;: m’o;ôkoô reô¾ l'a;hun
O: sô'ohu¾n ku;du;ru;
O: ni; to;o ba; sôe fu;n mi
SÙebi; o o; ba;a l'a;ra o¾hun
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Di;a; fu;n Ebe¾
Ti; n;loô re¾e; gbe; Ba¾ra¾ n'i;ya¾wo;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
A woman demanded for something by turning her hand into a cup
She accused her husband of being too stingy
She opened her mouth challengingly
And declared that “if you take good care of me
You will surely see the result in my being"
This was Ifa;’s message for Ebe¾ (the Farm Heap)
When going to take Ba¾ra¾, the Melon seed as his wife
He was advised to offer eôboô
When the Farm Heap, Ebe¾, met the Melon seed, Ba¾¾ra¾, it was love at first sight.
They loved each other and would do many things together. When it was time
for them to consummate their relationship into marriage, Ebe¾ went to the home
of the Awo stated above for Ifa; consultation in order to determine how
successful the marriage would be. He wanted to know if, apart from love, were
they compatible and meant for each other. He also wanted to know if their love
for each other would last forever.
The Awo told Ebe¾ that both Ebe¾ and Ba¾ra¾ were meant for each other. He told
Ebe¾ that they would live long together and they would achieve a lot together.
He however advised Ebe¾ to ensure that he was not miserly with his wife as that
might create problems. As long as he satisfied her needs, she would be the best
wife ever and would be the envy of others. He was advised to offer eôboô as stated
above and at the same time, to heed the warning and advice of the Awo. He
complied.
When the marriage was contracted, it of course turned out to be of benefit for
both parties. Ba¾ra¾ also gave birth to several children. They were both successful
and they were blessed with the children of their dreams.
Obi¾nrin sô'oôwoô; ku;du;ru;
O: m’o;ôkoô reô¾ l'a;hun
O: sô'ohu¾n ku;du;ru;
O: ni; to;o ba; sôe fu;n mi
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® A®RA®
SÙebi; o o; ba;a l'a;ra o¾hun
Di;a; fu;n Ebe¾
Ti; n;loô re¾e; gbe; Ba¾ra¾ n'i;ya¾wo;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni ni; je¾ôbu;tu; Ire gbogbo
Ta lo; wa; ru;'boô oôla¾
To; tu;n ru; t';oômoô?
Ba¾ra¾
Lo; ru;'boô oôla¾
To; tu;n ru; t'oômoô
Translation:
A woman demanded for something by turning her hand into a cup
She accused her husband of being too stingy
She opened her mouth challengingly
And declared that “if you take good care of me
You will surely see the result in my being"
This was Ifa;’s message for Ebe¾ (the Farm Heap)
When going to take Ba¾ra¾, the Melon seed as his wife
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of all Ire
Who offered the eôboô of prosperity
And that of child-bearing?
Of course, it was Ba¾ra¾
That had offered the eôboô of prosperity
And that of child-bearing
Ifa; assures this person that he shall not only be blessed with a good spouse, but
that through his wife, success, prosperity and many children shall be received as
blessings. A woman is also going to be blessed with a good husband who will
provide her with all she needs and desires.
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10. Ifa; says that people are really deriding one another and subjecting each other
to unwarranted ridicule where this Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; says that these people
need to put an end to this if any appreciable progress or success is to be
recorded by those concerned.
Ifa; advises all those involved to purge themselves of this type of uncivilized
attitude and begin to mend things. They also need to offer eôboô with a mature hegoat and money. If several people are involved, each of them needs to add one
mature cock and money.
On this, Ifa; says:
Ki;nni ohun ti; eô wi;
Ti; n o¾ sôe o ?
OÙ®na¾ wo leô pe; ki;; n gba¾
Ti; n o¾ gba¾?
Di;a; fu;n woôn ni;;'lu¾u; E®Ùyoô
Ki¾ki¾ e¾ôga¾n
Ji;ji; ti; wo;ôn ji;
Wo;ôn n; yoô’nu si;'raa woôn
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Translation:
What did you ask
That I failed to comply with?
Which road did you ask me to take
That I refused to take?
This was the Ifa cast for them at E®Ùyoô town
When they were deriding one another
When they woke up
They were deriding each other
They were advised to offer eôboô
The inhabitants of EÙ®yoô town specialized in one thing; backbiting. They knew
how to deride each other and run each other down. If anyone tried to prove
himself/herself that he/she could do certain things effectively, his/her fellow
inhabitants would go to town to prove to all those who cared to listen that
he/she could not do that very thing. This attitude became so prevalent to the
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extent that they succeeded in running the whole community to the ground. None
of them succeeded. Nobody from other communities liked associating
themselves or working with anyone from that community. All the inhabitants of
EÙ®yoô town were regarded as a pack of incompetent fools. They could not go to
other communities to stay because nobody would want them there. They began
to hate each other and at the same time, they hated themselves. At a stage, they
began to believe that they were indeed incompetent fools in EÙ®yoô land.
One day, the OÙba of the town joined his ancestors. A new OÙba was installed. It
took a very long time before this could be done because of all the deriding
taking place among the candidates. They were not looking for any of the
positive sides of their lives but rather, they were looking for faults, weaknesses,
scandals and controversy. Where there was none, they would quickly
manufacture something and the candidate would be disqualified. After so much
unnecessary delay, one candidate was eventually picked and installed as OÙba.
The new OÙba happened to be one of the very few people left in the land who
never for one day believed that nothing good could ever come out of EÙ®yoô land.
Even though he realized that nothing good had come out of the land so far, he
was absolutely convinced that a lot of good things could still be achieved.
Consequent upon this, the new OÙba invited the group of Awo mentioned above
for Ifa; consultation. His main question was: What do we in E®Ùyoô land need to do
to make things better here?
The Awo told the inhabitants of EÙ®yoô land that they were the architects of their
own failures and misfortunes. They were told that they had all the opportunities
to be great but they simply bungled them. The Awo emphasized the fact that if
they wanted to be great, they must change their attitude. They must stop
running each other down. They must cooperate with each other in order to
achieve progress and development. If they must compete with each other at all,
the competition must be healthy competition. They must also stop looking at
each other’s faults and start recognizing where each individual could be an asset
to the whole community and assist such individuals in actualizing his/her full
potentials.
The Awo also advised the community to offer ebo as stated above. He told
them to imbibe the idea that their neighbours are their siblings and they must
have positive contributions to their successes. They complied.
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At first, it was very difficult for them to do. As time went by however, they
realized that it was the best thing for them to do. Little efforts yielded great
dividends. They formed cooperatives for the sole purpose of helping each other
succeed. Before long, the whole community began to bubble with activities.
There were opportunities and prosperity for everybody. Soon after, other
communities began to trade and cooperate with them. Their cooperatives spread
beyond the boundaries of their community. All the inhabitants of all the
adjacent communities came to benefit from the opportunities that could be
derived from the cooperatives. There was joy, contentment and self fulfilment
in the land.
Ki;nni ohun ti; eô wi;
Ti; n o¾ sôe o?
OÙ®na¾ wo leô pe; ki; n gba¾
Ti; n o¾ gba¾?
Di;a; fu;n woôn ni;'lu¾u; E®Ùyoô
Ki¾ki¾ e¾ôga¾n
Ji;ji; ti; wo;ôn ji;
Wo;ôn n; yoô’nu si;'raa woôn
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ki; wo;ôn wa;a; sôe
Wo;ôn gbeô;’boô, woô;n ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo’re o
Translation:
What did you ask
That I failed to comply with?
Which road did you ask me to take
That I refused to take?
This was the Ifa cast for them at E®Ùyoô town
When they were deriding one another
When they woke up
They were deriding each other
They were advised to offer eôboô
They complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
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OGBE®-OÙB
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Ifa; says that there is nothing that love, cooperation and friendliness cannot
achieve. Readiness to help one another to succeed goes a long way in the
realization of tall dreams. Consequently, the more cooperation that exists where
this Odu¾ is revealed, the greater the success chances of the people who live
there will be. Ifa; says that there is going to be joy and self-fulfilment where this
Odu¾ is revealed. Ifa; promises that marvellous wonders shall come out of where
this Odu¾ is revealed.
11. Ifa; advises a woman where this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô in order to
avoid a situation where she will end up marrying more than one man in her life
and giving birth to children for each of the three different men in her lifetime.
Ifa; says that if for any reason she does end up going through two
divorces/separations and giving birth to children for her first two partners, the
child that she will beget for the third husband will actually be the most
successful of all her children. To avoid all these problems however it is best that
she offer appropriate ebo and follow Ifa’s advice.
Ifa; also says that the woman in question is an Apeô¾te¾ôbi;. She not only needs to
offer ebo but she needs to tie on the ide¾. It is also highly advisable for her to
marry a man who is initiated into Ifa;. It is also a taboo for her to eat kola nuts.
Ifa; advises her to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and money. She also
needs to feed Ifa with two rats, two fish and another mature she-goat. She must
also be wearing and go out with the ide¾, Ifa bracelet, at all times.
On these aspects, Ifa; says:
Moto;o;ri;ki; Awo Mori;ke¾ôe;ô
Moto;o;ri;ki¾ Awo mori;yo¾ô
Mo to;o; f'obi¾ kan go¾do¾g¾ba¾-godogba ka¾n l'o;ri;;
Awo ile; Oni;kewu;
Di;a; fu;n Oni;;kewu;-A®sôa;
OÙmoô A®wo¾di¾ ti;i; fo¾-rakin, fo¾-rakin l'o;ju; OÙloô;run
O: f':ey¾ô i¾n ti¾ m'o;ju; eôku;n su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
Eôboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
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Translation:
Moro;o;ri;ki;, the Awo of Mori;ke¾ôeô;
Moto;o;ri;ki¾, the Awo of Mori;yo¾ô
I am worthy of being propitiated with one big kola nut
The resident Awo of Oni;kewu;
They cast Ifa; for Oni;kewu;-A®sôa;
The offspring of the hawk that flies majestically in the sky
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to receive the
blessing of the fruit of the womb
She was advised to offer eôboô
Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; was happily married but she was not living happily in her marital
home. Why? She had no child for her husband. She tried all she knew but all
her efforts were to no avail. She became desperate because she knew that the
productive period of a woman was much shorter than that of a man. For this
reason, she approached the group of Awo above for Ifa; consultation: Will I be
blessed with the fruit of the womb?
The three Awo told Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; that whether she offered eôboôô or not, she
would be blessed with children. She however needed to offer eôboô in order to
avoid a situation where she would give birth to children for three different men
in her life. She also needed to impress it on her husband to be initiated into Ifa;
because she was an Ape¾ôteô¾bi; from heaven. The Awo advised her to offer eôboô as
stated above and to avoid eating kola nuts.
Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; looked at the three Awo in utter disbelief. What could make her
have children for three different men in her life? She could not picture such a
thing. What could make her leave her loving and beloved husband? Such a
thought was totally preposterous. Certainly, she thought in her mind, it must be
these Babala;wo who are looking for ways of getting animals from her. She
vowed that she would never let them have their way. They must be defrauding
others in this same way as well but they would fail this time around, Oni;kewu;A®sôa; mused. She then simply stood up from the consultation mat and walked out
without saying a word.
On her way home, she thought over the matter and vowed that she would not go
to the home of any Awo again: what for? These ones had said that she would
give birth to many children, whether she offered eôboô or not.
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Two months after this, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; became pregnant. Her husband, Olu;-Igbo;
was the happiest man on earth. The love they had for each other grew in several
folds. She was being pampered by all. When she gave birth, it was to a
bouncing baby boy. They named the baby Apa;. She diverted all her love and
attention to the baby. She had been looking for this baby for a long, long time.
She would allow no one to touch the baby. She treated the baby like an egg
which only she knew how to carry. Her husband and all members of his family
became total strangers to her. Nobody and nothing interested her any longer,
except her baby.
When the family could take this no longer they invited her to a meeting. They
made it clear to her that even though she was the one who gave birth to the
baby, nonetheless, the baby was also a part of the husband and his family. She
did not allow them to finish what they were saying before she charged at them,
saying that where were they when she was suffering when looking for a baby?
Where were they when eventually she became pregnant? Whom among them
helped her to carry the baby when he was inside her womb for the 10 lunar
months? Who among them felt her pains of pregnancy and suffered with her?
Where were they when she went into labour? Oh! The pains! The agony! The
excruciating pain! Where were they during those crucial moments? It was only
her that was left to her fate! The baby was hers and nobody else's! If any of
them wanted a baby that would belong to the whole family, they might as well
give birth to that one themselves! Certainly not this one which Olodumare had
given her.
All those present could not believe their ears: so, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; had all along
been hiding her true character? How can this woman be so rude to the elders in
the family? As these thoughts were going on in their minds and to make matters
worse, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ appeared and told Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; that there was the need to put
all the family members into their proper places. Why should they attempt to
claim ownership of the baby she had suffered to get? Breast-feeding; who
among them had ever helped her to breast feed the baby? E®sôu¾ told her that the
family was planning to take the baby away from her so therefore she needed to
do something dramatic to ensure that the baby stayed with her. E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ told
her to rain abuses and insults on all of them and told them that only death could
make her share her baby. As the head of the family was about to speak, E®sôu¾ told
Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; to charge at him. Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; sprang up, spit into the face of the
head of the family and made it abundantly clear to all of them that only death
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would allow any of them to touch the baby or take him away from her. All those
present were shocked. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ continuously urged her on. When she was
exhausted, she rushed out of the house.
All the family members sat frozen to their various positions for a long time.
E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ then whispered into their ears that what Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; had just done
was an abomination of the highest order. They must not accept her back into
their fold. She must be thrown out of the house. If this was not done, other
women in the family might emulate her behaviour and do the same thing. E®sôu¾
OÙ®da¾ra¾ directed the proceeding of the meeting. He ensured that all her
belongings were thrown out of the house that very day. Even though Oni;kewu; A®sôa; retained her baby, she was disowned by her husband’s family.
Before it dawned on Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; that she could no longer be accepted into
Olu-Igbo’s household, it was too late to make any amendment. All entreaties
for her to return fell on deaf ears.
When Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; realized that the door had been firmly slammed shut
against her, she began to plan on how to live her life with her baby. Her own
family members would not have any of that and encouraged her to look for
someone else to marry, claiming that she was too young to stay alone without a
husband. Before long, she met Olu;weôri. One thing led to another, and they
became husband and wife.
She was trusted by everyone in his family. They protected her and looked after
her interests. Before long, she became pregnant again. She gave birth to
another baby boy. The baby was named Toôpoôteôri. All the family members
were very happy. This time around, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; had learnt her lesson. She
allowed her husband’s family to touch and play with the baby.
One day however, as Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; was busy cleaning her husband’s room, she
saw four kola nuts wrapped with leaves in the room. They were big and fresh.
Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; suddenly developed a hunger for kola nuts. She took and
consumed one. A few moments after, she consumed the second one. Before
long, she ate the four kola nuts.
When evening time arrived, the friends of her husband began to arrive one after
the other. When all of them had assembled, they asked Olu;weôri to go and bring
the kola nuts that they wanted to use for the ritual that they had come to
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
perform. Olu;weôri searched his room but could not find the kola nuts. He called
his wife and asked her to show him where she had kept the kola nuts for him.
She responded that she had consumed the kola nuts! Olu;;weôri could not believe
his ears. All his friends who had come purposely for the kola nuts in order to
perform the ritual looked at each other but said nothing. They were all waiting
to see what Olu;weôri would do. Olu;weôôri spoke angrily to his wife and the wife
tried to explain but he did not allow her to speak. Before long, the wife also
spoke angrily back at him. A big scuffle ensued. The fight was so serious that
before Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; knew it, she was back in her own families house that same
day. She left Olu;weôri‘s house with her son for good. Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; thus now
had two children from two different men. The two children were living with
her and her parents.
One day, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; met O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. She soon became O®Ùru;;nmi¾la¾’s wife. She
was told by OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she was an Ape¾ôteô¾bi; from heaven. She was told that
she needed to tie on the Ide¾, and she did. All other necessary ceremonies were
performed for her. She soon became pregnant. She gave birth to another baby
boy. The boy was named Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da¾.
One day, Oni;kewu;-A®sôa; went to her parents’ house to bring her other children
Apa; and Toôpoôteôri to live with their brother. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ trained the three children
together. But as predicted by Ifa; Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da¾ was the most successful among
the three children.
Moto;o;ri;ki; Awo Mori;ke¾ôeô;
Moto;o;ri;ki¾ Awo mori;yo¾ô
Mo to;o; f'obi¾ kan go¾do¾gba¾-godogba ka¾¾n l'o;ri;
Awo ile; Oni;kewu;
Di;a; fu;n Oni;kewu;-A®sôa;
OÙmoô A®wo¾di¾ ti;i; fo¾-rakin, fo¾-rakin l'o;ju; OÙloô;run
O;: f'e¾ôyi¾n ti¾ m'o;ju; eôku;n su¾nra;hu¾n oômoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: wa;a; f'eti; oô¾tu;n gb'e;ôboô
O: fi t:'o¾si¾ da¾ a; nu¾
I®gba¾ ti; yo;o; bi¾i;
O: bi; ;Apa; fu;n Olu;-Igbo;
I®gba¾ ti; yo;o; bi¾i;
O: bi; Toôpoôteôôri fu;n Olu;weôri
I®gba¾¾ ti; yo;o; bi¾i;
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O: bi; Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da; fu;n Baba a¾ mi A®gi¾ri;-I®loô;gbo;ônô
E®ro¾ ¾I®po, e¾¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
¾EniÙ gb'e;ôboô ni;be¾ô, ko; wa;a; s;ô'eôboô o
Translation:
Moro;o;ri;ki;, the Awo of Mori;ke¾ôeô;
Moto;o;ri;ki¾, the Awo of Mori;yo¾ô
I am worthy of being propitiated with one big kola nut
The resident Awo of Oni;kewu;
They cast Ifa; for Oni;kewu;-A®sôa;
The offspring of the hawk that flies majestically in the sky
When weeping in lamentation for her inability to
receive the blessing of the fruit of the womb
She was advised to offer eôboô
She heard about the eôboô with her right ear
And threw the advice out with her left ear
When going to give birth
She gave birth to Apa;; for Olu;-Igbo;
When going to give birth
She gave birth to Toôpoôteôriô for Olu;weôri
When going to give birth
She gave birth to Ogbe¾-¾Gba¾ra¾da;; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾, my
father, the custodian of wisdom
Travellers to I®po and O®ôfa¾
Let those advised to offer eôboô comply accordingly
Ifa; says that the woman for whom this Odu¾ is revealed shall not be made to lose
her success chances. This is the reason why she needs to heed the advice of the
Awo by offering the appropriate eôboô, tie on the Ide¾, marrying someone who is
initiated into Ifa;; and abstaining from consuming kola nuts.
12. Ifa; says that the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed must not engage in
power abuse. If he/she is pursuing something which he/she has not been able to
get, he/she must not as a result of that behave wrongly or abuse the authority
given to him/her. He/she must not cheat or harm others in order to have his/her
way. If he/she does so, Ifa; says that he/she will be exposed and be openly
sanctioned and disgraced and will only have himself/herself to blame in the end.
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Conversely, Ifa; says that a person has been cheated unjustly before or someone
close to him/her has been cheated. The person who perpetuated the evil act has
not been identified at this or that time. Ifa; however assures this person that the
evil doer will not get away with the evil act. He/she shall surely be fished out
by Ifa; and be dealt with accordingly.
Ifa; advises the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboôô with a mature
she-goat and money. At the same time, he/she needs to desist from his/her evil
designs. Ifa; also advises the latter to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and
money. He/she also needs to await the judgement of Ifa;.
On these, Ifa; says:
EÙran gbi;gbeô ab'i¾di; ta¾pa¾la¾-tapala
Di;a; fu;n Bo;ju;ri;
Ti;i; sôe oôba woôn ni;'lu¾u; A®sôeô¾sôe¾ôyoô-O®o¾ru¾n
Ti; yo;o; f’ayo¾ô j’aye; e re¾ô da;lu
EÙboô ôni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Dry meat without any oily substance
He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Bo;ju;ri;
The OÙba of A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n town
Who would use excessive joy to ruin his life and reputation
He was advised to offer eôboô
Bo;ju;ri;, the OÙba of A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n land, had one policy to govern his day-to-day
activities; it was that he must get whatever he set his mind upon, no matter the
cost. This had been his way and he had been having his way on all occasions.
Those who did not want to yield to his request would have their arms twisted
until they surrendered.
One day, Bo;;ju;;ri;; met a young damsel whose name was 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô. He planned to
add her to his group of wives. He made enquiries in order to know where she
was living and also to know who her parents were. When he got all the
necessary information that he needed, he summoned EÙran-gbi;gbeôô-ab'i¾di;-ta¾pa¾la¾-
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tapala, his Awo to come and consult Ifa; for him; what did he need to do to have
'Moôleô¾yo¾ô as one of his wives?
After Ifa; consultation, the Awo told Bo;ju;ri; that even though he loved to have
his way on all occasions, there was the need, this time around, to tread softly
and ensure that he did not allow excessive joy to ruin his reputation. This might
make him to lose everything he had ever acquired in his life. He was cautioned
not to use force on anything and allow events to take their natural course. He
was equally advised to offer eôboô with a mature she-goat and money.
Bo;ju;ri; had been so used to having his way that he could not imagine that a time
would ever come that he would be advised not to use force on anything to his
favour. He thought deeply about what the Awo told him and concluded that he
would not offer the eôboô. Not only that, he vowed that he would use everything
and anything within his capacity to have 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô as one of his wives.
Ibi ti; Ori; da; ni si; la¾a; gbe;
O®Ùna¾ ti; E®Ùda; ya¾n fu;n ni la¾a; to¾ô
Di;a; fu;n 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
To; ri; OÙba ni;l' e¾ô
Ti; yo;o; loô re¾e; fe;ô olu¾sôeô; l'o;ôkoô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
It is what our Ori; chooses for us that we ought to accept
It is the path of our Destiny that we ought to follow
These were Ifa;’s declarations to 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
Who had the choice of picking an OÙba
But chose to go for a pauper to be her husband
She was advised to offer eôboô
'Moôleô¾yo¾ô came from a very humble home and she was an extremely beautiful
woman. She was also level-headed, honest, hardworking, unassuming and a
very jovial lady. She was also very kind-hearted. She loved to help people as
much as she could. It was with honesty that she chose her future partner. This
man was young, handsome, hardworking, kind-hearted and honest. Both of
them made a perfect match. All those who knew them together could not but
comment that they were made for each other from heaven.
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
The day when the delegates of the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; arrived in 'Moôleô¾yo¾'ô s home to
inform her parents that the OÙba was interested in having 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô as his wife
was the day that fear and confusion entered into that household. 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô’s
parents were the ones who trained their daughter to be truthful and honest to
herself and others at all times. They knew without being told that 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô was
deeply in love with her young man. They equally knew that if asked, she would
tell them the truth about what she felt about the proposition made by OÙba Bo;ju;ri;;
and the truth would certainly be that she was not interested in the OÙba at all!
Who would ever turn down the proposition of this OÙba and get away with it?
They could not even recall one incident where this had ever happened. They
called on their ancestors to please help them out of the dilemma.
When 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô returned to the house from where she went to deliver a message
to a friend of her mother, she was informed that the OÙba had just sent a delegate
to come and tell the family. Without blinking her eyes, 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô told her parents
that she was not, and would not be, interested for any reason.
How then would they handle this problem? 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô told her parents that
whichever way they chose to handle the matter, she was already in love with
someone of her choice. That was when 'Moôleô¾yo¾’ô s father suggested that they
needed to go for Ifa; consultation in order to fashion a way out of the dilemma.
Off they went to the home of the Awo mentioned above immediately: what was
the most realistic way out?
The Awo sympathized with the family. He told them that they were in a very
serious state of confusion and dilemma. They did not know the path to follow.
He said that it was what one’s Ori; chose for one which one ought to accept and
it was the path of one’s Destiny which one ought to follow. He advised 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
to follow her heart in making her choice. He also recommended eôboô for her.
The eôboô materials were one mature he-goat and money. The family complied.
This made them very resolute that 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô would marry the man that she loved
and nobody else. The persuasions made by the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; failed to change the
mind of the family to shift ground.
When the pressure was becoming very unbearable, the family of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô and
that of her suitor, organized a quiet marriage for them. 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô became the wife
of the pauper. That same month, 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô became pregnant.
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When the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; heard of this development, he became livid with rage. He
vowed to abduct 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô by all means. The couple hid themselves away from
the OÙbôa Bo;ju;ri;.
