Some Nuances of IFA re: Odu (camino) and Our

Principal Orisha

No, you can't always get what you want

You can't always get what you want
You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime you find
You get what you need

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards (1968 Rolling Stones)

One of the strengths of Lucumi IFA is that we require at least

three Babalawo to determine (or confirm) which of the venerable
Orisha owns our head. In Nigeria for instance, one is required.
Not only do three honor Eshu (or Eleggua) and open the door, but
it assures that there is no monkey business going on like an awo
manipulating the ikin (sacred palm nuts) for example. There are
many temptations for those who are in the business of IFA
because basic salesmanship is giving the customer what that
want. However, divination and ceremony should not be governed
by the wants of the client, these should be governed by what
Orunmila (Orula) suggests or determines. The diviner is the
mouthpiece of Orunmila, nothing more and nothing less. Those
new to our culture should understand this important fact and
consider it when evaluating the quality and authenticity of
service.
Divination is only one discipline of IFA culture and like everything
in IFA, the client needs to understand that it is not every priest,
priestess or awo’s specialty. Clients should BEWARE of those who
claim to be an expert in all facets of IFA culture because each
specialty takes decades to master. Ifa divination is one of (if not
the) most difficult specialties to even become competent in (let
alone master). In Cuban Lucumi we also have a group
interpretation (at least in our ile in Havana). This is where the
client receives interpretations from elders and advanced students
how an odu, ceremony, solution (ebbo), ese (verse), Patakin
(historical or legendary application) applies to any client situation.
Like each Orisha or column on the above diagram ALL have
unlimited knowledge, power and protection, there is no finish
line. After an odu determination or a ceremony, ebbo etc. this
and the interpretations are recorded in our ile’s records and a
copy is given to the client (or member of our ile) who is the
client. In Spanish this is called a libreta, or a notebook in English.

Many clients in the US and outside of Cuba have some strange

ideas about our culture. They pollute the educational water when
they drink independently without proper guidance of a mentor
(such as a godparent or qualified elder). This can and often does
compromise the foundation they are trying to build in our culture.
The challenge of filling an empty glass full of accurate knowledge
is daunting (or should be). Data might be information, but it is
not always knowledge and knowledge is not always wisdom.
Therefore misunderstandings, poor interpretations, Facebook
groups, Wikipedia and the business of IFA (greed) are quite often
significantly detrimental to a strong foundation. They waste huge
amounts of time and money! Ideally, we want pure wisdom and
the best quality a’che (ase, ashe, axe, ache), yet very few
stumble across these. The progressive roots of Cuban Lucumi and
its rich heritage along with its commitment to Nature and science
are attractive to me. There are those who are deceived by other
cultures insisting that Lucumi is less than, and this is laughable.
I’m available to debate anyone on the merits of Cuban Lucumi vs
any other branch of IFA or any other spirituality or religion for
that matter. I am delighted with my choice, though others may
be suited to others.

Being American, I see the negatives and the positives of my

beloved country. The fact is many Americans are arrogant, we
often lack humility and some still believe in the tired concept of
Manifest Destiny In simple terms, Manifest Destiny was(is) the
idea that Americans were destined, by God, to govern the North
American continent. This idea, with all the accompanying
transformations of landscape, culture, and religious belief it
implied, had(has) deep roots in American culture . If course this
is laughable, yet it affects American’s (and other colonial powers)
acceptance of other wisdoms and cultures. When we couple this
with capitalism, we begin to see the trap. I can tell you I do not
usually sell my knowledge to the highest bidder, I routinely give it
away as I am doing today and make it available to rich or poor.

Now you should see why a client often becomes enamored with a
particular Orisha, many insist they are a child of a particular
Orisha, when in fact they are not. One priest or awo might
contribute to this by doing a preliminary reading, especially if
they are under qualified or credentialed or not a seasoned,
tenured specialist in Ifa divination. Additionally, there is the fact
that some tell us what we want to hear and many have a difficult
time changing their minds when it is made up, yes we are
stubborn too. The fact though is, Ifa divination does not work this
way, Orunmila tells us the Orisha who owns our head and our
path (odu) of destiny. Within each odu there is positive (ire) and
negative (osogbo). Orunmila’s odu never demand or insist, they
suggest or in a few cases of the 256 odu strongly suggest. When
we are told we have to, must or need to then you should run far
and fast away from who told you this.

Often the Orisha who claims our head and the secondary gender
opposite Orisha who accompanies him or her (our Orisha mother
of father) are not the Orisha who we identify with. One reason for
this is that these Orisha often augment what we are lacking in,
thus it can be the last Orisha we expect! It is our personal odu
that is more reflective of who we are and what we will be. The
Orisha claiming our head Orula chooses to help us get the
positive ending all desire. Understanding these basic dynamics
should help us overcome expectations and disappointments. Of
course these are not the only dynamics that are important to
understand, yet I find them useful to share with you today.

Cuban Lucumi Baba Awo, ogbe sa (Charles Spencer King) March,

2019