16 Principle ODU

These verses are only a fraction of the entirety of

The 16 Principle ODUs
Orunmila Link:http://www.cultural-expressions.com/ifa/orisha/orunmila.htm

issue No. 2

Divination
Except for the day you are born and the day
you are supposed to die there is not a single
event in one's life that cannot be forecast and
if necessary changed. You are born with a
specific path, divination serves as a road map
to your path.
Divination is defined as the faculty of foreseeing.
Divination (Ifa) is an art and it involves having insight
into one's fortunes and misfortunes from birth to death
and beyond. Each person has a certain God given life
potential. As a person grows, the world challenges him/
her with obstacles that tend to throw him/her out of
alignment with whom he/she has the potential to be.
Divination serves as a means to realign a person to
their rightful path that was decided upon in heaven
before one's arrival to earth. If one aligns himself with
the forces of nature, which are within us all, one will
have a more fortunate outcome with one's endeavors .
Divination is a means for achieving one's endeavors
(spiritual aspirations) and teaches us to balance
ourselves with our environment. This crucial element
(divination) is missing in the masses of the African
descendants in the New World and even in Africa itself.

Western science is biased against the validity of

divination as the source of inspiration. Divination deals
with the invisible/spiritual forces that exist in our
reality. Western science deals with these unseen
influences, but calls them "laws of physics". The
methodology used by Western science, in its futile
attempt to understand unseen influences, is to conjure
up theories and create experiments that test their
theory. If the experiment produces the expected result,
given static circumstances, the theory is considered
valid. This process is based on the belief that the
universe functions in a mechanistic and ordered
manner and that the spiritual (unseen) influences are
non-existent. However, the spiritual realm does exist
and has an influence in our lives that parallels the
obvious (physical). Divination deals with these unseen
influences that play a life and death role throughout the
duration of our lives on earth.
Africa is the cradle of civilization. This cradle nurtured
many different means for man to communicate with
God. Throughout the African Diaspora only one form
of communication, via divination and spiritual virtues,
has reigned supreme. Ifa. Through the Ifa apparatus,
divination is performed and fate is revealed. Ifa is
expressed in all African countries in one form or
another by one name or another. The slave master had
to eliminate this ancient power that the African used in
order to enslave the African in the New World.
However, through it all, Ifa survives. Ifa is still intact

and is as accurate and as relevant today, as it was

10,000 years ago.
There are many forms of divination. You have the
physic network, palm reading, crystal balls, the I Ching,
and so on. And of course we have Cleo! All these
methods are supposed to give the client insight into
their unknown future. The Ifa system of divination, due
to the amount of information and the number of
possibilities is the most robust, ancient and the longest
standing of all forms of divination. In the African
tradition it is unthinkable to embark upon any major
task without first consulting the oracle (Ifa) to ascertain
whether or not the proposed action is favorable or not
and to probe the probable outcome. To embark upon
serious actions like marriage, child conception, new
business ventures or the treatment of dis-ease without
first seeking the guidance of Ifa is careless and
foolhardy. This is a major mistake for the masses of
African descendants in America that desperately need
such guidance.
Ifa works with the unseen forces of the universe
through the inter-play of the forces of expansion and
the forces of contraction. The forces of expansion are
symbolized by a single vertical line (I). The forces of
contraction are symbolized by a double set of vertical
lines (II). These forces are seen as existing in eight
dimensions which form two spheres, one inside the
other. This sphere is symbolized through the use of two

vertical columns. Each column is made up of four sets

of either single or double vertical lines. This system
generates two hundred and fifty-six different sets of
quadragrams. Each quadragram is a representation of
several fundamental energy patterns that entail all of
Creation. Each of these 256 energy patterns is born
from sixteen major forces called Olodus. The remaining
240 are combinations of the first sixteen and are called
Odu. Each Olodus/Odu is bought to life during a
divination session and the message contained is revealed
via the intuitive association of the Babalawo.
The Babalawo's are priests of Orunmila that are
specially trained, via years of instruction from elders on
the secrets of divination. Babalawo literally means,
Father of Secrets. Within the same verses that detail
your fate you have the appropriate sacrifice prescribed
by the Babalawo to assure a favorable outcome. This is
similar to visiting a MD in the western world. You visit
the doctor; he reads you with his instruments and
prescribes some medicine. Your body will sacrifice
something for the betterment of the targeted problem if
the prescription is followed. Babalawo's are spiritual
doctors that use the instruments of Ifa through
divination to heal and guide our spiritual being
(prescription). Divination can also be referred to as
Managed Care.

Sacrifice
Sacrifice/Ebo guarantees success!
We all should know what sacrifice is. "The giving up
or foregoing of some valued thing for the sake of
something of greater value or having a more
pressing claim". Whatever one desires in this life
requires the giving up of something. Life does not
strive on taking alone. Life also requires giving;
hence life is a process of give and take. The simplest
form of sacrifice one can give is time. The most
complex form of sacrifice one can give is change.
This subject of sacrifice takes on many facets. This
page will only touch on the fundamentals of sacrifice
from an African/Ifa worldview.
The sacrifice of time is the most fundamental form
of sacrifice. In America we sacrifice most of our
youth towards school. We then sacrifice our time
towards daily labor to acquire finances for daily
living. On a deeper level the sacrifice of time
involves patience.
Time sacrificed does not always bring about the
desired result in our lives. Nor does time spent on
something guarantee you peace of mind. When these
disharmonies are prevalent we are taught to seek
the spiritual realm and pray to beg God for favors.

Many of us are unaware and do not realize that the

spiritual realm like the physical one requires some
sort of giving in order to receive. Imagine walking
into Human Resources at IBM and demanding a
paycheck knowing that you never (sacrificed)
worked a day at IBM. The Spiritual realm works
the same way.
The Yoruba believe in one supreme God called
Olodumare. Olodumare is very remote to the
Yoruba by virtue of the duality that exists with
Olodumare. In other words God created both the
"good" and "evil" forces at play in the universe and
he gave Ase (power) to both sides. "When you speak
about 'good', you have already presupposed 'evil'."
One cannot exist without the other. There are two
sides to every story or problem. Within Olodumare
lay both sides to one story, so directing energy to
Olodumare directly can be vain. Within Ifa the
cosmos is divided into two halves. The right side is
inhabited by the benevolent supernatural powers
and the left side is inhabited by the malevolent
supernatural powers. The benevolent powers are the
Orisa and their helpful associations with humans.
The malevolent powers are evil and destructive
energies like Iku (death), Arun (sickness), Ofo (loss),
Epe (curse) and so on. There is no peaceful

coexistence between these two powers, they are

always in conflict.
The Africans believe that verbalization is not
enough in one's relationship with the supernatural.
Ifa divination serves as a preamble to prayer. Via Ifa
divination we can ascertain how to pray, to whom to
pray and for what. For the Yoruba, divining (Ifa)
serves as an approach to prayer and shows one why
they need to pray and shows one the best procedure
for elevating one's prayer via some form of sacrifice.
In this world of many choices, this complex and
varied approach is still miraculously accurate and
effective. In this world of choices, this complex and
varied approach is necessary. The variety of
sacrifice includes time, song, dance, money, change
and life force offerings.
Communication with the sprit realm is what Ifa is
all about. Sacrifice is an attempt to rearrange the
forces of the universe so that they can work for us,
resulting in peace and harmony for us in our
environment. Within Ifa, sacrifice (in Yoruba it is
called ebo) is an attempt by human beings to send a
message to all these supernatural powers of the
universe regarding our own human affairs. When
all the supernatural powers accept our sacrifice/ebo,
everybody is happy and are committed to work for
us and we can achieve peace.

All of God's creations have some relationship with

God and communicate with God at some level
beyond our comprehension. Within Ifa, animals are
sometimes used to communicate our message to the
spiritual realm. Each animal species have distinct
properties that are beyond our comprehension. For
instance, most humans cannot smell sugar, however
if we put sugar or honey on the table, ants will flock
there by morning because they have smelt it. Their
sense of smell is much higher than our own. The Ifa
sacrificial rituals use the unique communication
abilities of animals to relay our messages to the
supernatural forces at play. The chicken is the first
animal inhabitant of the earth and she accompanied
the divinities/Deities from heaven to earth. The
chicken is a favorite communicator of messages to
the spirit realm because of its close association to the
Deities from the very start. Life force offerings
direct prayer via the animals' force to a specific
force in nature to elevate our prayers for our benefit
and to rearrange the universe to work in our favor.
For example, if someone is sick and a sacrifice is
prescribed by a diviner, that sacrifice is meant too
appease the left and right side divinities. Humans do
not give sacrifice directly to the supernatural powers
on the left, they give it to their own guardian
divinity who is on the right. The closest of these

right hand divinities is Ori (head) and can include a

host of other Orisa and Eguns (ancestors). Esu, the
divine messenger, who is almost always supposed to
get part of any blood sacrifice and who shares
elements of both the left and right side, will assure
that the left hand divinities get their due. Esu plays
a very important part in reordering universal events
for the good of anyone that sacrifices in this manner.
Sacrifice is essential to human well being. Some
people live happy lives sacrificing their pride to beg
from strangers. Some people sacrifice half of their
adult life in school earning PHD's. Meat eaters in
our society directly benefit from blood sacrifice to
accommodate their daily meal. Most meat eaters are
disconnected from the total disregard of the poor
animal's life during its slaughter/sacrifice for their
benefit. The Jews have their kosher food, which is
prayed over animals, sacrificed for consumption.
Within Ifa most sacrificed animals are consumed as
to further their power (Ase) for our cause and the
animals are treated with respect. The European
sacrificed the lives of an estimated 100 million
African men women and children for their Gods of
materialism, greed, lust and conquest. The
Christians celebrate the human sacrifice of Jesus
Christ and to this day still symbolize this via
cannibalism with their communion ritual. Within

Ifa the holy Odu Irete-Meji and OturuponTura

forbids human sacrifice! Within the traditional
African worldview you are for the most part
responsible for your own self-improvement. If you
want to change your condition you must make
sacrifice. Sacrifice often times does not require
blood. Sacrifice sometimes requires one to look in a
mirror and see beyond what is reflected and to make
some psychological change. This can be the most
difficult of sacrifices. However, we here at Cultural
Expressions are well aware of why the chicken
crossed the road, and now you know.