One day 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô gave birth to a baby girl. This baby was even more beautiful
than her mother. Those who saw this baby exclaimed that I®ya; O®Ùsôun had really
done extra work on her in order to perfect her beauty. The baby was named
EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; - wickedness cannot go unrewarded.
Unknown to 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô however, the OÙba had sent several spies out to look for
her. When she gave birth to this baby, the OÙba was aware because one of the
spies had succeeded in locating where she was living and had informed the OÙ ba.
When the baby was four months old, it was agreed that the baby was strong
enough for 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô to strap on her back so that she could go to the farm in
search of her means of livelihood. The first day that she went to the farm to
fetch leaves that she would sell in the market, the spy followed her to the farm.
He went to inform the OÙba. The second time that she left her house to go to the
farm, the spy quickly went to tell the OÙba.
As soon as 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô arrived to the farm, she removed her baby from her back
and spread her wrapper on the ground. She placed the baby on the wrapper
under the shade of a big banyan tree. The baby slept peacefully.
While she was doing this, the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; quietly sneaked out of the palace
through the back door. He disguised his appearance and went straight to the
farm where 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô was fetching the leaves. She was totally unaware of his
presence until he was right behind her. He caught her in his hold and it was
very difficult for her to wriggle out. She made to cry but the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; gagged
her.
The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; then threw ô'Moôleô¾yo¾ô down on the ground with all his might. He
attempted to defile her forcefully. 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô resisted. While they were struggling,
'Moôleô¾yo¾ô got hold of one big stick and used it to hit the OÙba Bo;ju;ri;’s head. This
infuriated the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; and he went berserk with rage. He twisted the stick
out of her hands and hit her with it repeatedly until she was no longer in a
position to help herself. The last blow that the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; gave her cracked her
skull open. With a shaking hand, she pointed her fingers at the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; and
declared with a shaking voice “OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, I®ta¾nsôan o¾o¾ru¾n ni yo;o; fi o;ô ha¾n”
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
meaning, ”OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, the sun rays shall expose you”.
immediately after.
She then died
The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; quickly wiped off all the blood stains from his face and body
and sneaked back into the palace. Nobody noticed his absence.
The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; did not notice the presence of E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; who was sleeping not
too far away from where he had just murdered her mother. The OÙba Bo;ju;ri was
satisfied that if he could not have 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô, then nobody could.
When it was time for 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô to return home and she was not found at home,
her husband became worried. When it was getting dark, he began to panic. He
quickly organized a search party to go to the farm with him. The wailing of
EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; attracted them to the site where she was. Further investigation
revealed the corpse of her mother who laid in a pool of her own blood. The pain
and agony for her husband could only be imagined. They took the baby and the
mother’s corpse back home.
They gave a decent burial and handed over EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; to one of her father's
barren sisters. She grew up with the woman. When she was about nine years
old, the woman travelled to live with her husband who was staying in about five
villages away. Before long, E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe;’s father died. He had never remarried.
Everyone in the village believed that the death of his wife and the sight of her
blood-covered corpse were what damaged him beyond recovery.
When E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; became matured enough for marriage, everybody in the land
wished to marry her or marry her to either their son, or brother. She was so
beautiful beyond description. She took after her parents in the areas of honesty,
truthfulness, level-headedness, hard work and dedication to duty. She was
equally kind-hearted. That was the time that her foster mother needed to move
back to A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n land. She took E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; along with her.
Not up to two weeks after they arrived, everyone in the land had begun to talk
about the unusual beauty of EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe;. The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; heard about her and
decided that he must marry her. He didn’t know that she was the daughter of
'Moôleô¾yo¾ô. Not many people in the land were able to make that connection
between EÙ®sanki¾¾i;gbe; and 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô either. Everyone thought that she was born by
her father’s sister. She treated her as her own child and nobody knew that she
really had no child of her own.
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When the delegates of the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; arrived at her home, her foster parents
went to this Awo.
Bi; a ba; n; sôe e;
Ile; aye; ni;i; gbe;
A ki¾i; sôe e;
I®yeôn n;beô l'a;la¾de o¾ôrun
Di;a; fu;n E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe;
Ti;i; sô'oômoô 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
Ti; yo;o; t'ori;i k’e;ôsan o; lee¾ ke;
Ti; yo;o; loô re¾e; fe;ô OÙba l’oô;koô
EÙboôô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
It is normal to do so
The one that lives in Ile; Aye;
It is not done
The one that lives in O®Ùrun
These were Ifa;’s messages for E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe;
The daughter of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
Who would in order for nemesis to take its due course
Get married to the OÙba
She was advised to offer eôboô
EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; and her foster mother, whom everyone considered to be her
biological mother, consulted Ifa; with the Awo mentioned above. What should
they do over the matter? Was it wise for E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; to marry the OÙba? Would
there be mutual benefit for the two families?
The Awo told them that Ifa; said that E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; was free to marry the OÙb a. He
stated further that if she became the wife of the OÙ ba, there would be a closely
kept secret that would be revealed to her which would change several people’s
lives in the community for the better. She was advised to offer eôboô with one
mature he-goat and money. She complied.
The fact that the lives of many people in the land would be changed for the
better if she agreed to marry the OÙba was what made her decide to marry the
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
OÙba. She had nobody in particular that she had given her heart to and she had
made no promises to anyone. That was why she agreed to marry the OÙba.
Before long, the marriage ceremony was performed. She moved into the palace
and instantly became the eye of the OÙba. He could do nothing without her. He
was so fond of her that everybody in the palace had to go through her to get
anything from the OÙba. There was nothing that EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; wanted that the OÙba
Bo;ju;ri; was not ready to give her. He showered her with gifts of many kinds. He
also gave her foster mother a lot of money and a large expanse of land to farm
on. The arrival of EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; in the OÙba Bo;ju;ri;’s life changed the OÙba into a
very expansive person. He joked and laughed a lot.
One day however he began to have strange dreams. He would see the dying
body of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô with blood all over her face and body and raising her shaking
hands up and pointing her shaking fingers at him, saying: “OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, i¾ta¾nsôan
o¾o¾ru¾n ni yo;o; fi o;ô ha¾n!”- OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, the sun rays shall expose you! Many
times, he would wake up startled. He would be sweating and shaking all over.
Why must this happen to him now, when he had just found peace and
satisfaction with himself? On some occasions, he would see 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô in his
dream crying and laughing at the same time. Instead of tears, blood would be
coming out of her eyes. She would be making jest of the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; saying;
OÙba Bo;ju;ri;, i¾ta¾nsôan o¾o¾ru¾¾n ni yo;o; fi o;ô ha¾n”! These words would reverberate in
his brain over and over. Why now? Why must this come now?
One day, he saw the ghost of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô right inside his room. He moved towards
the extreme corner of his room. She followed him there. She laughed, a cold
spine-chilling laugh. “Leave me alone, woman please let me be. I beg you. Do
not torment me anymore. Leave me alone!” He screamed. Many people rushed
into his room but could not see anything or anyone beside him. He was the only
one seeing things.
Before long, the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; had grown very lean. He became sick and
withdrawn. E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; did everything to make him happy but it simply did not
work. She pleaded with the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; to confide in her and tell her what was
really eating him up. He would not say anything.
One day, E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; brought food for the OÙba. As he was about to eat the food,
sun rays penetrated through a crack in the roof and shone brightly on the food.
The OÙba Bo;ju;ri; started to eat and he noticed the sun rays. His mind went
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straight to the statement of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô. He saw her face as it contorted into a
grimace on the day of her murder and he went berserk, just like he had on the
fateful day that he killed her. He shouted aloud,” what are you looking for
again? Go, woman! Go! You are dead and buried. The dead has no business
with the living! You are dead, dead, dead! Go! Go! Go! Let me enjoy my life!
'Moôleô¾yo¾,ô leave me alone! Forget about me because I have also forgotten about
you!”
As he was saying this, EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe;, who was attracted to the scene by the
shouting of the OÙba Bo;ju;ri,; heard everything he said. She moved closer and
saw the man shivering. “What is the matter, my Lord”? Please tell me” she
pleaded. The OÙba pointed to the ray of the sun and told his youngest wife;
“Look, Look at it”. “What do you want me to look at? This is just a mere sun
ray". EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe;; responded.
When she looked into the face of her husband, she knew without being told that
something serious had happened to him. His face no longer had a human
appearance. Something strange and bizarre had gotten hold of him. He then said
it is the woman. It is 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô! Please tell her to leave me alone! She has been
dead for a long time! Tell her to go away from me! The dead has no business
with the living! Go!” He screamed at the top of his voice.
With the patience and calmness that EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; herself did not know she had,
she extracted all the information about the death and burial of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô from the
OÙba Bo;ju;ri;. She realized as a rude shock, that it was actually her husband who
had killed her biological mother! So, this was the secret which Ifa; said would
be revealed to her that would change the lives of many people in the community
for the better. She gave the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; some comfort and left him. All the love
that she had for him disappeared instantly. How could she love her mother's
murderer? If not for the OÙba, her parents would still be alive! She never knew
her mother; if he hadn’t killed her, she would not only had known her, she
would have been raised and trained by her! This wicked being shaking and
snivelling did not allow that to happen!
When she returned to her room, she began to think furiously, “my name is
EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe;- wickedness cannot go unrewarded. This means that the OÙba Bo;ju;ri;
must be exposed and punished”. That was what kept repeating itself in her
mind.
458
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
On the night of that same day, EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; sneaked out of the palace through the
same back door that the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; had used on the day that he murdered
'Moôleô¾yo¾ô her mother. She went from house to house. She visited the houses of
all the high-ranking chiefs in the community. She also went to the homes of all
respected elders and youth leaders to narrate her story to them. All of them
asked her one thing: was she ready to confront the OÙba with these revelations?
She answered in the affirmative. Lastly, she went to the house of the spy that
the OÙba used to trace her mother before she was murdered. The spy was ready
to corroborate her story because, unknown to the OÙba, he actually witnessed the
murder but could not tell anyone for fear of reprisal. His conscience had been
troubling him ever since. He felt guilty that he was the person who exposed an
innocent woman to an untimely but violent and underserved death. He was
prepared to reveal it all.
At dawn, before anyone woke up in the palace, EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; sneaked in through
the back door.
At mid-morning, the town crier went out to announce that the whole community
should assemble in the market square in the evening of the same day for an
important discussion. Nobody knew what the important discussion was for,
except the high Chiefs, selected elders and youth leaders. The OÙba was not
even aware of what the meeting would be about. In the evening, the market
place was filled to the brim. The OÙba was invited out to join others in the
market square. He was very angry that an important meeting like this was
summoned behind his back. When all those invited had taken their various
positions however, it was EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; his wife who came out to narrate her
story. At that moment it dawned on him that E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe; was actually the
daughter of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô. He realized then and there that I®ta¾nsôan O®o¾ru¾n, the sun
rays, had actually exposed him.
When all those who had one or two things to say had finished their speeches,
including the spy he employed to trace 'Moôleô¾yo¾,ô the OÙba Bo;ju;ri; knew that the
game was up. He had nothing to say. He could only beg for forgiveness.
Because he had wrecked so much havoc on the lives of the people while he was
the OÙba, and the fact that his reign had not brought much benefit to the
community, his plea was rejected. He was appropriately sanctioned.
Three days after the market place meeting, there was an announcement that the
Ka;bi;e¾si;, His Royal Majesty, OÙba Bo;ju;ri; had joined his ancestors.
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EÙran gbi;gbeô ab'i¾di; ta¾pa¾¾la¾-tapala
Di;a; fu;n Bo;ju;ri;
Ti;i; sôe OÙba woôn ni;'lu¾u; A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n
Ti; yo;o; f'ayo¾ô j’aye; e re¾ô da;lu
EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: f’eti; o¾ôtu;n gb’e;ôboô
O: fi t'o¾si¾ da¾ a; nu¾
Ibi t'o;ri; da; ni si; la¾ a; gbe;
O®Ùna¾ ti; eô¾d;a; ya¾n fu;n ni la¾ a; to¾ô
Di;a; fu;n ;M
' oôleô¾yo¾ô
To; ri; Oôba ni;l' e¾ô
Ti; yo;o; loô re¾e; yan Olu¾sôeô; l'o;ôkoô
EÙboô ôni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'eô;boôô, o; ;ru;'boô
Bi; a ba; n; sôe e;
Ile; aye; ni;i; gbe;
A ki¾i; sôe e;
O: n;beô l'a;la¾de O¾®Ùrun
Di;a; fu;n E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe;
Ti;i; sôô'oômoô 'Moôleô¾yo¾¾ô
Ti; yo;o; t'ori; i k'e;ôsan lee¾ ke;
Ti; yo;o; loô re¾e; fe;ô OÙba l'oô;koô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko;; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;'boô
EÙÙni to; n; sôe rere
Ko; mu;;ra si; rere
E®Ùda; to; ba; si¾ n; sôô'i¾ka¾
Ko; mu;ra s;i;'k;a¾
A®t'oore, a¾t¾'i¾ka¾
OÙ®kan ki¾i; gbe;
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾
I®ta¾nsôan o¾o¾ru¾n lo; wa; fi wo;ôn sô'esô¾ i;n ni; gbangba
N®jeô; I®ta¾nsôan o¾o¾ru¾n ni yo;o; fi o;ô ha¾n
O®fi¾ri¾-fi¾ri¾
EÙ®yin o¾ ri;’na; Ifa; ka¾n n;jo; woôn o
O®®fi¾¾ri¾-fi¾ri¾
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Translation:
Dry meat without any oily substance
He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Bo;ju;ri;
The OÙba of A®sôeô¾sôeô¾yoô-O®o¾ru¾n town
Who would use excessive joy to ruin his life and reputation
He was advised to offer eôboô
He heard the advice with his right ear
And threw it out with his left ear
It is what our Ori; chooses for us that we ought to accept
It is the path of our Destiny that we ought to follow
These were Ifa;’s declarations to 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
Who had the choice of picking an OÙba
But chose to go for a pauper to be her husband
She was advised to offer eôboô
She complied
It is normal to do so
The one that lives in Ile; Aye;
It is not done
The one that lives in O®Ùrun
These were Ifa;’s messages for E®Ùsanki¾i;gbe;
The daughter of 'Moôleô¾yo¾ô
Who would in order for nemesis to take its due course
Get married to the OÙba
She was advised to offer eôboô
She complied
Those who do good at all the time
Continue to do good
Those who engage in wickedness
Continue to be wicked
Both benevolence and wickedness
Neither will go in vain
Travellers to I®po and O®®Ùfa¾
The sun rays were what put them to ridicule in the open
The sun rays shall expose you
With fierceness
Can’t you see the fire of Ifa; as it burns them?
With fierceness
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Ifa; says that the fire of Ifa; shall burn all those who perpetrate evil. None of the
evil doers shall go unpunished. The person is warned to not take the law into
his/her own hands to make this happen.
13. If during the process of consulting Ifa;, Ogbe¾-Gba¾ra¾da; is revealed, Ifa; says
that if foresees either death or affliction and there is an urgent need for the
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat and
his/her coverlet that he/she uses while sleeping. This is in order to prevent this
person from experiencing untimely death.
On this, Ifa; says:
Ba¾a¾ra¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'oo¾gu¾n
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'egb¾oogi
O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;i; je;ô
EÙ ma; gb'i;ye¾ le o
Di;a; fu;n A®ra;gberi;
OÙmoô aka¾n'le¾ôku¾n oô¾run gbo¾ôngboô¾n ma; re¾
I®gba¾ti; o; n; sô'oô¾gbo¾ôgboô¾ a¾ru¾n
To; n; ta;'ju; a¾ti di¾de
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôeô
Translation:
Plentifully do we pound eôôti¾
Only the tip of its head has medicinal value
Only the tip of its head has herbal use
Any preparation that is not going to be effective
Do not rely on it
These were Ifa;’s declarations to A®ra;gberi;
He who knocked on the door of heaven forcefully and
repeatedly without entering
When he was nursing a serious ailment
And was longing for the day that he would rise up
and be well again
He was advised to offer eôboô
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OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
They were all waiting. The ancestors were eagerly awaiting the arrival of
A®ra;gberi;. An elaborate party had been organized to welcome him back to
heaven. They had invited 420 agogo (gong) players and 1,460 i¾pe¾se¾ drum
players to play for A®ra;gberi;. He was such an important man among the
ancestors.
Meanwhile, A®®ra;gberi; kept dreaming and finding himself in the midst of his
dead relations, leading him into a nicely decorated room and telling him that the
room had been specially made for him to stay until eternity. They were all
singing and dancing. When he woke up, he could make no sense of the dream.
Therefore, he went for Ifa; consultation.
The Awo told him that it was a good thing that he came because the road to
heaven had been paved for him and this was not the handiwork of evil people
trying to kill him, or witches or wizards. It was rather the design of his
numerous well-wishers in heaven who found that he would be more useful to
them in O®Ùrun than in Aye;. A®ra;gberi; was asked to make up his mind on whether
or not he wanted to proceed to O®Ùrun at the moment. He responded that he was
not yet ready to move to OÙ®run. He had several uncompleted assignments that
he must attend to and complete before he could go back to OÙ®run.
The Awo advised him that if he was not yet ready to move to O®Ùrun, then he
needed, as a matter of urgency, to offer eôboô with one mature she-goat, his
coverlet and money. He complied. His colleagues and ancestors in OÙ®run
continued to wait for him. Just when they expected him to appear, they would
instead see the eôboô materials that would appear to them over there. Tired of
waiting endlessly, they finally left A®ra;gberi; alone.
Ba¾a¾ra¾¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'oo¾gu¾n
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'egbo¾ogi
O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;i; je;ô
EÙ ma; gb'i;ye¾ le o
Di;a; fu;n A®ra;gberi;
OÙmoô aka¾n'le¾ôku¾n o¾ôrun gboô¾ngbo¾ôn ma; re¾
I®gba¾ti; o; n; sôô'oô¾gbo¾ôgboô¾ a¾ru¾n
To; n; ta'ju; a¾ti di¾de
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
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EÙ wa; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri
N®®je;ô Ori;; ya; 'moôleô¾ o
Ori; ya; 'moôleô¾
Olo;wo;, agogo n;ro;
I®pe¾se¾ n; lu¾ o o¾
Ori; ya; ‘moôleô¾ o
Translation:
Plentifully do we pound eôôti¾
Only the tip of its head has medicinal value
Only the tip of its head has herbal use
Any preparation that is not going to be effective
Do not rely on it
These were Ifa;’s declarations to A®ra;gberi;
He who knocked on the door of heaven forcefully and
repeatedly without entering
When he was nursing a serious ailment
And was longing for the day that he would rise up
and be well again
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us where we enjoy long life
Ori; has rejected all entreaties
Ori; has rejected all appeals
The Agogo is being beaten repeatedly
And the I®pe¾se¾ drums are also being beaten
Ori; has rejected all entreaties
Ifa; says that this person will live long and complete all his/her major
assignments on earth before proceeding to heaven. All his/her ancestors and
colleagues in heaven have to exercise patience because his/her time to join them
over there is not going to occur for several years to come.
14. Ifa; warns that Ibi (evil) associated with after-birth has entered the womb of
a pregnant woman where this Odu¾ is revealed. There is the need to quickly
offer eôboô in order to forestall any complication for the woman during labour and
childbirth.
464
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôboô with a coin and a small size clay pot of about
15cm in diameter and of about 10cm in depth. The coin will be placed inside
the pot and when the eôôboôô has been completed, the pot will be covered with its
lid and be buried by the Esu Shrine. If this can be done, Ibi will go and there
will be no complication during labour and childbirth.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-Oni;wa¾a;ra; says:
EÙyeô ke;kere;, ab';ohu¾n gogoro
Di;a; fu;n Ibi
To;’hun O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ joô n; sô'oô¾reô;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The tiny bird with its loud, strong voice
He cast Ifa for Ibi (evil)
When he and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ were friends
He was advised to offer eôboô
Ibi, Evil, was OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s friend. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ chose to be his friend in order to
checkmate him any time he planned to perpetrate any atrocity. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ had
recorded a high degree of success in this area. The frustration caused by the
success of O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was what led Ibi to the home of the Awo mentioned above
for Ifa; consultation: Would I be able to wreck havoc into the thoughts,
programmes, properties and lives of people without any hindrance?
The Awo told Ibi that he had come to find out about something serious and
delicate. He wanted to make innocent people grieve and suffer. He was told
that it would not work. The Awo explained that if nobody offends him, he will
not have the power to make anyone suffer. If he is offended however, then he is
allowed to use that as an excuse to deal with the people. The Awo said that it
was both Ibi and Ire that existed on earth. All those who did not wish for Ibi in
their lives needed to pay their dues to Ibi so that he would move away from
their lives.
The Awo advised Ibi to offer eôboô as stated above. He was also advised not to
strike anyone without any reason. He complied with the advice to offer eôboô but
decided that he would continue to strike at anyone and everyone, whether they
offend him or not.
465
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
EÙyeô ke;kere;, ab'ohu¾n gogoro
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; o¾un Ibi joô n; sô'oô¾re;ô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The tiny bird with its loud, strong voice
He cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When he and Ibi were friends
He was advised to offer eôboô
Ibi decided to lie low in order to surprise and deal OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ a deadly blow. He
knew that O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was responsible for most of his failures; those who he had
tied to illness, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ had untied them; those who were supposed to meet with
violent deaths, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ warned them ahead of time; those whose love
relationships were supposed to end in disaster and divorce, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would
mend the relationship; the list was endless. It would be a sweet revenge if he hit
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾¾ real hard and unexpectedly.
Ibi, one day went to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and asked him (O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾) to give him ( Ibi)
eôôgba¾a;. (EÙgba¾a; is the equivalent of about five cents) but O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ did not see
any reason why Ibi should be given any money. O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ refused to give the
money to Ibi. The demand was made repeatedly and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ refused to give
out the money. Ibi told O®Ùru;nmi¾¾la that he, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ would see what he, Ibi
would do to surprise O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾. Ibi was told to get away because there was
nothing he could do.
O®Ùru;nmi¾¾la¾’s wife was pregnant and the pregnancy had reached an advanced
stage. There was no sign of any problem at all. On the day that O¾®Ùru;nmi¾la¾’s
wife went into labour, Ibi entered into her womb. While in labour, it was Ibi
that came out first instead of the baby. (In this wise, what Ifa; is saying is that, as
Ibi also means placenta, the placenta would threaten to come out first, leading to
placenta previa, before the baby comes out).
When O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ saw this, he rushed to the home of the Awo mentioned above
for Ifa; consultation. During consultation, E®sôu¾ told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he created the
problem for himself because he ought to have given the EÙgba¾a; to Ibi when the
money was demanded from him, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was directed to go and do as he was
told. When he got home he got the pot and placed the EÙgba¾a; into it. He told Ibi
to come and take the money.
466
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Soon after this, the baby came out, followed by Ibi, the placenta. The placenta
was placed inside the pot and buried. As soon as this was done, E®sôu¾ said that
any time Ibi (the placenta) is seen, it must be buried that same day. That was
how O®ru;nmi¾la¾ escaped the evil plan hatched by Ibi.
EÙyeô ke;kere;, ab';ohu¾n gogoro
Di;a; fu;n Ibi
To;’hun O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ joô n; sô'oô¾reô;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
SÙu¾gboô;n ko¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô moô;
EÙyeô ke;kere;, ab'ohu¾n gogoro
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ti; o¾un Ibi joô n; sô'oô¾re;ô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;;’boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni l'a;ru¾u;sôeô; ogun
N®je;ô o¾o¾jo; a r’I:bi
N'Ibi; n; woô'leô¾
Ibi woô'leô¾ l'o;ni¾i; o
Ara a; da;
O®o¾joô; a r'I:bi
N'Ibi n; woô'leô¾
Translation:
The tiny bird with its loud, strong voice
He cast Ifa for Ibi
When he and O®Ùru;nmi¾¾la¾ were friends
He was advised to offer eôboô
He offered the eôboô
But did not follow the advice of the Awo
The tiny bird with its loud, strong voice
He cast Ifa for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾¾
When he and Ibi were friends
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us where we enjoy victory over adversity
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
The day that we see Ibi (placenta)
That is the day it must be buried in the ground
Ibi (evil), has been run aground today
We feel well and healthy
The day that we see Ibi (placenta)
That is the day it must be buried in the ground
Ifa; says that complications and evil shall be driven aground in the life of the
person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed. The faster this eôboô is offered for this
person, the better for him/her.
15. Ifa; warns the person for whom this Odu¾ is revealed to keep all medicines,
poisons, chemicals, acids and similar substances away from where anyone can
have easy access to them. He/she also needs to keep guns, rifles, pistols,
knives, swords, axes, bows, arrows, javelins cudgels and so on away from easy
access. If this is not done, this person may end up using his/her own hands to
bring calamity to his/her loved ones due to his/her negligence. He/she will have
nobody to blame over the resultant unfortunate incident but himself/herself.
