Agbabo o jo onbi Omo olomo o lee jomo taa bi ninu eni Guardianship does not equal parentage Another

persons child cannot be like a child from ones bowels

Which is proven later in the Odu when Abeshujiyan is about to be sentenced to death, and his adopted child asks that his cloth be removed so that the blood from the execution he will watch does not stain it. E mo jee ki awon o lese lorun E je ki awon o file Oba ni nje bob a je pe omoo re to bi nnu ni omo un Ti kii she omo to gbawo Se jo pee ki ejee Baba oun o mo ta si asho oun Omo olomo o jomo eni looto Let us set him free If this boy had been his son truly And not an adopted child Would he say his fathers blood should not be allowed to spill on his cloth? Cant we all see truly that a Guardian does not equte a parent Another persons child can not be like a child from ones bowels

Through the wisdom of Odu, Ifa teaches us: Initiation alone does not give one character. Initiation alone does not give one knowledge. Initiation alone does not give one seniority. Initiation alone does not make one a true priest.

Odu Iwori Meji: Iwori teju mo ohun ti nse ni Bi o ba te Ita tan Ki o tun iye e re te Iwori teju mo ohun ti nse ni Awo, ma fi eja igba gun ope Iwori teju mo ohun ti nse ni Awo, ma fi aimowe wo odo Iwori teju mo ohun ti nse ni Awo, ma fi ibinu yo obe Iwori teju mo ohun ti nse ni Awo, ma ji kanjukanju jaye Iwori teju mo ohun ti nse ni Awo, ma fi warawara mkun ola Iwori teju mo ohun ti nse ni Awo, maseke, sodale Iwori teju mo ohun ti nse ni Awo, ma puro jaye Iwori teju mo ohun ti nse ni Awo, ma se igberaga si agba Iwori teju mo ohun ti nse ni Awo, ma so ireti nu Iwori teju mo ohun ti nse ni Awo, ma san bante Awo Iwori teju mo ohun ti nse ni Awo, bi o ba tefa tan Ki o tun iye e re te o Iwori teju mo ohun ti nse ni English Iwori take a critical look at what affects you If you undergo Ifa initiation (Itelodu) Endeavor to use your wisdom and intelligence Iwori take a critical look at what affects you Awo, do not use a broken rope to climb a palm-tree Iwori take a critical look at what affects you Awo, do no enter into the river without knowing how to swim Iwori take a critical look at what affects you Awo, do not draw a knife in anger Iwori take a critical look at what affects you Awo, do not be in haste to enjoy your life Iwori take a critical look at what affects you Awo, do not be in a hurry to acquire wealth Iwori take a critical look at what affects you Awo, do not lie, do not be treacherous Iwori take a critical look at what affects you Awo, do not deceive in order to enjoy your life Iwori take a critical look at what affects you Awo, do not be arrogant to elders

Iwori take a critical look at what affects you Awo, do not lose hope Iwori take a critical look at what affects you Awo, do not make love to your colleague's spouse Iwori take a critical look at what affects you Awo, when you have been given Ifa initiation Initiate yourself again by using your wisdom and intelligence Iwori take a critical look at what affects you On Character/Ethics Ogbe Sooto (Ogbe Osa) Ifa says:

Bi oju ba npon Babalawo Ki Babalawo ma puro Bi oju ba npon Onishegun Ki Onishegun ma shera Keni ma sheke shera Nitori ati sun awo Difa fun Orunmila Nijo ti eni Aimo wa nko ogun ja Baba Won ni ki Baba rubo Nje eni Aimo Emi ma wa mo yin o Emi ti mo monu-monu To finu jo Oka Mo ti mo Agbadu To tinu jo Ere Mo ti mo iwowo-Ereke To finu jo Barapetu Ifa a Babalawo is in grave want Let him like not If an herbalist is in need Let him not be dishonest Let no one lie or display dishonesty Because of accountability when he dies This is the declaration of Ifa for Orunmila When unknown people (pretenders) waged war against him Orunmila was asked to offer sacrifice He complied Now all you protestors You have all been exposed I now know the python Which resembles the cobra I now recognize the rattle snake Which looks like the boa constrictor I can now see through Iwowo Ereke (impersonator)