Orunmila the Deity

Orunmila is the God of Wisdom and Destiny
Like the other Deities, Orunmila existed before
man and is the only Orisa to witness creation.
Orunmila therefore has the knowledge
concerning the fate of every man, woman and
child. Orunmila is the youngest Deity out of all
the Deities created by God before the creation of
the earth. This circumvents the position for
Orunmila to be the final manifestation of virtue
for man to follow.
Orunmila sojourned to earth on various
occasions to assist man at the crossroads. The
crossroads I speak of are the moments we come
to in life that require major decisions or points
we get to in life that will affect the rest of our
lives. Esu, the Deity that sits at the crossroad, is
forever indebted to Orunmila and has vowed to
serve and assist Orunmila like non other (OgbeDi).
Orunmila, through the sheer power of wisdom,
sacrifice and patience became the commander
and prosper of all Orisa (Irete-Wori).
The expansion of man all over the earth and the
frequent needs for Orunmila to sojourn to earth
for the benefit of mankind became cumbersome

and frustrating for even Orunmila, this great

God of Wisdom. So Olodumare (God) endowed
upon Orunmila a means for mankind to
communicate with Orunmila to reveal ones
individual fate. This means is called Ifa. Ifa is
the embodiment of Orunmila and is also another
name for Orunmila. Ifa is a literary corpus that
entails the fate of man and all of his
accomplishments and transgressions. Only
priests of Orunmila have the authority to sound
the voice of Ifa. These priests are called
Babalawo. Orunmila vowed to serve man in
spirit with his infinite wisdom and the Babalawo
hold the same secrets to creation and the fate of
man that Orunmila held through the medium of
Ifa.
Orunmila the Deity represents the power of
wisdom to overcome misfortune.
Orunmila the Deity represents the power of
Divination to analyze our past, reveal our present
and forecast our future.
Orunmila the Deity represents the power of
sacrifice to achieve what would other wise be
impossible.
Ase O!

Notes

Ogbe-Meji / Eji-Ogbe

Serving Sizes

I I
I I
I I
I I

In the fixed order of Orunmila, EjiOgbe occupies the

first position.
EjiOgbe symbolizes all that is known and unknown
in the universe. It is an image of all those forces that
create the day.
The White Hole -- The Light
EjiOgbe is the sign of life --- A vigorous awakening
EjiOgbe rules the head --- Facing East
Physical element = Water...Water takes the
precedence of all the other elements. It is recognized
as "The Father of the Elements."
Physical body element = Brains and Nerves
Children would be disposed to be Travelers,
Pioneers,sailors or heads of organizations.

This Odu denotes plenty of good and plenty of evil.

Artistic creations
EjiOgbe expresses a need to acquire wisdom and
humility.
Represents perfect alignment between the Ori and
Ipori.
Maintain high ethical standards which will be
rewarded with enlightenment and abundance.
Time heals the pain of any matter.
We have cut off our own head to make us grow, like
the banana tree.
The hands belong to the body, the feet belong to the
body.
Victory over enemies, spiritual awakenings, long life,
and peace of mind.
In EjiOgbe barren women are blessed with children
after sacrifice!

Two words have spoken

Two tasks have given themselves to me
The road is open
Good medicine stays,
Told a certain person way back when tears of
compassion refused the curse of barrenness
that she should take a long-necked jar, and when
her sacrifice was done go to the place where water
seeps slowly, slowly until the womb is full.

She sipped the dreaming water and they called her

child Osun, generous river.
Ifa says to sacrifice is beneficial,
nothing waits for nothing good.
Come and see my bouncing newborn baby at the
foot of Lord Orisa!
Story... of how Ori (head) was the only divinity that
broke the kola nuts that Orunmila kept at his
shrine. Ori's wish was for a permanent abode
(home) and plenty of followers. Upon hearing the
news of the finally broken Kolanuts, all the other
divinities agreed, (since they all tried to break the
nuts) that the "Head" was the right divinity to the
Kolanuts. Almost immediately the hand, feet, body,
stomach, chest, neck etc, each of which bfore then
had distinct identities, all assembled and decided to
go and live with the Head. Together, they all carried
the Head high above as the king of the body. It is on
account of the role played by Orunmila in his
fortune that the head touches the ground to defer
and revere to Orunmila to this day.
The benevolence of the young EjiOgbe made him so
popular that his house was streaming with callers
night and day. He healed the sick, made sacrifice for
paupers to become rich, helped the barren to have
children and safely delivered all pregnant women
who demanded his assistance. These activities
Local Catering

earned him admiration from the beneficiaries of his

magnanimity. He also developed enemies that were
envious and plotted against him. EjiOgbe went for
divination and was told to make sacrifice to his Ifa
with a basket of snails. EjiOgbe's Awos collected Ero
leaves and mashed them in the snails' liquid for
EjiOgbe to bath with. After the sacrifice he began to
live a peaceful life.
Death held me and left me.
Sickness tried me and left me
No one eats tortoise along with its shell.
No one eats a Ram together with its horns.
The shell of the snail is kept after eating its meat.
I have survived the evil plans of my enemies.
Serious minded people do not listen to the bird
singing the songs of woe;
Difficulties and problems bring out the best in man;
Patience and sacrifice make the impossible to
become possible;
Give me a difficult problem to solve that doubters
may believe;
Give me a war to wage that mortals may appreciate
the strength of divinities;
To learn from past misfortunes is to be wise;
Not to learn from previous mistakes is folly;
The person who fails to make sacrifice vindicates the
diviner;

Local Catering

Just as the one who ignores advice turns the adviser

to a seer.
The man who learns from quarrels and the man who
does not learn from quarrels were the
two surrogates of EjiOgbe who made divination for
the land of Quarrels.
Orunmila enquires on how the situation is I respond
that it is fine. Early in the morning
I met all Irunmole followers where they were
offering snails for ritual. They asked me to state
what I was lacking. I said that it is wealth, I
responded that it is a spouse, I said I needed
children, I also needed all the well-beings of life.
They told me that when I return home I should wash
my master's hands cleanly I should also clean my
master's divination bag thoroughly I should offer
sacrifice to Ifa with a big, matured kolanut I should
offer sacrifice to my ancestors with bean- cake When
I looked at my back, what did I see? I saw all
prosperity coming towards me, They were coming
abundantly. And when I turned to look back, what
did I see? I saw good wives coming towards me,
They all looked beautiful and elegant. When I also
looked back, what did I see? I saw many children
coming towards me, They all looked healthy and
strong. When I looked back, what did I see? I saw all
well-beings of life coming towards me, They are all
abundant and satisfying. And I declared: Horses

shall be mounted in the practice of our profession

With EJi-Ogbe as the owner of the world Horses
shall be mounted in the practice of our profession.
If one is rich without good character The wealth
belongs to someone else That which we are after is
character Good character If one is blessed with
children without good character The children belong
to someone else That which we are after is character
Good character If one is blessed with houses without
good character The houses belong to someone else
That which we are after is character Good
character.
Let us not run the world hastily;
Let us not rasp at the rope of wealth impatiently;
What should be treated with mature judgment,
Let us not treat in a fit of temper;
Whenever we arrive at a cool place,
Let us rest sufficiently well;
Let us give prolonged attention to the future,
And then let us give due regard to the consequence
of things,
And that is on account of our sleeping (end/death).

Ase O!

Oyeku Meji

II II
II II
II II
II II

In the fixed order of Orunmila, Oyeku-Meji

occupies the second position.
Oyeku-Meji is the Black Disk or Hole.
Odu signifies darkness and unhappiness and
warns of death, sickness, worries and a bad
omen, yet also carries with it the solution to all
these problems.
It symbolizes all those forces which can never
be known.
It is an image of those forces that create the
night
Speaks of the comings and goings between
heaven and earth

The messenger of death

Physical element = Fire
Physical body element = Hairs of body and
Neck.
Children would be disposed to be
agriculturalised, masons, or market masters.
Wisdom of the departed Ancestors.
Symbol of the fish, for it was this Odu that
brought food/nourishment into the world.
Organization of wisdom
This Odu denotes that death and all other evil
will appear or disappear
From a child to adulthood hence death of child
This Odu represent the power of spiritual
transformation as well as physical
reincarnation
We are composed of flesh and death;
Turn and return, father of transformations.