Ifa; advises this person to offer eôôboô with one mature he-goat and money. He/she
also needs to heed this warning because no amount of eôboô offered is higher or
even equal to heeding the warning.
On this, Ifa; says:
Ogbe¾ Ba¾a¾ra¾¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'oo¾gu¾n
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'egbo¾ogi
O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;i; je;ô
EÙ ma; gb'i;ye¾ le o
Di;a; fu;n A®ra;gberi;
EÙboô ko; ma; f'oôwoô; ara re¾ô sôe ara reô¾ ni woô;n ni;
ko;wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
Plentifully do we pound eôôti¾
Only the tip of its head has medicinal value
Only the tip of its head has herbal use
468
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Any preparation that is not going to be effective
Do not rely on it
These were Ifa;’s declarations to A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni;
Who was advised to offer eôboô so as not to use his own
hands to cause havoc for himself
A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; was a very powerful herbalist, soldier and hunter. He was well
endowed in the area of charms and incantations. He had Egbe;, the medicine
that transported him from one place to another whenever danger loomed; he had
A®fe;ôerô¾ i;, the charm that made him disappear whenever he was surrounded by
wild animals in the forest, or by enemies in the war front; he had E®Ùda¾, the charm
that made it possible for him to conjure food, drinks, money, dresses and gifts
from the thin air; he knew how to make and stop the rain; with ordinary
incantation, he could set fire on a house or farm; and he could do many more.
He was feared and respected by all his colleagues, friends and foes alike. In his
house, he had many herbal herbicides, he had pesticides and mosquito killers.
He also had very strong preparations for sexual virility, for strong health and
vitality, and for safe delivery during labour. He was very generous in the
community. He was ready to assist anyone with or without payment.
One day, A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; went for Ifa; consultation in order to determine what
the outcome of the hunting expedition that he was about to engage upon would
look like. Will I be able to kill many game?
The Awo told him that killing game had never been, and would never be, his
problem. He however needed to offer eôboô against using his own hands to wreck
havoc against himself. He was advised to keep all lethal weapons and strong
charms away from the reach of his household members. He was also advised to
offer eôboô.
A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; offered the eôboô alright; but he could not see the correlation
between his ability to kill many animals and keeping all the preparations in his
home against the reach of the members of his household. He simply left
everything in his house as they were and went on his hunting expedition. He
would spend seven days in the forest. Before he left, he instructed his children
to go to the farm and clear all the weeds in readiness for plantation.
As soon as he left, the children began to pursue their individual agendas. They
totally forgot about the assignment given to them by their father. When only
two days remained for their father to arrive, they remembered their assignments.
The eldest of the seven children that he gave the assignment to, remembered
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
that their father had a preparation which increased performance. He told his
brothers that first thing the following morning, they would all use the medicine
and go to the farm to work. That was exactly what they did. Unfortunately
however, instead of using the performance enhancing preparation, they used the
pesticide! A few moments after they used this preparation, the seven of them
were rolling on the floor in pain. By the evening of the same day, the seven of
them were stone dead! They vomited blood all over the room where they had
died. It was a very lethal poison that they had consumed.
A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; returned from his hunting expedition with a lot of animals
which he had no time to attend to when he saw the calamity that befell him at
home. He remembered the warning of the Awo and realized to his everlasting
regret that he was the one who actually used his own hands to invite disaster
into his home and life.
Ogbe¾ Ba¾a¾ra¾¾-baara la¾a; g’e;ôti¾
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'oo¾gu¾n
SÙo;n;sôo; ori; i re¾ô l'egbo¾ogi
O®o¾gu¾n ti; ko¾ ni;i; je;ô
EÙ ma; gb'i;ye¾ le o
Di;a; fu;n A®ra;gberi;
EÙboô ko; ma; f'oôwoô; ara re¾ô sôe ara reô¾ ni woô;n
O: f'eti; o¾ôtu;n gb'e;ôboô
O: fi t'o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾
A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; o¾
I®woô lo b'eô¾we¾ô p’oômoô oô¾ reô o
I®woô lo b'eô¾we¾ô
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾
EÙni to; gb'e;ôboô ni;'be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô'eôboô o
ni;ko;wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
Plentifully do we pound eôôti¾
Only the tip of its head has medicinal value
Only the tip of its head has herbal use
Any preparation that is not going to be effective
Do not rely on it
470
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
These were Ifa;’s declarations to A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni;
Who was advised to offer eôboô so as not to use his own
hands to cause havoc for himself
He heard the advice with his right ear
And threw it out with his left ear
A®ra;gberi; Ori;je¾ni; o!
You are the one who set up disaster against yourself
You set up the disaster
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Let those who are advised to offer eôboô do so
Ifa; says that E®sôu¾ will consider the person who provided all the eôboô materials
without heeding the warning as refusing to offer the prescribed eôboô . It is
therefore advisable for this person to offer the eôboô and at the same time heed the
warning of the Awo.
16. Ifa; says that some women are planning to go somewhere (especially in the
hinterland) where this Odu¾ is revealed. It may be for business to trade, fulfil a
contract, or even a social occasion. Ifa; warns them not to go at all. This is
because a trap has been set, knowingly or unknowingly for them. It would be
terrible if they should allow themselves to fall into this trap. The only way to
avoid this is to ensure that they do not go on the trip.
This is what Ifa; says;;
I®beô;n¾beô; sôekete ye;ke;
Di;a; fu;n A®da¾ba¾ SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾
Ti; yo;;o; sô’oôkoô Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n
EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
I®beô;n¾beô; SÙekete ye;ke;
He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ (the Dove)
The husband of Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n
He was advised to offer eôboô
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ and Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n loved each other beyond description. Both of
them loved to do things to please each other. They had respect for each other
and those who lived close to them admired them and wished that they could live
like them with their spouses.
One day, some women planned to go to the farm, to pick melon seeds. Many of
them had planned to go the next day. Very early on the day that the women
prepared to go, A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ went to the home of the Awo mentioned above
for Ifa; consultation in order to determine his success chances on his new
business venture.
The Awo told A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ that he would succeed; but he needed to offer eôboô.
He was told that some women planned to go to a farm to work. They must not
go because a trap had been set for them on the farm. What was the eôboô material
for that A®da¾ba¾ S¾Ùu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ enquired? Nothing, he was told. The only eôboô was for the
women not to go.
When he got back home, he met his wife preparing for the trip. He told her
what the Awo said about the trip. A lot of preparations had gone into the trip
and it would not be appropriate for her not to go or for her to discourage others
to abandon the trip. It was just not right.
In the end, A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ and his wife concluded that the women should go and
he would go into the ancestral shrine to pray for their well-being until they
returned from the trip. Soon after, his wife, together with all the other women,
left. A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ went straight into the ancestral shrine and began a
marathon prayer session for the safe return of the women.
A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ was still praying in the ancestral shrine when they brought the
corpses of three women, Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n his wife included as one of the dead, back
from the journey. What happened? Those who escaped explained that as soon
as they got to the farm, they commenced working. They were not aware that the
farmers had set I®yo¾,ô a trap made with strong stings in several parts of the farm.
While they were working, they suddenly saw Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n and the other two
women screaming at the top of their voices. They had put their necks into the
strings unknowingly. As they struggled to remove the strings, it tightened round
their necks. In the end, they were strangulated to death! A®da¾ba¾ SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ cried in
agony.
472
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
He began to scream from place to place, saying “Mi o¾ ri; Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n moô; o! Mi o¾
ri; Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n mo;ô o!!” He cried and cried! Up till today, A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ is still
mourning the loss of his beloved wife.
I®beô;n¾beô; sôekete ye;ke;
Di;a; fu;n A®da¾ba¾ SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾
Ti; yo;;o; sô’oôkoô Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n
EÙÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O: f'eti; o¾ôtu;n gb'e;ôboô
O: fi t'o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾
N®jeô; mi o¾ ri; Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n moô; o!
Mi o¾ ri; Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n moô; o!!
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ OÙ®fa¾
EÙni gb'eô;boô ni;'be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô'eôboô o
Translation:
I®be;ôn¾be;ô SÙekete ye;ke;
He was the Awo who cast Ifa; for A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾u¾sôu¾u¾ (the Dove)
The husband of Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n
He was advised to offer eôboô
He heard the advice with his right ear
And threw it out with his left ear
Behold! I do not see Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n anymore!
I cannot see Ti¾nhi;n-i¾n any longer!
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Let those advised to offer eôboô do so.
Ifa; says that offering of eôboô without heeding Ifa;’s warning amounts to noncompliance to offer eôboô. That was what led A®da¾ba¾-SÙu¾us¾ ôu¾u¾ to everlasting regret.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
B.
SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® GBA®RA®DA: FOR THOSE BORN
BY THE ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙD
® A:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA:
For Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children, males and females, they have come into this world
in order to perform wonders. They are going to be in the company of wonderful
and marvellous things. Life shall be interesting, comfortable, rewarding and
exciting for them. They stand a good chance of becoming the shakers and
movers of the societies they live in.
Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children achieve a lot of things on earth and most of the feats
that they perform on earth usually live long after them when they have departed
from the earth. Many Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children have foundations, institutions,
establishments, industries, streets, and so on named after them.
Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children are never satisfied with the normal way of doing things.
The urge to do things differently and with a touch of class usually distinguishes
them among the crowd and makes them excel with high recognition. Also, Ogbe¾
Gba¾ra¾da; children usually love to explore new avenues and exploit new areas
and resources. They are very lucky and often come up with new inventions,
new ideas, new innovations, and new useful results. The lives of Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da;
children have the tendency of being rough at the initial stages but they will
eventually enjoy sweet rewards at the end of any exercise.
It should not come as a surprise to see Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children being more
successful than most of their contemporaries. These successes usually come
with accolades, honour, respect, and more opportunities to succeed. This is the
reason why there is always something to jubilee over for Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da;
children.
One of the major weaknesses of Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children, males and females, is
that they lack the ability to understand the intricacies involved in the use of
power and authority. It is not uncommon to see Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children
misusing or abusing their power or authority reposed on them. This attitude
usually brings negative and regrettable results for them.
Another weakness of Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; is that they have the tendency of subjecting
other people to public odium, humiliation and ridicule. Doing this eventually
makes them the victims of ridicule, humiliation and odium in the end.
474
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children also, more often than not, end up carrying out mischief
that they plan against others.
For Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; male children, there is the need for them to learn how to
accept defeat in good faith and to know that in this life, you win some, you lose
some. It is not those who win all the battles that are victorious. It is rather those
who win the war at the end of the day that are victorious. Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; male
children also need to work hard on being good husbands to their wives and good
fathers to their children.
For Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; female children, it is not advisable for them to contemplate
separation or divorce from their husbands. Doing so may lead to a situation
where they will end up in at least three matrimonial relationships and having
children by three different men. This can be avoided if proper investigation is
conducted before entering into any long lasting love relationship.
On the overall, Ogbe¾ Gba¾ra¾da; children move from grass to grace, from nothing
to surplus, from obscurity to prominence, and from the base to the apex of any
socio-economic and political ladder.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾.
C.
AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ®/ /O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® GBA®RA®DA:
1. Ifa; - For guidance, support, progress, elevation, success, victory, comfort,
satisfaction, and general wellbeing
2. Ori; - For fulfilment of destiny, progress, sanctuary, victory, direction,
guidance, protection, elevation, contentment, and self actualization
3. E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾ - For sanctuary, support, victory, success, progress, leadership,
and general wellbeing
4. SÙa¾ngo; - For victory, leadership, support, progress, general wellbeing and
overall success
5. Aje; - For financial success, leadership, progress, elevation, honour, respect,
reward and general wellbeing
6. Egu;ngu;n - For ancestral support, leadership, continuity, victory, elevation,
success and general wellbeing
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
7. EÙyinleÙ¾ - For childbearing, childrearing, support, contentment and general
wellbeing
8. EÙgbeô; - For comradeship, leadership, victory, success, acceptance, and
general wellbeing
9. OÙbalu;aye; - For protection against pestilence and contagious diseases,
victory, success, progress, and general wellbeing
10. O®gu;n - For victory, progress, leadership, innovation, and general wellbeing
11. O®Ùsôun - For compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing, relevance and
overall success
D.
TABOOS OF OGBE® GBA®RA®DA:
1. Must never use A®fo¾ôn, bread fruit for anything - To avoid unconsummated
fortune, failure, disappointment and regrets
2. Must never use O®pi¾pi¾, featherless bird for anything - To avoid
unconsummated fortune, dwindling progress and resources, failure,
disappointment and regrets
3. Must never subject anyone to ridicule - To avoid humiliation, regrets, failure
and disaster
4. Must never conspire against anyone - To avoid ridicule, humiliation, failure,
and regrets
5. Must never lend anything that is precious to him/her to others. Only lend
things to others if you are fine with those items never being returned - To avoid
losing what is precious to him/her
6. Must never use any part of an Elephant for anything - To avoid reduction in
progress, failure, melancholy and regrets
7. Must never eat the liver of any animal - To avoid unconsummated fortune,
unfulfilled dreams, failure, retrogression, disappointments and regrets
8. Must never misuse power or authority - To avoid failure, ridicule, odium,
regrets and disaster
9. Must never contemplate separation or divorce - To avoid being in many
unsuccessful matrimonial relationships
10. Must never allow disagreement between his/her siblings - To avoid
everlasting family conflict and enmity.
11. Must never keep dangerous charms or weapons within the reach of
members of his/her household - To avoid the weapons being used against the
household members
476
OGBE®-OÙB
® A®RA®
E.
POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® GBA®RA®DA:
i. MALE
1. Ifa;da;ra¾ - Ifa; performs wonders in my life
2. Oju;mo;ôri¾i;bi - May my eyes witness no evil
3. OÙla;be;rinjoô - Honour resembles an Elephant
4. Erinfoôla;mi; - The Elephant breaths with honour
5. Ifa;to;o;yanga¾n - Ifa; is worthy of being proud of
6. Aratu¾mi; - I feel comfortable
7. Du¾nn;ba;de; - Ifa; is easy to move along with
ii FEMALE
1. Ifa;da;ra¾ - Ifa; performs wonders in my life
2. OÙmoôleô¾yo¾ô - My child is my most precious possession
3. EÙ®sanki¾i;gbe; - Vengeance will never go without manifesting
4. Aratu¾¾mi; - I feel comfortable
5. Mora;yo¾ô - I find joy in my life
6. Ifa;bu¾nmi - Ifa; present this to me
A®boôru; A®boôye¾.
477
Chapter 7
Ogbè Ọ̀kànràn
II I
II I
II I
I I
478
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
OGBE® KI®RA®N
OGBE® KI®RA®N MO:Ù'LEÙ®
A. 1. Ifá foresees three Ire for the person for whom this Odù is revealed
during I®koôseô¾da;ye; or I®te¾ôni;fa; at the same time. Ifá foresees the Ire of
victory, merriment and happiness; all at the same time for this person.
Ifá says that the life of the person for whom this Odù is revealed will
have meaning if he/she is ready to confront challenges head-on. He/she
will always return with sweet victory and will savour his/her success if
he/she allows himself/herself to face the challenges of life. His/her close
association with O¾®gu;n will also ensure victory for him/her.
Ifá advises this person to offer ẹbọ with two pigeons, two cocks, two
guinea fowls and money. He/she also needs to feed O¾®gu;n with one
cock.
On this Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an tire¾ ko; ma; sôeô
Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n
Ti; n;gb’o;gun loô i¾lu; I®la;re;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾ O®Ùka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for it not
to come to pass
This was Ifa;‟s message for O®gu;n
When going to wage war on I®la;re; town (the land of
Merriment)
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
This war must be waged and won. All necessary preparations must be
made in order to ensure resounding victory and success. It is one thing
to win a battle; to win a war is another. It is possible to lose a battle
and still win a war. It is equally possible to win a battle but still lose the
479
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
war. These were the considerations of O®gu;n when making his
preparations to wage war on I®la;re; town. Part of his preparation was to
consult Ifá in the home of the Awo mentioned above to determine his
success chances on the war front. He also wanted to know what he
must offer as ẹbọ for him to win and be successful in his endeavour.
The Awo assured O®gu;n that he would not only win, but he would also
bring honour and glory to his home and life. He was advised to offer
eôboô as stated above. O®gu;n complied. Shortly after, he set out on his
journey to I®la;re; town.
When he got to the land, what he met was totally unexpected. Instead
of hostility, he was greeted with pomp and pageantry. He was welcomed
very warmly. He was well accommodated. He was also given every
possible opportunity in the land. The hand of friendship extended to
him in this land almost made him feel ashamed of himself for ever
contemplating waging war against the land in the first place. When he
was returning home, he was presented with all those things that would
make him call for celebration when he got back home. He returned
home a contented person.
Ogbe¾ ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an tire¾ô ko; ma; sôeô
Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n
Ti; n;gb’o;gun loô i¾lu; I®la;yo¾ô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Ogbe¾ OÙ®ka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for it not
to come to pass
This was Ifa;‟s message for O®gu;n
When going to wage war on I®la;yo¾ô town (the land of
happiness)
He was advised to offer eôboô
Again, no two wars are the same. There was still the need to prepare
very well for the war that O®gu;n was planning to wage on I®la;yo¾ land. His
experience in I®la;re; land might be different from what he would meet in
I®la;yo¾ land. That was why it was absolutely necessary for him to prepare
well for the new encounter. He could not afford to lose any war. His
480
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
pride and reputation would not allow for that to happen. He therefore
returned to the home of the same Awo to consult Ifá for him. What
must he do to win the war? He asked. What eôboô must he offer?
The Awo assured him again that he would also bring back home honour
and glory. He was also advised to offer eôboô with two pigeons, two
cocks, two guinea fowls and money. He was equally told to feed
his O®ke¾-I®po¾ôri; with one cock. O®gu;n complied. Shortly after this, he went
to I®la;yo¾ town to wage war on the land.
Again, when he got to I®la;yo¾ land, he regretted ever coming with
hostility. He was hailed, pampered and venerated. The inhabitants of
the land satisfied him with whatever he wanted. They accorded to him
his deserved honour and respect. They were even friendlier than the
inhabitants of I®la;re land. They gave him everything and anything that
would enhance his status. He returned home a very happy person.
Ogbe¾ ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an tire¾ô ko; ma; sôeô
Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n
Ti; n;gb’o;gun loô i¾lu; I®la;re;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ogbe¾ ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an tire¾ô ko; ma; sôeô
Di;a; fu;n O®gu;n
Ti; n;gb’o;gun loô i¾lu; I®la;yo¾ô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e:ôboô, o; ru;’boô
N®je;ô O®gu;n ja I®la;re; o
O®gu;n ja I®la;yo¾ô
Ohun rere l’O®gu;n mu; bo¾ô
Translation:
Ogbe¾ O®Ùka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for
it not to come to pass
This was Ifa;‟s message for O®gu;n
When going to wage war on I®la;re; town (the
land of Merriment)
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
He complied
481
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Ogbe¾ OÙ®ka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for
it not to come to pass
This was Ifa;‟s message for O®gu;n
When going to wage war on I®la;yo¾ô town (the
land of happiness)
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Now, O®gu;n waged war on I®la;re; land
O®gu;n waged war on I®la;yo¾ô land
O®gu;n brought back good things
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall bring back
good things from all his/her endeavours. He/she shall be elevated,
honoured, respected and be given high recognitions in all what he/she
sets his/her mind on. He/she however needs to fight to acquire his
merriment and joy and ensure that they are kept for good.
2. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to exercise
patience and perseverance. He/she is presently experiencing hardship
and pains. He/she however needs to wait it out because only a little
period remains for him/her to have his/her break through where he/she
presently is.
Ifá advises this person not to contemplate a change of abode, change of
work, change of spouse or even change of environment at the present
moment. He/she needs not be impatient or be in a hurry. All the Ire of
life that he/she is yearning for are on their way to him/her. Patience
and perseverance ought to be his/her watchwords at this moment.
Ifá advises this person to offer his/her ẹbọ as A®ru;kore: two rats, two
fish, two hens, two pigeons, two guinea-fowls, two cocks and
money.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-„Ka¾nra¾¾n laying emphasis on this says:
O®Ùpa; ni;i; fi’bi sôo;mu;so
ô ;mu; teô’leô¾
Di;a; fu;n A®®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾
Ti; Ire n; bo¾ô l’eô;yi¾n
To; wa; n; bi;’nu; u; loô o
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
482
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
Translation:
A staff is it that touches the ground with its pointed tip
This was Ifá’s message to A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ (the
Travelling Passenger)
When all his Ire was coming from behind
He was in a furious hurry to move on
He was advised to offer eôboô
A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ left his home land out of frustration. He had nothing to point to
as his own. He was nothing. All his colleagues had succeeded; but
through illegal means. He had bluntly refused to join any of their
groups. He had vowed that he would never be a part of any crime or
any form of illegality or antisocial activity. His colleagues made jest of
him. When the pressure was too much for him, A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ packed his
things and left the land. On the day that he left his homeland however,
he vowed that he would continue to move on and on until he
succeeded.
He was a well trained Awo but nobody seemed to recognize that in him.
He had no wife. He had no child. He had only one dress remaining and
a wrapper to wrap round himself. He would often wash the dress, sundry it and then wear it again. Whenever he was in the midst of other
Awo in the land, nobody would seem to recognize him. When they
would cast Ifá on any issue, nobody would seek his opinion on it. He
remembered how his fellow Awo at home who would carry on saying
what Ifá had not said and how they would recommend heavy materials
which Ifá had not ask for, all in the bid to make more money. Yet,
somehow through their dishonesty, these Awo were successful
financially.
Tired of being ignored in his new place of abode, he decided to move
on. Before he did that however, he went to the home of the Awo
mentioned above for Ifá consultation. All what he wanted to know was
if in the end, he would be able to make it through the use of legitimate
means. He was so convinced that the land that he was at that time had
nothing to offer him. He could hardly eat two times a day. He must
move on and try his luck elsewhere. He was convinced that Ifá would
tell him to move forward in order to make progress in his life.
483
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
The Awo told A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ that he was going through a very trying time. He
was assured that all would be well in the end. He was also informed
that he was going to succeed in the land that he was in and he must not
move anywhere else. Only a bit of time remained for him to be able to
cut off the shackles of poverty that had tied him for a long time.
The Awo also advised him to offer ẹbọ with two rats and two fish for
child bearing; two hens for a good spouse; two pigeons for
prosperity; two guinea fowls for peace of mind; and two cocks for
victory. He was to also add money to the ebo materials. A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾
looked at the Awo for a long time as if he did not see him at all. What
was going on in his mind? Where did this Awo expect him to get the
money to procure such items? He informed the Awo that he would love
to offer the eôbọ but he simply could not afford it. He had no money to
do it at all.
The Awo promised to assist him. In between the two of them, the eôbọ
was offered. The Awo also asked A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ to come every day and work
with him in his house.
Three days after this, the group of Awo in the land wanted to go and
cast Ifá for the people of the land in order to improve the economic
progress of the market. A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ followed Op
Ù® a; ni;i; fi'bi sôo;mu;sôo;mu; teô'leô¾ to
the home of the I®ya;lo;ôja¾, the head of the market women where the Ifá
consultation would take place.
Before they got there, E®®sôuô¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ whispered into the ears of everyone
that A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ had the right information and preparation that would make
the market have progress. He told them to give him audience.
When they arrived in the home of the I®ya;lo;ôja¾, all eyes were on A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾.
Seeing his appearance, they took pity on him. Instead of being
disappointed, they were all determined to assist him to get out of his
pathetic condition. When Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾-O®ôka¾nra¾n was
revealed. In accordance to custom, two Babaláwo recited Ifá and gave
Ifá’s messages to the people who were there present. They were not
impressed with what they had said. When it was the turn of A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ to
speak, the whole place became dead silent. When he began to analyze
the Odù, even his fellow Awo were all impressed. The depth of his
analysis and the accuracy of his statements made everyone to look at
him in amazement.
484
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
When he concluded his statements, it was obvious that nobody was
keen on hearing any other person speak. That was when I®ya;lo;ôja¾
whispered into the ears of two of her Pa¾ra¾ko¾yi;, market leaders, and
before long, they came back with three complete dresses for A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾.
They also gave him some personal money, apart from the one that they
gave all the Awo present.
Since that day, the life of A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ changed completely. He was the talk
of the town. Everyone began to look for him for Ifá consultation and
spiritual advice. When he had enough money, he went to Op
®ô a; ni;i; fi'bi
sôo;mu;sôo;mu; teô'leô¾ to refund the money to the Awo who he had spent
money in helping him offer his ẹbọ, but the former refused to accept the
money. He told A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ that any problem that befell one Awo was the
responsibility of all Awo present to handle and resolve.
