The Bag of Wisdom

Osun and the Origins of the Ifa Divination

Wande Abimbola

By “Ifa divination” we mean Ifa and related systems of divination based on the
stories and symbols of the Odu such as dida owo (divination with the sacred
divining chain called opele) and etıte-ale (divination with the sacred palm nuts),
eerındınlogun (divination with the sixteen cowries), agbigba (divination with a
divining chain slightly different from opele), and obi (divination with kola nuts).
The purpose of this essay is to examine the intimate connection of Osun with Ifa
divination both in her own right as a person, and through the instrumentality of
Osetuura, her son. We will start with the popular view of the involvement of Osun in
Ifa divination which states that she got to know about Ifa through Orunmıla, her
husband. In the later pages of this essay, I will make the claim that Osun has much
more to do with the origins of Ifa divination than the babalawo (Ifa priests) are
ready to admit. I will, indeed, put forward the hypothesis that the entire divination
system of Ifa started from Osun from whom it got to Orunmıla and not the other
way round. I will base my claims on verses of Ifa which give us hints to that effect.
We will then examine the possibility that eerındınlogun is older than dida owo and
etıte-ale which are probably later developments of Ifa divinations.
Let us begin with the popular view that Osun was introduced to Ifa divination by
Orunmıla. Several verses of Ifa tell us about this. For example, a verse of Ogbe”Sa
states that Orunmıla created the sixteen-cowry divination system and gave it to
Osun as a reward for saving his life. In this particular verse, it was after Orunmila
had created the sixteen cowrie system for Osun that both of them became married.
But as will be seen later from another verse of Ifa, even though they were husband
and wife, they did not live together in one place because it was not the custom for
couples to live together at that time.
Let me now take some time to tell the story of Osun and Orunmıla as contained in
Ogbe’Sa, especially because it relates to the importance of eerındınlogun in the Ifa
divination system. The story goes as follows. It happened at a time that Olodumare
summoned all the four hundred-and-one Orisa to Orun. But to their greatest
surprise, the Orısa encountered a group of wicked “cannibals” in heaven (probably
witches known to the Yoruba as aje) who started to kill and eat up the Orısa one by
one. But since Orunmıla had performed sacrifice before he left earth, he was
miraculously saved by Osun who successfully hid Orunmıla from the cannibals, and
substituted goat meat for the flesh of Orunmıla which the cannibals had planned to
eat on that particular day.
When both Osun and Orunmıla returned to the earth, they became much closer than
ever before. It was probably at this time that Orunmıla and Osun became husband
and wife. Orunmila then decided to reward Osun for saving his life, and that was
how he put together the sixteen-cowry system of divination and taught Osun how to
use it. Let me now quote a short portion of this verse of Ogbe’Sa. It goes as follows:

This was how Orunmıla and Osun became close.

Orunmıla said that the good turn which she did for him
Was an exceptional one.
He wondered what he should do in return.
This was the most important reason why Orunmıla
Created the sixteen cowries.
He then handed them to Osun.
Of all the Orısa who use sixteen cowries,
There is none who had it before Osun.
It was Ifa who gave it to Osun.
And asked her to cast it
And use it as another form of divination.
This was what Ifa used to reward Osun.
That is why the relationship between Ifa and Osun
Is such that nobody else can know
What is between the two of them.
Orunmıla then got married to Osun.
Of the several forms of divination,
Eerındınlogun is next in rank to Ifa.

According to this particular story in Ogbe’Sa, even though Orunmıla was the one
who created eerındınlogun, this system of divination later received its own ase from
Olodumare. It happened as follows:
Every sixteen years
Olodumare, Olofin of Orun,used to
Subject diviners of earth to a test
To find out whether they were telling lies to the inhabitants of the earth Or whether
they were telling the truth.
This test involved
Calling on Orunmıla and other diviners of the earth.
Olodumare would say that he wanted to see all of them.
When they arrived,
Olodumare would ask them to divine for him.
So, Olodumare asked Orunmıla to divine for him.
When Orunmıla finished divining,
Olodumare asked, “Who is next?”
Orunmıla said that the next person was his partner
Who was a woman.
Olodumare then answered,
“Is she also a diviner?”
To which Orunmıla replied, “That is true.”
Olodumare then asked her to divine for him.
When Osun examined Olodumare,
She hit on all those things in his mind.
But she did not say it in full.
She mentioned the gist
But she did not tell the root of the matter like Ifa.
Olodumare asked Orunmıla,
“What is this one?”
Orunmıla then explained to Olodumare
How he honored Osun with the sixteen cowries.
Olodumare said, “It is all right.”
He further said that even though she did not go into details,
He, Olodumare gave his assent to it.
He added, “From today on and forever,
Even if what eerındınlogun says may not be detailed,
Anybody who disbelieves it
Would see the consequences instantly.
It must not wait till the following day.”
This is why the predictions of eerındınlogun come to pass quickly
Even though the stories may not be impressive.
That was how eerındınlogun received ase
Directly from Olodumare.

Osetuura and Ifa Divination Sacrifice

We will now turn our attention to myths of Ifa divination which tell us about the
importance of Osun in Yoruba religion generally and how Osetuura became the
representative of Osun in Yoruba divination and sacrifice. The full story goes as
follows:
When the Orısa first came to the earth, they must have arrived in waves—not all the
four hundred-and-one Orısa arrived at once. In any case, according to this myth
from the Odu Ose Otura, there were only seventeen Orısa in the first party, and
Osun was the seventeenth. Olodumare gave instructions to the Orısa about what
they should do as soon as they arrived on earth to make the young earth a pleasant
place to live. They carried out all the instructions without involving Osun in any of
their activities. The result was that things did not go well for them. .. Rain did not
fall. There was illness, bitterness, and restlessness all over the earth. Let us quote a
few lines from this Odu at this juncture:

When they arrived on earth,

They created a sacred forest for Oro.
They created a sacred forest for Opa.
They made a small road leading to Ife.
They sent people to make okun beads.
They sent people to make brass objects.
But nobody involved Osun in anything.
Whereas Osun was the person taking care of them
Giving them food and other things.
All the things which the Orı.a were doing, none was successful.
They prayed for rain, but it did not rain.
Bitterness engulfed the earth.
Restlessness took over the streets of the city.
They exclaimed “Did Olodumare tell us a lie?
What is this?
We are doing everything according to his instructions.”

The Orısa then decided to send Orunmıla to Olodumare to find out what actually
happened. When Orunmıla got to Olodumare, he stated the problem. He said that
they were living on earth in accordance with the instructions of Olodumare, but to
their greatest surprise nothing they did on earth was good. Olodumare then asked
whether they involved the only woman among them in all they were doing. But
Orunmıla replied that since she was a woman, they did not involve her. To which
Olodumare replied as follows:

Olodumare said that he was a creator

But he would never create any person or thing twice.
He told Orunmıla to go back to his colleagues
And that all of them should go and beg Osun.
So that she could agree to be involved in their affairs.
He assured them that their affairs would then be good.

When Orunmıla got to the earth, he reported back to his colleagues, and all of them
started to beg Osun, but Osun did not yield until Orunmıla appealed to her. She said:

Begin to beg your ori and your creator

So that the fetus which was in her womb
Would be delivered as a male child.
She assured them that if it was a male child,
Their matters would from then on be straight.
But if it was born as a female child,
War would begin in earnest.