An honest sage is no longer in existence

A truthful person is very rare indeed
When I no longer have any reliable person to
confide in

I choose to keep my thoughts within

Those are the declarations of the oracle for
Ajao who is being befriended by earthly
beings
and heavenly beings
He was asked to offer sacrifice, He complied
Alas, all the human beings seeking my
friendship I harken not
My thoughts had been kept within me
All heavenly beings seeking my friendship
I am not interested in your friendship
I have kept my thoughts within me.
This Odu is the incarnation of Jesus. The son
of God was called Jewesun in heaven and was
told to make sacrifice in order to survive the
plot that was going to be hatched by human
beings against him on earth. He was told to
give to Esu, which he bluntly refused to do. he
however agreed to make a small ebo. The
Awos told him that if he did not make the
sacrifice to Esu, it was the agents of the earth
that would kill him and shorten his life and
missionary works. But since he had made the

small ebo, he would awaken after three days

and his fame would outlive him, after his
return to heaven.
When Jewesun got to the world, as he was
about to begin his work of preaching the
objectivity of truth, the way people lived in
heaven and the love of God for his creations.
Esu appeared to him in dreams and warned
him that God had given him, Esu, Alewelishe,
Onisegun, the influence of all that existed in
the planetary system. Esu told Jewesun that if
he did not give him what he asked, Jewesun
would have himself to blame because he would
cause his followers to destroy him. Jewesun
once again refused to recognize Esu. Jewesun
was actually killed or went home 33 years
after he began his works on earth.
Let us behave gently,
That we may die peacefully;
That our children may stretch out their hands
Upon us in burial.

Death rejoiced at man's creation,

He plundered humans at will to eat,
Two Rats were playing on land,
Two fishes were playing in water,
The hen had laid its eggs and gone to roost,
The goat had delivered many kids,
The strong three year old Ram,
The fat male Cow endowed with beefy flesh,
were all created to appease Death,
This assemblage of live stock
Gave Death neither appeasement no
satisfaction,
Death continued to focus,
His gaze on the human flesh.
Ase O!

Iwori-Meji

II II
I I
I I
II II

In the fixed order of Orunmila, Iwori-Meji

occupies the third position.
The esorteric representation of Iwori is the Hyena.
Night mover, or preaditor, or scavendor.
Iwori is an image of those forces that create
ecological interaction in the forest.
Iwori is the simultaneous beginning of cognition and
purposeful activity.
Natures Gangsters
Fountain of Youth --- Impetus

Physical element = Air

Physical body element = Eyes & Kidneys
Mental power. Has the power of pulling good to you.
Enemies are around
Anybody born by this paticular Odu will not be
barren: they always produce children but their
children do not stay with them.
This Ifa denotes temporary success and your riches
do not remain with you long.
Speaks of people gifted with the ability to see things
in their true perspective

Cut, bind, halve the whole,

Prowl on the outskirts,
Claws, dig in.
Hyena made sacrifice to become chief but failed to
make ebo for protection against slander. Hyena's
duty as chief was to protect farm. Esu removed all
sheeps and goats and hiena was removed from office.
Hyena went to divinver and was told to make ebo
after which Hyena once again became chief. Guard
agianst underserved punishment and judgement.
Sacrifice for well-being
Sacrifice for continuity
This is what, O Orunmila,
The diviner is doing.

If a child respects his father, everything he embarks

upon will always be well. He will be a perfect
gentleman.
A thick rod it is that troubles the brass gong;
A heavy rain it is that reduces the anthill to mud;
Osun of Ewuji it is who finished eating , finished
drinking,
And crawled deliberately away into the river.
Thus declares the oracle to hin-Iwa (After-Being)
Who is the senior of Oni (Today)
Oye people of Isinpe, it is on account of hin-Iwa
That we are hospitable to Oni.
(You must always be hospitable so you may have a
good After-Life.)
"Not round, not round; the back of Vulture's head
resembles an axe handle, but it cannot split wood"
was the one who cast Ifa for "Two-Knots, Eji Iwori"
when he was coming to earth as the third figure of
Ifa.
Ifa says this is someone whose relatives are causing
him trouble; they do not allow him to find a house
or a farm, but if he sacrifices, he will find peace of
heart and will overcome all his enemies.
When the sixteen Figures of Ifa were coming to the
earth, "Two-Knots, Eji Iwori" wanted to be third
among them on earth; but the other Figures
conspired against him. They told him that there was

no room for him to live on earth. Then"Two-Knots,

Eji Iwori" got ready and went to the diviners, that
they might examine his case and tell him how he
might be able to find a place to live on earth. They
said that one she-goat, a mortar, the tete leaf, the
gbegbe leaf, and eleven shillings were required as
sacrifice.
"Two-Knots, Eji Iwori" heard and he offered the
sacrifice. They said he should return to earth again.
When he reached the earth he told the other fifteen
Figures that he had come. They said, hadn't they
told him that there wasn't room on earth for him to
live? Then "Two-Knots, Eji Iwori" replied as his
diviners had taught him:
"The mortar will testify that I see room in which to
settle,
"The tete leaf will testify that I see room in which to
stretch out,
"The gbegbe leaf will testify that I see room in which
to dwell."
When the other Figures heard this kind of a reply,
they said, "Ah! ah! this is a very powerful thing
indeed, oh!" They said he should take his seat; then
"TwoKnots, Eji Iwori" found his place to sit down
in the third position among the other Figures.
Ase O!

Idi Meji

I I
II II
II II
I I
In the fixed order of Orunmila, Idi-Meji occupies the
forth position.

Divided circle-symbolizes the reproductive organs of

women
Indiscreet curiosity
Physical element = Earth
Physical body element = Buttocks and Hips
Someone sitting and they have to mark off their own
area.
Too much talk! "Ass backwards"
Children would be disposed to be rulers.
Idi is very aggressive and pugnacious
Conceited --- Containment
Prominent Fighter
How Orunmila calmed the Iyamis
Market woman and their use of honey to sweeten
the good things in life.
A restraining influence
This is the rest and completion that follows
anticipation. Known as the "Seal".
Babalawo said: A single chain-link does not break.
So ended the raging plague and death.
Awo's were decapitated for malpractice!
One divides, two perform, three sustains wants
accord hole up releases four.

Yimiyimi, a beyin paale (alias of a Babalawo)

Cast divination oracle for Ori (head)
When suffering from unreasonable loneliness
Head was advised to offer sacrifices
Head complied
The ears came to keep head company
The nose came to keep head company
The eyes came to keep head company
The mouth came to keep head company
May my head not be without companion
What this stanza is stressing is that with appropriate
sacrifice, one will be able to enjoy the company of
others. It is also saying that loneliness is not good in
any way. Just looking at the head without nose,
mouth, ears, eyes etc, is not pretty to percieve.
It will be recalled that at the beginning of time,
plants and animals did not procreate as we know it
today. Following the creation of men and women,
they merely lived together without knowing how to
procreate. The woman did not know what to do
with her pelvis and the man did not know what his
penis was meant for.
The sperm and menstruation who had separate
identities then went for divination in the home of
Idi-Meji. Both Spermatozoa and Menstruation were
both anxious to know how to procreate. God had

created them leaving them to use their own

intelligence to contrive how to procreate. They were
both advised to make sacrifice in which they both
complied. Thereafter, the sperm was told to go and
live with man while menstruation was advised to
periodically live with the woman. That is how we
became the children of the sperm and menstruation
through the instruments of man and woman.
"Hollowing is the foundation of the aran drum; if it
goes up, it becomes huge; if it goes up, it becomes
immense" was the one who cast Ifa for Ipesan, Chief
of the Market. Ipesan arrives, oh, Chief of the
Market; he is going to take new land on which to
settle. Ipesan is what we call the Odan tree. A lucky
person arrives at the market, Oh!
Ifa says this is someone who will have a settlement of
his own and lots of room, but he should sacrifice lest
he encounter an enemy and a thing which will
decrease the size of his settlement. They said that
Odan tree should sacrifice one he-goat, one cock, one
cutlass, and one shilling seven pence eight onions, so
that he would not encounter a slanderer at his
settlement. They said he would find a large enough
place in which to settle, and that he would stretch
out his arms and stretch out his legs. Odan tree
heard the sacrifice, and he offered one he-goat and
one shilling seven pence eight onions for a place in

which to settle, but he did not offer the cock and the
cutlass that he might be able to stay there for a long
time. When Odan tree reached his settlement, he
stretched out his arms and he stretched out his legs;
but when he had finished stretching them out,
people came and took a cutlass and began to cut off
his arms and legs.
Therefore this person should sacrifice in order that
what he has achieved in the morning of his life shall
not be destroyed by others in the evening of his life.
Don't you see, Ifa has promised to receive what we
relinquish.
Listen, listen to what I'm saying now:
Though our heads are carrying heavy loads,
If we haven't arrived, we've got to keep going...
Ase O!