Who pretends that he is Orunmila himself. Ifa here warns both layity and priests twofold . First that our ethics must be of the highest standard, and that we not lie in order to get our way as priests. Its no matter whether that be to assert power, manipulate others for our own gain or to make money. In the end, we will be judged. But even more important, Ifa reminds us to not mistake one thing for another, and to not mistake the priest for Orunmila himself! Beware of priests who begin to mistake themselves as Orisa. In this Odu, Ifa makes it clear that the comparison may be subtle, both snakes but of different types, one may not say outright they think of themselves as Orisa, but their actions belie their true feelings. We priests are not Orisa incarnate on earth, we are humble servants, to think or act otherwise is nonsense. What Ifa does teach us is to respect everyone regardless of status, without that respect, how can one claim the title of priest? In Osa Meji Ifa says: Ori buruku kii wu tuulu A ki i da ese asiwere mo loju ona A ki i mori oloye lawujo A difa fun Mobowu Ti i se obinrin Ogun Ori ti o joba lola Enikan o mo Ki toko-taya o mo pera Won ni were mo Ori ti o joba lola Enikan o mo The head of a person with a bad future does not swell up No one can recognize the footprints of a madman on the road And, no one can distinguish the head of an honorable person in an assembly of people This was the theaching of Ifa for Mobowu Who was the wife of Ogun Surely, the head that will wear the crown tomorrow No one can recognize it Therefore, let husband and wife stop calling each other names And stop talking foolishly to each other For the head that will wear the crown tomorrow No one can tell which one it will be Aside from reminding us that we never know when we will need help from someone, or who that will be, Ifa is clear that we also do not have foresight. The leaders, and likewise madmen, of tomorrow are not known today, so from a practical standpoint, we should treat all people respectfully.

The question of character and its affect on the priesthood is even more profoundly addressed in the Odu Ofun Otura where Ifa states: Eke pa bi, o di Odale pa'bi, ko yan Oninure pa bi, o ye peregede The liar casts the Kola nut and it yields a bad omen the commitment breaker casts the kola nut and it does not yield a good result But the good hearted person casts the kola nut and the result is clearly promising

Priests make a commitment to uphold and protect Orisa/Ifa and their principles, so priests who have broken this commitment when casting a tool of divination (this case kola nut, but again Ifa is metaphors, so to me, any form of divination, including Ikin Ifa or cowries) will not yield a good result. This means that the state/character of the diviner IS in fact important to the result, and affects the outcome of divination. If that is the case, how can one give seniority let alone respect to priest with no character. Further, the prayers and action of the priest before divining are designed specifically to awaken the voice of the Orisa, if not done properly, the objects used to divine remain just that, inanimate objects and not conduits for the Divine word. It's important to remember the if consecration was the only thing that make Ikin or Dinlogun/Cowrie "speak" the priest wouldn't have to pray or do anything, simply cast and go. These are just a few of the many ese Ifa that deal with character, pointed out to show that without character, the title of priest and respect that goes with it, are meaningless. On Age/Wisdom Whether the age is counted in years of initiation or years on earth, age alone does not make a priest. Though, we can certainly deduce that while age doesnt guarantee wisdom, without age (years on earth) wisdom cant be fully attained. This is why in Yoruba culture, years of initiation can never outweigh years on earth, so it would be absurd to see a 45 year old dobale/kunle to a 20 year old, regardless of their years as a priest. Also of note though, is that years on earth and eldership does not guarantee character (or wisdom for that matter. The Odu Ogbe Iwori says: Ishekushe lewe le she

Iwa ihukuhu ni ti agbalagba Bad conduct is what is attributed to youth Bad character is what is attributed to elders Ifa explains that in our youth, when we do something bad, the action comes from not knowing better. As an elder, life should teach us to know better, so when we do something bad, life should have already taught us so, and therefore it must come from bad character. Without character, eldership means nothing, regardless of how you measure that time.

Eldership further does not mean that one holds no responsibility to help those that are junior, which is yet another show of true character. Eldership is retained by remembering ones status, and helping those at a different level, whether its age or mental ability. The Odu Oyekun Meji reminds of this by stating: Owo ewe o to pepe Ti agbalagba o wo akeregbe Ishe ewe be agba Ki o ma she ko mo Gbogboo wa ni a nishe a jo mbe 'raa wa A dia fun Orunmila Eyi ti akapoo re O pe lejo lodo Olodumare Olodumaree waa rannshe si Orunmila Pe ki o waa so idi naa Ti ko fi gbe akapoo re Nigba ti Orunmila de iwaju Olodumare O ni oun sa gbogbo agbara oun fun akapo O ni Ipin akapo ni o gbo nigba naa ni oro naa Too waa ye Olodumare yekeyeke Inuu re si dun Pe oun ko da ejo eekun kan A child is not tall enough to stretch his hand and reach the high shelf An adults hands can not enter the mouth of a gourd The work an adult begs a child to do Let him not refuse to do We all have work to do for each others good Ifa divination was performed for Orunmila About whom his devotee Would make complaint to Olodumare Olodumare then sent for Orunmila To explain the reason why He did not support his devotee When Orunmila got to the presence of Olodumare He explained that he had done all in his power for his devotee

But that the destiny chosen by the devotee made his efforts fruitless It was then that the matter Became quite clear to Olodumare And he was happy That he did not pronounce his judgment on the evidence of only one of the two parties.