Orunmıla reported back to his colleagues what Osun told him. When Obatala looked
at Osun’s womb with his awo, he found a baby girl there. He then pointed his ado
asure to Osun’s womb, and commanded that fetus to change into male with
immediate effect. When Osun delivered the baby, it was born as a male child.
Obatala was the first person to carry the baby. He petted the baby and coddled it.
Then Orunmıla, the father, also carried the baby and named him Osetuura. He,
Orunmıla, carried the baby with him wherever he went. Whenever anybody was to
be initiated as an Ifa priest, Osetuura must be involved. Whenever anybody was
making a sacrifice, Osetuura, the son of Osun, must be invoked last before the
sacrifice was delivered to Esu. If any person was suffering from illness, as soon as
Osetuura touched the person that person would be well instantaneously. Ose’Tura
today is a minor Odu of Ifa, but he governs all sacrifices and rituals of Ifa. Osun
then became happy since her son was deeply involved in the affairs of the male
Orısa. She then made the following pronouncement:

From today on, all women without any exception,

They must not know Oro,
And they must not enter the shrine of Eegun.
Eegun must not come out in their presence.
This must be observed as a taboo.
But all other things you are doing,
You must involve Osun in them.
Their lives then became smooth.
They said, “If someone is pounding yams
Without the knowledge of Osun, .
His/her pounded yam will not be smooth.
If someone is preparing oka food .
Without involving Osun in it,
His/her food will not come out fine.
We will involve Osun in whatever we do.
We will involve Osun in all our deliberations.
Our great mother (Iyee wa),
Who must be present at every important deliberation.
We will involve Osun in all our deliberations.

Agberegede ajuba,
Ajuba agberegede
Divined for Osun Sengesi,
Owner of a hair comb decorated with iyun.
When she was in a secret place,
She spoiled the sacrifice of other divinities.
Who is performing a sacrifice
Without involving the owner of sacrifice?
Osun, whose other name is Ewujı,
We are all on our knees.
We are all begging you.
Let us all kneel and prostrate before women.
We are all borne by women
Before we become recognized as human beings.

The Bag of Wisdom: Did Osun Originate the Ifa Divination System?

Our next story from the Ifa literary corpus about Osun is taken from Okanransode. It
was recorded from Babalawo Ifatoogun, a famous Ifa priest from Ilobuu, near
Osogbo. The story is about a bag of wisdom which Olodumare threw down from the
sky and asked all the Orısa to look for. Olodumare assured the Orısa that anyone
who found it would be the wisest of them all. Olodumare showed the bag to the
Orısa so that they would be able to recognize it as soon as they saw it. Since Osun
and Orunmıla were a very intimate couple, both of them decided to search for the
bag together. I will now quote this interesting story in full.

A wise person tied ide,but it disintegrated.

A sage tied ide, it became loose.
Only a person who leans his back on Ope
Will tie ide which will last for long.
Ifa divination was performed for Orunmıla
When he and Osun were searching for wisdom.
It was Olodumare who called the four hundred divinities (of the right) And the two
hundred divinities (of the left).
Olodumare summoned them to orun.
When they arrived there,
He told them that he wanted to give them deep wisdom and power.
He told the Orısa that anybody who had
What he was planning to give them
Would be the source of wisdom,
And that person would be the wisest person on earth.
He told them that nineteen days hence
He would throw down a bag of wisdom onto the earth.
But whether he would throw it into a forest,
Or into a grassland,
Or into a river,
Or into a town,
Or on a road,
He would not tell them exactly where.
Olodumare showed them the bag of wisdom.
He said, “This is it.”
Look at it well
And note its distinctive features.
When they arrived on earth,
Some of them started to perform sacrifice.
Some were making medicine.
Some were planning their own strategies.
They were saying, “This thing, I will be the one to find it.”
Orunmıla and Osun used to do things together.
They were always going about in company of each other.
Both of them added two cowries to three, And went to divine.
They asked the diviners to check both of them out.
“The thing which all the Orısa are looking for
Could both of them be the persons who would find it?”
The diviners asked Orunmıla and Osun to perform sacrifice
With the big garments which they were wearing.
Each should offer a goat,
And a house rat
As well as two hundred-and-one oke full of cowries for each person. Orunmıla
counseled that they should make the sacrifice.
But Osun said, “Please, let me rest.
Go make sacrifice with your garment,
Go make sacrifice with other things,
How does that relate to what we are searching for?”
Osun refused to perform sacrifice.
Orunmıla, whose other name is Ajana,
Took his own garment, and surrendered it for sacrifice.
He also used a house rat and money for the sacrifice.
They looked for the bag of wisdom,
They did not see it.
All the other Orısa
Did not see it either.
They searched for it up to Egba aja
They went as far as Esa adie
Some went as far as Iko Awusı
Others searched for it in Idoromu Awuse
While some looked for it in Iwonran
From where the day breaks
But they did not see it.
One day a house rat went to the garment
Which Osun hung up in her house.
The rat ate up its chest pocket underneath.
The next day, they got themselves ready
And started to search for the bag of wisdom once again
Then, Osun found it.
She exclaimed, “Han-in! This is the bag of wisdom!”
She threw it into the chest pocket of her garment.
She started to go in a hurry.
As she was crossing dead woods
And scaling climbing stems,
Suddenly the bag of wisdom dropped down
From where the rat had eaten her garment’s pocket.
Osun was calling on Orunmıla,
Saying, “Orunmıla, whose other name is Ajana,
Come quickly, come quickly.
I have seen the bag of wisdom.”
As Orunmıla was going,
He saw the bag of wisdom on the ground.
He then put it inside the pocket of his own garment.
When they arrived home,
Orunmıla said, “Osun let me see the bag.”
Osun said that she would never show it to a man.
But if a man must see it,
He would give her two hundred rats,
Two hundred fishes,
Two hundred birds,
Two hundred animals,
And plenty of money.
Orunmıla begged her for long,
But she did not yield.
He then returned to his own house.
When Osun tried to take out the bag from her pocket,
So that she could look at it once again,
As she put her hands inside the pockets,
Her hands entered into a hole,
And came out on the bottom part of the pocket.
So, Osun went to meet Orunmıla in his own house.
She started to beg him.
She started to please Orunmıla (with good things).
That was how Osun went to Orunmıla’s house
To live there with her husband
So that he would teach her a little bit of the wisdom.
In ancient times, when people got married,
It was not compulsory for the wife to go to her husband’s home to live with him.
That was how couples started to live together.
When Osun removed the big garment from her body,
She put ase into her mouth,
She said that from then on, no woman
Must wear the agbada dress.
She then went and threw the garment into the bush.
After a lot of pleading from Osun,
Orunmıla took a little bit of the wisdom .
And gave it to Osun.
That is the eerındınlogun
Which Osun is casting.
The bag of wisdom of that day is Odu Ifa,
Medicines and all other profound wisdom of the Yoruba people.

In the Ifa verse quoted above, Osun was the first person to find the bag of wisdom,
but when the bag slipped through the broken pocket of her big garment, Orunmıla
accidentally stumbled on it and kept it. One can speculate as to the morality of
Orunmıla keeping for himself what should belong to his wife. But we must
remember that before she discovered that she had lost the bag, Osun herself had
boasted that she would take so many hundred of things as well as plenty of money
from anybody who would see the bag of wisdom.
One can further speculate that this myth is telling us that Osun was perhaps the first
person to make use of Ifa — the bag of wisdom— before it was passed on to her
husband, and not the other way round. Let us now turn our attention to two other
matters which confirm our suspicion.
The first one relates to iyerosun, the sacred yellow powder of divination on which
Ifa priests print the marks of Ifa inside a divining board. Why is this powder
yellowish like the color which is sacred to Osun? Did Orunmıla use this powder as a
mark of honor to his wife? We may never know for certain the answer to these
questions; but given the intimate connection between Osun and Ifa, especially in
respect to the origin of Ifa as a bag of wisdom first found by Osun, it may not be far-
fetched to say that the yellow powder has something to do with Osun.
The second issue which I would like to mention here is the simple fact that when
one takes a look at the Odu of eerındınlogun and those of Ifa, it would seem that the
Odu of Ifa are based on those of eerındınlogun, and not the other way round.
Eerındınlogun is based on sixteen single signs of Ifa such as Odı, Irosun, Owonrın,
etc.; except Ejı Ogbe which is coupled as in the case of Ifa. Ifa, however, does not
make use of single signs (even though Ifa literature refers to it). All the signs are
coupled either as oju odu (major odu) or as omo odu (minor odu). It stands to reason
to say that a single sign such as Odı
I
II
II
I
must exist in reality or at least in the mind before it is coupled to become Odi Meji
(two odi).

