Odi (Idi) Meji

Ogbe - the open road, birth.

Oyeku - end of cycle, death

Iwori - consciousness, transformation

Odi - reincarnation, re-birth

Odi Meji is the fourth Odu, and completes the four cardinal points of the universe. All birth is re-
birth in a theology containing the idea of reincarnation (atunwa) Odi is symbolic of motherhood,
and the sun. It is Yemoja’s Odu. People born of this Odu need to always remember to keep their
feet firmly planted in practicality.

Within Odi meji we find the saying,"A single link never breaks." Sometimes you will see ileke
Ogun (Ogun's beads) with an iron link, symbolizing this idea of spiritual strength.

Ifa ni ka fi otun we Osi

Ka fi osi we Otun

Baa ba fi Otun we Osi

Ka fi Osi we Otun

Owo eni kii mo kedere

A difa fun Awemo

Nijo ti n lo ree weri ola lodo

Awa weri Ola a raje

A weri Ola a raya

A weri ola a bimo

Awa weri ola saiku

A weri Ola a nire gbogbo

ase

IFa says we should use the right to wash the left

And use the left to wash the right hand

If we refuse to use the right to wash the left

And use the left to wash the right

One's hand will not be fresh clean

Cast Ifa for Awemo

On the day he was going to wash the Ori to make wealth in river

We have washed our Ori and got wealth

We washed our Ori and got wives

We washed our Ori and have children

All of us have washed our Ori for longevity

We washed our Ori and got all good fortunes

ase

Ase Odi meji

From falokunsblog.com:

Odi Meji from the elision o idi means Spirit of female reproductive organs. It is the Yoruba word
used to symbolically describe the principle of rebirth. The first law of Nature as expressed in the
single and double lines of Odu is that nothing is created or destroyed simply transformed.
Meaning the single lines of light in the symbolic markings of Odu become the double lines of
darkness. This ancient African metaphysical principle was expressed by Albert Einstein as the
law of the conservation of matter. That law says nothing in Nature is Created or Destroyed it
simple becomes transformed into something new. This is a reflection of the idea well understood
by ancient African diviners that says all the matter of Creation came into being at the moment of
Creation. In the Yoruba language the totality of the material world that came into being is called
Oyigiyigi meaning the eternal stone of the Universe or the material substance from which all
things are made.

Evolution is the process of the material substance of Oyigiyigi becoming the universe and
everything in it. In simple terms this means that all birth is rebirth. The fetus is reborn as a baby,
the baby is reborn as a child, the child is reborn as an adult, the adult is reborn as a grandparent
and the grandparent is reborn as an ancestor. This is a never ending cycle of birth and rebirth that
defines the journey of life. When a child misses the rebirth of being an adult the child becomes
what psychologists call a child trapped in an adults body. That trap causes developmental
conflicts that traditional Yoruba culture calls ibi. The word ibi is the Yoruba word to describe the
placenta. When a fetus is in the womb the placenta is the source of life for the developing child.
When the child is born into the world the placenta becomes toxic. So what is essential for one
stage of life becomes toxic to the next. That is part of the dynamic of understanding the
implications of odi as the Spirit of female reproduction. The Yoruba language is incredibly
expressive of spiritual principles that create spiritual ideas. Ibi the Yoruba for placenta from the
elision I ebi meaning I am the family. From a developmental point of view the placenta supplies
all the needs of the family while the baby is in the womb. When the child is born the baby is
called omo rere literally meaning the child of eternal goodness. The job of life from the moment
of birth is to maintain the originally state of goodness refered to in divination as ire from the
elision I re meaning I am good.

ORÍKÌ

ODI MEJI

(Invocation for Good Fortune)

Odi Meji, Odi Meji, Odi Meji,

The Seal, the Seal, the Seal,

Commentary: the seal is the moment of transformation from one state of being to the next.

mo be yin, kie bami di ona ofo, kie bami di odo ofo, kie bami di ona ejo, kie bami di ona ibi, kie
bami di ona Esu,

I beg you, close the way of losses to me, close the way of losses for my children, my mate and
my family, close the way of litigation against me, close the way of negativity against me, close
the way of disruption from the Spirit of the Trickster.

Commentary: loss is the event that can block the natural flow of birth, rebirth and the evolution
of conciousness.

Ni nri’di joko pe nile aye. Kiema jeki nba won ku – Iku ajoku.

Let me sit quietly in the world. Let me not die in an epidemic.

Commentary: in traditional Yoruba culture sitting quietly is seen as a mark of maturity and
avoidance of illness is seen as spiritual growth.