Within three months that they did Ifá consultation in the home of the
I®ya;lo;ôja¾, everyone had been discussing with A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ that it was high
time he had his own spouse. The inhabitants of the land made all
necessary arrangements and a wife was found for him. The marriage
ceremony was a solemn one. Two months after marriage, the woman
was already carrying his baby. The baby came without incident.
Within 10 years, A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ who came with nothing and who was in a
hurry to leave the land, but for the advice of Ifá, became a wealthy
man, a husband, a father, a landlord, the owner of a galloping horse, a
title holder and an honourable man in the land. He got all these things
without cheating, lying, stealing or defrauding anyone to do so. All he
could do was to give praises and thanks to Olo;du¾mare¾, his Orí, Ifá, his
fellow Awo and his numerous well-wishers. He also gave special thanks
to E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra who also made everything possible in his life.
O®Ùpa; ni;;i; fi’bi sôo;mu;so
ô ;mu; teô’leô¾
Di;a; fu;n A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾
Ti; Ire n; bo¾ô l’eô;yi¾n
To; wa; n; bi;nu; u; loô o
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
Ire gbogbo wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru
N®je;ô A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ ma; ma¾ loô o
A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ ma; ma¾¾ loô
Ire n; bo¾ô ni;’wa;ju; o
485
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Ire n; bo¾ô l’eô;yi¾n
A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ ma; ma¾ loô o
Translation:
A staff is it that touches the ground with its pointed tip
This was Ifá’s message to A®je¾ji¾ E®ro¾ (the
Travelling Passenger)
When all his Ire was coming from behind
He was in a furious hurry to move on
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
All the Ire of life came trooping in
Now, A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾¾ do not go
A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾ do not move on
All Ire is coming in front of you
All Ire is coming from behind
A®je¾ji¾-E®ro¾, please do not go
Ifá says that this person will receive all the blessings of life where
he/she is, if only he/she exercises a little more patience and
perseverance. Moving away to another location will not solve his/her
problem; but rather, it will postpone the arrival of all the Ire of life
already lined up for him/her.
3. Ifá advises the person for whom this Odù is revealed to please take
good care of visitors, especially strangers. Ifá says that a good stranger
who will change his/her life for the better is about to visit him/her in
his/her home. If this visitor is well taken care of, then he/she is assured
success and accomplishment in his/her life.
This person also needs to inform his/her spouse to take good care of the
whole house and its vicinity. The wife must clean and tidy up
everywhere because the coming visitor does not like unclean or
unhealthy environments.
It is also possible that the visitor is already in the house of the person
for whom this Odù is revealed. If the visitor is well accommodated and
given well deserved respect, success and accomplishment are
486
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
guaranteed for the person for whom this Odù is revealed and his/her
spouse. Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with two pigeons, two
hens, two guinea fowls, two cocks and money.
On this aspect, Ogbe¾-„Ka¾nra¾n has this to say:
Koro ni faa fa;'gba;
Fa¾la¾la¾ falala l’oôloô;ja¾ a; be¾ô’weô¾
Bi; wo;ôn ba; be¾ô oô; l’o;ôweô¾
Ti; o o¾ ba; je;ô
O roôra pa koô;ro;ôkoô;ro;ô
OÙ ma;a loô o
Di;a; fu;n Olojo¾
Ti;i; sô'oômoô OÙba ni;’gbo; I®je¾ôbu;
I®gba¾ to; n;loô s’a;jo¾ to; ji¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôjoô;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
Koro ni faa fa;'gba;
It is with authority that a nobleman sends
others on errands
If you are sent on an errand
And you do not perform
You better move into hiding
And secretly move away
These were Ifá’s messages for Olojo¾ (the Stranger)
A Princess from the forest of I®je¾ôbu; land
When going on a very long journey that
was the distance between the sun to earth
She was advised to offer eôboô
Olojo¾ was a princess. Her father was the Ϙba in the forest of I®je¾ôbu;-land.
The name of the town was also known as I®je¾ôbu;-Igbo;. Her father was
simply the wealthiest man in his town. Olojo¾ was his favourite daughter.
Olojo¾ was a very neat, well-kept, small and extremely fashionable
woman. She loved to see everything and everywhere around her neat
and well kept. She was always prepared to do anything to compensate
anyone who could tidy up where she was and ensure that the place was
neat and to her taste.
487
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
One day, Olojo¾ decided that she must travel round the world in order to
enrich her experiences and understanding of many cultures besides her
own. She decided to go for Ifá consultation in order to make three
inquiries: one, to know how the trip would be; two, to know what she
needed to take along on her journey; and three, how long it would take
her to complete her journey.
The Awo informed Olojo¾ that her trip would be very successful. She was
planning a trip around the world but she would instead take a journey
into the world. That was when she would understand what life was all
about and appreciate the intricacies which existed in the world,
Secondly, she was informed that she needed to take along with her all
those things which would make her trip comfortable; money, clothing
materials, jewellery, toiletries, gift items and so on. She must also fully
prepare herself to avoid her lacking anything on her journey. Thirdly,
she was told that such a journey did not have a specific time period.
Everything depended on how deeply she planned to delve into the
world.
She was advised to offer eôboô as specified above. She complied. Soon
after this, she set out on her journey into the world, even though she
did not really understand the full meaning of what she was about to
achieve.
Pa’le; mo;ô
P’oô¾na¾ moô;
Awo ile; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ni;jo;ô Olojo¾ yo;o; wo¾ô si;’le; e Baba
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
Pa‟le; mo;ô, put the house in order
P‟oô¾na¾ mo;ô, arrange the surroundings neatly
The resident Awo of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s household
They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When Olojo¾ would settle in his house
He was advised to offer eôboô
488
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
It was time for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to perform his OÙ®se¾ô (five day) Ifá consultation.
This would serve as guide for him for the next five days. He would be
able to know what was in stock for him and how to attain any good
things coming his way. He invited two of his ex-students, Pa’le; mo;ô and
P’oôn
¾ a¾ moô; to come and do the consultation for him.
The Awo informed OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that in the next five days, there was the
need for him and every member of his household to take good care of
visitors, especially strangers. He was also told that he needed to keep
the whole house and its vicinity clean and spotless during the period.
They said that a stranger would be coming and would stay in his house.
This stranger would make him extremely successful if he could be very
hospitable and if he could keep his home clean, neat, peaceful and very
accommodating. He was informed to impress it upon his wife to be at
her best throughout this period that the visitor would spend with them.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was equally told that keeping the home clean and tidy was the
responsibility of his wife. That was why he needed to ensure that his
wife was on top of the situation throughout the period that the stranger
would spend with them. The whole household must also be friendly with
the stranger so that this stranger would not have any cause to leave
unexpectedly or before the time that he/she wished to spend with the
family.
The Awo laid so much emphasis on the fact that the coming stranger
would make OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ and his household great. He was urged not to
miss the opportunity because it was a chance of a lifetime.
The Awo also advised him to offer eôboô as stated above. It was the
same eôboô that Olojo¾ was advised to offer before she took off on her
long, long journey. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ complied. He also had a discussion with
everyone in his household and explained to them what the Awo told him
about cleanliness. They were all determined to ensure that everywhere
was spotlessly, clean and tidy even before the visitor arrived.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s wife became the coordinator who would ensure both
cleanliness and hospitality for the stranger.
Two days after this, this stranger, Olojo¾ arrived in OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house.
She came with a long retinue of maiden servants and delegates. They
were all at her beck and call, just to make her happy and contented.
489
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
The first thing she did was to inspect everywhere, both the whole
compound and its vicinity. She found them to measure to her taste and
standards. She was quite satisfied with what she had found. She was
ushered to her room and she settled in. All her aides were also given
befitting accommodations.
When it was time for food, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ realized that everything she would
eat for months was brought along with her. She told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ not to
bother with her feeding. All she wanted was for her domestic servants to
be given free access to the kitchen where they would prepare her food
to her taste. This was quickly arranged.
The following day, she settled down for real business. She told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
that she found his home very accommodating. She would however love
to build more rooms so that her numerous servants would have more
space for themselves. She sought OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s permission to do so and
she was given the permission. Her male servants were set out to work
immediately. She also told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she intended to make a trip
round the world and she would like OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ to advise her on how to
proceed.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told Olojo¾ that there were two ways to make her trip. First,
she could make a trip around the world; and second, she could travel
into the world, she was informed that the former was exciting but the
latter was more intriguing and more beneficial.
How could one make a trip into the world she asked herself. She quite
understood how one could travel around the world, but she had never
been taught about how to travel into the world. This made her very
interested in travelling into the world, like OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had mentioned,
instead of travelling around the world.
She also wanted to know when they would commence the travel into
the world. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her that they would take the trip into the world
the next day, as soon as the morning devotions and breakfast was
finished. Throughout the remaining part of the day and the night, Olojò
was busy packing her things and making preparations for the trip. She
really did not know what she needed to take along on the trip, but she
packed her essential things all the same.
490
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
When everyone had taken his/her meal, Olojò ordered that two of her
horses should be mantled and dressed up for the journey. When this
had been done, she informed OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she was ready for the
journey. That was when she was told that the trip would be embarked
upon right inside the house. She became even more confused. How?
She asked. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her that to go into the world, they must start
from her. From her? She asked, now with more curiosity and impatience
than she had ever experienced in her life.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ then told her, that as a woman, she was the world. She also
owned the world and that every part of her body represented every
segment of the world. How? She asked. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ responded that as
women populated the world, it was their feminine energy that
maintained and upheld the world. If there were no women, the world
would cease to exist within a mere 150 years! It was women who gave
birth to men before men were able to assume various positions of
responsibilities. Women also gave birth to the Ϙba and other Royalty
before they would turn into O®ri¾sôa.¾ The womb of a woman is the source
of the world where all ingenious designs and products are
manufactured.
Olojò was totally baffled. She thought about this information for a long,
long time and realized that it made a lot of sense but she wanted to
hear more. She raised up her two hands and bowed her head, telling
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that she had raised her two hands up and made her palms
face up to confess her ignorance and readiness to learn more. She then
repeated the gesture two more times.
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ then told her that the journey would start with her two hands.
There were two types of palms that the hands carried. There was the
leprous hand and then the spotless hand. The leprous hand had five
fingers; these fingers were; one, jealousy; two, envy; three, anger; four,
backbiting and five, arrogance. The five fingers of the spotless hand
were: one, hope; two, humility; three, benevolence; four, honesty and
five, understanding. These were the fingers of those who would break or
make the world. This is because almost everything we do in life is done
with our hands, with our fingers constantly working on the various
designs. The type of fingers one has determines the type of design one
will produce. The leprous fingers will surely bring forth leprous products
while the spotless fingers will produce spotless items.
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OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked Olojò to cast her mind back to her home land and think
about those who worked for the progress as well as those who worked
for the failure of the land and she would understand how they worked
and why they always got the types of results they got. If ones actions
cause sadness for others and one makes money from such actions, one
cannot use the money to buy anything that will bring one joy.
Conversely, whatever people do which make several others progress will
not turn round and make the architect of that same thing sad or
depressed. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told Olojò to go and go over the information in her
mind until evening time when they would meet again under the moon
light. That was the way the world worked, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told her.
On her way to her room, she met OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾, the wife of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
talking to two children. She stayed a while to listen to the discussions.
In the end, she looked for a seat and sat beside them. When the
children left, OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ told her that a child’s mother is a child’s
closest confidant. The womb which carries the children for ten lunar
months is deep enough to keep all their secrets. The depth of a
woman’s feelings for each of her children must also be kept secret in the
womb so as to avoid a situation where the woman may create jealousy,
envy, and rivalry among her children.
In the same vein, the secrets of her husband must be kept inside her
womb so that his rivals or antagonists will not use her as bait for the
downfall of her husband. OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ concluded by saying that the
womb of a woman is deeper than the deepest point of the earth. She
then left to think over what she had just heard from both the husband
and the wife.
In the evening, she was still thinking about all the information she
received because some details of the information actually worried her.
When she got to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾, the first thing which OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ asked her
was: what is it that is worrying you so much? She explained that what
she heard from his wife was worrisome to her because it is very difficult
to maintain balance between all ones children, ones husband, and those
associated with the husband by keeping all their secrets to avoid being
instrumental in any downfall that may occur. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ said that that is
what women must do at all times. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told Olojò that women are
able to keep more profound secrets than men and that many secrets
often go with women to their graves. He enjoined her to cultivate the
habit of keeping secrets in order to protect herself, her family, and her
loved ones. She must also be careful of what comes out of her mouth
492
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
when there are quarrels because once she shares something, it will not
be easy to retract what she has said once the matter has eventually
settled.
Olojò asked OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ how he knew that she had worries at the back of
her mind which gave her concern. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ responded that the human
mind is a fountain where all thoughts spring from and generate before
they come out in the form of speech or action. The face is the mirror of
the mind, when a person is angry, it will start in the mind before it
shows on the face; if someone is happy, it will also start from the mind
and then show on the face; and if someone is worried like you, it will
start from your mind before it show on your face. You must learn the
signs of the various gestures on the face in order to delve deeply into
the world.
Twice every day, Olojò and OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ had discussions on various issues,
giving birth children, becoming pregnant, labour, and all the problems
associated with it, raising the children, training, marriage, growing old
and dying, business transactions, community development, selfdevelopment, commitments to duty, religion, love, hatred, travelling and
so on. In the end, Olojò spent one full year with OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. By that time,
OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ had become her best friend. She showed OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾
her own little world, and OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ showed her hers. She made
OÙ®sôunfu;nnle;ôyoô¾ great by transferring most of her wealth to her. She
made OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ popular and honourable by singing his praises
everywhere she went.
When Olojò was about to return to her native I®je¾ôbu;-Igbo; land, she did
not remember about her wanting to take a trip around the world
anymore and those whom she had been staying with were wishing her
to stay forever because her stay had benefited the family and the whole
community.
Koro ni faa fa;'gba;
Fa¾la¾la¾ falala l’oôloô;ja¾ a; be¾ô’weô¾
Bi; wo;ôn ba; be¾ô oô; l’o;ôweô¾
Ti; o o¾ ba; je;ô
O roôra pa koô;ro;ôkoô;ro;ô
O ma;a loô o
Di;a; fu;n Olojo¾
Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙba niÙ;’gbo; I®je¾ôbu;
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I®gba¾ to; n;loô s’a;jo¾ to; ji¾n gboôoôroô bi; oôjoô;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Pa’le; mo;ô
P’oô¾na¾ mo;ô
Awo ile; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Ni;jo;ô Olojo¾ yo;o; wo¾ô si;le; e Baba
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;’ni ba;’yo¾ô
EôÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®jeô; pa’le; mo;ô o¾, aya Awo
Pa’le; mo;ô o o¾¾, aya Awo o
Pa'le; mo;ô, p’oô¾na¾¾ moô;
Olojo¾ n; bo¾ô o
Translation:
Koro ni faa fa;'gba;
It is with authority that a nobleman sends others
on errands
If you are sent on an errand
And you do not perform
You better move into hiding
And secretly move away
These were Ifá’s messages for Olojo¾ (the Stranger)
A Princess from the forest of I®je¾ôbu; land
When going on a very long journey that was
the distance between the
sun to earth
She was advised to offer eôboô
She complied
Pa‟le; mo;ô, put the house in order
P‟oô¾na¾ mo;ô, arrange the surroundings neatly
The resident Awo of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s household
They cast Ifa; for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
When Olojo¾ would settle in his house
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
494
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
Before long, not too far
Join us in midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
Put the house in good order, Awo’s wife
Put the house in perfect order, Awo’s wife
Put the house in order, and make the
surroundings neat
Olojò is coming
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will have cause
to celebrate his/her good fortune for the rest of his/her life. It is
however important for this person to maintain good personal hygiene
and to also make and maintain his/her surroundings neat and tidy.
4. Ifá says that if foresees the Ire of honour, title conferment and
leadership for the person for whom this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that
even though this person is underestimated and discountenanced; he/she
shall be placed in a position of authority and respect.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboôô with two pigeons, two guinea
fowls, two hens, two cocks and money. He/she also needs to feed
his/her Orí with one duck and one ram.
On this, Ifá says:
I®ko;ko;ro; e¾lu¾boô; ni;i; sô’odo; gba¾n¾koko-gba¾n¾koko
Di;a; fu;n ‘La;bo;gunde;
Ti; n;f’omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ Ire gbogbo
EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The small sun-dried yam meant to be pounded into
yam flour is what rolls around inside the mortar
This was the message of Ifá for „La;bo;gunde;
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to secure
any Ire of life
He was advised to offer eôboô
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OÙla;bogu;nde; was a poor farmer.
He could not boast of much
achievement in his life. He had no money. He had no wife. He had not
been blessed with any child of his own. His health was not too sound.
This accounted for his inability to do much work on the farm. His
inability to work well accounted for his poverty. His poverty accounted
for his inability to give himself adequate and required medical treatment.
His poor health and finance accounted for his inability to secure a
spouse of his own. Because he had no spouse, there was no way he
could have children of his own. His inability to have a spouse and kids
made him a lonely man. Being lonely increased his sorrow. His sorrow
aggravated his illness. Is this the way I will continue to live my life?
„La;bo;gunde; asked himself over and over. There must be a solution to
this miserable life that I am living, he told himself.
„La;bo;gunde; never lost hope for one day. He knew that one day, his sun
would rise. How? He could not say for certain. In his search for a
solution, he went to the Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will
I ever be blessed with all the Ire of life that I have been lacking since I
was born? Would I ever succeed?
The Awo cast Ifá and informed „La;bo;gunde; that he was just about to be
made the Ϙba of the land. He informed him that he was looking for a
means of survival but the Deities were busy working on how to make
him the head of the land. He would be raised from grass to grace. He
would be in a position to determine the direction and future of his
community.
The Awo advised „La;bo;gunde; to offer eôboô and feed his Orí as stated
above. He had no money to do it. The Awo assisted him, and the eôboô
was offered.
What was done gave eôboô the hope that the future would be well after
all. Before long, his health began to show signs of improvement. He
could work more on the farm. About two years after this, the Ϙba of the
land joined his ancestors. „La;bo;gunde; came from a Royal family.
Nobody gave him any chance of becoming the Ϙba. When the race for
the occupation of the vacant stool began, „La;bo;gunde; joined the race.
When people heard that „La;bo;gunde; was in the race, they all had a
merry laugh at his expense. He did not give up. He pursued his quest
to become the Ϙba.
On the day that the next Ϙba was to be chosen, the King-Makers invited
all the candidates. They also invited some prominent Babaláwo from
496
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
outside the land. After intensive Ifá consultation, Ifá picked „La;bo;gunde;
as the next Ϙba of Ado; E®ki¾ti¾. His life changed instantly. He became the
father of all. All the kingmakers said that it would not be wise for them
to install „La;bo;gunde; without a wife of his own. A wife was chosen for
him even before the installation ceremony. The whole land belonged to
him. He was able to rule well and with good feelings for all. All those
who thought that he stood no chance kept quiet forever and ever.
I®ko;ko;ro; e¾lu¾bo;ô ni;i; sô’odo; gba¾n¾koko-gba¾n¾koko
Di;a; fu;n ‘La;bo;gunde;
Ti; n;f’omi oju; su¾ngbe;re¾ Ire gbogbo
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾¾ ji¾nna¾
Ire gbogbo wa;a; ya de; tu¾tu;ru
A®sôe; ‘La;bo;gunde; l’OÙba ka¾n
A®sôe; ‘La;bo;gunde; ni yo;o; j’oôba EÙ®wi; L’A:do;
EÙ®yin o¾ gbo;ôn o
EÙ®yin o¾ tile¾ô m’oô¾ra¾n
EÙyin o¾ mo¾ô wi;pe; ‘La;bo;gunde; ti n;j’oôba EÙ®wi; loô o
Translation:
The small sun-dried yam meant to be poundedinto yam flour is what rolls around inside the mortar
This was the message of Ifá for „La;bo;gunde;
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to
secure any Ire of life
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
All the Ire of life came trooping in
So, it is „La;bo;gunde;’s turn to become the Ϙba
So, it is „La;bo;gunde; who will become the
next E®Ùwi; of Ado;-E®ki¾ti¾ land
You are not wise
And you also lack understanding
Can’t see that „La;bo;gunde; is already the OÙba
of Ado; E®ki¾ti¾¾
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Ifá says that this person shall be moved from the dregs to the apex of
the society in a miraculous manner.
5. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of long life for the person for whom
this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that he/she will overcome all his/her
enemies who wish him/her dead. Ifá says that a lot of people actually
wish calamity to befall him/her but they will all fail.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with three cocks and money.
He/she also needs to feed O®gu;n with one cock and E®sôu¾ with another
cock.
On this, Ogbe¾-„ka¾nra¾n says:
Ogbe¾ kan
OÙ®ka¾nra¾n kan
Di;a; fu;n Agogo
Ti; n; t’I®koô¾le; O®Ùrun boôô¾ wa\ I®ko¾ôle; aye;
EÙboô a¾i¾ku; ni wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
One leg of Ogbe¾ (here on the right)
One leg of OÙ®ka¾nra¾n (here on the left)
This was the Ifá cast for Agogo (the Gong)
When coming from heaven to earth
He was advised to offer eôboô against untimely death
Agogo, the Gong, was a product of O®gu;n. When he was being moulded
by O®gu;n, it was with the sole intention of making him useful to human
kind. He was intended to be a handy musical instrument that would be
able to produce music, come rain or come shine. When the process of
his creation was completed, he was asked to move from O®Ùrun to Ile;-Aye;.
That was why Agogo went for Ifá consultation in order to determine
how his sojourn in Ile;-Aye; would be: Will I be able to perform the task
for which I was created? Will I fulfil my destiny satisfactorily? Will life
and luck smile at me?
498
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
The two Awo mentioned above told Agogo that the main reason why he
had come for Ifá consultation was to determine whether or not he would
be able to fulfil his destiny and to know if he would be able to live long
enough to do it. They assured Agogo that he would surely fulfil his
destiny and he would live to his old age to enjoy the fruit of his labour
and to tell his success story to others.
He was told that he would have a lot of enemies and antagonists who
would be waiting for him on earth, fully determined to eliminate him as
soon as he arrived. They would all fail, he was assured. He was told
that some of these enemies would attack him directly while others
would employ the services of hired killers to eliminate him. They would
all fail, the Awo told him.
The Awo also advised Agogo to offer eôbọ with three cocks and
money. He was also asked to feed O®gu;;n and E®sôu¾ with one cock each.
He complied. Soon after this, he moved from I®ko¾ôle; O®Ùrun to I®ko¾ôle; Aye;.
As predicted by the Awo, as soon as Agogo arrived in Ile;-Ayé, his
enemies greeted him with serious beatings in order to kill him. They
knew that he was coming, and they had gone to cut 20 strong sticks
ready for him in order to use them to beat him to death. The beating
was intense. When one person became tired, he would pass Agogo to
another person. Instead of killing or hurting Agogo, he continued to
produce music! What baffled those who planned the death of Agogo
was that one after the other, the sticks collapsed and broke into pieces
and Agogo would remain unhurt! Every time that Agogo was taken out,
several sticks would be cut to accompany him and to beat him all the
way to and from his journey. The sticks would all die and Agogo would
return home unhurt.
At a stage, the Du¾ndu;n drums, Ba¾ta; drums, Omele drums, I®gbi¾n drums,
Ga;ngan drums and so on, employed the services of hired killers to help
them beat Agogo to death because any time they would go out together
and there was rainfall, only Agogo would be of use and he would be the
only one playing music out of all the other musical instruments, because
rainfall had no effect on him. The hired killers too would go and look for
sticks to beat Agogo to death. The hired killers usually would return to
report their frustrations to those who had sent them. Agogo remained
unhurt, strong and healthy. He lived to his old age and savoured the
fruit of his labour.
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Ogbe¾ kan
OÙ®ka¾nra¾n kan
Di;a; fu;n Agogo
Ti; n; t’I®ko¾ôle; O®Ùrun boô¾ wa; I®ko¾ôle; aye;
EÙboô a¾i¾ku; ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;i¾ku; kangiri
A®i¾ku; Ifa; du¾n, o; j’oyin loô o
Translation:
One leg of Ogbe¾ (here on the right)
One leg of O®Ùka¾nra¾n (here on the left)
This was the Ifá cast for Agogo (the Gong)
When coming from heaven to earth
He was advised to offer eôboô against untimely death
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us where we enjoy long life
The longevity guaranteed by Ifá is sweeter than honey
Ifá says that this person will live to his/her old age right in the midst of
his/her enemies. All his/her enemies will always be frustrated.