We can go further to speculate that the apparent simplicity of the signs of

eerındınlogun and even the short nature of some of its literature are indications of its
antiquity upon which the more elaborate signs and wider frame of reference of Ifa
were based. Whatever the case may be, there is no doubt at all that eerındınlogun
has not been given its rightful place as a part and parcel of the Ifa literary and
divinatory system. In one of the verses quoted above, Olodumare, while giving ase
to eerındınlogun stated thus,

From today on and forever

Even if what eerındınlogun says may not be detailed,
Anybody who disbelieves it
Would see the consequences instantly.
It must not wait till the following day.

Conclusion

It is customary for researchers to refer to Osun simply as an Orısa of fertility. This is

true. In fact, a recent chanter of Osun’s literature refers to her as
Iya abobınrin gbato
Mother who helps women to collect semen
Ladekoju, abokunrin gbase
Wearer of a veiled crown, who helps men to collect menstrual flow.

There are many verses of Ifa which relate to Osun as a mother of many children
both in the biological and religious sense. The city of Ooro (now simply called Oro)
was where Osun had so many children that she did not have any more space to sit
down in her own house. Since her children had taken up all available space, Osun
was always found standing up.
Ifa also speaks of Osun as a benevolent mother. She has the habit of bestowing
wealth, fame, and honor on her adherents. A verse of Irete Oba tells us how Osun
rewarded a poor priest of Ifa who had divined for her when she was childless and
made it possible for her to have children. The name of the Ifa priest is Ojıyaomegun;
he had two apprentices: Ifon, Ifa priest of Ido, and Duuru, Ifa priest of Lıkı. When
Osun eventually had children, she rewarded the three of them with costly clothes,
beads, and plenty of money. She brought all the presents personally to her Ifa
priests, but Ojıyaomegun had traveled out to a far place. Osun gave the two
apprentices a horse each. She also gave them their own share of the rest of the
presents. She waited for a long time for Ojıyaomegun. When he did not arrive, she
ordered her servants to dig a very deep pit inside which she carefully kept
Ojıyaomegun’s presents. But she first covered the pit with sand before she dumped
the money and the presents there, and then covered it up again with earth. That is
why Osun is saluted as

Oore yeye Osun.

Hail the benevolent mother Osun
O wa yanrın, wa yanrın,
She who digs up sand, digs up sand,
Kowo sı
And keeps money there (for her own people)

The benevolence of Osun goes beyond bestowing money and riches on people. She
nourishes her own just as she nourished the original sixteen Orısa who first arrived
on earth with Osun as the seventeenth. She nourishes people with with different
kinds of vegetables, such as yanrin and tete (special vegetables of Osun) which are
still her favorite foods today. She also likes different kinds of fruit such as
pumpkins, bananas, oranges, etc. But she does not like guinea-corn beer. She drinks
maize beer instead. Above all, she nourishes with the sweet waters of the sacred
Osun River.
We must not make the mistake of thinking that Osun is always meek, quiet, and
long-suffering. Sometimes she can be a fierce warrior. A verse of Ogunda Iworı
(Ogunda araa Do) tells us how Osun Apara (otherwise known as Yemese) delivered
the people of Ido32 when their town was conquered and the people were being
taken away as slaves. She beheaded their enemies and freed the people of Ido. When
her people said that they did not know the way back to Ido, she fell down on the
spot, became a river and flowed back to Ido carrying her people along with her. That
is why Yemese is celebrated in Ido with the following song:

Yemese ile Ido pagun ra o

Osun Apara pagun ra lonıı
O pagun ra

Yemese of Ido annihilated war.

Osun Apara annihilated war today
She annihilated war

Space will not allow us to go into other areas of the contributions of Osun to the
religion and culture of the Yoruba people as a loyal wife of Sango, her second
husband; as a physician who cures with her own water; as a founder of the Ogboni
society to maintain truth and justice in the land; or even as the only Orısa who
knows how to deceive the “cannibals” of heaven (see first story, above). All these
and more are contained in the stories of Osun as enshrined in the Ifa corpus, a body
of knowledge which she probably founded or at least helped to establish together
with Orunmıla. Her role in this regard is often not deeply appreciated.
To understand this ancient Orısa is to know the intelligence, vitality, caring, and
nourishing abilities of womankind—long-suffering, cheated, overlooked, and
overworked, but always committed to the survival of humanity. In this sense, Osun
is the icon not only of women, but of all creation. ..
Omi o!
Ota o!
Edan o!
E kore yeye Osun

O! sacred water
O! sacred stones
O! sacred edan (symbol of Ogboni)
All hail the Benevolent Mother
ase Awo Dino

The Multidimensional OSUN (Oshun, Ochun,

Oxum)
I dedicate this work to all our beautiful black (and brown) sisters here at destee.com,
and throughout the Diaspora. Our Mothers, who have toiled relentlessly, who have
suffered silently, who have carried a people on their backs for 400 years. Hopefully,
Osun can inspire you to keep it moving, with confidence and positive energy; that
when you look at your sister, you see yourself, and you love yourself. From Myself
and all the brothers, we love you, our sisters, our Mothers. Ase.

Iba Osun sekese

Praise to the Goddess of Mystery
Latojoku awede we ‘mo
Spirit that cleans me inside out
Iba Osun Olodi
Praise to the Goddess of the river
Latojoku awede we ‘mo
Spirit that cleans me inside out
Iba Osun ibu kole
Praise to the Goddess of Seduction
Latojoku awede we ‘mo
Spirit that cleans me inside out
Yeye kari
Mother of the Mirror
Latojoku awede we ‘mo
Spirit that cleans me inside out
Yeye ‘jo
Mother of Dance
Latojoku awede we ‘mo
Spirit that cleans me inside out
Yeye opo
Mother of Abundance
O san rere o
We sing your praises
Ase

The child of Ife where the sun rises

The mother who gives a bounteous gift
The tender hearted one
The source of water
The child of Ijesa
The water to whom the King prostates to receive a gift

Yeye O, Osun, Osun O, aare me Osun waa se kumara!

(chant to be sung to Osun, inviting her to come)

Most people, when they think of Osun, think of her as a river Goddess, or a fertility
Goddess, the “Afrikan Venus.” However, She is much, much, more than that. Osun
is central to Yoruba thought and praxis. Her power is multidimensional. Osun’s
name means “source.” Form the word “orisun.” The source of a river, a people, of
children, of wealth, of life . Osun represents the perpetually renewing source of life.
As the elemental power of water, it is she that makes life possible. Osun is the child-
giving and curative power of water. She is the “blue river,” the birth canal. What
some people forget, is that Osun is also the owner of Eerindinlogun – sixteen cowrie
divination. She is also the source and condition of political power, as leader of the
Aje’ (the Mothers, Iyami Osoronga). As such, she is a founder of the Ogboni
Society, the counsel of elders that bestow kingship. Like Esu, she can change at will.
She can be the loquacious and beautiful young flirt who succeeds by killing you
with kindness, or the deadly serious old woman, owner of the “spiritual eye”
(mystical power); she can be rich or poor, loving or vengeful. She is the Benevolent
Mother and the fierce warrior. She heals with her cool waters and destroys
indiscriminately with her raging floods. She is the creator of children, fertility
squared, yet she is the leader of vengeful spirits who will take any child away at the
drop of a hat. She is the fierce defender of her children (priests and priestesses). She
cries when she is happy, and laughs when she is sad. To accentuate her dual natures
(Yoruba is heavy on dualities, polarities etc), Osun carries a brass cooling fan in one
hand and a brass cutlass in the other. Strength and compassion; brass and honey.