Irosun-Meji

I I
I I
II II
II II

In the fixed order of Orunmila, Irosun-Meji

occupies the fifth position.

The esoteric representation Irosun Meji is a

hole which symbolizes the possibility of
accidents and misfortune. It is an image of
the need to embrace caution.
In Irosun-Meji you are inclined to do things

the hard way.

In heaven Irosun-Meji was called "the man
who can alter the course of death"
Physical body element = Blood, liver and
arteries
Children would be disposed to be
secretaries or journalists.
Conquers the pitfalls of others.
A lot of disappointments are caused by bad
organization of the life.
Cautious behavior would take person through
difficult times with abundance.
Pay iba (homage) to ancestors to preserve
their wisdom.

Irosun is things that have not surfaced yet.

Death before Dishoner

Mirror, no matter how big cannot be used to

perceive one's image for the future. This is
the proclamation of the Babalawo to the
mirror addict When longing for all the good
things of life She was asked to offer
sacrifice. She complied. There is no other

true mirror than one's child. One's child is

the truest mirror one can get.
Ifa says the lady is too fashion-conscious. It
is not advisable to marry her unless she is
prepared to change her attitude to life. She
must start to think of settling down and
getting married in order for her to have her
own children insted of concentrating on how
to look good and smell nice alone.
Tribulations befalling a sage is not for life

Poverty of a sage will give way for prosperity

Before long the experience will be relayed
with happiness and laughter
Before Irosun-Meji came to the world he
was advised to make sacrifice with a cock
and a tortoise to the misfortune divinity and
a he-goat to Esu. He was also told to give a
guinea fowl to his guardian angle. He
refused to do any of the sacrifices. He then
came to the world where he was practicing
Ifa art. When he grew up, he was so poor
that he could not afford to marry, let alone
have a child. The hardship became so

severe on him that out of frustration he

decided to throw his Ifa seeds away.
Meanwhile, he had a dream in which his
guardian angel appeared to him telling him
that he was the one responsible for his
problems because he had stubbornly
refused to make the sacrifice prescribed for
him. When he woke up in the morning, he
decided to sound his Ifa and it was only then
he realized that it was his guardian angel
that appeared to him in the night.
He quickly arranged to do the sacrifice to
his Ifa and gave a he-goat to Esu. His Ifa
advised him to return to heaven to report
back to God from whom he failed to obtain
clearance in the first place. For his trip to
heaven, he was told to go with a cock, a
tortoise, a pack of yams, a gourd of water, a
gourd of oil, pepper, okro and snuff. He
collected all the things and packed them up
in his divination bag.
After travelling as far as the boundary of
heaven and earth he went straight to the
divine palace where he met the keeper of the

Divine chamber, the Misfortune divinity or

Yeye Muwo, the mother of obstacles. He
knelt down at the Divine chamber and
proclaimed that he came in all humility to
renew his earthly wishes. Yeye Muwo
intervened that it was too early in the
morning to make any wishes because there
was no food in the house. From his
divination bag. He immediately brought out
his fire wood, water, oil, pepper, salt, okro,
snuff and finally, the cock all of which the
mother of obstacles demanded in turn. Yeye
Muwo was up to her usual delaying tactics,
but Irosun-Meji was fully prepared.
Thereafter, Yeye Muwo cleared him to make
his wishes. Since it was forbidden to kneel
down on the bare floor, he knelt on the
tortoise which he brought from earth.
After making all his wishes, God blessed
them with his Divine Mace. When Yeye
Muwo heard the sound of the Mace she
quickly finished her cooking, but before she
could come out, Esu motioned Irosun-Meji
to leave quickly for earth.

When the mother of obstacles finally

emerged from the kitchen, she asked God
for the man who had been making his
wishes and the Almighty Father replied that
he had gone. When she queried why He
did not ask the man to make bad and good
wishes, God replied that it was not His
tradition to interfere when His children
were making their wishes.
In spite of all the gifts he had given to Yeye
Muwo, she nonetheless left quickly in hot
pursuit of Irosun-Meji. As she was
pursuing him, she sang...
He replied with a refrain of the same song
saying that he had already made sacrifice
and his wishes, leaving nothing out. As he
was singing he was racing along in fright!
When Yeye Muwo saw that she could not
reach him, she stood still and stretched out
her thumb and tore through his back with
it. That is the hollow line running through
the human back-bone, to this day, which is
to constantly remind us that the only way
we can escape the long hand of misfortune is

by making sacrifice. With that mark, Yeye

Muwo proclaimed to Irosun-Meji and to the
rest of humanity, (a curse) never to
remember his/her heavenly wishes on
getting to earth since the eyes cannot see the
back of the body and that before realizing
his wishes, he would have to grope in
darkness for a long time and experience a
lot of hardship in the process.
The pain of the injury made Irosun-Meji
unconscious and he lapsed into a trance of
utter-darkness. When he woke up, he found
himself on his bed on earth. He had
forgotten everything that happened before
then. He however went about his business
and prospered long afterwards.
The state of darkness symbolizes the
gestation period we spend in the womb,
during which we lose all recollections of
what we plan to do on earth.
Ase O!

Owonrin Meji

II II
II II
I I
I I

In the fixed order of Orunmila, Owonrin-Meji

occupies the sixth position.
Esoteric representation of Owonirn Meji is
two triangles surrounding three points which
symbolizes the invisible forces that create
mixture in the universe. It is an image to use
as the bases of Ifa numerology.
Dangerous sign, it is an indication of persistent

drought, famine, and lingering disease.

In Owonrin-Meji people are laughing at you.
Children would be disposed to be physicians
or electricians.
Strainer --- Aliases
"Lest we forget the primacy of earth"
A need to be balanced --- A need to be humble
Talks about a person that cursed someone and
that curse came back to them.
Victory over one's many enemies
Tendency to make impossible and
unreasonable demands
Child killing his own mother
Friends in heaven want to take you away from
earth
Material possessions overrule honor
"Reverse Head"
This Odu incarnates great profits.
Image of seeing your destiny and moving straight
towards it without faltering.
The most esoteric of all rituals/sacrifices is
feasting the multitude and looking for positive
public opinion.
Realize that even though it is not easy to

change one's destiny, all the same, it is not

impossible to do so

submission. Thus I bow myself in

submissiveness.

"It is not as the size of a tree that the spirit

inside is like"

"Where is money to be found, oh?"

"Money is to be found among one's own
followers, oh"
"Money is to be found among one's own
followers, oh."

Hand presses down heavily upon me

The invisible worm walks crookedly within me
Broom song: Sweep out, out upon the road,
cleanse me.

You slapped my ears, I never slapped you

back; You butted me with your head, I uttered
not a word or reacted. Edumare (Olodumare/
The Almighty) will query you as to what I took
of you! Was Oracle's divination for
Awonrinwon (Iguana) Who would order his
affairs peacefully. Awonrinwon is the sage of
peace Who would conduct; his cult in

The elders of Oyo were told to make sacrifice,

But they ignored it.
I was told to make similar sacrifice,
I listened and did the sacrifice.
I missed my steps and survived.
Because I made sacrifice.
Others missed their steps and died,
Because they failed to make sacrifice.
Those who make sacrifice,
Unfailingly receive salvation.
Gooro-maafiyun, Gooro-maafibo divined for
animals, when they were going on a journey.
They were all advised to sacrifice: Black cloth,
they refused to make sacrifice. It was only the
cat that heeded this advice : on reaching their

destination, they encountered the witches who

devoured all who refused to sacrifice their
black cloth. They saw the Cat afar off with
black cloth on. His eyes were four- like theirs,
as such, the witches decided not to kill him for
food because he was one of them. When the cat
was returning home he sang thus:Gooromaafiyun, Gooromaafibo........

Obara Meji

It is important for people to resist the urge to

ventilate their domestic grievances in public,
for fear that some evil minded listener may
amplify it in the witch-world.

Ase O!

I I
II II
II II
II II
In the fixed order of Orunmila, Obara-Meji
occupies the seventh position.

The esoteric representation of Obara Meji is

the Rope which symbolizes the force of

attachment. It is an image of duration of

human accomplishment.
Physical body element = abdomen and intestines
Children would be disposed to be traders or Mystics.
This Odu denotes poverty and want but at last
prosperity and happiness.
Removes backbiting and injurious slander, restores
power.
Odu of the underdog
The Odu of Commerce
Encourage the marriage -- Make preparation for
abundance
Suggest time for contemplation, warns against
complacency.
Think clearly before taking action so as to avoid
serious mistakes.
Obara-Meji became more prosperous than all the
other Odu put together.
Things that people give to you no matter how small
can be used to your advantage.
Good Odu with relationships. Story of Sango when
he got cast out of the kingdom of Oyo and Oya was
the only one on his side.
"I awoke to the sound of winnowing rain"
It was Obara-Meji that introduced dreams to the
world because while in the womb, he was always
revealing impending dangers to his parents.