Okan ewon kiike.

One link in a chain will not make a lock.

Commentary: in Ifa rebirth is associated with communal support.

Kie se – Odi agbara yi mi ka, Ki owo mi ka’pa omo araye bi omo Odi tiika’lu. Ase.

I pray that you will rally around me, in the same way that we put a garden around a yard. May it
be so.

Commentary: communal support is the foundation of growth

ase

ese Idi Meji

"You arrive here excellently, you walk excellently; you know how to walk on time with both
feet. No sooner are riches spread on the ground, that you arrive just like the child of their owner."
was the one who cast Ifa for Stout Foreigner when he was going to Benin city. They said that
someone's Ori will bring him to a place where he will achieve his destiny. They said a blessing is
certain to reach him. They said the Stout Foreigner, who was going to Benin, should offer ebo of
two rats, two fish, two snails, two chickens, and cowries. He heard and made the ebo. When he
made the ebo, everything he turned his hand to turned good. If a woman who ccould not
concieve came to him, she became pregnant. If they brought him an ill child, it became well.
Thus Stout Foreigner became a rich person and the owner of a house in Benin. Ifa says this is
someone who wants to go on a journey. He should make ebo that he may be able to gain money,
glory, and honor where he is going, and that his journey may be of great benefit to him.

This ese Odu can be read from a practical view and from a metaphysical view.

Basically, the message here is that by conducting oneself with iwa pele - good character - one
will be in alignment with there destiny, which will lead to a rebirth (consciousness expansion).
spiritually he will be rich in that he will be an exalted ancestor. Materially, when we are "on
path," doors open in front of us and things go smoothly; we get what we want, because our head
and our heart are on the same page, and so what we want is really what we want.
ese Idi Meji

Wholesome Odi

Wholesome Odi

The two legs of Odi Meji fuse and become the truth

Divined for King Akesan, when he was to become lord of the market

Akesan wears the crown; his wife controls the market

It is a blessing to found a thriving market.

The power of the feminine principle. The king owes his success to his wife, Queen Akesan. it
was her hard work that created a succesfull market. The King was enjoined to always attend to
his wife's spiritual needs.

In precontact times, the King was given his crown (a seriously powerful object) by the Iyaami,
an organization of elder females. So the king makers were the Iyaami. Any decision the king
wanted to make, he first sought the advice and approval of the Iyaami and Ogboni counsels.
When the European came, the first thing he did was destroy these institutions.

Prayers for wisdom with which to handle spiritual growth (rebirth), job or business, and
especially his/her spouse would be a good idea.

Wiwa oju rere Ifa

medicine to obtain favors from Ifa

Ewe irwo ile

Irawo oke
tannatanna meje

Leaf of Mitracarpus hirtus

Big glow worms

seven small glow worms

grind everything. Draw the odu in iyeresun. Wrap the ingredients in cotton wool, tie with white
and black threads. Put it in the Ifa bowl.

Only someone versed in the esoteric meanings of the ingredients, thus able to understand the
mixture can make effective medicine. I like to post these medicines as a "public service."

ase

Great mass of earth at the end of the road

Infinite ashes

Ifa was consulted for Iyami Osonronga

When they were coming from Heaven to the world,

They said, they were coming to the world

They then called Orunmila to come from Orun

Olodumare gave Orunmila permission to go,

Orunmila departed

At the spot where he was to depart, he rested on the stone wall at Orisa Nla

He met the Iyami on route

Orunmila said,"Where are you going?"

They said, that they were going to Earth

He said, what are you going to do there

They said, those will not be our accomplices, we will torment them

We will spoil them

We will bring illness to their bodies

We will bring weakness to their bodies

We will take away their intestines

We will eat their livers

We will drink their blood

We will not hear the voice of any person on Earth

Orunmila said Ha! He said that his children are on Earth

They said that they did not know the children of anyone

Orunmila said, his children were on Earth

They said very well then

They said Orunmila speak to your children...

constructed a rear court

They built a chamber

They said, this is the place where we will gather

They piled up a huge mound where the eleiyes could gather themselves

When they had gathered

When they had arrived on Earth

They sent stomach-aches to infants

They sent sickness to infants

They took away the intestines of the people

They drank the blood of the people

They sent headaches to more children

They sent sickness from one child to another

They sent rheumatism from one child to another

They sent headaches, fever, and bad stomach from one child to another

They caused the swollen stomach of the pregnant to detract

They carried away the fetus of those not sterile

They did not allow any woman to become pregnant

Those who were already pregnant were prevented from giving birth

The people went to beseech the children of Orunmila

They asked the children of Orunmila to help them

They would help them, those who were pregnant

The sacrifice that Orunmila had told his children to make that day

His children had made it.