In Lucumi, there are five different caminos or roads of Ochun. These are
distinctively different Ochuns, each with their own narratives, rituals and songs.
There Ochun Yeye Moro, the beautiful dancer, Ochun Ololodi, the diviner, Ochun
Ibu Kole, the powerful buzzard (Aje’), etc. But there is only one Osun, a dynamic,
multifaceted Orisa.

In Yorubaland, Orisa serve as the glue that holds communities together. Each town
or city has a founding narrative that includes the founding Orisa and intertwines
facts, myths and metaphor. These mythistories create “community-ship,” which is at
least as strong as the larger sense of citizenship. Ijesa country in Osun State,
Nigeria, is the center of Osun worship. It is the place of the largest annual Osun
festival. People come from all over the world to attend the festival and be blessed
and/or healed by the sacred waters of the Osun river at the city of Osogbo. In the
Osogbo mythhistory, it is said that a prince (Olarooye) from Ilesa, went out to found
a new city due to a water shortage in Ilesa. He set out with his buddy, a hunter
named Timehin, and they led the expeditionary group in search of a water source.
They came upon the Osun river. To make a long story short, they settled there with
the blessing and protection (she single handedly ran off the invading Tapa – warriors
from the north) of Osun. Here is an invocation given at the start of the annual Osun
festival by the Oba:

Ala’de’koju’, I am calling on you

Hail my Beloved Mother Aladekoju
The Beloved one from the town of Efon Ekiti
Hail the powerful Mother Aladekoju
The descendent of the one who uses the crown made of brass
The one who dances with the jingling brass
My Wondrous Mother!
Who owns plenty of brass ornaments in the town of Efon
She moves majestically in the deep water
Oh spirit, Mother from Ijesaland
The land of the tough and brave people
Men who would fight to secure their wives
Even to the point of killing themselves
Along with their wives if everything fails
Hail the Great Mother Osun
Whose whole body is adorned with brass
She joins the Owa (Ijesa Oba) to celebrate his festival
She shares her holy day with Sango
My confidante
She waits at home to assist barren women to bear children
Osun has plenty of cool water to cure diseases
Death to the Tapa
Osun adorns her whole body with Edan
With the shining brass as a lantern at night
She very quickly moves around the house
To fetch her sword, ready for battle
Hail the Mother, Osun Osogbo
My mother the marvelous cook
My mother, who makes succulent akara, olele and ekuru
Those who refuse to hail my Mother
will be denied tasteful bean cakes and corn cakes
my Mother who provides bean cake for the Efon people
When my Mother wakes up, she prepares food for her household
My Mother will then proceed to the kolanut stall
As she trades in kolanut
She is also carrying her corn to the mill to grind
At the same time, she is also dyeing clothes by the sideway
There is no task my Mother cannot do
She even keeps a stable for rearing horses!
My Mother lives in the deep water
And yet sends errands to the hinterland
Aladekoju, my Olodumare (supreme goddess)
Who turns a bad Ori (destiny) into a good one
Osun has plenty of brass ornaments on her shelf
Orogun, Orogungunnda,
The favorite wife of Orunmila
The owner of the indigo pigeon
In vivid colors of the rainbow,
Her image appears brightly dressed on the riverbank
Aladekoju, the owner of the mortar made of brass
Osun fights for those she cares about
Eniyan do not want us to eat from a china plate
Ogbonmele, do not allow the evil world to change our good
Fortune into a bad one
Do not let the wicked overcome us
Once, Osun was plucking medicinal leaves
Osanyin was also plucking his own leaves
Before Osanyin turns around,
Osun had taken Osanyin’s leaves from the grinding stone
Only Osun can mold my Ori
So that it becomes as strong as a rock
Osun Osogbo, I greet you
Osogbo Oroki emerges from afar off,
And the crowd in the market went wild with joy
The Oba’s Beloved Water, do not forget me
Osun who stands on the hill
And beckons at the kolanut seller in the market to bring kolanut
Ladekoju stands on the river bridge
And calls to the seller of honey in the market
She beckons at the palm wine seller to bring her wine
The palm wine sells at an exorbitant price;
But my Mother does not buy overpriced goods
The mighty water is rushing past
It is flowing to eternity

Osun, as leader of the Aje’ (Iyami), is much involved in the politics of kingship. The
king’s crown is topped by a bird, symbol of the eleiye, “owners of birds,” the Aje’.
The Oba rules at the discretion of the Mothers and under their watchful eye.
Medicines that activate the King’s spiritual potency, his ase, are placed inside the
crown. It is said these medicines are so powerful the mere sight of them would leave
him blind. In Cuba, she is the patron saint, “La Caridad Del Cobre.” It is said that
she appeared and led the fight for independence. In Brazil, the rhythms of Carnaval
are Ijesa rhythms. She has been behind black movements in Cuba and Brazil. A
piece of Oriki illustrates her masculinity, bravery and prowess, and her dual nature
as both benevolent Mother(Osun is a cool Orisa like Obatala, Osanyin etc. as
opposed to hot Orisa like Ogun and Sango) and punishing Warrior:

Obinrin gb’ona Okunrin n sa

The woman who blocks the road (by flooding it) and causes men to flee
O tori ogun O da rungbon si
Who keeps her beard (warrior masculinity) because of war
Agegun s’oro
One, who in fury, causes mayhem and chaos
Ogbamugbami, obinrin ko see gbamu
The powerful and huge woman who cannot be attacked
Eegun gbadagba ti i gbe ti i ji fon bi erin
Mighty Masquerade (ancestor) whose way it is to trumpet on awakening like the
elephant
Akeke orisa, Ijesa Osore
Scorpion Orisa, Ijesa woman from Osore
Ijesa mo f’osi na mi, omo oro l’Efon
Ijesa woman, don’t strike me with your left hand, Child of Wealth at Efon
ase

Many Odu speak to Osun as the Benevolent Mother, who bestows money and riches
on people. An example can be found in Odu Irete Obara. Osun had gone to a poor
Ifa priest named Ojiyaomegun when she was childless. Ojiyaomegun’s work made
it possible for her to have children. Osun wanted to reward him and his two
apprentices, Ifon, ifa priest of Ido, and Duuru, Ifa priest of Liki. So, she took money,
beads and expensive clothes to Ojiyaomegun and his apprentices, but Ojiyaomegun
was not around. She waited a very long time, but he didn’t show up. So she left gifts
with the apprentices and went home. She ordered her servants to dig a deep pit
(along the river bank), and put Ojiyaomegun’s gifts there. That is why we have oriki
which contain the words:

Osun alade okin

Osun, Goddess with fantastic crown of peacock plumage
Ooni ‘mole odo
Goddess of the river
Oore yeye Osun
Hail the benevolent mother Osun
O wa yanrin, wa yanrin
She who digs up sand, digs up sand
Kowo si
And keeps money there (for her omo – children)
Yeye o, a fi ide re omo
Oh beloved Mother, you pamper children with brass (riches)
Oyeye ni mo eni ide kii sun
Wise one, owner of brass who never sleeps (eternal energy)
E gbe’nu imo fi ohun t’ore Ota were were ni ti Osun
You live with wisdom and give it away freely (through eerindinlogun)
Osun k’e k’owo t’emi fun mi o
Osun, please give me my own money
E ma ri owo t’emi mo yanrin
Do not bury my money in the sand
Ore Yeye O!
Oh! Thank you dear Mother!

In the above opening invocation for the Osun festival by the Oba, one of the stanzas
says, “only Osun can mold my Ori.” We know that Ajala Mopin is the molder of
heads as he works with Obatala in the molding of humans, so what is Oba referring
to? Osun provides the water that Obatala (and Ajala Mopin)uses to smooth the clay
with which he molds human beings. Osun’s traditional occupation is hair-plaiting,
which is a mark of honor to Ori. The hair plaiting style of Osun is similar to the
pattern weaved into the making of Ile-Ori, house of Ori, a cowrie covered structure
that serves as a shrine, or pot to one’s Ori. The oriki stanza, “Osun owner of the
beaded hair comb for beautiful women” alludes to Ori. This aspect of Osun is often
overlooked, but is important to her role as owner of sixteen cowrie divination
(eerindinlogun, or dilogun), and the efficacy of ebo (no divinity can bless one
without the consent of his/her Ori).

