256 odu.
This collection contains a small sampling of the entire corpus with 2 ese ( verses) for each of the 16 major Odus and 1 ese ( verse) for each of the minor Odu. This collection is enhanced by practical commentary for contemplation and interpretation for each of the 256 odu.
How many Odu Ifa do we have?
256 odu
There are 256 odu (baskets, chapters) and innumerable verses called ese. Each chapter or odu is a container of sacred wisdom for use by humans to make the world and life in it good.
What is the first odu in IFA?
EJI OGBE: “Eji Ogbe is the first odu and represents alignment with destiny. This person is doing the right thing at the right time with the right people. EJI Ogbe is considered the most important of the Odus being associated with light and plenty – and is intimately linked with destiny.
What is an odu in Yoruba?
Odu is a term that is seen in the Yoruba name for God, and Oduduwa, who happen to be the progenitor of Yoruba race.
What is Odu Ifa in English?
In the Yoruba sacred text, the Odu Ifa, human beings, women and men, are defined as the offspring of the Creator and the chosen of the Divine (Karenga, M., 1999). Kawaida womanism: African ways of being woman in the world.
What happens if you touch Ifa beads?
Elekes can not be touched by anyone except for priests, and if they are touched, the person touching them must clean them. The beads all have different meanings and represent different divinities of Ifa. “The elekes I have mean life, protection and one of them represents my god Oshun,” Scott said.
Does Ifa believe in God?
Like some other religions, Ifa includes magic, the use of traditional medicines and veneration of the dead. Like Christianity, Judaism and Islam, Ifa is monotheistic, but its supreme creative figure, Olodumare, shares power with dozens of subsidiary deities.
What does OGBE mean in Ifa?
Ogbe as an expression of spiritual growth represents perfect alignment with destiny. Ifa teaches that every person chooses a destiny before returning to earth in the cycle of reincarnation (atunwa).
What is Ogundabede?
Ogunda Bede (Ogunda Ogbe) is a powerful Odu or sacred Ifa verse. It is used in many Ifa rituals to invoke protection and remove obstacles.
What is irete MEJI?
Irete Meji occupies the fourteenth position within the order of Odu Ifa in Yorubaland, West Africa. This work highlights sixteen (16) ese Ifa (Ifa poetic stanzas) with the major and minor coded nuances fully explained.
How many orisha are there?
Yoruba tradition often says that there are 400 + 1 orishas, which is associated with a sacred number. Other sources suggest that the number is “as many as you can think of, plus one more – an innumerable number”. Different oral traditions refer to 400, 700, or 1,440 orishas.
How do I become Ifa?
How do you become an IFA? In order to become an IFA, you first need to complete a Level 4 Diploma for Financial Advisers (DipFA). This qualification is made up of two units, with the first being based on financial services regulation ethics and the second focusing on advanced financial advice.
What can a babalawo do?
Through Ifa, the role of the diviner (known as a babalawo) is to help an individual or community to see what is in store for them in their day-to-day lives.
Does Yoruba have a holy book?
Odù Ifá: “DIVINE VERSES”: Sacred Book of the Yoruba Nation Paperback – October 11, 2018.
Is Yoruba a religion?
Yoruba religion is the basis for a number of religions in the New World, notably Santería, Umbanda, Trinidad Orisha, Haitian Vodou, and Candomblé. Yoruba religious beliefs are part of Itàn (history), the total complex of songs, histories, stories, and other cultural concepts which make up the Yoruba society.
Does Yoruba religion have a sacred text?
The Odu Ifa is a collection of 16 major books totaling 250 Odus, making it the largest scriptural text, according to Asante. The volumes gives ancient wisdom on many areas of life, giving one alternatives and consequences. The Odu Ifa’s wisdom is the basis for the traditional spiritual knowledge of the Yoruba people.
What happens when you leave Ifa?
Some time after settling at Ado, Ifa became tired of living in the world, and accordingly went to dwell in the firmament, with Obatala. After his departure, mankind, deprived of his assistance, was unable to properly interpret the desires of the gods, most of whom became in consequence annoyed.
What is an Ifa priest?
Yoruba priests of ifa are known as babalawo (fathers of secrets). Trained from their youth in the rituals of divination, they are masters of a vast corpus of oral literature known as ese ifa often referred to as containing the wisdom of ifa.
Who is Jesus in Yoruba?
Yoruba deity, Oluorogbo, is like Jesus Christ – Ooni of Ife.
What is the oldest religion?
It is the world’s third-largest religion, with over 1.2 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global population, known as Hindus. The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, many practitioners refer to their religion as Sanātana Dharma (Sanskrit: सनातन धर्म, lit.
What is Africa’s oldest religion?
Animism builds the core concept of traditional African religions. This includes the worship of tutelary deities, nature worship, ancestor worship and the belief in an afterlife.
