I{a Dida: An invitation to lfa Consunation

popularity to him/her, it shall equally open his/her eyes to new ideas and new ways of doing things. Ifa says that there is the need to offer E;!bQ with three pigeons, three hens, three guinea-fowls and money. After this, he/she needs to serve doing,

Qsanyln with one cock and two kola nuts.

will show him/her the path of success

By so and

Qsany\n

accomplishment. A stanza in Ogonda-Mej1 says:

Gblnrin blltl Blitl gblnrin OIa fUn Qrnmlla Ifa lc)<I ra Qsanyln I.ru bq ni wc)n nI kG '"
Translation Gbinrin 1:1111:1 6111:1 gbinrin These were the Awo who cast Ifa for Qronm11a When going to purchase Qsany\n as his slave He was advised to offer bQ Qronmlla was a very successful and highly accomplished Babalawo. had several clients whom he used to attend to on a daily basis. He

It soon

reached a stage that he could not cope with the daily chores all by himself. He therefore decided to go and buy a slave which would be assisting him in his day-to-day activities. Before he went to the slaves market, he summoned his two students mentioned above for Ifa consultation: would it be wise for him to buy a slave at that time? Would the slave be of benefit to him? Would it not be wise for him to continue to cope as much as he could or to simply look out for apprentices who would be assisting him to run errands and look out for things for his numerous clients? The Awo told Qronm11a that he was about to go and expend his money on something he Wished to enhance the performance of his business activities, he was urged to go ahead and do it as it would help him a great deal and would open his eyes to other technological aspect of his work. He was advised to offer bQ with three pigeons, three hens, three guinea

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fowls and money.

Oronm11 complied and set out on his way to

II

Ogunda Meji

j1gbom<;!kon market. In the market, he saw QsanYin in chains. He was brought into the market to be sold as slave. Oronmll made up his mind to buy him because they were related and they were colleagues right from heaven. They haggled over the price and eventually, he bought QsanYin and brought him home. On their way home, he explained all what he had in mind before he decided to come to Jlgbom<;!kon market to buy a slave to QsanYin. QsanYin told Orllnmll that he would be ready to assist Orllnmll in his work and that he would forever be grateful to Oronmll that he was the one who bought him as a slave and not someone else. The following day, Oronm11 wanted to go out. He instructed QsnYln to clear the weeds in his backyard so that snakes and other reptiles would not be creeping into the house. When Oronmll returned home, he met, to his He utter surprise, the whole backyard weeds virtually untouched. summoned QsanYin to enquire from him why he failed to carry out his instruction. QsanYin responded that he had not seen any weed to clear because all the shrubs, weeds and grasses he found in Oronmll's backyard were of spiritual, medicinal or occult significance. He was asked to expatiate on his statements, QsanYin took Oronmll to his backyard and began to point out, one by one, all the weeds shrubs and roots there-in and then told Oronmll of their significance. QsanYin said 'this is a leaf of prosperity, which one will I cut off?'. He would point to another leaf and say 'this one is for good health, which one will I cut off?' He would point to yet another and say. This is for long life, which one will I clear away?". He went on and on until he moved round the whole backyard. There was no leaf, root, shrub or weed that was of no significance. Hitherto, Orllnmll had never employed the use of herbs, leaves, roots or shrubs in his work. He had all along been using lyrosOn and incantations to do his work. He then reasoned that it would not only be possible and practicable to combine herbs and roots with enabling incantation in his work, it would equally be useful and more effective. In this wise, OrOnm11 converted QsanYin from a slave to a business partner. QsanYin then began to prepare herbs and roots for various ailments while Onlnmll would recite
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