Odo gbogbo l’agbo

All rivers are Osun’s medicine

Obatala molds the body, Ajala Mopin molds the head, Olodumare supplies the
breath . Osun supplies the water, Thus Osun is integral to human creation itself. The
Osun pot contains stones (ota Osun) from the Osun river. Alongside the pot is a
special pot for water drawn at dawn (before anyone else gets there) from a spring
and containing one of the stones. This water is called Agbo and is used for healing,
fertility, security, success, protection, progress, etc. In the Diaspora we use oriki and
ese Odu to invoke the spirit of Osun in the water.

Ase gbere wa aye

The one who unexpectedly comes into the world
Omi lo maa gbaa
Will be admitted by water
Arinrin gbere lo sode orun
The one who slowly goes back into heaven
Omi lo maa gbaa
Will be received by water
Omi l’abuwe
It is water that we bathe with
Omi l’abumu
It is water that we drink
Enikan ki I b’omi sota
No one makes an enemy of water
Ase

In the following itan from Odu Ose’tura, we are introduced to the real power of
Osun. When Olodumare sent the first Irunmole (God's task force) down to earth, he
sent 16 male Orisa and Osun. In accordance with Olodumare’s instructions, they
started to set up the world, but they didn’t include Osun in any of their activities.
The result was that everything they did was a total failure. Rain did not fall, women
were barren, illness prevailed, there was bitterness and restlessness all over the
world. The sixteen male Orisa went back to Olodumare to find out what was going
on. They said they were living on earth in accordance with the instructions of
Olodumare, but nothing they did was good. Olodumare asked them if they had
included Osun in all they were doing. They said no, they hadn't bothered with her;
after all, she's just a woman.
Olodumare ni danidani l’oun, oun e e dani leemeji
Olodumare said that he was the Creator, but he would never create any person or
thing twice
O ni e pada sohoun, o ni e ree be e, ko maa yin lowo si nkan. O ni gbogbo
nnkan yin o si maa gun.
He told Orunmila to go back to his colleagues and that all of them should go and
beg Osun for forgiveness, so that she would agree to to be involved in their affairs.
He assured them their affairs would then be good. So the sixteen male Orisa went
and begged Osun for forgiveness, but she didn’t yield until Orunmila made his
personal appeal. She said:
E maa be ori yin ateledaaa yin pe oyun ti n be ninu oun yii, koun o bi I
l’okunrin, nnkan yin oogun. Amo toun ba bi I lobinrin, e kangun.
“Begin to beg your Ori and your Creator, so that the fetus which is in my womb be
delivered as a male child.”
She assured them that if it was a male child, their matters from then on would be
straight, but if it was a female child, war would begin in earnest. Obatala used his
powers to peer into Osun’s womb, and saw that it was a girl. He (Obatala is
androgynous) pointed his ado asure at her womb and commanded that the fetus
change into a male. Orisanla was the first to hold the baby when born. Then
Orunmila, the father, carried the baby and named him Osetuura, who became Odu
Ose Otura, the Odu that imparts ase and invokes Esu.
They said, “If someone is pounding yams without the knowledge of Osun, his or her
pounded yam will not be smooth. If someone is preparing oka without involving
Osun in it, the oka will not come out fine. We will involve Osun in whatever we do.
We will involve Osun in all our deliberations. Our Great Mother, who must be
present at every important deliberation.”

A fimo jo t’Osun
We will involve Osun in all are deliberations
Agberegede, ajuba
Ajuba Agberegede
A d’ifa fun Osun Sengesi
Agberegede, ajuba
Ajuba Agberegede
Divined for Osun Sengesi
Olooya yun
Owner of the hair comb decorated with iyun
O gbe koko
When she was in a secret place
O n bebo Irunmole e je
She spoiled the ebo of other divinities
Ta ni en rubo
Who is performing ebo
Ti o ke selebo
Without involving the owner of ebo?
Osun Ewuji
Osun, whose other name is Ewuji,
A kunle
We are all on our knees
A be o
We are all begging you
E wole fobinrin
Let us all kneel and prostrate before women
Obinrin lo bi wa
We are all born by women
Ka too deniyan
Before we become recognized as human beings
Ase

Nothing moves without Osun!! Ore yeye O! Ogun can’t even begin his evolutionary
work without Osun.

Osun completes the Female-Male principle in the universe. Osun as aesthetic

beauty, a reminder of the wonders of creation, and all that is good in the universe.
Osun the fertility goddess, protector of children, soothing healer, bestower of
wealth. Osun as Leader of the Iyami, and the potential for destruction. She can
destroy at “night,” with the awesome power of the eleiye, or during the “day,” with
the awesome power of the flood. Osun as fierce warrior, defender of her people,
leader of revolutions and revolts. The Water Goddess, the perpetually renewing
source of life. Osun transforms through water and through the “blue canal,” the
mystery of birth. Osun, from Orisun “The Source.”
Osun is the embodiment of women’s mystical power, the real power in Yoruba
cosmology. The ability to control physical and spiritual forces, to create life through
procreation, and the sustenance of life, are considered to be the ultimate power in
the Yoruba worldview. It is this secretive power, that men can never understand, that
has driven men to try and control women throughout the ages. It is the power of the
Iyami.

Iyami Osoronga
My Mysterious Mother, Osoronga
Apanimahaagun
Vulture who kills without sharing
Olokiki oru
The dominant force at midnight
Ajedo eniyan ma bi
One who devours human livers without vomiting
Eyi tii lo nigbaoja bat u
One who vacates only when the market closes
A-le mo loju ala wiriwiri
One who terrifies in dreams
Ase

Another facet of Osun energy (no, she ain’t done yet!) is her ownership of
Eerindinlogun, sixteen cowrie divination, the “seeing eyes” of Orisa. Osun
priestesses are the best diviners, hands down. Another Itan from Odu Ose’Tura tells
the story of how Osun became the owner of sixteen cowrie divination. We learn
much about Osun’s intimate connection with Ifa divination in her own right, as well
as through her son , Osetuura.
Osun was married to Orunmila, the prophet, and keeper of the oracle. He was
leaving town on business, and told Osun to tell his many clients that he would be
back in a couple of weeks. Well, Osun, being Osun, got tired of sending away all of
Orunmila's clients so she figured out his divination system and started divining for
his clients! So when Orunmila comes home, he finds his house full of people;
“What's going on!” "We're waiting for Osun to divine for us," he was told. "Say
what!" So he was angry with her for a little while, but no one stays angry at Osun
for long. He was actually quite amazed with her ability to learn so quickly.
Orunmila then gave Osun the eerindinlogun and told her that from then on, she
would own the cowrie system and he gave her the oracle. Osun shared her
knowledge with other Orisa, starting with Obatala.

Although Osun receives the Eerindinlogun system from Orunmila and he created it,
another verse of Odu Ose’Tura tells how this system of divination received its own
ase from Olodumare, thus making it independently Osun’s. Every sixteen years,
Olodumare would subject the earthly diviners to a test, to find out whether they
were telling lies or the truth to their clients. When Orunmila finished his turn
divining for Olodumare, Olodumare said, “Who’s next?” Orunmila said, “She is.”
Olodumare asked if this woman (Osun) was a diviner at which point Orunmila
answered, “Yes, she is.” Olodumare asked, “Who is this one?” Orunmila explained
how he had given her eerindinlogun. When Osun divined for Olodumare, she hit on
all those things in his mind. But she did not say it in full. She mentioned the gist, but
she didn’t tell the root of the matter, like Ifa. Olodumare said, “It’s all right.” He
further said that even though she did not go into details, he, Olodumare, gave his
assent to it. He added, “From today on and forever, even if what eerindinlogun says
may not be detailed, anybody who disbelieves it would see the consequences
instantly. It must not wait until the following day.” This is why the predictions of
eerindinlogun come to pass quickly, even though the stories might not be
impressive.
Bi eerindinlogun se gba ase Lodo Olodumare nu un
That is how eerindinlogun received Ase directly from Olodumare

Before the diviner starts the divination process, she pays homage to Onile, the Earth
diety, pointing to the ground, and to Iyami (eleiye) pointing to the sky.