Frailty of my right hand

Gains confidence in my left
Obara-Meji was famous for his concern about the
poverty of god's creatures. People had deluded
themselves with the feeble and defeatist philosophy
that there was virtue in material poverty. He
demonstrated that a creature's destiny was his own
choice and that whether or not a person stayed poor
was the measure of his personal effort. After
helping several others in heaven, he saw a lot of
poverty on earth and he decided to come to the
world to bring wealth and prosperity to it.
Obara-Meji became famous. His fame and
popularity soon began to evoke envy and enmity.
He was soon to realize that success breeds envy, and
envy evokes animosity which begets enmity.
Generally people do not fall in love with those who
excel them.

The fly which does not get greedy, never dies inside a
wine container.
The fly which flies high up in the air, and who is not
tempted by the baits on the low ground, does not get
caught in a gum trap.
Having obtained all he wished for and more, one
day, Obara-Meji received a visitor called Efun yemi
abori bebele, who advised him to make sacrifice so
that his new found prosperity might endure to the
end of his life. He was told to make sacrifice... He
did the sacrifices. That is why Obara-Meji lived for
so long in affluence until all his children also became
very old. The gray hair on his head and body
turned to be as white as cotton and his wealth
sustained to the end of his life!
Ase 0!

Okanran Meji

II II
II II
II II
I I

In the fixed order of Orunmila, Okanran-Meji

occupies the eighth position.

The esoteric representation of Okanran

Meji is twin faces which symbolizes power
of dual forces. It is an image of BI-polar
strength.
Okanran is the seat of the emotion and
psychic energy.
Sango enters the world
Physical body element = Heart, veins and
nails
"The first word"
Children would be disposed to be smiths,
mechanics or hangmen.

The knife that cuts the bread kills the man.

Psychic balance
Sango's famous freindship with Obatala
Washes off, catches on, doubles, redoubles, paints the
world red

In deep sadness one masters the

discouragement

Divine justice - The incarnation of Sango as

Orisha- The universe allows for
transformation through tragedy and crisis.
World begins as one. Folklore of Sango's
preparation to marry Oya. For lack of
doing prescribed ebo, Oya yielded certain
powers greater than Sango. Hence, wind
before lightening. Have a piece of mind to
avoid danger.
"Thunder does not crash during the
harmattan; lightning does not flash secretly,
male and female partridges do not have
upright combs on their heads" was the one
who cast Ifa for black Ereje, mother of

Ram, she who gave birth to Elephant and

Buffalo, and whose third child was Ram.
These three children planted ochra, and the
God of Thunder (Sango) came from the sky
to steal it; when their mother saw that ochra
was being stolen, she said she did not know
what was picking it. Elephant began to
watch the field, and one day the God of
Thunder came back to pick ochra; when he
saw Elephant, he roared at him, and
Elephant fled into the forest. Buffalo also
went to watch the farm; when the God of
Thunder saw Buffalo, he roared at him, and
he, too, fled into the forest. When it came
Ram's turn, he took She-goat along with
him because she was his servant; and when
the God of Thunder was coming, he brought
Dog along. When the God of Thunder
reached the Farm and saw Ram, he roared
at him, but Ram roared back, and when he
began stabbing Ram with his knife, Ram
began butting him. When they had been
fighting a while, the God of Thunder's knife
broke, and Ram's horn broke also. The God

of Thunder sent Dog to bring him another

knife, but when Dog reached the road, he
found a bone and lay down to eat it. Ram
likewise sent She-goat to bring him another
horn; and when humans held out yam rinds
to her, She-goat replied, "Today is no day
for rinds, 'bkk bkkrik." So She-goat
brought another horn to Ram; and when
Ram had fastened the horn to his head, he
chased the God of Thunder away. Since that
time the God of Thunder has remained in
the sky, and when thunder crashes and
lightning flashes, Ram paws the ground
with his feet, saying, "Our fight is not yet
finished."
So you want to go call upon Sango?
Are you not afraid of that wife of his?
Her rows can ruin everything.
Sango drinks fire, but all the same,
his wife is a very strong woman.
Sango spits fire, well and good,
but Oya's fierce,

fiercer than her husband

Tornado is a liberated woman.
Ase O!

Ogunda Meji

I I
I I
I I
II II

In the fixed order of Orunmila, Ogunda-Meji

occupies the ninth position.
The esoteric representation of Ogunda Meji is the
dagger which symbolizes the power of metal to be
forged into tools. It is an image of virility.
"Ogun Creates"
The Path Maker --- Compulsive --- Stubborn
This Odu relates to Ogun
Ogun led the second reconnaissance mission from
heaven to earth
Reference to the need of some sort of protection.
That protection relates to the need to survive rather

than become the sacrifice for someone else's

survival.
Physical body element = Male Organs
Children would be disposed to be soldiers, butchers
or burglars.
This Odu denotes War
This Odu denotes total victory
This Odu denotes total devastation
All of this client's good fortune is with his Ori.
Keeps the law away, prevents surgery.
One is dominated by the events or by its passions.
Sometimes, a brutal or accidental end.
Without Ogun, no four-footed animal can be
sacrificed, no infant's cord cut (separating him into
individual life), nor the act of circumcision
accomplished.
In traditional times, during court proceedings, one
swears to Ogun like one swears to the Bible today!

By thy rod, black fire, center me.

Good deeds never go unrewarded
Evil deeds never remain unsanctioned
Constant good deeds without visible results may
appear as a loss
Good deeds are beneficial, evil is not

Ogun went off spontaneously made Ifa for Gun

on the day he was going to war against his enemies.
Told to sacrifice for overcoming.
This done, they made gun medicine.
Alagbara ni noskun Ade divined for Ogun, He was
advised to sacrifice a cutlass, a cock and roasted
yam. He was told that he must always go about with
his cutlass because he was to make fortune with it.
He was asked to eat the roasted yam. He did so. He
was thirsty after this and he went to the river to
drink water. As he finished drinking he saw two
people fighting over a fish they killed.. He advised
them to be patient and go home to share the fish.
They ignored him The first man told him he came
from the east and the second from the west after
which he cut the fish into two for them. The first
thanked him and requested him to open a foot-path
from where they were to his town and that he would
enrich his (Ogun's) life if he (Ogun) did. He further
said that Ogun would receive valuable things that
would give him confidence. The other one also
thanked him and made the same request. Ogun
agreed and he has been known as "Ogun-da-meji."
since the day he cut the fish into two.
Agogo-owo-koseif'apokosi divined for Olofin when
Olofin Ajalorun was about to send his son called
Ogun to the world to open the way of life. He was

told that he would never finish the job however hard

he may be working but he should make sacrifice
against ill health and death.
The whole world would always request Ogun him to
pave their way for them but no one would share his
sorrow with him in his life.
Ase O!

Note: These verses are only a fraction of the entirety of OgundaMeji

Osa Meji
II II
I I
I I
I I

Knowing how to pull people to the left

Osa denotes prospect of many children and
plenty of riches.
Stakeless river, seven pines, wings in the night.
First to be reverenced, definitely should be one's
elders.

In the fixed order of Orunmila, Osa-Meji

occupies the tenth position.
The esoteric representation of Osa Meji is a
female face surrounded by a lunar crescent
and a sky filled with stars which symbolizes
the secrets of female power. It is an image of
women's secret societies.
Power of Aje (Witches)
Physical body element = Female Organs
Children would be disposed to be Aviators
Child born to the deepest of Mothers
In Osa your best friend can be your worst
enemy
Inclined to guess things without learning
Mind hustler -- Constantly running

Kasaka ja-Katitisa divined for Eji-Osa, EjiOsa was going to Ife on scientific research,
they say he would be horrified by something
which could prevent him from carrying out his
project. For this reason he should sacrifice:- A
ram and a thunderbolt. He refused. When he
got to Ife, a fight ensued. They tried to fight
back but could not. They had to run. From
this day they were called Osameji.
Osa-Meji made divination for the white man
when he was coming to the world. The white
man was advised to make sacrifice in order to
be able to create, invent, develop, achieve

great heights and command universal honor

and respect. He made the sacrifice.
When a woman called Ogodo yaya was leaving
heaven, she went to the same Awo's to make
divination for her in order to be able to have a
child who will change the course of events in
the world. She was advised to make sacrifice...
She made the sacrifice and came to the world.
On getting to the world, she did not have
children, so she went to the two Awos on earth
called Ukporo bayi and Aila baaye. She was
told to make sacrifice... She did the sacrifice
after which she began to have children.
Later, she wanted to have more children and
again went for divination. She was told to
make sacrifice... After making the sacrifice a
child was born with pale skin and curly hair.
Afraid of the kind of child she had, she ran to
the Awos who made divination for her to
explain what it meant. They told her that
since she left heaven with a wish to give birth
to a child who would alter the face of the
earth, her wishes had manifested and she was
told that the child was going to begin a new