6. Ifá foresees the Ire of victory for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed. He/she has several enemies but he/she will be able to
overcome them all. The enemies who Ifá refers to are mostly his/her
relatives. They will try everything they have in their power but they will
all fail. That is the assurance of Ifá for this person.
Ifá advises him/her to offer eôbọ with one mature he-goat, one axe
and money. Ifá also advises him/her to feed O®gu;n with one cock.
On this aspect, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ kan
OÙ®ka¾nra¾n kan
Di;a; fu;n Abeyi;n-Ganngan
500
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
Ti; n; gb’o;gun loô inu; oko lo¾ôoô; sôôeô;’ô;te¾ô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
One leg of Ogbè (here on the right)
One leg of O®Ùka¾nra¾n (here on the left)
This was the Ifá cast for Abeyi;n-Ganngan (the
one with Pointed Teeth)
When going to wage war to overcome enemies
on the farm
He was advised to offer eôboô
They bragged. They boasted. They planned. They set traps. They
were all planning against Abeyi;n-Ganngan, also known as A®ak; e;, the
Axe. They planned to demolish him. They saw no reason why Abeyi;nGanngan should be moving on the surface of the earth like them. He
must be run aground at all costs. Who were these enemies? All the
trees in the forest had ganged up against the Axe.
The fact that his handle came from the same forest made no impression
on their minds. They were just after one thing and one thing only A®ak; e;,
the Axe must be eliminated.
The news of the plans of all the trees in the forest reached the Axe. He
could not believe that those who he never offended could be planning
evil against him. Initially, he did not believe the story. Before long, it
became so rife that he became worried and very apprehensive. These
were his own relatives who he expected to protect him and promote his
interest. These were the same people planning his downfall. But why?
In his bid to find out why they were planning this evil against him, he
went to the home of the two Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation.
He wanted to know if he had in any way, overtly or covertly, offended
the trees in the forest which he was unaware of. He also wanted to
know whether or not he would be able to overcome these enemies.
When Ifá was consulted, they found a leg of Ogbè on the right hand
side of the Ifá tray and a leg of O®Ùka¾nra¾n on the left.
The Awo told A®ak; e;, the Axe that he had not offended the trees in the
forest in anyway. Their hatred was borne out of envy and malice. He
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was however assured that he would overcome. The Awo advised A®ak; e;
to carry his own war to the forest and confront all these enemies. He
was urged to move, not to wait endlessly in anxiety and apprehension.
A®ak; e; was assured that the best and most practical form of defence was
attack. Attacking his enemies first would bring him minimal damage and
would inflict maximum damage on his numerous enemies.
The Awo also advised A®ak; e; to offer eôboô and feed O®gu;n as stated above.
A®ak; e; complied. As soon as he did this, he prepared himself for the
confrontation in the forest.
On the day that he would go to the forest, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ had been there
before him. E®sôu¾ was the one showing him the trees to attack first. He
followed the advice of E®sôu.¾ He began to fell all his enemies. He started
with I®ro;ko¾, then Ooro, A®ra¾ba¾, Os®Ù ôun
; sôu;n, O®gu¾nber¾ô e,ô¾ Eri;mado¾ and Ka;nran.
He then rested.
When he resumed action, he descended on A®fon
¾ô , Ayu¾nre,ô; Ape;pe, Afa¾ra¾,
Re;re;, Om
®Ù o,ô¾ Idi; and Osôe¾. By the time A®ak; e; finished for the day, over 15
trees had been reduced to mere stumps. In three months, over 1,460
trees had been felled. That was when the trees knew that they were no
match for A®ak; e;, the Axe.
Ogbe¾ kan
OÙ®ka¾nra¾n kan
Di;a; fu;n Ab’eyi;n-Ganngan
Ti; n; gb’o;gun loô inu; oko loô¾oô; sôeô;’te¾ô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;se
ô ô; ogun
A®ja¾se
ô ô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ O®Ùpeô¾
N®jeô; Ab’eyi;n-Ganngan ni yo;o; sôeô;’te¾ô eô woôn o
Gbogbo igi oko
Ti; n;ba; A®ak
; e; sô’oô¾ta;
A®a;ke; ni yo;o; sôeô;’te¾ôeô gbogbo woôn
Igba igi ti; n;da;’ri; iku; soô A®ak
; e;
Rekete
Ku¾ku¾te; l’A®ak
; e; soô woô;n da¾
Rekete
502
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
Translation:
One leg of Ogbè (here on the right)
One leg of O®Ùka¾nra¾n (here on the left)
This was the Ifá cast for Abeyi;n-Ganngan (the
one with Pointed Teeth)
When going to wage war to overcome enemies
on the farm
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us where we enjoy victory over enemies
Victory over enemies is what Ifá guarantees
Behold, Abeyi;n-Ganngan will overcome them all
All the trees in the forest
Planning the death of A®ak; e; (the Axe)
The Axe will overcome them all
The 200 trees planning the death of A®ak; e;
Completely
A®ak; e; will reduce them all to mere stumps
Completely
Ifá guarantees that this person shall overcome all of his/her enemies, no
matter how many or powerful they may be.
7. Ifá warns this person that evil principalities are already in
his/her house or are about to enter the house. There is the need for this
person to offer eôboô that will enable him/her to chase all this evil away
from his/her house and life.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one cock, 16 six-inch nails
or pincers and money. He/she also needs to feed E®sôu¾ with another
cock. After the eôboô has been offered, it will be taken to E®sôu.¾
The eôboô is to be placed inside a leaf and the 16 nails will be nailed
round the eôboô to grip it into the ground. When the cock for E®sôu¾ is
slaughtered, the head of the cock will also be nailed to the ground at
the E®sôu¾ shrine.
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On this, Ifá says:
E®ki;ti¾ peô;te;ô Awo eô¾ba; oô¾na¾
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; yo;o; kan Iku; o¾un A®ru¾n mo;ô’leô¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The small anthill, the Awo of the roadside
He cast Ifá for Ogbè
Who will nail Ikú (Death) and A®ru¾n (Affliction) to
the ground
He was advised to offer eôboô
Ikú, Death and A®ru¾n, Affliction had successfully settled in Ogbè’s house.
They were awaiting the arrival of EÙjoô; (Contention) and O®fo¾ (Loss) to join
them before they began to wreck havoc in the house. When the latter
was taking long in coming, A®ru¾n tied Ogbè down. He was afflicted with
many ailments. He was getting weaker and sicker every day. Ogbè was
being prepared in readiness for Ikú to strike. He began to have bad
dreams and experience nightmares. When the pains and inconvenience
had become very unbearable, he called on E®ki;ti¾ Peôt; e;ô Awo EÙb
® a; O®n
ô a¾ for
Ifá consultation: Would I survive?
Yes. He would. The Awo assured him. The Awo told him that Ikú and
A®ru¾n were in his house and that was what was responsible for his
nightmares and ill health. There was the urgent need to chase away
these evil principalities in order to return his life to normal. He was
advised to offer eôboô as stated above.
As soon as he procured all the eôboô materials, E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ went to work.
He invited Ikú and A®ru¾n to come and see what Ogbè was doing. He told
them that Ogbè was the most foolish person he had ever seen. Instead
of preparing himself for his death, which would come very soon, he was
squandering his money on eôboô materials in the home of the Awo. He
asked them to follow him to witness the foolish action which Ogbè and
his Awo were engaging in which was the performance of the eôbo.
504
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
As Ogbè was taking the eôbo to the E®sôu¾ shrine, E®sôu¾ asked Ikú and A®ru¾n
to follow him. When Ogbè placed the eôbo on the ground, E®sôu¾ told Ikú
and A®ru¾n that there was the need to investigate what Ogbè and his Awo
had buried under the spot where the eôbo was placed. As Ikú and A®ru¾n
squeezed themselves under the eôbo, EÙjoô; and O®fo¾ appeared on the
scene. E®sôu¾ asked them to go under the eôbo too. They did. E®sôu¾ used his
unbelievable power to press the four of them down under the eôbo and
they were nailed down and rendered immobile and powerless! They
were there under the eôbo for 17 days.
On the 18th day, E®sôu¾ went to them and struck a deal with them: if they
were prepared to leave Ogbè alone, they would be released. They
agreed. As soon as E®sôu¾ released them, they scrambled out of Ogbè’s
life and never returned.
E®ki;ti¾ peô;te;ô Awo eô¾ba; oô¾na¾
Di;a; fu;n Ogbe¾
Ti; yo;o; kan Iku; o¾un A®ru¾n mo;ô’leô¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb'eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;ô ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni la;i¾ku; kangiri
N®jeô; Ogbe¾ lo; kan Iku;
Ogbe¾ lo; kan A®ru¾n
Ogbe¾ lo; ko; gbogbo Irunbi ka¾n moô;’le¾ô
Translation:
The small anthill, the Awo of the roadside
He cast Ifá for Ogbè
Who will nail Ikú (Death) and A®ru¾n (Affliction) to
the ground
He was advised to offer eôbo
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us where we enjoy longevity
Behold, Ogbè has nailed down Ikú
Ogbè has nailed down A®ru¾n
Ogbè has nailed down all Evil Principalities
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Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed will live long and
will enjoy his/her life without the threat of death or ailment.
8. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of longevity for the person for whom
this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that there is a particular Deity in the
lineage of this person which must not be allowed to perish. Ifá says
that there is the need for this person, together with all members of
his/her extended family to identify all the O®ri¾sôa¾/Iru;nmoôleô¾ in the family
and resume propitiating them. Ifá warns that if this is not done, the
consequence will not be favourable.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôbo with monkey flesh and money.
After this, all the deities in this person’s family must be fed. This must
be done at regular intervals.
On these, Ifá says:
E:eg
; u;n ni;i; f’oôwoô; pete mu;’gba; oôti;
Pa¾ak
¾ a; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; fi¾nna¾-fi¾nna¾ mu;’da¾
Bi; ba¾ta; ba; n;pe 'La;pe¾ôkun
'La;pe¾ôkun ni ba¾ta; n;pe’ri;
Di;a; fu;n OÙloô;fin
Ti; yo;o; da¾gba¾-da¾gba¾
Ti; yo;o; f’eôran oô¾boô ru;’boô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
The Egu;ngu;n masquerade is he who uses
gloves on his hands to handle the alcohol calabash
The Pa¾ra¾ka; masquerade is he who uses his stretched
hands to grip a sword
When the ba¾ta; drummer calls on „La;pe¾ôkun
It is „La;pe¾ôkun that the drummer focuses his
attention on
These were Ifa;;‟s messages for OÙloô;fin
Who would grow so old
And use monkey meat to offer eôboô
He was advised to offer eôboô
506
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
OÙloô;fin was the OÙba of Ile;-Ife¾ô. When he was installed as the Ϙba, there
was progress, development and peace in the land. Gradually, the
progress and development began to go down in the land. In their place
came chaos and anxiety. OÙloô;fin was worried. He knew that he would
soon join his ancestors, because he had grown old and feeble, but he
did not want to depart only to tell the ancestors that when he assumed
the position of Ϙba, the land was peaceful and there was development
and progress; but by the time he left, the land had degenerated into
chaos and anxiety. That was why he summoned the group of Awo
mentioned above for Ifá consultation. He wanted to find a possible
solution to the problems in the land. When Ifá was consulted, Ogbe¾OÙ®ka¾nra¾n revealed.
The Awo told OÙloô;fin that the reason why there was chaos in the land
was that all the ancestral groves in the land had been abandoned and
the ancestors had been left unpropitiated. As long as this continued to
happen, so would there be chaos and anxiety in the land. OÙloô;fin was
advised to identify all the sites of the ancestors and begin to propitiate
them immediately. They also told OÙloô;fin to procure monkey meat and
money for eôboô.
OÙloô;fin ordered his hunters to get monkey meat for him. On that same
day, they had more than enough meat to use for the eôboô. Before the
hunters returned however, OÙloô;fin had identified all the ancestral sites.
When the sites were examined it was discovered that all the O®ri¾sôa¾ô who
used to reside there had all gone. After the eôboô had been offered, the
Awo returned to the sites and placed “Oju;-Ob
®Ù oô”, the eyes of the
monkeys into the ancestral sites and summoned the spirits of the O®ri¾sôa¾ô.
They returned.
As soon as these processes were completed, normalcy returned to the
land gradually. Once again, there was development and progress.
Peace and tranquillity returned. OÙloô;fin was ready to go and meet his
ancestors in order to give them the report that he assumed the throne
when there was progress, development, peace and tranquillity and he
when he left it there was still progress, development, peace and
tranquillity.
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E:eg
; u;n ni;i; f’oôwoô; pete mu;’gba; oôti;
Pa¾ak
¾ a; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; fi¾nna¾-fi¾nna¾ mu;’da¾
Bi; ba¾ta; ba; n;pe 'La;pe¾ôkun
'La;pe¾ôkun ni ba¾ta; n;pe’ri;
Di;a; fu;n OÙloô;fin
Ti; yo;o; da¾gba¾-da¾gba¾
Ti; yo;o; f’eôran oô¾boô ru;’boô
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
Ko¾ pe;ô, ko¾ ji¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba; ni ba;’yo¾ô
EÙÙ wa;a; wo’re o
N®jeô; ko¾ si; O®o¾sôa¾ l’a;ye; mo;ô
Oju;-O®Ùboô la¾ n; boô
Translation:
The Egu;ngu;n masquerade is he who uses gloves
on his hands to handle the alcohol calabash
The Pa¾ra¾ka; masquerade is he who uses his stretched
hands to grip a sword
When the ba¾ta; drummer calls on „La;pe¾ôkun
It is „La;pe¾ôkun that the drummer focuses his
attention on
These were Ifa;;‟s messages for OÙloô;fin
Who would grow so old
And use monkey meat to offer eôboô
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all the Ire of life
There are no more O®ri¾sôa¾ on earth
We are only propitiating Oju;-O®b
Ù oô
Ifá says that this person will be able to bring his/her life back to
normalcy if he/she can identify all their abandoned O®ri¾sôa¾ and ancestors
and begin to propitiate them again.
508
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
(Please note the pun on the words “Oju;-O®Ùboô”, meaning “the eyes of
OÙ®boô, monkey” and the word “Oju;boô” meaning “the spot in a house
where the ancestors and/or O®ri¾sôa¾ are being propitiated”)
9. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of a spouse for a man looking for a
compatible wife. Ifá says that he will also receive the blessing of children
from the woman. Ifá says that two women will show up at the same
time, or have already shown up, but he needs to pick one and marry
her. One of the two women will be fair-skinned while the other one will
be dark-skinned. The fair-skinned woman will be slightly prettier than
the dark-skinned one. Ifá advises this person to choose the dark-skinned
woman. That is the person who will add more meaning to his life.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôbo ôwith two rats, two fish and
money. He is also advised to feed Ifá with whatever Ifá demands for.
A stanza in Ogbe¾-‟Ka¾nra¾n on this aspect says:
E®ek
¾ a¾n Ka;ngun-Ka¾ngun
Awo A®gboôn lo; di;a; f’A:gboôn
A®gboôn n;w’o;ôkoô i¾mo¾ôra¾n-a;n ya¾n kiri
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
E®ek¾ a¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun
The Awo of A®gboôn (the Coconut) cast Ifa; for A®gboôn
When searching for an ideal spouse
She was advised to offer eôboô
A®gboôn, the Coconut, was a robust, tall, fair-skinned and very beautiful
woman. She had attained the age that she ought to be married but she
had no man of her own. All the men who had come her way were
considered to be not up to her level of standard or were not compatible
with her. She therefore went for Ifá consultation to determine when she
would be able to find the ideal man to marry.
The Awo told A®gboôn that she needed to lower her pride and arrogance
and lower her standards slightly in order for her to be able to find a
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
serious man to marry her. She was also advised to offer eôboô as stated
above. She saw no reason why she should lower her standards; and for
that reason, she simply ignored the advice of the Awo for her to offer
eôboô.
E®ek
¾ a¾n Ka;ngun-Ka¾ngun
Awo OÙ®peô lo; di;a; f’OÙ:peô
O®peô n;w’o;ôkoô i¾mo¾ôra¾n-a;n ya¾n kiri
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
E®e¾ka¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun
The Awo of O®Ùpeô (the Palm tree) cast Ifa; for O®Ùpeô
When searching for an ideal spouse
She was advised to offer eôboô
O®Ùpeô, the Palm-tree, was a tough-looking, coarse, dark-skinned, and not
so pretty woman. She too had attained the age when she was ripe for
marriage but nobody seemed to notice her. She craved for an
understanding husband who would appreciate the fact that it was not
only physical appearance or beauty that made a woman desirable. She
vowed within herself that she would try everything in her power to find
a good husband and make him happy. Yet, she found nobody interested
in her. Not long after this, she met OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ who was also looking for a
wife.
She was quick to find out that as she was interested in OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ so also
was A®gboôn. She therefore went for Ifá consultation: Will I be blessed
with my own man who will understand me? Will I become the wife of
OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾? If yes, will he take good care of me? Will I be happy in his
home? Will the relationship be blessed with many children?
The Awo assured O®Ùpeô that she would not only make a good wife, her
man would be a good husband and make her glad and fulfilled. She
was told that she was not the only one interested in the man, but with
appropriate eôboô she would be the one the man would marry eventually.
She would also be blessed with a peaceful home. She was assured that
her man would take good care of her and make her the pearl of his
510
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
eyes. She was told that a time would come when her man would not be
able to do anything in her absence.
She was advised to offer eôboô as stated above. Her belief in Ifá made
her offer the eôboô because she knew that if she didn’t, she would not be
able to compete with A®gboôn. After the eôboô, she kept her fingers crossed
and waited for the miracle guaranteed by Ifá to come to her life.
E®ek
¾ a¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun
Awo O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ lo; di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sunku;n ala;i¾l’o;bi¾nrin
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
E®ek¾ a¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun
The Awo of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to secure
a compatible spouse
He was advised to offer eôboô
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ was in search of a woman who would be his companion and
confidant. He was not sure of the many women who had come his way
thus far. He was however giving serious consideration to two women,
A®gboôn and OÙ®peô It was a difficult choice. A®gboôn was robust, fair skinned
and very beautiful. OÙ®peô was tough looking, dark-skinned, and not that
pretty. OÙ®peô however looked to be a very humble person. Who should he
pick among the two women as his wife? That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
invited E®e¾ka¾n¾ ka;ngun ka¾to come and consult Ifá for him: Who must I
choose among the two women? Who among the two will make me
happy and fulfilled? Who will bring me many blessings? Who is
compatible with my destiny among these two women?
The Awo told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ that he would have a very compatible wife who
would be ready to put herself on the line for him to progress and
succeed in life. Both of them would complement each other fully in all
aspects of life. He would live a happy and fulfilled life. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was told
that the woman who would be ideal for him was OÙ®peô.
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He was advised not to marry A®gboôn because they were not compatible
and there would be no benefit in living a life with A®gboôn.
The Awo also advised OÙ®runmi¾la¾ to offer eôboôô as stated above. He
complied. Soon after this, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ got married to O®Ùpeô.
As soon as O®Ùpeô entered into the home and life of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ everything
changed for the better for him. He became more prosperous and his
work became easier for him to perform. O®Ùpeô assisted OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ in his
work with every part of her being. She produced palm oil for him; she
would also tapped into to palm-wine; her fronds were used to thatch the
roof and to make brooms; her stem was use for construction; the rind of
her nuts were used as fuel; the shell of the nuts was made into
La;gi;di;gba beads; the seeds were extracted to make palm-kernel oil. In
fact, there was no part of her that was of no usefulness on its own.
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ benefitted immensely from the relationship. To crown it all,
she also produced a special kernel known as Ikin which represented Ifá
and which was used for consultation. Because of this, O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ enjoined
all his children and followers that any benefit that they had the capacity
of rendering must be given to O®Ùpeô because she had proved herself as a
great wife.
E®ek
¾ a¾n Ka;ngun-Ka¾ngun
Awo A®gboôn lo; di;a; f’A:gboôn
A®gboôn n;w’o;ôkoô i¾mo¾ôra¾n-a;n ya¾n kiri
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: f’eti; o¾tu;n gb’eô;boô
O: fi t’o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾
E®ek
¾ a¾n Ka;ngun-Ka¾ngun
Awo O®ÙpÙeô lo; di;a; f’OÙ:peô
OÙ®peô n;w’o;ôkoô i¾mo¾ôra¾n-a;n ya¾n kiri
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
E®ek
¾ a¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun
Awo O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ lo; di;a; fu;n O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
Baba n;sun’ku;n ala;i¾l’o;bi¾nrin
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
N®je;ô oore ti; eô ba; ni;
Ki; eô ma; mu¾u; sô’A®gboôn
OÙ®peô ni¾ka¾n l’olo;ore a¾wu;ro¾ô
512
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
Translation:
E®e¾ka¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun
The Awo of A®gboôn (the Coconut) cast Ifa; for A®gboôn
When searching for an ideal spouse
She was advised to offer eôboô
She heard the advice with her right ear
And threw it out with her left ear
E®e¾ka¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun
The Awo of O®Ùpeô (the Palm tree) cast Ifa; for O®Ùpeô
When searching for an ideal spouse
She was advised to offer eôboô
She complied
E®e¾ka¾n ka;ngun-ka¾ngun
The Awo of OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ cast Ifa; for O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾
When weeping in lamentation for his inability to
secure a compatible spouse
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Any benefit that you receive
Do not render it to A®gboôn
Only OÙ®peô deserves benefits from the beginning
Ifá says that both husband and wife will live happily and both of them
will affect each other’s lives positively in a symbiotic manner.
10. Ifá advises the person or group for whom this Odù is revealed to
offer eôboô for victory over adversity. Only eôboô can save him/her/them
where this Odù is revealed. The opposition is very formidable, but with
eôboô, he/she/they shall overcome.
Ifá advises the person(s) to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat,
plenty of cactus plants and money. He/she/they also need to plant
cactus trees round his/her/their house(s), if it is possible to do so.
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On this, Ifá says:
I®lu; oro; woôn o¾ ju;’gbe¾e;
I®lu; a¾je¾ji¾ woôn o¾ ju;’wo¾ô
I®ya¾ a; jeô a¾je¾ji¾ ta;n
O: t’ara i¾lu; u re¾ô para-pa¾ra¾-para
Di;a fu;n Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n
I®gba¾ti; n; f’ojooju;mo;ô koô’minu; ogun
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
It is not easy living in a wicked town
It is not easy entering a strange land
When a stranger suffers untold hardship
He will long for his native land unendingly
These were Ifá’s declarations to Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n
When he was in constant fear of war and uprising
He was advised to offer eôboô
Olo;mu¾, the OÙba of O®mu¾ land, had no rest anymore. He was also in
constant fear of war. His spies had warned him that the people of
I®da¾ho¾m
ô i¾, the Dahomean people were planning to wage war against his
land. The war machine of the I®da¾hom
¾ô i¾, people was awesome. Olo;mu¾
was objective enough to know that O®mu¾ was no match against the
military might of the I®da¾ho¾m
ô i¾, people. The military supremacy was
simply overwhelming. Olo;mu¾ realized that unless there was Divine
intervention, O®mu¾ would be levelled to the ground.
Why must this happen when he was the Ϙba of the land? What
bothered him more than anything else was the Cavalry battalion of the
ô i¾ people. They were so ruthless and unsympathetic. Should he
I®da¾ho¾m
run away before the war begins? If he did so, what would happen to his
subjects? What type of leader would he be if he abandoned all his
subjects and went into hiding? Should he commit suicide as soon as the
war gets to his town? If he did so, what benefit would that bring to his
subjects? Should I just surrender myself and the town when the
soldiers arrive? Would this save my domain? Truly, he needs divine
intervention. That was precisely what he looked for when he summoned
514
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
the group of Awo mentioned above for Ifá consultation: Will my land
survive the impending war? If yes, how? If no, what did he need to
do?
The Awo told Olo;mu¾ that there was an impending war which was sure
to be waged against O®mu¾ land. He said that O®mu¾ land was no match
against its opponent. He told Olo;mu¾ that only eôboô could save the land
from total destruction. He said that the Cavalry unit of the enemies was
more than enough to crush any town five times the size and strength of
O®mu¾ land. He advised Olo;mu¾ to offer eôboô as stated above. Olo;mu¾
thought about the whole situation and concluded that he had no other
realistic option than to offer the eôboô. He did it that very day.