Ibaa yin o!
Your Worship!
Eyin l’awo,
You are the custodians of mysteries
Emi l’ogberi
I am ignorant
E f’oro yii han mi o
Reveal this secret to me
E ma f’ire pe ‘bi
Do not reveal good instead of evil
E ma f’ibi pe ‘re o
Do not reveal evil instead of good
ase

The connection between Osun and Esu is interesting. Esu controls the Ajogun,
malevolent spiritual beings. Osun is the leader of the Aje, even more feared than the
ajogun. Yet both are capable of bestowing the greatest of blessings; Esu bestows
ase, and Osun fertility. As revealed in Odu Ose’tura, the Odu that incarnates Esu and
contains much information about Osun, Osun is Osetuura’s mother. Like Esu, she
has a central role in the maintenance of creation. Aje’, also known as Iyami, are
powerful. Olodumare has committed the universe to their care. He has given them
power and authority over its affairs. They strongly hold the universe together. They
maintain the order in the world. Osun is not only one of them, she is their leader.
Osun, through the Iyami, and Esu, preside over ebo, and support or empower the
efficacy of herbal preparations and ritual elements. Osun is a complex, dynamic,
and powerful energy. Osun, wife of Orunmila and subsequently Sango, spirit who
cures with water, one of the founders of the Ogboni society, partner of Orunmila in
the establishment of the Ifa corpus, and fertility Goddess.

Mo ke mogba lodo omi!

I cry for deliverance through water!

To understand Osun is to know the intelligence, vitality, caring, and nourishing

abilities of womankind. Long-suffering, cheated, overlooked, and overworked, but
always committed to the survival of humanity. Besides signifying wealth, brass
never rusts, it is eternal. In Osun we have the embodiment of wealth, prosperity,
love, beauty, elegance, sexuality and sensuality and a divinely sanctioned feminist.
Ase.

Omi o!
Oh sacred water!
Ota o!
Oh sacred stones!
Edan o!
Oh sacred Edan (symbol of Ogboni)
E kore Yeye Osun o
All hail the Benevolent Mother
Ase

Osun Foods
Eko – a corn product made from ogii powder.
Yanrin and tete – Osun’s favorite vegetables
Adiye agagda – fowl with the feet tied together
Eyin adiye – chicken egg
Oti sekete – corn wine
Yellow and orange fruits (pumpkins, bananas, oranges, mangos), vegetables and
flowers

Sacred implements
Osun pot – containing five consecrated stones, among other things
Agbo pot – containing Osun’s blessed water
Osun’s ileke
Brass bracelets
Brass bells
Osun carving
Peacock crown
Brass fan
Brass cutlass

Mbe, mbe ma Yeye

Exist, exist always, Mother
Mbe, mbe l’Oro
Exist, exist always in our tradition
Osun Awuraolu
The Spirit of the River, Turtle Drummer
Serge si elewe roju oniki
Open the path of attraction, Mother of Salutations
Latojoku awede we mo
Cleansing Spirit that cleans me inside out
Eni ide ki su omi o san rere
The maker of brass does not pollute the water
Alose k’oju ewuji o san rere
We are entitled to wear the crown that awakens all pleasure
Alode k’oju emuji o san rere
We are entitled to wear the crown that awakens all pleasure
O male o dale o san rere
The Spirit of the Earth that wanders freely
Mo juba o mo juba o
Ase, ase, ase o!

*The material in this paper was derived from multiple sources, including but not
limited to, the book “Osun Across the Waters.” Awo Dino

Iba Osun
Yeye-onikii-Obalodo
0 gba ooguin leri' opo sa
ti nrz kikere add yewo'
O gun ooguzn, gun oogun, s(e) odo karawu
Ore yeye o!

Homage Osun
Gracious-mother-Queen-of-the-River
She takes the medicine that is on the roof post in order to use it
The Orisa who finds a little gourd and looks carefully inside
She pounds and pounds the medicine and makes the mortar sound.
Most gracious Mother! Awo dino

Osun (as leader of the Iyami, the mothers)holds aspecial place in Yoruba
thought, and is indispensable to successful and harmonious political, economic,
religious, and social life.

It was divined for the sixteen Odu

Who were coming from heaven to earth
A woman was the seventeenth of them.
When they got to earth,
They cleared the grove for Oro,
Oro had his own space.
They cleared the grove for Opa,
Opa’s abode was secure.
They prepared a grove for Eegun,
Eegun had a home.
But they made no provision for Osun,
Also known as “Seegesı, the preeminent hair-plaiter
with the coral-beaded comb.”
So, she decided to wait and see How
they would carry out their mission successfully;
Osun sat quietly and watched them.
Beginning with Eji-Ogbe and Oyeku mejı,
Iworı mejı, Odimejı, Irosun mejı
Owonrın mejı, Obara mejı, Okanran mejı,
Ogun-da, Osa, Orangun mejı and so on,
They all decided not to countenance Osun in their mission.
She, too, kept mute,
And carried on her rightful duty,
Which is hair-plaiting.
She had a comb.
They never knew she was an “aje´”
When they were coming from heaven,
God chose all good things;
He also chose their keeper,
And this was a woman.
All women are aje.
And because all other Odu left Osun out,
Nothing they did was successful.
They went to Eegun’s grove and pleaded with him,
That their mission be crowned with success.
“Eegun, it is you who straightens the four corners of the world,
Let all be straight.”
They went to Adagba Ojomu
Who is called Oro
“You are the only one who frightens Death and Sickness.
Please help drive them away.”
Healing failed to take place;
Instead epidemic festered.
They went to Ose´ and begged him
To let the rain fall.Rain didn’t fall.
Then they went to Osun
Osun received them warmly,
And entertained them,
But shame would not let them confide in Osun,
Whom they had ignored.
They then headed for heaven
And made straight for Olodumare,
Who asked why they came
They said it was about their mission on earth.
When they left heaven, And arrived on earth
All things went well;
Then later things turned for the worse,
Nothing was successful.
And Olodumare asked
“How many of you are here?”
They answered, “Sixteen.”
He also asked,
“When you were leaving heaven, how many were you?”
They answered, “Seventeen.”
And Olodumare said, “You are all intriguers.
That one you left behind
If you do not bring her here,
There will be no solution to your problem.
If you continue this way,
You will always fail.”
They then returned to Osun,
And addressed her,
Mother, the preeminent hair-plaiter with
the coral-beaded comb.
We have been to the Creator
And it was there we discovered that all Odu
were derived from you Osun,
And that our suffering would continue
If we failed to recognize and obey you.”
So, on their return to the earth from the Creator,
All the remaining Odu wanted to pacify and please Osun.
But Osun would not go out with them.
The baby she was expecting might go out with them,
But even that would depend on the gender of the baby
For she said that if the baby she was expecting
Turned out to be male,
It is that male child who would go out with them
But if the baby turned out to be female,
She would have nothing to do with them.
She said she knew of all they had eaten and enjoyed without her,
Particularly all the delicacies and he-goat they ate.
As Osun was about to curse them all,
Ose covered her mouth
And the remaining Odu started praying
That Osun might deliver a male child.
They then started to beg her.
When Osun delivered,She had a baby boy
Whom they named Ose-Tura.