generation of white men on earth. That is how

the white race came into existence.
The ubiquitous wanderer, or wind, who does
what he likes and means what he does, was the
nickname of Osa-Meji
Before Osa-Meji came to the world he was
advised to make sacrifice because he was going
to practise his Ifa art in the midst of witches.
He was told to give a he-goat to Esu, a guinea
to his Ifa and a pigeon to his head. He did not
perform the sacrifice as he was in a hurry to
come to the world.
Although he was one of the sixteen children of
Orunmila who decided to come to the world at
about the same time, he did not find the way to
the world in time, because of the he-goat he
failed to give to Esu. His guardian angel could
not guide him because he also made no
sacrifice to him. His Head did not come to his
rescue either, because he offered no sacrifice to
it. He was therefore wandering on the way
until he came to the last river in heaven before
crossing to the world. At the bank of the river

he met the mother of witches, Iyami Osoronga

who had been there for a long time because no
one else agreed to help her to cross the river.
She too was coming to the world but was too
feeble to cross the tiny thread bridge over the
river.
Iyami Osoronga begged him to back her
through the river, but he explained that the
bridge would not take two passengers at a
time. She then proposed to him that he should
open his mouth so she could get into it. He
agreed and she took a position inside his
stomach. When he got to the earth end of the
bridge, he told her to come out, but she
refused on the grounds that his stomach
provided a suitable abode for her. His
problems with witchcraft had begun. When
she refused to disembark, he thought he could
bluff her by saying that she would die of
hunger inside his stomach, but she said that
she would not die for as long as he had a liver,
a heart and intestines, because those were her
favorite meals.
He realized what problem he was up against,

when the women bit his liver. He then brought

out his divination instruments and sounded Ifa
on how to get out of the impasse. He was told
by Ifa to make instant sacrifice with a goat, a
bottle of oil and white cloth, which he brought
out quickly from his Akpo minijikun.
He quickly cooked the liver, heart and
intestines of the goat and told Iyami that food
was ready for her. When she smelt the inviting
scent of the food, she came out of his stomach.
She however told him that it was forbidden
for her to eat on full view of anyone. He then
made a tent with the white cloth and she went
under the tent to enjoy the meal. As she was
eating Osa-Meji ran away and quickly found a
womb to enter to come to the world.
As soon as Iyami finished eating, she looked
round for Osa-Meji but he was no where to be
found. She began to shout his name Osasa,
Osasa,Osasa which is the cry of the witches to
this day. She is still looking for Osa-Meji up
till now.

No other divinity is able to withstand the

witches when they decide to fight. They can
always subdue all of them, with the exception
of Olodumare and Orunmila, due to the way
they handled them on prior occasions. Anyone
who believes that charms and other diabolical
preparations can subdue witchcraft is merely
deceiving himself, unless they are aware of
special incantations made in the past for this
purpose.

Ika Meji

Ase O!

In the fixed order of Orunmila, Ika-Meji

occupies the eleventh position.

II II
I I
II II
II II

The esoteric representation of Ika Meji is Ojo

the primordial serpent who symbolizes the
reptiles of the forest.
Ika is an image of the use of fire for protection.
Sudden things coming right at you
Forest floor --- Be constantly on guard
Physical body element = muscles and
shoulders
Extremities --- Toes and Fingers
Insures sequence --- A clean slate
Things slip through your fingers -- You just

miss opportunities
Children would be disposed to be shipwrights,
theatre managers or musicians.
Pride
You win the war but loose the battle.
Permits a person to come out of a vicious
circle.
Violent character but is short
Incline to the health and to the zing the illness
can only be accidental.
The hot winds that bring disease

Omipensen-akodun-koro divined for Ogun

when he was going to attack his enemy. He
was advised to make sacrifice:- A keg of palm
wine, roasted yam and palm-oil. Ogun refused.
Then he was told that he would be poisoned
before he returned. In the long run he fought
and won the battle but one of his men offered
him a piece of roasted yam which he ate but
the yam got stuck to his throat with the result
that he could not speak again and had to made
gestures to indicate anything he wanted to say.

Everything can accounted be

Crawlers and creepers keep away from me
Wicked fingers!

Story of hunters who were unable to capture

elephant. Turtle said he will bring elephant to
village. Turtle took food that the elephant
liked to eat and told elephant to follow him
for more in abundance. The elephant followed
the turtul back to village were he had him sit
on map to eat. Under the mat was a huge pit
which elephnat fell into.
Odu suggests that faith, wisdom and intelligence
when combined have greater power then
physical strengh alone. Be aware of possible
danger in all undertakings.

The one who cut two ears of corn to deify his

head was to be called Ikameji. The one to
whom this Odu was divined will be fruitful in
the world.

"Pouncing," the diviner of Cat, was the one

who cast Ifa for Cat when he was trading
every day, but having his profits slip from his
grasp. They said he should make sacrifice. He
made the sacrifice. From that time on, Cat has
never again had things slip from his grasp .
Ifa says there is someone who is having
everything slip from his grasp; he should
sacrifice so that things will never slip from his
grasp again. It is understood that the needles
became Cat's claws, with which he keeps
things from escaping from his grasp. This
verse thus explains how cats came to have
claws, and why they can hold things tightly.
Ase O!

Note: These verses are only a fraction of the entirety

of Ika-Meji

Oturupon Meji

II II
II II
I I
II II
In the fixed order of Orunmila, Oturupon-Meji
occupies the twelfth position.
The esoteric representation of Oturupon Meji is the
baby in the mothers womb which symbolizes
premature birth and abortion. It is an image of
instability within the forces of the earth.
Regeneration --- Endurance
Abundance of Children --- Celibacy

Physical body element = Bones of body

Children would be disposed to be Scientists or
Chemists.
This Odu denotes prospect of twin babies.
Oturupon Meji reveals how the faculty of
intelligence came to the world.
Oturupon relates to Egungun (Ancestor Society).
The Egungun should be allowed to comment on the
resolution of any conflict.
Oturupon deals with the spiritual consequence of
lack of courage.
Oturupon people are very spacey. They have all
these great ideas with no reality. They daydream
often.
Predispose to a superior nature but fail to achieve
Clouded by too many details. Simplicity works fine.
Good intuitions, but one does not follow them.
"No one knew when Egherun married the Vulture
and when she left him"

Be truthful, do good;
Be truthful, do good;
It is the truthful
That the divinities support.
Agba igbin f'idi j'elu divined for Odo, he was told
that wherever he might be in life he would always be
securely seated but he was to die for his bravery.

"Odo, consume your soup, made for ebo, so that you

might have a good situation." "Gbegi" stick to one
place.
There lived a hunter who had a secret agreement
with the elders of the night to help him in his
hunting expeditions. They provided him his game
on the condition that he would always allow them to
drain the blood of any animal he killed.
Meanwhile, his wife was anxious to find out why he
usually came home with headless animals. She
decided to follow him to the forest to find out what
was happening to the heads and blood of the animals
he was killing. He did not know that the wife
usually accompanied him to the forest.
On one occasion, the elders of the night told him to
warn who ever was following him to the forest to
desist from doing so. On getting home he told the
wife about the warning and she pretended as if it
had nothing to do with her.
On his next hunting expedition, the wife trailed him
to the forest behind his back. On getting to the
forest he started hunting. When he finished hunting,
he went into conference with the elders of the night
and they drained all the blood and emptied them
into a clay pot. At that stage the elders of the night
asked him whether in defiance of their instructions,
he came with any spy. He denied coming with
anybody. They insisted that someone came with

him. They told him to keep watch. They removed

the leaves with which his wife concealed herself and
ordered her to come out. When the hunter
discovered that it was his wife, he begged them to
spare her life and forgive her. They told him that
there was no forgiveness in the witch world.
They called her up and told her that since she was so
curious to find out what they sere doing with the
blood of the animals being killed by the husband,
she would have to pay the price of her transgression.
They collected all the blood drained from the
animals shot by the husband that night and made
her to drink it. After drinking the blood, she began
to suffer from palsy, or issue of blood. She became
so ill that the husband had no time to devote to his
hunting. The night people had turned their backs
on him because of the action of his wife. He later
went to appease the elders of the night and after
paying the fine stipulated by them, they agreed to
modify the woman's punishment, by proclaiming
that from then on, the woman would only see blood
once a month which is the menstruation (from Idi
Meji) that all women have to this day.
The large-faced drum.
The water used to bath,
In the bathroom,
Sprinkles on the walls and floor,
Of the bathroom.

No man is wise enough,

To count the sand of the earth.
No one travels far enough,
To know the dimension of the earth.
He who eats akara and moyin moyin
Knows the sobriquet of beans.
These were the Awos who made divination for
Orunmila when he was returning to heaven through
the sea. As he left for the sea (Okun) his followers
asked him. Now that you are leaving us for good,
who shall we call our father. He told them to refer to
anyone they pleased as their father. He decided to
go back to heaven never to return to the world
physically again. He however told them that he
would send them the instruments through the tree of
life (the palm tree) through which he would always
talk to them.

Ase O!