I®lu; oro; woôn o¾ ju;’gbe¾e;
I®lu; a¾je¾ji¾ woôn o¾ ju;’wo¾ô
I®ya¾ a; jeô a¾je¾ji¾ ta;n
O: t’ara i¾lu; u reô¾ para-pa¾ra¾-para
Di;a; fu;n OÙroô;
Ti;i; sô’oôloôtan O®mu¾
E®yi; ti; yo;o; gb’o;gun ja¾ l’O:mu¾
Ti; yo;o; gb’O®mu¾ ka’le¾ô l'o;;ôwoô; iku;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
It is not easy living in a wicked town
It is not easy entering a strange land
When a stranger suffers untold hardship
He will long for his native land unendingly
These were Ifá’s declarations to OÙroô; (the Cactus)
The relative and neighbour of O®mu¾ land
Who would brave the war of O®mu¾
And rescue O®mu¾ land from impending doom
He was advised to offer eôboô
OÙroô; felt sympathy in seeing the futile moves of the inhabitants of O®mu¾
land. He could read hopelessness and resignation on their faces. The
inhabitants were just awaiting the arrival of the I®da¾hom
ô¾ i¾ people and they
all knew that the day the I®da¾hom
ô¾ i¾ people arrived in their town would be
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the day that they would all die violently. That was what moved him to
decide to help them. He knew that he had the power to incapacitate all
ô¾ i¾ people and render both the
the cavalry relied upon by the I®da¾hom
horses and the riders useless and ineffective. That was exactly what he
planned to do. For this reason, he went to the same group of Awo which
Olo;mu¾ consulted to cast Ifá for him and advise him on what to do for
his plan to work.
The Awo told him that he had the good mind of helping his neighbours;
and that his plan had a very good chance for working if well timed and
well executed. He was advised to time everything he would do very
well. He was also advised to offer the same eôboô which Olo;mu¾ was
advised to offer. OÙroô; understood exactly what the Awo meant by timing
his strategy very well. He also complied with the advice and offered the
eôboô
After this, he went to the people of O®mu¾ land and advised them to keep
their minds at rest. He assured them that they would not lose the war.
They all began to await the arrival of the I®da¾hom
ô¾ i¾ soldiers.
Shortly after this, the spies came to inform all the inhabitants that the
soldiers were just a few posts to the land. OÙroô; asked all the inhabitants
to dip the cactus that was in their homes into the stream that the
cavalry would use cross into the land. They did. As soon as this was
done, E®sôu¾ urged the soldiers to move quickly to overrun O®mu¾ land.
When they got to the stream, the horses showed signs of thirst. E®sôu¾
encouraged the soldiers to allow their horses to drink water before they
marched against the land. All the horses drank water from the stream
that had been soaked with cactus. One by one, the horses fell and died!
The soldiers became confused. E®sôu¾ told them that it would soon be
their turn to die inexplicable deaths! When they heard this, they all took
to their heels! The war was over before it even began.
As soon as these soldiers left, E®sôu¾ came to announce to the inhabitants
of O®mu¾ land that the war was over. The whole town burst into an
exciting celebration. E®sôu¾ also told them to carry their bowls, trays and
containers to go and cut up the horses and bring them home for
consumption. That was exactly what they did. They used the horse
meat to continue their festivities.
516
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
I®lu; oro; woôn o¾ ju;’gbe¾e;
I®lu; a¾je¾ji¾ woôn o¾ ju;’wo¾ô
I®ya¾ a; jeô a¾je¾ji¾ ta;n
O: t’ara i¾lu; u re¾ô para-pa¾ra¾-para
Di;a fu;n Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n
I®gba¾ti; n; f’ojooju;mo;ô koô’minu; ogun
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gbe;ô’boô, o; ru;’boô
I®lu; oro; woôn o¾ ju;’gbe¾e;
I®lu; a¾je¾ji¾ woôn o¾ ju;’wo¾ô
I®ya¾ a; jeô a¾je¾ji¾ ta;n
O: t’ara i¾lu; u reô¾ para-pa¾ra¾-para
Di;a; fu;n OÙroô;
Ti;i; sô’oôloôtan O®mu¾
E®yi; ti; yo;o; gb’o;gun ja¾ l’O:mu¾
Ti; yo;o; gb’O®mu¾ ka’le¾ô l'o;;ôwoô; iku;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni;; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’eô;boô, o; ru;’boô
Peô¾le;ô Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n
OÙmoô ar’oô;po;ôn n;la; j’omi-tooro eôsiô n
E®yi; oômoô O®n¾seô¾gba¾ di;du¾n l’oô;na¾ O®mu
Translation:
It is not easy living in a wicked town
It is not easy entering a strange land
When a stranger suffers untold hardship
He will long for his native land unendingly
These were Ifá’s declarations to Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n
When he was in constant fear of war and uprising
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
It is not easy living in a wicked town
It is not easy entering a strange land
When a stranger suffers untold hardship
He will long for his native land unendingly
These were Ifá’s declarations to OÙroô; (the Cactus)
The relative and neighbour of O®mu¾ land
Who would brave the war of O®mu¾
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And rescue O®mu¾ land from impending doom
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Gently, Olo;mu¾ Ape¾ôra;n
Offspring of those who have large bowls to consume
soup made with horse meat
Offspring of O®n¾seô¾gba¾ which is on the way to O®mu¾ land
Ifá says that this person shall overcome a formidable enemy. Instead of
being put to shame, the enemy shall be the one to experience shame.
Conversely, the person for whom this Odù is revealed must never plan
to put anyone to shame, lest his/her plan recoil on him/her.
11. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed plans to take
something very useful and important from someone. Ifá says that this
person will be able to take it. There will be crisis and problems at the
initial stage but in the end, he/she will take it successfully.
On the other hand, Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed
to offer eôboô so that something useful and important which he/she has
will not be taken away from him/her. If he/she allows this to happen,
all is/her efforts and struggles to retrieve the thing back will be fruitless.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with three cocks, 200 needles
and money.
On this Ifá says:
A®ba¾ta¾ ni;i; mu;’le¾ô rin gbi¾ngbi¾n
Di;a; fu;n Eku;nku;n
Ti; yo;o; gba Iri¾n
Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin Erin
EÙboô ni woôô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
A marshy place is noted for its wetness
This was the Ifá cast for Eku;nku;n (the needle grass)
Who would snatch away Iri¾n
518
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
The wife of Erin (the Elephant)
He was advised to offer eôboô
Iri¾n was a maltreated woman. She was very unhappy in her husband’s
house. She had no peace of mind. She was constantly abused,
physically, emotionally and mentally. She was to be seen but never to
be heard. She however noticed how free her friends were in their
respective matrimonial homes and this made her even more depressed.
One day, she went out on an errand for her husband Erin, the Elephant.
She met Eku;nku;n on the way. She had many things to carry and helped
Eku;nku;n her to carry them. This had never happened between her and
Erin. They conversed freely until she finally arrived to where she was
going. This too had never happened before between her and her
husband. When she was returning from where she went to, she met
Eku;nku;n again. The next two months, they continued meeting up with
each other and she developed a deep affection for Eku;nku;n. When she
came to know that Eku;nku;n was not yet married, she felt that he would
be a nice companion to have because he was a very nice man. Before
long, they developed a relationship. She would go and rest, and have
long conversations with Eku;nku;n and her mind would feel free and
relieved while she was with him.
One day, Eku;nku;n told Iri¾n that they could not continue to be secret
lovers anymore because it was totally unethical and that it was
unacceptable to him. He told her that he would like her to become his
wife because he felt that both of them would make a good pair. Iri¾n
responded that she was ready to be his wife but the problem was Erin,
her husband. She told Eku;nku;n that her husband would go after him
and crush him to death if he should find out that Eku;nku;n was planning
to snatch her away from him. They discussed this matter for a long
time.
In the end, they agreed that Eku;nku;n needed to go to A®bat¾ a¾ ni;i mu;’le¾ô rin
gbi¾ngbi¾n for Ifa; consultation: Will I succeed in my bid to become the
husband of Iri¾n? Will both of us live to tell the story?
The Awo assured Eku;nku;n that he would not only live to tell the story,
but that the woman would be a good spouse and also give birth to many
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beautiful children for him. He was however informed that there would
be crises and confusion, but in the end, he and Iri¾n would overcome.
The Awo advised Eku;nku;n to offer eôboô with three cocks, 200 needles
and money. He complied.
As soon as the eôboô was offered, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ went into action. He stuck
the 200 needles all over Eku;nku;n’s body, with the pointed edge of the
needles pointing upward.
Two days after the eôboô was offered, Iri¾n packed her things and moved
into Eku;nku;n’s house. As soon as she moved in however, trouble
started. Erin considered what had happened as an insult of the highest
order. He simply could not live with such an insult, he insisted. He
boasted that he would not only take back his wife but he would equally
punish the person who had the temerity to snatch his wife away from
him. He sent several people to investigate where Iri¾n had packed to and
to identify the person who had lodged her in his home. Within a week,
the exact location of Iri¾n had been identified.
The same day that the report of Iri¾n’s location was given to Erin, he
charged. When he got there, he saw Eku;nku;n spread everywhere. He
marched forward to where Eku;nku;n was, but immediately let out a loud
cry of anguish and rushed out. There was blood on his four legs. The
needles which Eku;nku;n offered as eôboô, which E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ stuck to his
body were marched upon by Erin and they had pierced his feet. He
tried a second time but cried in anguish again. He finally went home.
One week after, he attempted again to get his wife back but again he
went back to his home with needles and sores. For one year, Erin kept
trying and for one year, he kept suffering. Nobody appealed to Erin. He
finally gave up on Iri¾n and she became Eku;nku;n’s wife without any more
contention.
A®ba¾ta¾ ni;i; mu;’le¾ô rin gbi¾ngbi¾n
Di;a; fu;n Eku;nku;n
Ti; yo;o; gba Iri¾n
Ti;i; sô’obi¾nrin Erin
EÙboô ni woôô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
520
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
E®ro¾ I®po, E®ro¾ O®Ùfa¾
EÙ wa; ba; ni l’a;ru¾u;se
ô ô; ogun
A®ja¾se
ô ô; ogun la¾a; ba; ni l’e;ôseô¾ OÙba¾ri¾sa
ô ¾
A®gba¾gbe; la o; maa gba¾ woô;n ni;’re loô o
A®gba¾kan l'eku;nku;n gba’Ri¾n l’o;ôwoô; Erin
A®gba¾gbe; la o; maa gba¾ woô;n ni;’re loô o
Translation:
A marshy place is noted for its wetness
This was the Ifá cast for Eku;nku;n (the needle grass)
Who would snatch away Iri¾n
The wife of Erin (the Elephant)
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
Travellers to I®po of O®Ùfa¾
Join us where we use eôbo to overcome adversity
Victory over adversary is what Ifá guarantees
Without adverse consequences will we take Ire away
from them
Without adverse consequences does Eku;nku;n snatch away
Iri¾n from Erin
Without adverse consequences will we take away Ire
from them
Ifá says that it will guarantee victory and accomplishment for the person
for whom this Odù is revealed. He/she also needs to offer eôboô against
others taking away something from him/her that is of inestimable value.
12. Ifá advises a woman of substance where this Odù is revealed to
offer eôboô against being subjected to ridicule by her envious colleagues.
This is because there is something that is really agitating her mind and
her colleagues are using that to make mockery of her. Ifá says that if
she offers appropriate eôboô, the mouths of her envious friends and
colleagues will be permanently shut when Ifá supplies to her what has
been missing in her life.
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Ifá says that by the same period the following year, whatever is it that
has been agitating her mind and has been causing her great sadness,
pain and anxiety will be resolved and she will be in a position to
celebrate and rejoice.
Ifá advises this woman to offer eôboô with two rats, two fish, two
hens, two cocks, two ducks, two guinea fowls, two pigeons and
money.
On this, Ifá says:
Ori; ni; n; sôe woô;n ba;yi¾i;, Awo O®gu;nni;kin
A®sôo¾wo¾o¾je¾er¾ e¾ bi; eôni wi;pe; eôni o¾ tile¾ô m'oôja¾a; na; ni
Di;a; fu;n Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;
Wo;ôn ni; ko; sô’eôboô oôla¾
Ko; si¾ sô’eôboô oômoô
Translation:
Their destinies directed them so, the Awo of O®gu;nni;kin
If one trades and makes no profit, it is like one has no
business sense
These were Ifá’s declarations to Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;
Who was advised to offer eôboô of prosperity
And also for childbearing
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; was a relatively wealthy woman. She was blessed with the
latest attire, jewellery, make-up, etc. She was also very beautiful. She
was also very generous and she always made it a point of duty to
contribute her quota to any community development programmes. She
however was not blessed with the fruit of the womb. This was what had
been giving her serious concern. She wished to have her own baby so
as to stop sending other people’s children on errands.
The day came for the annual event in the town. Everybody was
expected to attend and dance. Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; ensured that she contributed
more than others in order to make the event a huge success.
522
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
When it was time for dancing, Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; stepped into the dancing arena
and began to dance and put money on the foreheads of all the women
present. They collected the money. Suddenly, the music and songs
changed. The women who she had just pasted money on their
foreheads began to sing thus:
EÙni l’aye; ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoôô oô¾ reô da¾ o
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ l'a;gbo
O l’o;wo; l’o;ôwoô;, o o¾ r’oô;moô ra¾ o
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ l’a;gbo
Translation:
Owner of the world, here comes ire
Si¾e-¾ô E®ji¾de;, here comes Ire
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby?
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby on this dancing floor?
You are blessed with wealth but wealth cannot buy you
your own baby
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby on this dancing floor?
When the women began to sing this song, they all quickly went to carry
their babies and strap them on their backs. It was a perfectly executed
coup against Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de. She burst into tears and left the dancing arena
immediately. She was crying home and began to say:
Ko¾ ma¾ ma¾ s’o;ômoô l’a;teô o
Olo;wo; i¾ ba; ra¾ o
Translation:
If there were markets where babies were sold
The rich would go there to buy
She was singing this song repeatedly. As she was singing, so was she
crying. Suddenly, from nowhere in particular, she heard a voice singing
another song; It was E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ singing in reply to her song of sorrow?
The voice saying:
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OÙmoÙ ma¾ ma¾ n;beô l’a;teô o
O: d’ile; O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ o
Translation:
Of course there are children in the market
Go to O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾‟s home
She looked around and she saw nobody singing. She tried running away
from the voice she was hearing until she became tired. In the end, she
decided to head for OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s house instead of running away from the
person whom she did not see.
When she got to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾’s home, she burst into tears again. She
narrated her tale of sorrow to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾. That was when OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
assigned two of his resident Awo, Ori; ni; n;sôe won
ô; ba;yi¾i;, Awo O®gu;nni;kin
and A®sÙo¾wo¾o¾je¾e¾re¾ bi; eôni wi;pe; eôni o¾ tile¾ô m’oôja¾a; na; lo; ri; to attend to her.
They did.
They advised her to offer eôboô as stated above, so that she could
continue to succeed financially and at the same time, she would be
blessed with the fruit of the womb. She complied. After this, they did
Ifá work for her and that same month, she became pregnant.
On the day of the following annual celebration, E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ told her to
carry her baby to the dance arena. He called on all her colleagues to
sing and mock her as they had done the previous year. None of them
would. They were all overwhelmed with shame.
In the end, they began to sing thus:
EÙni l’aye; e¾ ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de e¾ ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; o¾ oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ o?
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô re¾e; l’a;gbo
O l’o;wo; l’o;ôwoô;, o tu;n gb’o;ômoô poôn
¾ o
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; o¾, oômoôô reô re¾e; l’a;gbo
L’o;o¾o;to;ô l’oômoô ma¾ma¾ n;beô l’a;teô o
O: d’ile; OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ o!
Translation:
524
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
Owner of the world, here comes Ire
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here comes Ire
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, where is your baby?
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here is your baby in the dancing floor
You are blessed with wealth and strap your own baby on
your back
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here is your baby on the dance floor
Truly, there are children in the market
Go to OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾‟s home!
From that day onward, Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de was the happiest woman on earth.
Until she grew to her old age and joined her ancestors, she remained
grateful to Olodumare, her Orí, Ifá and her Awo.
Ori; ni; n; sôe woô;n ba;yi¾i;, Awo O®gu;nni;kin
A®sôo¾wo¾o¾je¾er¾ e¾ bi; eôni wi;pe; eôni o¾ tile¾ô m'oôja¾a; na; ni
Di;a; fu;n Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;
Wo;ôn ni; ko; sô’eôboô oôla¾
Ko; si¾ sô’eôboô oômoô
O: gb'e;ôboô, o; ru;'boô
EÙni l’aye; ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoôô oô¾ reô da¾ o
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ l'a;gbo
O l’o;wo; l’o;ôwoô;, o o¾ r’oô;moô ra¾ o
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ l’a;gbo
EÙni l’aye; e¾ ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de e¾ ire e; de;
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; o¾ oômoô oô¾ reô da¾ o?
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; oômoô oô¾ reô re¾e; l’a;gbo
O l’o;wo; l’o;ôwoô;, o tu;n gb’o;ômoô poôn
¾ o
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de; o¾, oômoôô reô re¾e; l’a;gbo
L’o;o¾o;to;ô l’oômoô ma¾ma¾ n;beô l’a;teô o
O: d’ile; O®Ùrunmila o!
Ko¾ peô;, ko¾ ji¾¾nna¾
EÙ wa;a; ba;'ni ba;'yo¾ô
EÙ wa;a; wo're o
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Translation:
Their destinies directed them so, the Awo of O®gu;nni;kin
If one trades and makes no profit, it is like one has
no business sense
These were Ifá’s declarations to Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;
Who was advised to offer eôboô of prosperity
And also for childbearing
She complied
Owner of the world, here comes ire
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, here comes Ire
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby?
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby on this dancing floor?
You are blessed with wealth but wealth cannot buy
you your own baby
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de;, where is your baby on this dancing floor?
Owner of the world, here comes Ire
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here comes Ire
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, where is your baby?
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here is your baby in the dancing floor
You are blessed with wealth and strap your own baby
on your back
Si¾e¾ô-E®ji¾de, here is your baby on the dance floor
Truly, there are children in the market
Go to Orunmila‟s home!
Before long, not too far
Join us in the midst of joy
Come and perceive all Ire
13. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed to ensure that
he/she offers his/her eôbo as quickly as possible. Ifá says that he/she
should not postpone any eôbo especially if found that he/she has the
means and space to offer the eôbo at the earliest possible time.
Postponing his/her eôbo until another time may spell doom for him/her in
the end. As a matter of fact, urgently offering his/her eôbo may mean
the difference between life and death for him/her.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôbo with four cocks, four hens, four
guinea fowls and money.
526
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
On this Ogbe¾-„Ka¾nra¾n says:
Gu;ru;kan lo; di;a; fu;n Egu;ngu;n
F’e¾ôyi¾n-sô’oôroô¾ lo; di;a; fu;n Oro¾
Ajagunra;si¾n lo; di;a; fu;n Abiyamoô
Abuke; ile; I®la;, Awo ile; I®la;
O®Ùroô¾ gbe;’nu; gbe; si;, Awo woôn O®ke¾ I®jero¾
Atiro eôseô¾ ni;i; ri¾n sa;n;ge;le;-sa¾n¾ge¾le¾-sa;n;ge;le;
Di;a; fu;n Ajagun-N:la;
Ni;’jo;ô to; n;gb’o;gun loô I®lu; O®wu
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Gu;ru;kan was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Egu;ngu;n
F‟e¾ôyi¾n-sôorô oô¾ cast Ifa; for Oro¾
Ajagunra;si¾n cast Ifa; for Abiyamoô (the Nursing Mother)
Abuke; Ile; I®la;, the Awo of I®la; land
O®Ùroô¾-gbe;'nu;-gbe; si;, their Awo in I®jero¾ land
The limping person who walks sideways
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ajagun-N:la;
When going on a military campaign to O®wu town
He was advised to offer eôboô
Ajagun-N:la; was a very brave warrior. He had engaged in several
military campaigns and had returned home victorious in all. The fear of
Ajagun-N:la; became the beginning of wisdom for all the inhabitants of
the neighbouring villages.
One day, Ajagun-N:la; heard that the inhabitants of O®wu land were
boasting that they had no fear for Ajagun-N:la; and they would face him
power for power, tactic for tactic and bravery for bravery. This
information did not sit pretty with him at all. As soon as he heard this,
he began to prepare for war. He would teach them a lesson they would
not forget in a hurry. Who were they? What military experience did they
have? Who was backing them that was giving them this false
confidence? Did they not realize that they were rats, playing with the
whiskers of a cat?
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He concluded that he would move against I®lu; O®wu in three days' time
and not more than that. He would make them eat dust. They would
prostrate, crawl and cry at his feet after he had rubbished them. By the
time he finished with them, they would have learnt never to play with
fire any longer.
In order to finalize his war plans he decided to go for Ifá consultation in
the home of the group of Awo mentioned above: what type of
punishment did he need to mete out to the inhabitants of O®wu land?
The Awo consulted Ifá and advised Ajagun-N:la; that if he must wage war
against the inhabitants of O®wu land at all, he needed to postpone the
time that he would set out for at least one week. The time he had
chosen was not auspicious for what he planned to do. He needed to
offer eôboô and performed certain rituals before he could go. He was
urged to complete all the rituals before he set out on his journey.
Ajagun-N:la; could not believe his ears. So, these Awo would advise him
to postpone his journey to O®wu where the inhabitants had been
boasting and making costly jokes at his expense? No. He would not
postpone the journey. He loved to offer eôboô anytime that eôboô was
recommended for him. He would certainly offer this particular eôboô too.
However, this eôboô would have to wait until he returned from the military
campaign. It was over his dead body that a bunch of fools and
inexperienced military jokers would make expensive jokes like that and
get away with them. They must be dealt with decisively in order to use
it as a deterrent against other loose-mouthed cheap soldiers in other
areas. There was no need to wait for the three days he had earlier said.
He left that evening.
When he got to O®wu land, what he met there in term of resistance was
totally unexpected. He realized to his chagrin that when a rat
continuously challenged a cat, a hole was certainly within the reach of
the rat. All his military tactics were deployed but he could make no
headway. He was totally overwhelmed. In the end, the youths of O®wu
land, who had never been exposed to any serious military action before
were the ones who surrounded Ajagun-N:la;. They captured him. They
dragged him round their town. In the evening of that day, they cut off
his limbs. Three days later, Ajagun-N:la; was killed. The inhabitants began
to make expensive jokes against Ajagun-N:la;, over his dead body.
528
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
Gu;ru;kan lo; di;a; fu;n Egu;ngu;n
F’e¾ôyi¾n-sô’oôroô¾ lo; di;a; fu;n Oro¾
Ajagunra;si¾n lo; di;a; fu;n Abiyamoô
Abuke; ile; I®la;, Awo ile; I®la;
O®Ùroô¾ gbe;’nu; gbe; si;, Awo woôn O®ke¾ I®jero¾
Atiro eôseô¾ ni;i; ri¾n sa;n;ge;le;-sa¾n¾ge¾le¾-sa;n;ge;le;
Di;a; fu;n Ajagun-N:la;
Ni;’jo;ô to; n;gb’o;gun loô I®lu; O®wu
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: f’eti; oôôtu;n gb’e;ôboô
O: fi t’o¾si¾ da¾a; nu¾
Ajagun-N:la; o¾ ba; te¾te¾ mo¾ô
I® ba; wa;a; f’owo; sô’a¾ru;fi;n eôboô o
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾
EÙni i; gb’e;ôboô ni;’be¾ô ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô o
Translation:
Gu;ru;kan was the Awo who cast Ifa; for Egu;ngu;n
F‟e¾ôyi¾n-sôorô oô¾ cast Ifa; for Oro¾
Ajagunra;si¾n cast Ifa; for Abiyamoô (the Nursing Mother)
Abuke; Ile; I®la;, the Awo of I®la; land
O®Ùroô¾-gbe;'nu;-gbe; si;, their Awo in I®jero¾ land
The limping person who walks sideways
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Ajagun-N:la;
When going on a military campaign to O®wu town
He was advised to offer eôboô
He heard the advice with his right ear
And threw it out with his left ear
Had Ajagun-N:la; known ahead of time
He would have ensured that he offered the eôboô
as prescribed
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Let those advised to offer eôboô please comply
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Ifá says that it will not allow the person for whom this Odù is revealed
to experience everlasting regret in his/her life. Ifá urges him/her to
ensure that he/she complies with the advice to offer eôboô and the advice
given before embarking on anything or taking any step.
14. Ifá warns that there is the urgent need to call a young man to order
where this Odù is revealed. Ifá says that this young man is engaged in
activities which could cut his life short abruptly. Ifá says that the
irregular and untoward behaviour of this young man in question are on
the verge of dragging him face to face with disaster and doom. If the
young man is not urgently called to order, the family where he hails
from will surely mourn his loss very soon.
Ifá advises that eôboô should be offered with a mature he-goat and
money. The man in question also needs to have a change of attitude
and behaviour immediately.