Ase Awo Dino

In the divination verse above, the Creator-God has placed all the good things
on earth in Osun’s charge, making her “the vital source” as her name suggests.
Without Osun’s sanction, no healing can take place, no rain can fall, no plants can
bear fruit, and no children can come into the world. Granted that every orısa must
have their own ase, one must wonder about Osun’s seemingly superior ase that was
able to counteract the activities of her fellow orısa. Alternatively, it is conceivable
that the ase of female orısa is inherently different from the male orısa, and perhaps
even antagonistic when they compete, with one (presumably, the female ase)
neutralizing the other (that is, the male ase), as appears to be the case in this story.
Awo Dino
Òsóòsi : Ifa and the Spirit of the Tracker
by Awo Fa'lokun Fatunmbi
Iba Osoosi.
I praise the Spirit of the Tracker.
Iba olog arare.
I praise the master of himself.
Iba Onibebe.
I praise the owner of the river bank.
Iba Osolikere.
I praise the magician of the forest.
Ode ata matase,
Hunter who never misses,
Agbani nijo to buru,
Wise Spirit who offers many blessings,
Oni ode gan fi di ja,
Owner of the parrot that guides me to overcome fear,
A juba.
I salute you.
Ase.

In Ogun state they have an Orisa, or Force in Nature that is called Òsóòsi. In this
country it is usually spelled Ochosi. We have the influence of Spanish speaking
Orisa worshippers because there is no "c" in the Yoruba alphabet. The traditional
Yoruba spelling is Òsóòsi. One of the things that I have tried to do is to go back to
the traditional Yoruba use of language so that we can get some sense of what is
being said. When you see Ochosi spelled like this it is difficult to derive any
meaning from the word.
Yoruba language is rich with elisions. An elision is where you take a phrase and run
a number of words together to make one word. When phrases are run together to
form the name of a Spirit, the words that are run together are refered to as the Oriki
of the Spirit. "Ki" means "praise," it also means "opening." "Ori" means
"consciousness" or "head." So we have "praising the head" or "opening the head" or
"opening the mystery that illuminates the head." Oriki is a form of praise poetry that
describes the inner essence of the Spirit. The Oriki of an Orisa is both the one key
sentence used to form the name of the Orisa and a rather lengthy praise poem that
recites the history of the Orisa.
Looking at the word Òsóòsi, it is very simple to break it down into two words.
"Oso" is the word for "sorcery." That is not a pejorative word, I use sorcery as a
reference to the ability to astral travel. Anybody who has the power to go out of
their body has the power of oso. Parapsychologists call this OBE or out of body
experiences. But oso refers to out of body experiences that are invoked intentionally.
Moving out of your body with your intention and invocation as the trigger is the
power of oso. "Osi," have you every heard me say "otun, osi?" That means right and
left. "Osi" is left.
What we get in English is "sorcery left." That does not make good sense in English,
but it is a very clear reference in Ifa. You are all familiar with the divining tray. The
right side of the tray relates to what has manifest in the present. The left side of the
tray relates to that which is hidden.
Odu Ifa has a right and a left component. The marks of the Odu are a mandala. The
simplest way to look at the Odu is to consider that the right side represents what is
happening in the physical world in the present. The left side represents what is
happening in the invisible world. It usually represents that which has not yet come
into Being. Ifa is based on the belief that all things which can potentially come into
Being exist in potential in the invisible realm. The right side is manifest and the left
side is what lies in potential. The clearest example of that polarity would be
conscious verses unconscious. What you think is the problem and what is really the
problem. The analogy applies to every realm of Being. When it rains the weather is
caused by the conjunction of invisible pressure fronts. The examples are endless.
If you look at the idea of atomic structure, the idea of a nucleus at the center and
rings of power surrounding the center. When I went to school we were taught that
there were little dots that circled around the nucleus. Now they teach that waves of
energy flow around the nucleus without having a specific mass. The way the outer
pattern flows is effected by what is pulling it at the center. The right side of the Odu
could be considered the outer rim of the atom and the left side of the Odu could be
considered the center of the atom. This sets up a polarity that is effected by the
number of single and double lines in each quadragram. Western science teaches that
atoms are made from one form of energy that merges together in different sets of
relationships. It is these relationships that create diversity in the universe.
What you have with Odu is a map of the possible relationships between primal
forms of energy. I suspect that the more we studied it, the more we could correlate
Odu with scientific phenomena in physics. We would see just how profound the
system of Odu really is. I believe that it represents a tremendous breakthrough in the
human perception of the world in terms of identifying primal forces in Nature.
Whenever Ifa makes a reference to osi, the left hand side it is referring to that which
is invisible, or that which is not seen, or that which is not yet manifest. If you have
the ability to travel out of your body, you have the ability to effect your physical
environment without being seen.
Òsóòsi clearly means having an invisible influence through the power of sorcery.
Nigerians refer to this ability in British English by saying "being a lefty." When I
first heard that phrase it took me a while to understand what they were talking
about. I finally figured out that it meant the ability to effect things without being
seen.
Now we have some understanding of the Oriki of Òsóòsi and what it means in terms
of the elision of the word itself. The other thing I want to point out is that Ogun state
is located near the coast of Nigeria. Òsóòsi is only found as an Orisa in Ogun state.
You don't find it in Ile Ife, you don't find it in Oyo. There is throughout Nigeria what
I would call local Orisa that only occur in certain regions. There are other Orisa that
occur throughout Yorubaland. There are two or three that come to mind that are only
found in Ogun state. Òsóòsi is one, Agemo is another and the other is Lagua. Those
are three Orisa that are indigenous to Ogun state, that you don't find in the rest of
Nigeria.