Otura Meji

In the fixed order of Orunmila, Otura-Meji

occupies the thirteenth position
The esoteric representation of Otura Meji is
the Kasan, which is a blouse worn by advisers
to the Chief and soldiers that symbolizes the
interaction between various ethnic groups. It
is a image of the power of the word.
This Odu relates to Ifa and deserters from his
cause. It denotes victory over enemies and
prospect of many children.
Physical body element = Arms, hands, and
lungs

Children would be disposed to be diplomats,

fishmongers or lawyers.
The Market Place
Power of mental judgement
Patience brings great rewards
Sustain from marriage
Recognize Taboo
Peace that comes from an inner knowing
"Stabilize the family"
Suggests meditation and fasting
Confusion and doubt is followed by clarity and
abundance.
Otura-Meji opened the way for wealth to come
to the world!
Human speech is treacherous, a source of
dissension and loss, and a possible cause of
death.
Folklore credits this Odu with the inspiration
for their religious leaders of both Christianity
and Islam.
Orunmila never wrecked vengeance or
punished 'them' even though he had the
power and ability to do so with impunity.
A single santified word outweighs a load of

profane verbiage.
Sprout, big mouth, halve yourselves, lip-lobes,
clam up, double tongue, utter.

Lying does not debar one from becoming rich,

Covenant-breading does not debar one from
reaching old age;
But the day of sleeping, there awaits trouble!
The most important work done in heaven by
Otura-Meji is the revelation of how the white
man attempted to learn from God how to
produce a human being. The white man had
become so vast on earth in the field of
inventions that he thought he should crown his
achievements by going to God to teach him

how to manufacture a human being. When he

got to heaven, he approached an Awo called
Ayegbe kooshe gbere gede, "No mirror can be
wide enough to see the length of a whole year".
The white man was advised to give a he-goat
to Esu but he refused to do it because he did
not believe in making fetish sacrifices.
Without making the sacrifice he went to the
palace of God and asked to be taught how to
produce a human being. Since God never
refuses any request made to him, he told the
white man to fetch mud for the work,which he
did. God has a large mirror in his workshop
which he looks at when molding any object.
He examines the reflection of the object from
the mirror and he must pass it as perfect
before confirming it as being fit for existence.
With the mud fetched by the white man, He
molded the image of a human being and the
white man watched him. After molding the
human image, God left it to dry and
meanwhile moved to his inner chamber to
attend to other callers.
As soon as God left, Esu come into the

workshop in the shape of a heavenly police

and asked the white man whether he could not
replicate the image prepared by God. the
visitor confirmed that he could. Esu then told
him to leave for home with the image, because
it would speak after drying up.
With that piece of deceptive advice, the white
man left with the human image. When he
however got home the image could not speak
after drying up. that is why the white man is
unable to cast any speaking image to this day.
It was on account of the sacrifice which the
white man refused to make.
To speak is to begin to sort out, to divide
things. Odd or even?
The person you meet once, meet again, and
meet later as an elder in a town, is called an
old man. That was the mane of the Awo
Otura-Meji who made divination for the head
of the Imoles to enable them to inherit the
prosperity of the earth with minimal effort,
from a sedentary position. He made the
sacrifice.

When he got to the world, he struggled for a

long time before he was able to realize his
destiny, but when he finally met Otura-Meji
again on earth he made the same sacrifice for
him in the cave and told him that his flock was
going to multiply but that the reward of his
sacrifice would be reaped by his descendants
and followers. He was told that money would
always come to them with very little or no
effort. Those who wanted to know the truth
about God would always come to him for the
message. ("Ase O! Baba")
Olusese awon ni Awo inu igbo, Elu-odanaf'idij'Odu, divined for Orunmila. He was told
to sacrifice:- Six mats, six ikoodes, ... so that
he might be able to govern his town. They told
him that all the people would respect and
honor him in this mat. That is why the
Babalawo sit on mat to read Ifa till today.
Orunmila heeded the advice and speedily
made the sacrifice.

I threw a missile;
And it hit a trickster;
Who made a long dress;
To conceal his treachery.
Whoever hides to practice;
Wickedness against others;
Will have evil endangering him openly.
Truth and False hood were arguing between
themselves. Truth argued that he was more
powerful that Falsehood. On the other hand
Falsehood argued that he was stronger that
the Truth.
Otura-Meji told them that the power of
falsehood is transient and ephemeral and that
Truth, although slow and weak, overcomes
Falsehood in the end, He then sang:
No matter how powerful wickedness is;
Righteousness overcomes wickedness in the
end!
Ase O!

Irete Meji

I I
I I
II II
I I
In the fixed order of Orunmila, Irete-Meji
occupies the fourteenth position.
The esoteric representation of Irete Meji is a
square within a circle, the circle symbolizes that
which is unknown and the square symbolizes
that which is known. It is an image of mutiny
and rebellion which either brings long life or
infectious disease.
Irete denotes initiation into Ifa
Irete = Steps
Physical body element = Legs, feet and spleen
Children would be disposed to be dyers or
brewers.
Power of medicine
Where the Iyamins came to earth

A split second decision can affect the rest of

your life!
Resistant to pain and adaptable to the roughest
conditions
Whole and domineering character
Unlimited ambition
In Irete-Meji Orunmila learned the secret of
prosperity.
"It pays to stoop to conquer"

Odan-ab'orepegunpegun cast Ifa for Akon, they

say that: he would never fit well with the people
in the market. If he wanted to adjust this fault in
him, he should sacrifice:-Ata-epo (Pot of oil)
and a shawl. Akon (the crab) refused to make
sacrifice. On the market-day, Akon balanced his
pot of palm-oil on his head and in an attempt to
wrap himself with his shawl, the pot fell from
his head and his shawl was soiled with oil and
up till today the oil stain is still on the crab.
The boy began to sing thus:
My name is Kporoye --- My mother's name is

Kporoye --- Daughter of Ajero kin osa --- In the

land of Ijero --- Married to Ewi of Ado. --- My
mother Kporoye told me --- The story of how the
quest for a child --- Brought her for divination
to Udo --- Where she met an Ifa priest --- Who
made divination and sacrifice for her. --- As she
went to deposit --- The sacrifice near the pit --She heard a distant cry for help. --- From within
the pit --- Behold, it was the Ifa priest --- Who
made the sacrifice for her --- Who was inside
the pit. --- As she helped him --- To get out of
the pit --- She fell to the ground --- And her
feminine glory was exposed. --- The Ifa priest --Who could not resist --- The urge of nature --Fell on her --- And made love to her. --- My
mother Kporoye --- Has not seen the Ifa priest
since then. --- But true to his prediction --- That
the fortuitous event would bring forth a male
child. --- I was born to Kporoye --- In her old
age --- At a time when no one --- Expected her
to bring forth a child. --- Although my mother's
husband --- The Oba of Ale Ugotun --- Accepted
me as his child --- The blood of my real father
--- Runs through my veins. --- And the fact that

I went about --- Singing songs and collecting

leaves --- Like my father was said --- To be in
the habit of doing --- Made my play mates --- To
call me funny nick-names. --- One day, I
confronted my mother Kporoye --- To tell me the
true story of my birth. --- She told me that my
father --- Comes from the land of Okemesi --And that at the entrance to his house --- There
is a money bearing tree. --- The branches and
foliage --- Of the tree bear crowns. --- The stem
bears beads --- And the roots bear corals. --- At
the entrance of the house --- Is the dried corpse
of a human body. --- After hearing the story --- I
insisted on coming to see my father. --- On our
way to Okemesi --- We were apprehended by
three bandits --- And sold separately into
slavery. --- I lamented that I would never --- See
my father again. --- Even if I die as a slave --- I
can now rest assured --- That I have come to at
last --- To the land and the house of my father.
--- The description given by my mother --Assures me that the house --- To which I was
finally sold into slavery --- And where I now
crack this palm kernel --- Is indeed the abode of

my father. --- Ejielemere of Okemesi --- If I die

in six days time --- It would no longer be in vain
--- Because I have come to die --- On the bosom
of my father!
Ase O!

Ose Meji

I I
II II
I I
II II

In the fixed order of Orunmila, Ose-Meji

occupies the fifteenth position.
The esoteric representation of Ose-Meji is the
cressent moon which symbolizes female
fertility. It is an image of female creativity
Advise to look for money with caution and
discretion so that money might not destroy
one.

Physical body elements = Breasts and bladder

Children would be disposed to be Spiritualists
or reformers.
All that decays and dissolves into its
consitutive elements.
Surrender, flight and loss
The Wrestler --- Credulous
This Odu denotes plenty of children, victory
over enemies and plenty of good fortune.
Person is destined to assume priestly
responsibilities
Person is destined to take a position of honors
and responsibility within their chosen
profession
Orunmila learned mysteries of abundance.
Osun is considered keeper of the mysteries of
abundance. Osun enticed Obatala for this
secret and gave it to worshipers.
"I want, I want, I insist on broke me"
Desiring spiritual growth will lead to
abundance.

