The verses of Odu Ifa serve as a powerful problem-solving tool, offering deep insights into the root causes and effects behind various situations.
Each verse helps to uncover the underlying issues, guiding individuals toward understanding and addressing the challenges they face. Odu Ifa holds the wisdom of life, revealing truth, destiny, and purpose.
By interpreting these verses, the diviner sheds light on the opposing forces or polarities influencing a wide range of circumstances, providing clarity and solutions.
When discussing the Yoruba people, their traditions, and culture, Odu Ifa is an integral aspect that cannot be overlooked. Ifa divination is a complex system, not easily understood.
It relies on interpreting sixteen primary verses and an additional 256 verses derived from these. The process can be carried out in two main ways. The first involves the use of palm nuts.
In this method, the diviner holds sixteen palm nuts in their left hand and uses the right hand to separate them. If one nut remains, two marks are made on the tray, and if two nuts are left, one mark is made.
This is done four times to form one of the sixteen combinations; repeating the process eight times creates one of the 256 Odu verses. The second method involves using a divining chain.
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This chain has eight seed shells attached, and it is held in the middle with four shells on each side. When cast, the shells either land face up or face down.
If a shell's concave side faces upward, it is marked once, and if it faces downward, it is marked twice. These sixteen core verses can combine in 256 ways (16 x 16), forming the full set of Odu Ifa verses.
A diviner, also known as a Babalawo, uses these combinations, either through manipulating palm nuts or casting the chain, to draw the Odu on the Ifa tray.
The Babalawo memorizes verses for each of the 256 Odu, allowing them to interpret and provide guidance based on the divination.
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The Story of ODU IFA
One of the earliest diviners is called Odu, and she is a female figure. Odu is also known as the second wife of Orunmila, the deity of wisdom and divination.
Orunmila took Odu as a wife after consulting the Ifa oracle regarding the barrenness of his first wife, Egan. The oracle advised him to marry a second wife, and only then would Egan be able to conceive a child.
Following this counsel, Orunmila married Odu, marking a significant moment in the Ifa tradition. According to the Odu Ifa of Iwori Rete:
Aja oni bode Mowa
Dog is a watch guard of Mowa town
Agbo onibode Moba
Ram is a watch guard of Moba town
Adiye Irana Aba ara sukusuku
The fowl that roams about always look strange
Adifafun Orunmila baba mani egan sile
Thus declared Ifa oracle, and advised Orunmila that Egan his wife, was without a child
O lo re gbe Odu ni iyawo
Then, he decided to take Odu as his second wife
Egan a so, Odu awo, omo awo a male (how Ifa priests greet Babalawo's wives)
Egan will produce seed, Odu will continue
multiplying, and Ifa students will increase.
After Orunmila married Odu as his second wife, she became the mother of the 16 primary children known as the 16 major Odu Ifa.
According to the verse Ofu-Meji, it is revealed to all Babalawos that Odu, the diviner, gave birth to these 16 children, marking the foundation of Ifa's sacred knowledge and divination system as passed down by Orunmila.
Oloko lo mo bi isu tasi
It is the farmer that knows where yam has germinated
Ko to ma di oyi kale biri biri biri
Before it started to spread over the land
Adifafun Orunmila baba lore gbe Odu ni iyawo Thus declared Ifa oracle to Orunmila after he took Odu as his wife
Won ni o kara giri, ebo ni omo kose
He was asked to hold himself, and after the sacrifice for his wife to get pregnant
E wa wo omo Odu bere
Come and see the children Odu has spread
everywhere
Odu lo biwa, Odu lo yawa
Odu is the one that gave birth to us, Odu is the one that produced us
E wa woo mo Odu bere
Come and see the children Odu has spread over the land
Odu lo bi wa ba se po ba won
Odu is the one that gave birth to us
All Babalawos should treat one another with the same love and respect they have for themselves. To foster unity, compassion, and mutual care, the senior Babalawo always advises the others with these words:
Ati elegan, ati olodu ni won jo se awo (words of shared love among all Babalawo).
Both Ifa priests (Babalawo) and Iyanifa can actively participate in all Ifa services. This is because we are all considered children of Orunmila, as Egan and Odu, Orunmila's wives, represent the unity and inclusion within the Ifa tradition.
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Brief History of Hermeneutics in Relation to Odu Ifa
The 16 Odu Ifa include:
Ifa divination plays a central role in Yoruba spirituality, acting as a bridge between the spiritual and physical realms, which are seen as two interconnected parts of a whole.
Its main purpose is to provide people with direct access to Olorun, who governs their destinies. Through Ifa divination, individuals can gain insight into their destiny, and identify their guardian ancestral soul.
They can also determine which deity they should worship, understand the sacrifices needed to enhance their path, and uncover any malevolent forces, such as witches, evil spirits, or curses, that may be working against them.