Additionally, this Odu reminds us that eldership is attained and kept by being just and wise. Olodumare seeing two juniors (Orunmila and his devotee) was wise in waiting to hear both sides of the story before pronouncing judgement. This allowed him to realize that not all was as one person might have it seem, and so rendered just judgement. Ifa tells us in Orangun Meji (Ofun Meji) the eldest of Odu that became the junior of Odu upon descending to earth: Onpabi nii jeji Agba okanjuwa a jeta To ba jeta tan A gneru u re a yaa lo Dia fun Eni iwaju Ti yoo deni ikeyin Ebo ni won ni ko waa she O koti ogbonhin sebo Nje aimowa a hu u won ni o Ai mede e pe e won ni o Ara iwaji o, lo deni ikeyin Aimowaa hu u won ni o He who breaks a Kola nut (with 4 valves) will eat two valves An avaricious elder is he who eats three valves After eating three valves He carries his load unaided and proceeds on this way These were the declaration of Ifa to the person at the forefront (the senior/leader) Who shall later become the person at the very rear (the junior/follower) He was advised to offer sacrifice He refused to comply It is their lack of propriety in manners It is their lack of diplomacy The person at the forefront Had turned into the person at the very rear It is their lack of propriety and manners

Even an elder and leader can lose their status for lack of character, as told my Ifa in Orangun Meji.

On Mentorship It is the role of the priest to act as mentor and advisor to the devotee, but these are not things which come easily, quickly, or instantly upon initiation. In Otura-Elejin (Otura Ogbe) Ifa tells us: Tishe tiya lomode kekere fi n koFa Bo ba dagba tan Nii ri ere e ee je o Diafun Otura Ti yoo towo bili ni Ishaga Mo towo boko Mo fahun rere yo o Igba Otura towo boko Lo la wale Mo towo boko Mo fahun rere yo o A child studies Ifa with labor and suffering When he grows up He will reap all the rewards This was the declaration of Ifa to Otura When he would dip his hand into the boat of success I dip my hands into the boat And I pull out all good things of life When Otura dipped his hand into the boar He became successful from his sojourn to his home I dip my hands into the boat And I pull out all the good things of life

In the story of Orunmilas creation of the system of Divining Ifa, we are told: Ifa, iwo lara iwaju Emi ni ero eyin Ara iwaju nii ko ero eyin logbon Iwo loo komo loran Ifa, you are the leader I am the follower The leader is he who teaches the follower wisdom

You are the one who teaches one Just as ones sibling

It is as leaders that Ifa wants us to teach Ifas followers wisdom, and so without wisdom, character and scholarship how can we accomplish this? If we do not study, we do not show character, we do not show leadership how can we truly call ourselves priests, let alone demand respect and senior status? Ill end this with on the somber note created by a stanza from Odu Eji Ogbe A o t'okun dokun ka too ri winni-winni agbe A o tosa dosa Ka too ri doodo orun Aluko A baa t'okun dokun Ki a tosa dosa Ka too ri oloooto Awo Odi Ile-Ifa Akelubeke Dia fun Igbin O n'sawo lo sode Ileyo O wa mekun sekun igbe O mohun seyere aro O ni: Eniyan an won o Eniyan an soro Ka too ri olooto Awo Ona a jin Translation: We shall travel from ocean to ocean Before we can see the tiny specie of the Blue Touraco We shall wind from river to river Before we can see the specie of Maroon Touraco with goiter on their necks Whether we travel from ocean to ocean and from there wend river to river Before we can find a truthful Babalawo We shall reach Ile-Ife Akelubebe That is the declaration of the oracle of Igbin (snail) When going to Ileyo town to practice Ifa He made his weeping a shouting lamentation He made his song a dirge of lamentation He said: Human beings (truthful ones) are scarce Human beings are difficult Before we can find a truthful Babalawo We shall travel far Aboru Aboye Aboshishe