Orunmila prophesied, it came to pass;

It came to pass Bara, Agbonniregun,
They asked what was it that was coming to
pass?
He answered that it was the blessing of wealth
foretold.
The Olodus, that is, the sixteen main apostles
of Orunmila, were in the habit of going to the
river to wash the signs of old age from their
bodies. After each such bath, they often came
out looking several years younger than their
ages. At one of their weekly meetings, the
sixteen Olodus agreed on the date they were to
go to the river for their annual cleansing
session.
On getting home from the conference. OseMeji invited one of his Awos called Gere Gere
Shalu Gere, to make divination for him

against the upcoming trip to the river. He was

advised to offer sacrifice to Esu because of the
benefits awaiting him at the river. He did the
sacrifice without any delay.
On the appointed day, all sixteen Olodus
assembled at the river and they began to have
their dives into the river in order of seniority.
Each of them was required to make three dives
into the river. When it was the turn of OseMeji to dive, being the fifteenth Olodu, he
dived the first time and came out of the river
with a dried fish on the left hand and a fresh
fish on the right hand. He made a second dive
and emerged with a white cloth on his left
hand and a black cloth on the right. In his
third and final dive, he came out with 200
cowries on his left hand and beads on the right
hand.
The other Olodus accused him of playing
magic, but he declined saying that he did not
know how to make divination, let alone magic.
On getting home he assembled all his
surrogate Awos and told them to interpret his
finds in the river. They told him that the fishes

indicated that he would live long enough to

enjoy all the good things of life. The cloth
meant that he would live in peace and concord
to the end of his life, which was going to be
very long. The last finds meant that he was
going to live a life of prosperity and
abundance. He actually lived a full life and
lived longer than any other Olodu on earth.
When our own handicraft suffices us reliance
is never placed on theft. Theft can never
suffice us, except our own honorable labor:
This declares the Oracle to Agbonniregun
(alias Orunmila) When he was set out from
township to rural areas. He was warned that
he would do marvelous acts of kindness, But
that he would be repaid evil for good; But the
Almighty God would requite him manifold.
And all the deities would also repay him amply
He saw a lame man, and he restored his limbs;
The lame man failed to express any gratitude.
Orunmila called him back And asked why he
failed to be grateful. He saw an albino,
touched his skin, The albino's skin became

restores to normalcy. He saw a hunched back

man, and touched his hunch; The hunch of his
back dropped to the ground. He called back
the man and asked why he was ungrateful. He
found a woman laboring of child, He took care
of her and she was delivered safely. He met
people where somebody died of an illness; The
deceased, borne in a coffin, was about to be
buried, Orunmila stopped the concourse of
mourners and raised the dead to life. They all
acclaimed Orunmila, saying "All Hail to His
Majesty ! " Orunmila got to another Place,
There Death was intimidating someone,
Orunmila began to sing as a challenge:
If I see Death I would crush him in a fight."
Woroji, woroji! wowo! (what a frightful scene
to behold !)
If I catch sight of plague, I would worst him in
combat;
Woroj, woroji! wowo! what a frightful scene to
behold!)
Death fled away, In fear of Orunmila;
Plague took to flight to avoid Orunmila.
Quite apart from being a Deity who

prophesied and worked miracles,

ORUNMILA was also a DOCTOR and
HEALER In addltlon to his qualities of being
(a) KING (b) PRIEST (c) TEACHER and (d)
DEITY. Also as teacher of mankind he was a
LINGUIST.

Ofun Meji

Ase O!

II II
I I
II II
I I
In the fixed order of Orunmila, Ofun-Meji
occupies the sixteenth position.
The esoteric representation of Ofun Meji is an
egg marked with 12 paired points, and four
horizontal lines which together symbolizes the
16 odu Meji. It is the image of the birth
universal principles.
Ofun denotes all the different characters and
types of people in the world.
Physical body element = Rostrum, nostrils and

throat
Children would be disposed to be Judges,
Police, Diviners or wine merchants.
In Ofun-Meji the quarent will be great!
Consent the power given by others.
Calabash
Incline to a paternal or protective bossiness
Life in accordance with the dictates of Ifa is
"sweeter than honey"
Whoever loves Money beyond bounds will
have his character damaged. Wisdom it is that
excels money.
Ifa says that we should not break an oath with
a friend, least we meet death unexpectedly
Argbo ile fi-ire-sa-ke jeke je divined for Olofin
when he was going to produce sixteen Imales
(the 16 principle Odus)
Babalawo should not be anxious in gathering
wealth save in collecting knowledge.
The egg within becomes the womb, passivity
becomes creativity personified.

Epa!

Enfold all...
Those that are wise are ruled by calm
Ogbaragada cast Ifa for Odu when he was
going to create all the differnt characters in
the world. He was advised to sacrifice: Four
pillars, one big calabash (with cover) and a
chain. He heeded the advice and made the
sacrifice. He was assured that no one would
query his action, Therefore he should pitch the
four pillars together on the gorund and place
the calabash on them and to tie his hand to the
poles with the chain. He did so and
subsequently created all kinds of characters
and was since then known as Oduduwa.
Argbo ile fi-ire-sa-ke jeke je divined for Olofin
when he was going to produce sixteen Imales
(the 16 principle Odus)
Death, children of death,
Life, children of life...
Ofun-Meji revealed that it took Olodumare
(God) six days to create the land, seas,

atmosphere, plants, animals and humanity.

The reason Olodumare created all organic and
inorganic matter before creating mankind was
to provide abode for man, water for him to
drink, food to eat, air to breathe and for him
to settle down to a routine life in heaven from
the seventh day. Ofun disclosed that God
rested on the seventh day after completing the
creation of the divinosphere. Hence it would
take six days to complete the initiation
ceremony of any divine priest and he should
clean the house and rest on the seventh day.
Ajitu gbaye Aringinniginni gbayi Ojini ku to
ku to r'ohun oro sarigbon lo Orun They cast
divination oracle for Orunmila When coming
From Ikole Orun (Heaven) to Ikole Aye (earth)
They also cast divination oracle for the human
race Who were to divide into three groups:
The acheivers
Those who follow the acheivers
The bystanders

They all were coming to do three things on

earth They were coming to do good They were
coming to do evil They were coming to do
neither good nor evil. Aa see mogamoga kii ri
ohun oro se arigbonlo Agbonmiregun's Sage
(Another name of Orunmila) Cast divination
oracle for Agbonmiregun When going to
Olodumare to make enquiries on why
Olodumare created three groups with three
distinct characters at the same time? Three
groups exhibiting different traits cannot live
together without friction. With friction,
someone is Bound to be hurt. Olodumare
responded: It is a way of knowing human
attitudes.
From the Ifa verse above, it shows clearly that
on earth, there are three groups of people:
those who make things happen (good or bad);
those who assist in making things happen; and
those who watch things happen. The first
group is very rare, the second group many,
while those who fall into the third group are in
abundance.

On the other hand, man cormes into the world

to exhibit his various attitudes and characters
independently, Consequently individuals are
responsible for-their actions good or bad.
Generally, all those attitudes that are socially
acceptable, approved of and backed up by
rewards are categorised as good. Examples of
these kinds of attitudes are humility, godliness,
honesty, hardwork, forgiveness, patriotism,
respect and so on. The types of rewards
attached to these kinds of attitudes are praises,
encouragements, blessings, better life
hereafter and so on.
Also, all those attitude that are socially
unacceptabie, disapproved of and backed up
by negative sanctions are categorised as evil.
Examples are lawlessness, stealing, meanness
snubbishness, pride and so on. Sanctions
attached to these attitudes include social
frown, rebuke, jail, banishment, execution, to
worse life hereafter.
The third category of attitudes and characters
are those that do not constitute neither good
nor bad. For instance, sleeping or waking up

at normal times is neither good nor bad. But if

one constitutes the habit of deliberately
disturbing others while they are asleep or
awake either by occupying their space or
deliberately matching on them while awake, it
becomes evil. Also, eating and drinking is
neither evil nor good, but if a person who has
got the means of affordng his daily meal
makes It look as if those who have got no such
means are either criminals or social
exrements, it becomes evil. Poverty or
affluence is neither good nor evil. However, the
way a person exhibits his state of financial
well-being may constitute evil or good.
On ths whole, certain things become clear
from this Ifa verse Ofun-Meji: the most
important purpose of man on earth is to come
and exhibit his characters and attitude. These
characters and attitudes are not part of man's
destiny-- in other words man is free to choose
between good and evil. This freedom of choice
makes man distinct from any other being on
earth. Nobody 'pushes' a man to do evil or

good. Man's purpose of being on earth is not

religion. Religion is only a means to an end
while the end itself is the way man exhibits his
attitudes and characters. Other beings on
earth such as plants and animals need to be
studied in order to help man prolong his stay
on earth so as to exhibit his choice of attitudes
and chracters for a longer period. Also, all
forces of nature are to be studied and
understood so as to be able to adapt and abide
by their rules in order to live longer (This will
be made more explicit In future).
Life on earth continues indefinitely. Only
living beings on earth at any particular point
in time will cease to exist while others will be
born on rotational bases. In Ofun-Meji Ifa
says:
The world continues indefinitely Esinsin o kate
ileke wiri-wiri-wiri Cast divination oracle for
Orunmila When going to the world of
infinitude.
Ase O!