On these aspects, Ifá says:
Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an ti’re¾ô ko; ma; sôeô
Di;a; fu;n Oni;se
ô ku;se
ô
Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙku¾nrin O®de
E®yi; ti; woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô
Ko; ma; pin araa re¾ô l’eô;mi¾i;
Translation:
Ogbe¾-'Ka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything for it not
to come to pass
This was the Ifá cast for Oni;sôeku;sôe (the boy with
untoward behaviour)
The boy about town
Who was advised to offer eôboô
Lest he cut his own life short
Oni;sôeku;sôe, the boy with untoward behaviour, was truly an incorrigible
person. He was a thief. He was a liar. He was very promiscuous. He
was a cheat. He was a conspirator. He was a hired assassin. He had a
particularly foul mouth. He was also very rude and disrespectful to
530
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
constituted authority. Because he was the only son his mother had, she
would always find convenient excuses for his irregular behaviour.
Sometimes, the mother would tell whoever cared to listen that the boy’s
father was really responsible because he had not been taking proper
care of him, and that was why he started stealing other people’s things.
Sometimes, she would say her son was so kind-hearted and so generous
that he did not know how to say no to anyone who asked him for help.
If he had nothing to give at that particular point in time, he would get
the thing for the person by any means and give it to the person who
asked for his assistance. Part of the means to satisfy those who asked
for his help was to steal. Sometimes, when someone was killed and
people suspected her son; her excuse would be that her son would
never hurt anyone intentionally and if he did, it could never be without a
genuine reason. The person hurt or killed probably was a wicked person
in the society who deserved to go anyway in order to allow the society
to breath fresh air. Instead of people condemning her son, they ought
to thank him for doing their dirty work for them.
That was the way he had been living his life. That was also the way his
mother had been giving him backing. The neighbours were watching
with horror but Oni;sôeku;sôe and his mother appeared not to take notice.
One day however, Oni;sôeku;sôe went for Ifá consultation. He wanted to
go on a robbery operation. He was so confident that he would come
back home with lots of loot. He wanted to know what to do before he
proceeded on his illegal mission.
The Awo told him that he was about to embark on a journey that had a
very high propensity to cut short his life. He was advised to offer eôboô
with one mature he-goat and desist from this untoward behaviour.
He was also advised to bring his mother along when coming to offer the
ẹbọ.
Oni;sôeku;sôe went home and called his mother to follow him to the home
of the Awo. He procured the he-goat too. The Awo offered the eôboô for
him. At the same time, the Awo told Oni;sôeku;sôe’s mother to warn her
son to desist from all his untoward behaviour, lest he cut short his life.
After this, they left.
On their way back home, they both reasoned that as long as Oni;sôeku;sôe
had offered the eôboô, nothing untoward would happen to him.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
They felt that the Awo was just jealous of his economic status.
Oni;sôeku;sôe promised himself that when he returned from his robbery
mission, he would go and give the Awo something to make him happy.
That night, Oni;sôeku;sôe sneaked out of his house as was his usual
practice and went on his mission. When he got there, the hunters were
waiting. E®sôu¾ OÙ®da¾ra¾ had gone to inform the hunters to be extra vigilant
that night because hardened criminals and armed robbers might come
to rob the community of its valuable items. Oni;sôeku;sôe got more than
what he bargained for. He was shot with poisoned arrows in nine parts
of his body. He died instantly. He died violently.
Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n ki¾i; ka¾nra¾n-an ti’re¾ô ko; ma; sôeô
Di;a; fu;n Oni;se
ô ku;se
ô
Ti;i; sô’oômoô OÙku¾nrin O®de
E®yi; ti; woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sô’eôboô
Ko; ma; pin araa re¾ô l’eô;mi¾i;
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
SÙu¾gboô;n ko¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô moô;
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾
E®Ùyin o¾ wa;a; wo E®su
ô ¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾
Bo; ti wa; fi wo;ôn sô’eô¾si;n ni; gbangba
Translation:
Ogbe¾-'Ka¾nra¾n will never pronounce anything
for it not to come to pass
This was the Ifá cast for Oni;sôeku;sôe (the-boywith-untoward-behaviour)
The boy about town
Who was advised to offer eôboô
Lest he cut his own life short
He complied by offering eôboô
But failed to heed the warning of the Awo
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Can’t you see how E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾
Ridicules them out in the open?
532
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
Ifá says that this person will not be subjected to ridicule. He also needs
to ensure that he does not give E®sôu¾ O®Ùda¾ra¾ any reason to subject him to
public ridicule or serious harm.
15. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed against taking
his friend to his girlfriend’s house. If he does so, it is most likely that
the friend will end up becoming the husband of the woman. Ifá warns
that it is a big taboo for Ogbe¾-'Ka¾nra¾n children to steal their friends’
girlfriend or spouse. It is also not advisable for this person to take their
male friends or male siblings to their lover’s place.
Conversely, it is not advisable for the person for whom this Odù is
revealed to accompany his friend or relative to his lover’s place only for
him to manoeuvre the situation he found in the place to favour himself,
where he would eventually become the husband of his friend’s or
relative’s lover.
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and
money. He also needs to be very careful in his dealings with others, no
matter how close they may be to him.
On this, Ifá has this to say:
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
Di;a; fu;n EÙpoô¾n
Ti; yo;o; mu; Oko; re’le; obi¾nrin re¾ô O®bo¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for EÙpoô¾n (the
Scrotum)
Who planned to take Oko; (the Penis) to the home of
his lover O®bo¾ (the Vagina)
He was advised to offer eôboô
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Both Oko; (Penis) and EÙpoô¾n (the Scrotum) were close friends. They
were so fond of each other that they had become almost inseparable.
There was nothing that one would do outside the knowledge of the
other. Because they loved to do everything in common and
complimentarily, those who knew them very well preferred to refer to
the two of them as the Genitals.
One day, EÙpoô¾n (the Scrotum) met a woman that he was totally
convinced would make him a good wife. The name of this woman was
O®bo¾ (the Vagina). Before long, their love grew so deep that they soon
began to consider marriage. EÙpoô¾n thought that it would be very unwise
for him to take further steps without informing his bosom friend Oko;
(the penis). Consequent upon this, he told Oko; everything that had
been going on between O®bo¾ and himself. Oko; was extremely happy for
this development.
When this had been settled, he decided to go to the home of his Awo,
EÙ fi¾ loro and EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾ for Ifá consultation. All that he wished to know
was whether or not the relationship between him and O®bo¾ would be
fruitful.
The Awo told him that his lover was a great and loving woman. She was
also very considerate. She would make a good home for him. He was
however warned against taking anyone along whenever he planned to
visit his lover at home. He was also told never to send anyone to her or
ask anyone to represent him, no matter how close the person might be
to him. He was warned to always go to her alone.
The Awo also advised EÙpoô¾n to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and
money. He complied.
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
Di;a; fu;n Oko;
Ti; yo;o; gba obi¾nrin EÙpoô¾n l’a;gba¾gbe;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
534
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Oko; (the Penis)
Who would snatch the woman of EÙpoô¾n and make
her his wife
He was advised to offer eôboô
Oko; (the penis) was very happy that his bosom friend EÙpoô¾n had secured
a woman that made him happy. He wished him well in all ways. He was
even prepared to assist the couple in any way he could to ensure that
everything went well with them. He genuinely loved his friend and
wholeheartedly identified himself with all what he was doing. When he
got to know that his friend was happily hooked, he went to the home of
the same Babaláwo for Ifá consultation in order to determine his own
chance of meeting a woman that would make him happy also and
fulfilled. When the two Awo cast the Ifá, Ogbe¾ OÙ®ka¾nra¾n was also
revealed.
The Awo informed Oko; that he too would soon be blessed with a
woman who would be compatible to him. He was told that he needed
to be patient because the time for him to secure his own lover would
soon come. He was however warned against snatching another man’s
wife or lover or even letting another man’s woman interest him in any
amorous way. He needed to get such thoughts out of his mind
immediately.
The Awo advised him to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and
money. He was also told not to betray the confidence reposed in him
by those who trusted and loved him.
Oko; looked at himself very closely and declared that nothing on earth
would ever make him develop any amorous interest in the woman of his
own friend. There were too many eligible women around looking for
partners. Why would he be interested in those who were already taken?
He asked himself. He assured the Awo that such a thing would never
happen to him. He could never and would never betray the trust
reposed in him by anyone. He offered the eôboô as advised.
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
One day, EÙpoô¾n planned to visit his woman. He was feeling shy to go
there alone. Who would then accompany him to her place and help him
call her out so that he could talk with her? He thought of many people
and eventually settled with Oko;. As he was doing this, E®sôu¾ repeatedly
whispered to him not to forget the warning of the Awo that he must
never take anyone to his lover’s place. He considered this and concluded
that if anyone would betray him, it could never and would never be Oko;.
For every rule, there must be an exception. Oko; was the exception.
He went and invited Oko; to accompany him. Being such good friends,
Oko; obliged and accompanied him to the place. When they got near the
place, EÙpoô¾n pointed to the house and begged his friend to go in and call
his lover out for him. Oko; agreed. He entered into the house. The
moment Oko; set his eyes on O®bo¾ and O®bo¾ saw Oko; everything
changed. Oko; began to “transact” his own business at the expense of
his friend. By the time he came out of the house, Oko; was too tired to
discuss anything with EÙpoô¾n.
The next day, Oko; followed EÙpoô¾n to the place. Oko; entered. EÙpoô¾n
stayed outside. Oko; and O®bo¾ “transacted” business together again. The
business was not unconnected with pregnancy and child-bearing. None
of them remembered EÙpoô¾n. Oko; and EÙpoô¾n began to go together to the
place; EÙpoô¾n would stay by the gate of the house; Oko; would enter to
“transact” more business of baby making.
Whenever he came out, he would tell his friend that he was being well
represented. This was how everything was going on for a long time and
EÙpoô¾n no longer had the chance to enter the house in order to discuss
baby-making with his beloved, O®bo¾.
One day, O®bo¾ became pregnant! When EÙpoô¾n heard of this, he nearly
fainted. He made inquiries everywhere and found out that his bosom
friend was responsible for the pregnancy! No! This was preposterous!
It was totally impossible! It was unbelievable! It could not happen! He
challenged his friend. All Oko; could tell his friend was for him not to
worry, he (EÙpoô¾n) was well represented!
EÙpoô¾n could not believe this, he decided to go and meet the parents of
O®bo¾ in order to state his own case to them. When he got there, they
painted a sorry picture of how his bosom friend had betrayed him; and
536
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
how Oko; was in love with their daughter; how he had asked his friend
to come and help him call her out but how his friend had taken over
completely and how he had left him in the cold.
When he finished his story, the parents of O®bo¾ looked at him with
unhidden loath and anger. They told him that as far as that family was
concerned, nobody knew him and nobody was interested in knowing
him. The only person they knew with their daughter whom the whole
family approved of was Oko;! They then warned him never to go about
assassinating the good character of their daughter and made it clear
that the family would go to any length to deal with him if they ever
suspected such nonsense. He was told that it was in his best interest to
ensure that the couple stayed happily married and joyfully together; if
not, he would blame himself for any eventuality. After this, he was
thrown out of the house unceremoniously.
When he got back home, he realized that the only thing that would do
him a world of good was to cooperate with both Oko; and O®bo¾. He was
to accept the inevitable. He regretted that he had hitherto been warned
never to take anyone to his lovers place, but alas, it was too late to do
anything about it now.
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
Di;a; fu;n EÙpoô¾n
Ti; yo;o; mu; Oko; re’le; obi¾nrin re¾ô O®bo¾
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
SÙu¾gboô;n ko¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô moô;
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
Di;a; fu;n Oko;
Ti; yo;o; gba obi¾nrin EÙpoô¾n l’a;gba¾gbe;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: gb’e;ôboô, o; ru;’boô
SÙu¾gboô;n ko¾ pa i¾ki¾lo¾ô moôô;
E®ro¾ I®po, e¾ro¾ O®Ùfa¾
EÙ®yin o¾ ri;’na; Ifa; ka¾n n; jo; woôn
Translation:
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for EÙpoô¾n
(the Scrotum)
Who planned to take Oko; (the Penis) to the home
of his lover O®bo¾ (the Vagina)
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
But did not heed the warning of the Awo
EÙ fi¾ loro
EÙ fi¾ la¾ra¾
They were the Awo who cast Ifa; for Oko; (the Penis)
Who would snatch the woman of EÙpoô¾n and make
her his wife
He was advised to offer eôboô
He complied
But did not heed the warning of the Awo
Travellers to I®po and O®Ùfa¾
Don’t you see how the fire of Ifá continues to
burn them fiercely?
Ifá warns that after offering the eôboô it is imperative to heed the warning
of the Awo. Even though Oko; succeeded in taking over the woman of
his friend, he lived the rest of his life with the woman feeling very guilty
for what he had done and his conscience never gave him a break.
Oko; was never totally happy. Also, EÙpoô¾n was blackmailed into
submission and lived with regrets.
16. Ifá warns the person for whom this Odù is revealed never to see
his/her friend off across a bridge, stream, river or boundary of a town,
province, state or country. It is a different thing if they are all going
together to another place and he is a part of them. But if he/she is only
seeing the friends off and after needs to return to his/her own home,
he/she must not do so. All he/she needs to do is to see them off to the
edge of a bridge, stream, river, town, province, state or country and
turn back from there. This is very important to follow!
538
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
Ifá advises this person to offer eôboô with one mature he-goat and
money. He/she also needs to offer eôboô with the clothes he/she had
on during the Ifá consultation. He/she also needs to feed O®gu;n and
E®sôu¾ with one cock each.
On this, Ifá says:
Erin i; ra
EÙfoô¾n ra
A®ja¾na¾ku; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; i¾ja¾ ran¾ra s’oô;deô
Di;a; fu;n Erin
Ti; o¾hun O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ joô n; sô’oô¾reô;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
The elephant disappears
The buffalo disappears
The elephant is it that raises its trunk threateningly
at the hunter
These were Ifá’s messages to Erin (the Elephant)
When he and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ were friends
He was advised to offer eôboô
O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ and Erin, the Elephant were close friends. They loved to visit
each other regularly. Whenever they met, they would discuss several
issues together and find ways of proffering solutions to the problems of
life.
One day, Erin went to the home of the group of Awo mentioned above
to find a solution to some of the issues affecting his community. The
Awo consulted Ifá for him and they advised him to offer eôboô with one
mature he-goat and money. He was also asked to offer eôboô with
the dress that he was wearing on the day that he went for the Ifá
consultation.
Erin was ready to offer the eôboô quite alright. The problem however was
that he was not prepared to release the dress that he was wearing,
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
claiming that he did not have two dresses. He argued that he could not
be going about naked.
Erin was also warned not to see anybody off across any bridge, stream,
river, town, province, state or country. He was advised to stay close to
home for about six months. He said that he was moving about in order
to reduce his massive size. His movements everywhere were in the form
of exercise aimed at making him fit and slim so that he would not be
looking awkward and mountainous. In short, he failed to offer the eôboô
or comply with the warnings of the Awo.
Two days after this, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ visited him. He told OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ what the
Awo had told him. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ urged him to go and offer the eôboô
immediately. He gave Erin some money to purchase the he-goat and
another dress for himself. He warned Erin that it was in his (Erin’s)
interest to heed the warning of the Awo. Soon after, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ left for
his home. Erin wanted to see him off but OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ told Erin not to. He
told Erin not to see anyone off and offer the eôboô as prescribed by his
Awo. He promised to come back to visit Erin in two days' time.
In the morning, on the second day that OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ was to come and visit
his friend, Erin had other friends with him. When they were about to
leave, Erin decided to see them off to the spot across the stream. They
went together. Unknown to Erin, so many people had been waiting in
siege for him in order to kill him. They considered his crusade for people
to change for the better as being irritating and disturbing. They planned
to kill him. Many of these enemies did not even know him that well or
at all. The only thing they knew about him was that he was always
wearing velvet dresses.
As soon as these enemies saw him crossing the stream with his friends,
they waited for him to return alone. When he appeared, he was greeted
with arrows, spears, javelins, swords, axes, batons, and so on. He died
shortly after. Before his death however, he remembered that he had
been warned not to see anyone off across any stream.
In the evening, OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ appeared at his friend’s house only to see his
dead body. It was a painful spectacle. OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾ declared to all
sympathizers that Erin was a good fellow. Consequent upon that, he
deserved a decent burial with all the rites of passage completed. That
540
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
was exactly what Erin was given. When the final rites were being
performed, all the Awo present began to chant I®yer¾ô e,ô¾ saying:
Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô’oro¾ Erin o o¾
Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô'oro¾ Erin
Iku; o¾ ma¾ jeô; o, K’E:rin o; le¾ d’A:lo¾ô
Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô’oro¾ Erin
Translation:
Rapidly does one perform the final rites of Erin
(the Elephant)
Forcefully does one perform the final rites of Erin
Death was it that prevented Erin from
accomplishing his purpose in life
Powerfully does one perform the final rites of Erin
All the rites of passage performed for Erin were supervised by OÙ®ru;nmi¾la¾
from the very beginning to the end.
Erin i; ra
EÙfoô¾n ra
A®ja¾na¾ku; ni;i; sô’oôwoô; i¾ja¾ ran¾ra s’oô;deô
Di;a; fu;n Erin
Ti; o¾hun O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ joô n; sô’oô¾reô;
EÙboô ni woô;n ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
O: f’eôboô sô’aloô;
N®je;ô gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô’oro¾ Erin o o¾
Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô'oro¾ Erin
Iku; o¾ ma¾ jeô; o, K’E:rin o; le¾ d’A:lo¾ô
Gi¾ri¾gi¾ri¾ la¾a; sô’oro¾ Erin
Translation:
The elephant disappears
The buffalo disappears
The elephant is it that raises its trunk threateningly
at the hunter
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These were Ifá’s messages to Erin (the Elephant)
When he and O®Ùru;nmi¾la¾ were friends
He was advised to offer eôboô
He delayed and failed to offer the eôboô at
the appropriate time
Forcefully does one perform the final rites of Erin
Death was it that prevented Erin from fulfilling
his destiny
Powerfully does one perform the final rites of Erin
Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be
prevented from experiencing untimely death. That is why he/she needs
to offer eôboô as quickly as possible and at the same time to follow the
warnings of his/her Awo.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
542
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
B. SIGNIFICANCE OF OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N FOR CHILDREN
BORN BY THE ODU® DURING I®KOÙSEÙ®DA:YE: OR I®TE®ÙNI:FA:
For the children of Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n, males and females, they are usually
guaranteed with three great Ire at any given point in time in their lives.
These three Ire are those of victory, merriment and happiness. These
three Ire that are parts of the essential components of their destiny are
the impetus that gear this person towards the achievement of great
things in their lives. They give them the confidence to confront
challenges, difficulties, duties, responsibilities, and assignments. At the
end of the day, they come back with victory, sweet victory, which they
savour for a long time.
The success and accomplishment of Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n male and female
children are more often than not cemented by strangers who either visit
their locality or stay in their home. For these Ire to happen, there is the
need for Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children to take good care of their homes and
vicinity in terms of cleanliness, hygiene, and neatness. Their success
chances are directly proportional to their level of neatness and hygiene.
Consequent upon this, the more hygiene conscious they are, the better
for their success chances.
Through hard work, determination and resourcefulness, Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n
children usually return to their homes with honour, title conferment,
leadership position, recognition and accolades. The more they receive,
the more they push to achieve more.
Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children have the propensity to live very long even while
in the midst of enemies. There is no gainsaying the fact that many
people wish them dead and buried. They will however live long to the
regret and agony of their enemies. Those who take active steps for
them to meet with calamity will end up falling into the traps that they
set for Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children. The painful part of this aspect is that
most of their enemies are within. They are the people that Ogbe¾
'Ka¾nra¾n do without relating to on a regular basis. Ifá will however
make all these enemies fail in their deeds.
The major weakness of Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children is that because they are
used to receiving the three major Ire of victory, happiness and
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
merriment, they cannot persevere in times of tribulation. They usually
think of changing jobs, residence, or locality very quickly. However,
their success will meet them right in their locality. They do not need to
change their environment or job. They only need to persevere to make
things better but that is what is difficult for them to do.
For Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n male children, they have the chance and luck of
picking compatible spouses that will be their partners for the rest of
their lives. They however need to pick dark skinned women as opposed
to fair skinned ones. Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children however ironically love fair
skinned ladies more than dark skinned ones. Their destinies however do
not support them being in relationships with fair skinned women. If
they are married to a dark skinned woman, they will have a great
marriage and will receive the blessing of great children who will make
the community great. Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n male children must never make
the mistake of taking their friends to their suitors houses. If they do,
the friend will most likely end up becoming the husband of the woman.
Conversely, Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children must never snatch the women of
their friends because they too have the tendency to do so.
For Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n female children, they make great spouses, good
housewives and great mothers. Their fellow women however usually
turn out to be their greatest source of concern and discomfort. Women
tend to loathe and envy them with a passion. They do not wish them to
succeed or beget children of their own. However, they will all fail at
making the woman’s life difficult.
On the overall, Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children live long in relative peace,
progress, and happiness. They enjoy their lives to the maximum and
they die contented and self realized.
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
544
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
C.
AFFILIATED IRU:NMOÙLEÙ/® O®RI®SÙA® OF OGBE® 'KA®NRA®N
1. Ifá - For success, elevation, victory, contentment, direction, support,
guidance, and overall wellbeing
2. Orí - For fulfilment of destiny, elevation, support, sanctuary,
benevolence, victory, contentment, and self actualization
3. E®sôu¾-O®Ùda¾ra¾ - For direction, support, sanctuary, protection, victory,
elevation, and general wellbeing
4. O®gu;n- For victory, success, leadership, contentment, achievement
and general wellbeing
5. OÙbalu;aye;- For protection against pestilence and ailments, victory,
support and overall success
6. EÙgbeô; - For comradeship, leadership, elevation, support, achievement,
contentment, victory, honour, and overall wellbeing
7. Aje;- For financial success, leadership, satisfaction, victory, support,
and general success
8. SÙa¾ngo;- For victory, support, elevation, success, leadership, and
overall success
9. Egu;ngu;n- For ancestral support, victory, continuity, elevation,
achievement, and general wellbeing
10. OÙ®su
ô n - For compatible spouse, childbearing, childrearing and
general wellbeing
D.
TABOOS OF OGBE® 'KA®NRA®N
1. Must never consume chicken - to avoid the problem of
unconsummated fortune, dwindling resources, health challenges and
regrets
2. Must never perpetrate evil to revenge evil - to avoid facing
problems and tribulations on a constant basis
3. Must never eat sweet potatoes - to avoid unconsummated
fortune, dwindling resources and failure
4. Must never send negative energy against anyone - To avoid
being the victim of his/her negative designs
545
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
5. Woman must never ridicule or humiliate her husband - To
avoid shame, odium, and regrets
6. Man must not marry a light skinned woman - To avoid major
matrimonial problems
7. Must never conspire against anyone or any group - To avoid
ridicule, humiliation, disgrace, failure, regret and disaster
8. Must not eat coconut - To avoid matrimonial problems
9. Must never allow filth and uncleanliness in his/her body,
home and environment - To avoid missing his success chances,
unconsummated fortune, failure and regret
10. Must never take any friend to his fiancée’s home - To avoid
losing the woman to his friend
11. Must never snatch his friend's woman - To avoid the heavy
burden on his conscience for the rest of his life
12. Must never accompany any friend across any river,
boundary of a town, a region or a country - To avoid threat to life
and disaster
13. Must never change ones job, position, or locality because of
challenges - To avoid missing his/her success chances,
unconsummated fortune and prolonged suffering
14. Must never wear red or black dresses - To avoid being
surrounded by negative aura
546
OGBE® OÙ®KA®NRA®N
E.
POSSIBLE NAMES OF OGBE® 'KA®NRA®N
It is advisable for all Ogbe¾ 'Ka¾nra¾n children to have the prefix "OÙla;"
in their names, together with any other names they answer to.
i. MALES
1. OÙla;n;rewa;ju; - Honour is progressing
2. OÙla;dayo¾ô - Honour has turned to joy
3. OÙla;da;re - Honour absolves me
4. OÙla;du¾n-u;nni; - Honour is easy to acquire
5. Ifa;se
ô ô;gun - Ifa; gives me victory
6. OÙla;pe¾ôkun - Honour crowns all attributes
7. OÙla;bo;gunde; - Honour comes with spoils of war
ii. FEMALES
1. Ifa;ko;rede; - Ifa; brings all the Ire of life
2. OÙla;ke;ômi - Honour takes good care of me
3. OÙla;wu¾nmi; - I love honour
4. OÙla;ni;yi¾ - Honour has prestige
5. Ifa;to;o;ki; - Ifa; is worthy of salutation
6. OÙla;yeômi;; - Honour befits me
7. Ifa;se
ô e;ke;ô - It is practicable to take good care of
A®boôru; A®boôye¾
547
Chapter 8
Ogbè Ògúndá
II
II
I I
II I
548
Ogbe¾ O®gu;nda;
Ogbe¾ E®e¾gu¾n
Ogbe¾ Su¾u;ru¾
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
A.