Nwon ba nkorin bayi pe

Iya kere e mo ohun mi o

Iyami Osonronga, gbogbo ohun ti mba nwi

Ogbo lo ni e mda gbo dandan

Iyami Osoronga, e mo ohun mi o

Iyami Osoronga, igba l o ni ki e mda gba

Iyami Osoronga, e mo ohun mi o

Iyami Osoronga, oro ti okete ba le so

Ni le gbo dandan

Iyami Osoronga, e mo ohun mi o

Iyami Osonronga, gbogbo ohun ti mba ti nwi, ni ko mda se

Iyami Osoronga e mo ohun mi o

They must chant like this:

Petite mother you will know my voice

Iyami Osoronga (Great and Mysterious Mother) every word that I speak

The ogbo leaf has said that you will understand it absolutely

Iyami Osoronga you will know my voice

Iyami Osoronga the calabash says that you will take it

Iyami Osoronga you will know my voice

Iyami Osoronga, the word that the okete rat speaks to the earth

The Earth will hear it absolutely

Iyami Osoronga you will know my voice

Iyami Osoronga everything that I say, you will do

Iyami Osoronga you will know my voice.

Ase ase ase se oooo

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.

Myth

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 ****, 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 **** 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!

Idi Meji is powerful, as we can see from the preoccupation in these ese Odu (verses) with Ifa
ethics and the misuse of power. Our elders understood that women have a spiritual power higher
than that of men. Why? because they hold the secret of life. In Ifa, power is power; energy is
energy. It is neutral. It can be used for good or evil.

The Yoruba have a saying, derived from Odu of course, that basically says not to take action
(such as witchcraft) against your enemies. It is better to wish them a long life. Say what? The
idea is, you want them to live a long life so they can witness your success. Success that came
from iwa pele and spiritual discipline. that'll learn 'em!

ase
The fourth Odu of Ifa is called Odi. This too is a combination of the the markings of Ogbe and
Oyeku. But it is the inverse of Iwori. Where Iwori has insight into realities beneath the surface,
Odi is very much bound in the physical world. Consequently it carries connotations of being
restricted, limited, bound, restrained.

sometimes as Idi it is used to refer to the base, and to focal places. This signature refers very
much to the physical act of sex. Often the clients might have intimate problems etc. It also
refers to war, fights and physical challenges.

Fun fun n'iyi eyin

Whiteness is the pride of teeth

Egun gagaaga n'iyi orun

slender bones is the pride of the neck

Omu siki siki siki n'iyi obinrin

protruding bosoms are the pride of women

A dia fun Eji Odi

ti nsunkun alail'obinrin

This was divined for Eji Odi

that was crying for not having a woman

Ti nfi joojumo kawoo botan

that would everyday park his hands between his thighs

Ero Ipo

Ero Ofa

multitudes of Ipo

Multitudes of Ofa

Igba idi di meji

Naa la d'olomo

It is when focal places are coupled

that is when we become owners of children.

This Odu tells the client to get active in his sex life if he wants to be fruitful.

Here is another verse from the same odu.

Ti idi ba nba idi sun

ariwo ekun a gba igi imu ni sisun

When a ittybits is sleeping with another ittybits

the sound of cries/moans will make the nostrils run.

Agbon isale a gba egbe ni yiye

The lower jaw will contort to one side in a grimace

A difa fun Osun fumil'eyo tin se aya orunmila

This was divined fro Oshun fumil'eyo who was the wife of Orunmila

Won ni ko sakale eb ni sise

She was told to make ebo

O gbebo o rubo

She heard and made ebo

Eyin o mo pe igba ti idi b di meji l'awa nrire omo

Didn't you know that it is when two yanshes meet that we see the good fortune of children.

Oshun was the wife of Orunmila and she wanted to have a child and so she went to the diviners
"ariwo ekun a gba igi imu ni sisun" and "Agbon isale a gba egbe ni yiye". They cast divination
and Odi meji came up. They said that it isn't a matter of spiritual forces, or aje, but a simply
physiological matter. They asked Orunmila what happens at night when they sleep.

"ehn when it is time to sleep we sleep now", he answered.

" . . . yes ? and what else?", the Awos asked

"What do you mean what else, we sleep", Orunmila replied.