1. Ifá says that it foresees the Ire of abundant success and
prosperity for the person born by this Odù either during
Ikoôse¾ôda;ye; or I®te¾ô¾ni;fa. Ifá says that this person has carried the
Orí of accomplishment and fortune from heaven. Ifá says that this
person has worked very hard in the past but their efforts have not
yet yielded any results. He/She needs not despair all his or her
fortune shall be consummated.
Ifá says that this person needs to offer ẹbọ with all edible
items available at the time that this Ifá is cast. This person
also needs to procure some corn and guinea corn grains and
give them to domestic animals to eat. If these two steps can
be taken, prosperity will be guaranteed for him/her.
On this, Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu says:
EÙyeô ab'apa; we
EÙyeô ab'eôse¾ô we
EÙyeô ab'i¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
O®ri¾sôa¾-N:la; OÙs
® e¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Awoôn ni; woôn loô oja¾ Agu;nregej;e;ge;
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
A wa; o¾ r’Awo
A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki;
A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa
A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n
Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô wa;
A®go¾ oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ I:feô¾ Oo¾ye¾
Wo;ôn l’oô;moô eku lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo l' o;ômoô eku ko¾ to; A®go¾ oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô a deô pa;n;pe;ô
Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eku
549
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Translation:
The bird with strong wide wings
The bird with powerful legs
The bird with a wagging tail
Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market
We searched and searched for a competent Awo
We could not find one
We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land
And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land
And we even went to I®woônra¾n
Where the good day dawns
My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to
celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾
They informed me that rats had taken it away
I responded that no rat had the capability of using my
Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume
Those who set traps for rats
Will certainly be the slanderers against the rats
The Aka;po¾ was searching for a competent Awo who would cast Ifá
for him in order to find out his identity and better appreciate his
purpose on earth. He searched many places to locate a proficient
Awo but he could not find one. When he returned home, he was
looking for his Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which he used to celebrate the
annual ceremony in Ife¾ô-Oo¾ye¾, but he could not find it. He made
inquiries and was told that rats were the ones responsible for his
missing costume. He cursed the rats for taking what was not theirs
and what was clearly beyond their capability to use. He said that
they would always meet their slanderers among hunters who
would set traps to kill them.
550
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
EÙyeô ab'apa; we
EÙyeô ab'eôse¾ô we
EÙyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾
Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge;
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’A:wo
A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki;
A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa¾
A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n
Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa;
Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ t'e;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾
Wo;ôn l'o;ômoô eôja lo; gbe; e loô
Mo ni; oômoô eôja ko¾ to; Ago¾ô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a t'e¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô ade¾ô'ge¾re¾
Ni; yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni¾ oômoô eôja
Translation:
The bird with strong wide wings
The bird with powerful legs
The bird with a wagging tail
Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market
We searched and searched for a competent Awo
We could not find one
We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land
And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land
And we even went to I®woônra¾n
Where the good day dawns
My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to
celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾
They informed me that the fish had taken it away
I responded that no fish had the capability of using my
Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume
Those who set nets and hooks for fish
Will certainly be the slanderers against the fish
551
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
True to the prediction of the Aka;po¾, the rats met their deaths in
droves. After this, the Aka;po¾ set out on his search for a competent
Awo who would give him direction in life. He could not find one.
When he returned home, he could not find his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ again.
He made inquiries to find out who had taken the costume this time
around. He was informed that the fish had taken it. He said that
no fish in any lake, pond, stream, river, lagoon, or sea had the
capability to take and use his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾.
After this, he cursed the fish and said that those who bait hooks
and those who use nets will be their slanderers and will be the
ones killing them in multitudes.
E®ôyeô abapa; we
E®ôyeô abeôse¾ô we
E®Ùyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾
Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge;
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’Awo
A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki;
A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa
A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n
Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa;
Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾
Woô;n l' oô;moô eôyeô lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo l' o;ômoô eôyeô ko¾ to; A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a te¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô ada¾te¾
Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eôyeô
Translation:
The bird with strong wide wings
The bird with powerful legs
The bird with a wagging tail
Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market
552
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
We searched and searched for a competent Awo
We could not find one
We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land
And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land
And we even went to I®woônra¾n
Where the good day dawns
My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to
celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾
They informed me that the birds had taken it away
I responded that no bird had the capability of using my
Me¾si¾a¾da costume
Those who set ropes, cages, and bird-lime
to catch birds
Will certainly be the slanderers against the birds
As soon as the Aka;po put a curse on the fish, they began to meet
their doom in the hands of hook and trap setters. After this, he
retrieved his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da. He kept it at home and set out again in
search of an Awo who could help him find out his identity. Again,
he could not find one. He returned home only to find that his A®go¾
Me¾si¾a¾da was missing again. He made inquiries as to the
whereabouts of his costume and he was informed that birds were
the ones who took the costume away this time around. He
answered that no bird had the capability of taking or using his A®go¾
Me¾si¾a¾da. Those who took it received curses from him. He declared
that the kingdom of the birds would always meet their slanderers
in the hands of the bird-lime and cage trap setters.
E®ôyeô abapa; we
E®ôyeô abeôse¾ô we
E®Ùyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾
Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge;
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’Awo
A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki;
553
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa
A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n
Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa;
Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾
Wo;ôn l' oômoô eôranô lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo l' oômoô eranô o¾ to; Agoôô¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a te¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô ayi¾nla¾sa¾
Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eôran
Translation:
The bird with strong wide wings
The bird with powerful legs
The bird with a wagging tail
Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market
We searched and searched for a competent Awo
We could not find one
We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land
And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land
And we even went to I®woônra¾n
Where the good day dawns
My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to
celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾
They informed me that the beasts had taken it away
I responded that no beast had the capability of using
my A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da
Those who shoot with rifles and spears at beasts
Will certainly be the slanderers against the beasts
The curse that the Aka;po¾ put on the heads of the birds made them
fall into the traps of bird-lime and cage setters. The Aka;po¾
retrieved his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ and placed it back into his home and
moved on in search of a competent Awo who would guide him on
the right path to find, follow, and fulfil his destiny. He searched
and searched but could not find one. He returned home only to
554
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
find out that his A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume had been taken away from
where he had kept it. When he made inquiries, he was told that
the beasts were responsible for taking it away. He declared that
no beast had the capability of taking away or using his A®go¾
Me¾si¾a¾da¾. He cursed the kingdom of the beasts and said that they
would always meet their doom in the hands of hunters who used
rifles, spears, arrows, javelins, clubs, and knives and so on.
E®ôyeô abapa; we
E®ôyeô abeôse¾ô we
E®Ùyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾
Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge;
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’Awo
A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki;
A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa
A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n
Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa;
Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾
Wo;ôn ni¾ oômoô eôni lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo lo;ômoô eôni ni¾gba¾n¾te;ôyi¾n eôni sôe o
Mo lo;ômoô eôni yo;o; gbo; ogbo; olu;ye;ôe;ôye;ôtuye¾ô
Mo lo;ômoô eôni yo;o; gbo; ogbo; olu;ye;ôe;ôye;ôtuye¾ô
Oômoô eôni yo;o; gbo;gbo;o;gbo;
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; to;ôto;ôo;ôto;ô
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; la¾la¾a¾la¾
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; bi;bi;i;bi;
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; re¾rô e¾ôe¾ôre¾ô
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; fa’ku¾n oôla¾ lale; aye; ja; gbeôreôgeôdeô
A®woôn o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ gbo;ôn o
A®wonô o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ mo¾ô
A®woôn o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ mo¾ô pe; Ifá ; OÙla; n’Ifá ; a wa o
Translation:
555
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
The bird with strong wide wings
The bird with powerful legs
The bird with a wagging tail
Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market
We searched and searched for a competent Awo
We could not find one
We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land
And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land
And we even went to I®woônra¾n
Where the good day dawns
My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to
celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾
They informed me that my children had taken it away
I responded that my children are my future
who will carry on when I am no more
I pray for my children to live very long on earth
And to grow old and feeble
I pray for my children to grow very old
And live very long
And succeed in all departments of life
And give birth to so many ideas and children
And multiply in all aspects of life
And spread the chain of prosperity to all parts
of the world
The uninitiated are not wise
They also lack knowledge
The uninitiated do not know that our Odù is the
Odù of riches and prosperity
The beasts did not fare any better than the rats, the fish, and the
birds when the Aka;po¾ cursed them. The rifle shooter, the javelin
thrower, the spear thrower, the arrow shooter, and so on
continuously cut short their lives. The Aka;po¾ retrieved his A®go¾
Me¾si¾a¾da¾ and brought it back to his house. He left again in search
556
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
of those who could help him find his destiny. He would from them
know how to follow and fulfil it. This time around, he was able to
find EÙyeô Ab'apa; we, EÙyeô Ab'eôseô¾ we, and EÙyeô Ab'i¾ru¾ wemu¾wemu¾.
They told him that even though the uninitiated ones had been
making jest of him and saying that he would never succeed in life,
he would be more successful than all those who had been
subjecting him to ridicule. He was told that his Odù Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu;,
was the Odù of patience and perseverance. He was also told that
he would be blessed with children who would carry on after him.
They told him that this was the most important of all the riches
and prosperity. The Aka;po was advised to offer ẹbọ as explained
above. He was equally advised to show kindness and consideration
to all animals from that time onwards. He complied.
When he returned home, he realized once again that his Agoôô
Me¾si¾a¾da¾ had been taken away. He made inquiries and discovered
to his everlasting joy, that his children were the ones who took it
to Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾ in order to represent him when he was not around to
participate in the annual festival. The joy of the Aka;po¾ knew no
bounds. He was certain that even if he joined his ancestors that
very day, he had children who would carry on wherever he might
have left off. He prayed for the children. Soon after, he discovered
that most of the things which he had been doing without success,
he was now being successful in. Several avenues for
accomplishment opened for him and he took full advantage of
these opportunities. In the end, he succeeded beyond all
imagination. All those who had made jest of him turned round to
bow to him. They confessed that they never knew that Ogbe¾I®yo;ônu; was an Odù that could make anyone that successful in life.
EÙyeô ab'apa; we
EÙyeô ab'eôse¾ô we
EÙyeô ab'i¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
O®ri¾sôa¾-N:la; OÙs
® e¾ôe¾ôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
Awoôn ni; woôn loô oja¾ Agu;nregej;e;ge;
557
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
A wa; o¾ r’Awo
A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki;
A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa
A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n
Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô wa;
A®go¾ oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ I:feô¾ Oo¾ye¾
Wo;ôn l’oô;moô eku lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo l' o;ômoô eku ko¾ to; A®go¾ oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô a deô pa;n;pe;ô
Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eku
EÙyeô ab'apa; we
EÙyeô ab'eôse¾ô we
EÙyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾
Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge;
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’A:wo
A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki;
A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa¾
A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n
Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa;
Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ t'e;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾
Wo;n
ô l'o;ômoô eôja lo; gbe; e loô
Mo ni; oômoô eôja ko¾ to; Ago¾ô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a t'e¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô ade¾ô'ge¾re¾
Ni; yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni¾ oômoô eôja
E®ôyeô abapa; we
E®ôyeô abeôse¾ô we
E®Ùyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾
Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge;
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’Awo
A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki;
A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa
A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n
Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa;
Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾
558
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
Woô;n l' oô;moô eôyeô lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo l' o;ômoô eôyeô ko¾ to; A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a te¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô ada¾te¾
Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eôyeô
E®ôyeô abapa; we
E®ôyeô abeôse¾ô we
E®Ùyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾
Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge;
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’Awo
A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki;
A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa
A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n
Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa;
Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾
Wo;ôn l' oômoô eôranô lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo l' oômoô eranô o¾ to; Agoôô¾ Me¾si¾a¾da¾ a te¾mi i; lo¾
E®sôu¾ oôdeô ayi¾nla¾sa¾
Ni¾ yo;o; sôe ele;ni¾ni; oômoô eôran
E®ôyeô abapa; we
E®ôyeô abeôse¾ô we
E®Ùyeô abi¾ru¾ wemu¾-wemu¾
Orí¾sôa¾n¾la¾ O®Ùsôe¾ôe¾rô e¾ôma¾gbo¾
Awoôn ni¾ wo¾ôn loô oôja¾ Agu;nregeje;ge;
A wa; Awo ti;ti;
Awa; o¾ r’Awo
A wa; Awo de; I®li;ki;
A wa; Awo de; Ij¾e¾ôsôa
A wa; Awo de; I®woônra¾n
Ni;bi¾ oju;mo;ô rere ti; n; mo;ô o;ô wa;
Ago¾ô oô Me¾si¾a¾da¾ te;mi¾ n; mu; sô’oôdu;n n’ Ife;ô Oo¾ye¾
Wo;ôn ni¾ oômoô eôni lo; gbe; e loô o
Mo lo;ômoô eôni ni¾gba¾n¾te;ôyi¾n eôni sôe o
Mo lo;ômoô eôni yo;o; gbo; ogbo; olu;ye;ôe;ôye;ôtuye¾ô
Mo lo;ômoô eôni yo;o; gbo; ogbo; olu;ye;ôe;ôye;ôtuye¾ô
Oômoô eôni yo;o; gbo;gbo;o;gbo;
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; to;ôto;ôo;ôto;ô
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; la¾la¾a¾la¾
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; bi;bi;i;bi;
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; re¾rô e¾ôe¾ôre¾ô
OÙmoô eôni yo;o; fa’ku¾n oôla¾ lale; aye; ja; gbeôreôgeôdeô
A®woôn o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ gbo;ôn o
A®wonô o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ mo¾ô
A®woôn o¾ôgbe¾ôri¾ o¾ mo¾ô pe; Ifá ; OÙla; n’Ifá ; a wa o
Translation:
The bird with strong wide wings
The bird with powerful legs
The bird with a wagging tail
Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market
We searched and searched for a competent Awo
We could not find one
We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land
And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land
And we even went to I®woônra¾n
Where the good day dawns
My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to
celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾
They informed me that rats had taken it away
I responded that no rat had the capability of
using my Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume
Those who set traps for rats
Will certainly be the slanderers against the rats
The bird with strong wide wings
The bird with powerful legs
The bird with a wagging tail
Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market
We searched and searched for a competent Awo
We could not find one
We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land
And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land
560
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
And we even went to I®woônra¾n
Where the good day dawns
My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to
celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾
They informed me that the fish had taken it away
I responded that no fish had the capability of
using my Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume
Those who set nets and hooks for fish
Will certainly be the slanderers against the fish
The bird with strong wide wings
The bird with powerful legs
The bird with a wagging tail
Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market
We searched and searched for a competent Awo
We could not find one
We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land
And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land
And we even went to I®woônra¾n
Where the good day dawns
My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to
celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾
They informed me that the birds had taken it away
I responded that no bird had the capability of
using my Me¾si¾a¾da costume
Those who set ropes, cages, and bird-lime
to catch birds
Will certainly be the slanderers against the birds
The bird with strong wide wings
The bird with powerful legs
The bird with a wagging tail
Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market
We searched and searched for a competent Awo
We could not find one
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land
And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land
And we even went to I®woônra¾n
Where the good day dawns
My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to
celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾
They informed me that the beasts had taken it away
I responded that no beast had the capability of
using my A®go¾ Me¾si¾a¾da
Those who shoot with rifles and spears at beasts
Will certainly be the slanderers against the beasts
The bird with strong wide wings
The bird with powerful legs
The bird with a wagging tail
Ori¾sôa¾n;la; OÙsôe¾ôeôre¾ôma¾gbo¾
They were the ones that went to Agu;nregeje;ge; market
We searched and searched for a competent Awo
We could not find one
We searched for an Awo in I®li;ki land
And went to I®je¾ôsôa¾ land
And we even went to I®woônra¾n
Where the good day dawns
My Me¾si¾a¾da¾ costume which I normally used to
celebrate the annual festivals in Ife¾ô Oo¾ye¾
They informed me that my children had taken it away
I responded that my children are my future who will
carry on when I am no more
I pray for my children to live very long on earth
And to grow old and feeble
I pray for my children to grow very old
And live very long
And succeed in all departments of life
And give birth to so many ideas and children
And multiply in all aspects of life
And spread the chain of prosperity to all parts
562
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
of the world
The uninitiated are not wise
They also lack knowledge
The uninitiated do not know that our Odù is the
Odù of riches and prosperity
Ifá assures this person that his/her success will surely come with
patience and perseverance. He/She also needs to show kindness
and understanding to all animals. His/Her greatest asset however
is his/her children who will carry on wherever he/she has left off.
2. Ifá says that the person for whom this Odù is revealed shall be
bestowed with a great honour and recognition in life. He/She
however will not be the only one considered for the honour but
He/She will be the one to receive it. Ifá urges this person never to
show impatience or anger.
He/She must be patient at all times. His/Her success lies in His/Her
ability to persevere, be kind to all people, not show anger or
frustration and never contemplate vengeance.
Ifá advises him/her to offer ẹbọ with two rats, two fish, two
pigeons, two hens, two ducks, two guinea fowls, two
roosters, and money. After this, he/she needs to display
patience and perseverance.
On this, Ifá says:
I®bi;nu; o¾ da nn¾kan fu;n ni; o
Su¾u;ru¾ ni¾ baba i¾wa¾
A®gba¾ to; ni; su¾u;ru¾
Oun gbogbo lo; ni;
Di;a; fu;n Ina;
To; lo;un o; j’oye¾ Olo¾n¾roro
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
563
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Translation:
Anger amounts to nothing for one
Patience is the father of all good character
An elder who is patient
He is blessed with all the good things of life
These were Ifá’s messages for Iná, the fire
Who wanted to be installed as Olo;n¾roro, the illuminator
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
Ina, fire, was a very ambitious person and he had every reason to
be. He was the eldest of those vying for the post of Olo;n¾roro, the
illuminator. Even the counsellor of king makers felt that he
deserved the position. He had worked his way up with hard work
and determination. He felt that everyone ought to understand that
it was not an easy thing to do. He was fully determined to add
colour and respect to the position. Consequently, he vowed that
he would not brood any form of nonsense, ignorance, stupidity, or
carelessness from any of his subjects. He must be accorded his full
respect and honour. He must also be given appreciable distance.
He will not be in a position where his subjects will think that they
are free to do whatever they liked. He simply would not tolerate
such things. It was better for them to understand the type of
leader he was right from the beginning. That is what he concluded
to himself.
How would the day of the installation look like? How would he look
on that day? What type of clothing would he put on that day? The
issue of his other co-contestants was a non-issue for him. Why?
They were of no consequence. They did not possess the clout or
personality to contest him. His decision to go to the group of Awo
mentioned above was absolutely not because of them; rather it
was for him to determine how grand the day of his installation
would be.
564
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
When the Awo consulted Ifá, Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu was revealed. They told
Ina that he was contesting for a position with other people. They
told him that he would be the one to be installed into that exalted
position. He was however cautioned to exercise patience and
constraint in dealing with his subjects, lest he lose the opportunity.
He was advised to listen to his subjects and tolerate them, even if
he noticed some excesses in them. He was urged to guard, guide,
and direct his subjects correctly. He was also told never to show
anger or impatience while dealing with them.
The Awo concluded by advising him to offer ẹbọ with two rats,
two fish, two pigeons, two hens, two ducks, two guinea
fowls, two roosters, and money. Iná, looked at these Awo with
unhidden contempt. He felt they were trying to tie his hands
behind him for his subjects to insult him. This, he vowed, would
never happen. He told the Awo that they were advising him in how
to be a weakling and he would not be. Whatever they liked they
could say or plan, they would always meet him fully prepared. All
their plans failed and he started getting angry with them. He told
them to never expect him to come and offer any ẹbọ as all their
recommendations were based on bias and fraud. He accused them
of advising him in bad faith. He stormed out of their home. That
day, he torched the farm of the Awo. Two of the king makers lost
their homes. Some of this subjects-to-be lost their farms, some
lost their clothing, and some lost their lives to the fire. When he
was told, he retorted that they lost their things due to their
carelessness and stupidity. That was the day that the king makers
made up their minds to look for a more suitable candidate. They
concluded that Iná would not and could not be the good, gentle,
kind-hearted, and tolerant leader that they were mandated to
have by the citizens to search for.
I®bi;nu; o¾ da nn¾kan fu;n’ni;
Su¾u;ru¾ ni¾ baba i¾wa¾
A®gba¾ to; ni; su¾u;ru¾
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Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
Oun gbogbo lo; ni;
Di;a; fu;n O®o¾ru¾n
Ti; yo;o; j’oye¾ Olo;n¾roro
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe o
Translation:
Anger amounts to nothing for one
Patience is the father of all good character
An elder who is patient
He is blessed with all the good things of life
These were Ifá’s messages to O®o¾ru¾n, the sun
Who wanted to be installed as Olo;n¾roro, the illuminator
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
O®o¾ru¾n, the sun, considered himself eminently qualified to occupy
the position of Olo;n¾roro. He even saw himself as more qualified
than anyone or anything created by O:lo;du¾mare to assume the
position. There was nowhere his rays could not penetrate, even
the deepest part of the ocean. Who dared venture to contest the
position with him, he queried. He was so certain that anyone who
did would not only fail, but such a person would find himself to
blame. He was convinced that the king makers should use their
senses to bring the title to him and hand over all the paraphernalia
of office to him quietly, if they loved themselves. This title was
Olo;n¾roro, the illuminator and who illuminated better than him? Of
course, nobody could. He needed to assume the position in grand
style. That much he was certain of. He therefore needed to
prepare fully for the coronation day.
But wait a moment, if not because of insolent behaviour, what was
causing their delay? Did he need to come and beg them to hand
over what rightfully belonged to him? Couldn’t the king makers use
the little common sense they had left in their heads? Couldn’t they
apply what was left of their brains to do the right thing? They
must be taught a very bitter lesson. If the king makers were a
566
Ogbe¾ I®yo;ônu;
pack of fools, who selected them to their various useless
positions? The inhabitants of course selected them! These fools
who elected greater fools should also be dealt with in a very
decisive manner. He had no patience for such people. He needed
to plan well for his upcoming coronation. That was why he went
for Ifá consultation. During the consultation, Ogbe¾-I®yo;ônu; was
revealed.
The Awo told O®o¾ru¾n that he was eminently qualified for the
position. He however needed to offer ẹbọ as stated above and he
would also need to exercise patience and restraint. O®o¾ru¾n was
advised against being provoked into anger. When O®o¾ru¾n heard
this, he got so annoyed that he lacked the correct words to
describe the Awo. He simply walked out and made a loud hiss. He
intensified the sun’s brightness and many crops began to fail.
Many youths and adults developed fevers and other types of
ailments caused by febrile conditions. Famine set in when all
streams and small rivers dried up. Several evil things happened in
the land. The problems were investigated and traced to O®o¾ru¾n. All
the inhabitants, including the king makers decided unanimously
not to give O®o¾ru¾n the position.
I®bi;nu; o¾ da nn¾kan fu;n’ni;
Su¾u;ru¾ ni¾ baba i¾wa¾
A®gba¾ to; ni; su¾u;ru¾
Oun gbogbo lo; ni;
Di;a; fu;n Osôu¾pa; Ki¾ri¾mu¾
Ti; yo;o; j'oye¾ Olo;n¾roro
EÙboô ni¾ wo;ôn ni; ko; wa;a; sôe
Translation:
Anger amounts to nothing for one
Patience is the father of all good character
An elder who is patient
He is blessed with all the good things of life
567
Ifá Dídá - An invitation to Ifá Consultation V2
These were Ifá ’s messages for O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri;mu, the
Full Moon
Who wanted to be installed as Olo;n¾roro, the illuminator
He was advised to offer ẹbọ
Nobody gave O®sôu¾pa; Ki¾ri;mu, the Full Moon much of a chance. He
was neither as powerful nor as capable as Iná or O®o¾ru¾n. All that
kept him going was the simple fact that he meant well for the
people. He was sure that if he was installed as the Olo;n¾roro, the
people would prosper. He knew that there would be peace and
enjoyment in the land. How would he be able to prove that he was
worthy of the trust and confidence of the people? Given the
credentials of Iná and O®o¾ru¾n, where did he stand? If care was not
taken, would Ina and O®o¾ru¾n not crush him even before the day of
the installation? What did he need to be doing to avoid the wrath
of his more formidable
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