The Awos looked at each other, looked at Orunmila, looked at each other once again. "you mean
that there is no other activity?".

"Well, she has this tendency to jarunpa a lot in the middle of the night", Orunmila told
them. Jarunpa is yoruba for when one tosses and turns in bed or kicks out.

The awos smiled at each other. "okay, no worries, we have the solution for you. Take these
herbs and make an infusion with them and drink it. That's all. When you go to bed do as
normal. When she starts to jarunpa on you, you sef jarunpa back on her. As you do so,
something spontaneous will happen. When that spontaneous thing starts to happen just go with
the flow. You will see how wonderful it will be."
So Orunmila took the herb and drank them as he was told. He went to bed with his wife and she
jarunpa-ed on him, and he jarunpa-ed back on her and that wonderful spontaneous thing that they
told him about happened, and the following month Oshun missed her period and 9 months later
they had a child.

They sang in praise of the Awo, they said"

Ti idi ba nba idi sun

ariwo ekun a gba igi imu ni sisun

Agbon isale a gba egbe ni yiye

A difa fun Osun fumil'eyo tin se aya orunmila

Eyin o mo pe igba ti idi b di meji l'awa nrire omo

ase

from Ifism, The Complete Work of Orunmila

While in heaven, the crocodile was often a helpless creature. He only had his mouth with which
to eat, talk and defend himself.as he prepared to come to the world he consulted Orunmila for
divination on what to do to live happily on earth. He was advised to make sacrifice with an iron
saw and a goat to Eshu. After he made the sacrifice he was given a second mouth which was a
tail made from the sacrificial saw with which he was to defend himself and fight for his good.
But he was warned not to be ungreatful to his deviner.

That's why upon getting to the earth, the crocodile, being an amphibian, would beat and weaken
his victim, then use his real mouth to drag his victim into water. The crocodile can swallow
anything but the seeds/Ikin of Orunmila. The day he swallows Ikin, he will surely die.

ase

"The very tall and powerful Odi,

the very very powerful Odi"

were the ones who cast Ifa

for Eji Odi, on the day

that he went to the market of Ejigbomekun,

on the day also that he wept

because he had no wife.

They instructed Eji Odi to make sacrifice.

"Allright, but what?" was the not

unreasonable question.

They told him to offer

plenty of honey, for if it all fails,

honey's sweetness still will do the trick.

Eji Odi listened and made the sacrifice.

Out of the large amounts of honey

he took to the Awo's, the Awo's took

just a little, and made medicine of it.

As soon as Eji Odi arrived at the market

of Ejigbomekun, he accosted the Chief

of the Market Women, and poured some honey

from the medicine bottle the Awo's gave,

into her private opening;

this unorthodox method did the trick nicely.

Both engaged in intercourse, and Eji Odi

had the time of his life. So did the woman.

The result of this strange encounter was

that most men, arriving from far and wide, wanted

to have intercourse with the Chief Market woman.

She made them all happy, and they loudly sang:

"Leader of Market Women, Chief, let us go!

Sweet honey prevents us

from leaving your market,

sweet honey."

ase

As we have all united for the good of all Yorùbá sons and daughters, may all of us reap only
good profits forever and ever. As oneEse Ifásays: Ilé ni mo jókòó sí, I was sitting at home Ni
gbogbo ire n wo tuurutu wáá bá mi; When all luck spilled towards me Odede ni mo jókòó kà, I
was sitting in the parlor Gbogbo oro n wo tuurutu wá bá mi; All luck spilled towards me... Mo
jókòó àìnàró, I sat still, Mo r’íre oro t’ó po regede. I found luck and wealth in abundance A díá
fún ÒdìIfa was consulted for Odi Tí n s’awoó lo sí òde Òkò. When he was going to Oko as
babalawo Ó jókóò fehìn t’igi akòko. He sat and rested his back on the akoko tree Ire gbogbo n dà
wá o, All luck spilled towards him Igìrìrì, Igìrìrì.Splish, splash, Ibi a f’iyo sí ni iyo s’omii sì; Salt
melts wherever we put it Ire gbogbo dà wá o. All luck spill towards me. Igìrìrì, IgìrìrìSplish,
splash. Òkè kìí ye tí í fí í gb’eboo tie; A mountain does not move till it gets its sacrifice Ire
gbogbo dà wáAll luck spill towards me Igìrìrì, IgìrìrìSplish, splash. Òdí Méjì, Ese Èkíní Àwon
Ojú Odù Mererìndínlógúnase