The fact that Òsóòsi is so prevalent in the West tells us something about history. We
have an Orisa that is only found in Ogun state that is very popular in the West. That
tells us that a significant number of slaves who came from Africa to Cuba were from
Ogun state. The reason I bring that up is because I have heard different
interpretations of this fact. People go to Ile Ife and they don't see Òsóòsi and they
think that Òsóòsi was lost and that the religion is in regression in Africa. The reason
Òsóòsi is not found in Ile Ife is because Òsóòsi was never there.
Lets talk about the function of Òsóòsi. You know the song for Òsóòsi? Òsóòsi ire,
ode mata ode mata. Again we get a better understanding of who Òsóòsi is. The song
says Sorcerer of the left hand, brings good fortune, spotted medicine of the forest.
What the heck does that mean?
Spotted medicine is put in tattoos or scarification, that is mata. Scarification is
caused by peeling back the skin, putting a piece of sand under the skin along with
some form of medicine. The medicine is called "Ajabo." "Aja" is "dog" and "bo" is
from "ebo" meaning "offering." This says "Dog offering." Dogs are messengers of
Orisa, so ajabo is the medicine that is put in the mata. You make ajabo by getting
herbs or "ewe," and depending on the function of the medicine, you gather the herbs
that are appropriate to what you are trying to accomplish. There are herbs for
cleansing, for protection, for illumination, herbs to improve your memory, herbs to
cure an illness. That is all ewe.
The way ajabo is made is that you get the herbs and you burn the leaves so they are
black and you grind them down with a mortar and pestle. You get a little mixture of
stuff that looks like gun powder. Then you say the prayers and invocations that
enhance the intrinsic quality of the herbs on to the powder. That powder is what you
put in the incision, it is the mata.
Again, the Sorcerer of the left handed path brings good fortune with the spotted
medicine of the forest. That means that Òsóòsi is the authority on using the
medicine that causes astral travel. The ability to travel out of your body can be
induced with this methodology. The spotted medicine, or literally spots, they don't
make a tattoo, its more like a circular pattern of lumps. That is Ode mata.
Question: Is that done as a rite of passage?
Fa'lokun: No, it is done with a specific purpose. You could be initiated into Òsóòsi
and not necessarily get spotted medicine. But if it turns out that you have an aptitude
for this, or a need to do this the medicine would be given.
Question: Is it a form of shamanism?
Fa'lokun: Yes.
If we associate Òsóòsi with the idea of the Spirit of the Tracker then we ask the
question what is the survival issue that requires astral travel in the forest? The
purpose is to locate herbs and wildlife in the forest. The trackers in the rain forest
speak of the ability to walk and to look with their right eye seeing straight ahead and
their left eye seeing an airial view from the top down. They speak of the ability to
do this simultaneously. This is a good tool when you are out in the rain forest. The
rain forest is filled with green trees to the horizon in every direction. Its real easy to
get lost. If you didn't know the area, how would you know what is in the forest?
Òsóòsi as the tracker uses astral travel as a tool for both locating things of value in
the forest, namely herbs and as an adjunct to hunting technology. In my opinion it
does not represent something magical. It represents the optimal end of a particular
potential that is latent in all of us. Because there is not much call for this skill in the
West, the potential remains undeveloped.
The question then becomes, what is the Spiritual significance of Òsóòsi in 1993 in
Oakland? That is the big question. Lets take the Ifa symbol of the cross in the tray. It
is, among other things, a map of consciousness. The purpose of Ifa is to balance all
the elements of consciousness. The outer rim of the circle represents the sum total of
a particular individual state of consciousness. The four quadrants of the circle
represent the elements of consciousness in balance.
Ifa expresses this idea that when you have balanced all the forces that create
consciousness you are in touch with the inner self which is called "ori inu." It is the
process of getting in touch with the inner self that we connect with the higher self
which is called wither "ipori" or "iponri," depending on what dialect you are
speaking. It is in making that link between the inner self and the higher self that you
really understand who you are and you feel good about yourself and you open up
the latent potential for growth. In New Age language, its called centering. Centering
yourself in this way is also the preliminary thing that you need to do to experience
what we inappropriately call possession.
That is the connection with higher spiritual forces.
The word for possession in Yoruba is "ini" which translates to "I am," so rather than
being possessed by something other than yourself, you are getting in touch with
who you essentially are. Then once you get in touch with your inner self, that
becomes a magnet for similar forms of energy in the universe and that is when
possession occurs. So understand, you can be in touch with your inner self and not
hook up with universal forces. That is possible, that does happen. When you connect
with similar forms of consciousness in the universe there is big power surge and we
call that possession.
Getting back to the map of consciousness. Ifa says that the ori that leaves the house
in the morning should not be the ori that comes home at night. This means that in
course of any given day you are going to learn something and you have to balance
your consciousness. Most of the time what we learn is not mind boggling, so it is a
relatively simple process.
Think back to the day when you learned your times tables. That felt like a big surge
of information, but it was not traumatic. So hopefully if we are paying attention we
are reorganizing our brain everyday. Ifa says after initiation we initiate ourself every
day. That means every time your consciousness expands, the person who was alive
the day before dies and is reborn as someone more intelligent. That becomes an
ongoing goal of Ifa, the death of the old self and the birth of the new self. Hopefully
moving towards greater wisdom, better character and deeper insight into self and
world.
There are clear distinctions made when we go through rites of passage during which
we have to embrace massive quantities of information in order to awake on
a new day with a new role in the community. The first rite of passage is called
"essentaiye" meaning "when the foot touches the earth" or "birth." Most people in
traditional Ifa families do divination to see what the destiny of the child is so that
the child can be tracked to develop those skills. The next rite of passage comes at
puberty where you are moving from childhood to adulthood. This is a ceremony
where you detach from your parents and break the bonding between your
consciousness and the direct influence of the words of your parents. This is done so
that you can start the journey towards forming your own identity. After this
separation, you are taught the behavior of adults. This is usually taught by the
grandparents. Men are given a test of courage to prove to yourself what you're made
of. I'm not sure if this is done for women. In most traditional Ifa communities the
test of courage is the use of tribal scars. This is done with a red hot poker to the
face. You survive that and you have a pretty good sense of what you're made of.
The map, or cross and circle represents consciousness, and as consciousness
expands the circumference of the circle gets bigger. So the leap from child to adult
represents a tremendous expansion of the circumference of the circle that defines an
individual's consciousness. This kind of leap in development can be confusing and
stressful.
As a symbolic analogy we could image a circle the size of a baseball that represents
the sum total of the conscious content of the personality of a specific child. We
could say that the circle of an adult's consciousness was the size of a basketball.
Picture the baseball resting at the bottom of the basketball and image that the center
of the baseball has too move through a rite of passage to the center of the basketball.
There are two ways to travel from the centered consciousness of a child to the
centered consciousness of an adult.
One is to travel in a straight line from center A to center B, the other is all the
infinite ways that we can avoid traveling in a straight line. By avoiding a straight
line, I mean allowing yourself to resist the process by either avoiding the
responsibility, refusing to face the fear or by denying that growth is necessary. So
we look for community support to give assistance to children as they make this
important transition.
Malidoma Some defined community as any three people who get together for a
purpose. The purpose of a spiritual community is to support each other's spiritual
growth. The purpose of Osoosi is to support the idea that moving from point A to
point B can occur smoothly and efficiently by traveling in a straight line. By that I
mean by going directly to the heart of the matter.
This all sounds simple and clear, but Malidoma says humans are the least intelligent
forms of consciousness on the planet because we can find all kinds of good reasons
why the shortest route ain't it. Have you seen those experiments where there is a
mouse in a maze? The mice will go down the tunnels until they find some cheese.
Once they find the right tunnel they will go directly to the same spot until the
location of the cheese is changed. When the location is changed the mice will start
the search until they find it, then continue to return to the new location. Every time
you move the cheese, the mouse only goes down the tunnel once, sees that its not
there and starts looking down the other tunnels.
Humans are not as smart as mice. Once we've gone down a tunnel and found cheese,
we'll convince ourself that the cheese is there, will think its buried under the ground,
will start visualizing cheese at the end of the tunnel, we'll pray for its return, we'll do
everything possible except start looking down the other tunnels. I call this the big
cheese theory of human consciousness.
What we want to do when we're invoking Òsóòsi is to get a clear vision of the
straight path, or the shortest path. You've got to see where the path lies in the course
of your life before you can walk it with efficiency. Let me give you an example. I
have been playing jazz for thirty years. Frequently younger players will ask me how
do you improvise. I tell them you have to learn your scales and chords and be able
to play them by rote.. That becomes the foundation for creative improvisation. The
first step is that you have to know the basics.
They can't believe that's it. They expect it to be some magic formula. The answer is
you have to know the vocabulary of music, that's the shortest road to learn how to
play jazz.
The same thing is true in terms of what I call psychological barriers to spiritual
growth. When you do divination part of what is revealed is the shortest path from A
to B. Òsóòsi is an important factor in almost any divination experience. You say this
is my problem, how do I solve it? I say this is the solution and this is the most
efficient way to solve the problem.
So Òsóòsi 's ase or power is assisting you in the transformation process. But what
tends to happen is that people will take a problem and they will do what I call deify
it. What I mean is that they will say everybody else who comes to Ifa gets their
problem solved, but my problem is so unique that the whole world was created
around the idea that I will always be unemployed. There is no solution to my
problem, because that idea is etched in stone, that is the way that Olorun created the
Universe, everybody else is happy and I'm miserable. The idea gets solidified, what
I call deified, or etched in stone.
When you are dealing with Òsóòsi on a real direct personal level, the shortest path is
the ability to cut through those rigid ideas that limit our perception of who we are.
So anytime you have an idea that you can't accomplish something, or anything that
diminishes you own sense of self, it is Òsóòsi that we invoke to find an alternative
vision. Anytime you deify a negative, the circle of your consciousness gets smaller.
Your regress rather than grow. Regression takes effort and eventually leads to
suffering and illness. The reason regression takes effort is because you have to
constantly distort your perception of reality to conform to your negative self image.
Things can happen to you that challenge your negative self image and rather than
integrate it into your consciousness and grow, you won't see it, you'll distort it. Just
think about it in your own life. Think about how you have held on to an idea that
was self destructive, that caused you to miss some form of good fortune. Think
about how it kept you from moving towards a goal because it was more important to
hold on to that negative self image.
An obvious example would be alcoholism. The only way I can get through the day
is to drink. That becomes your deified concept of yourself. Everyday that you hold
on to that idea your objective perception of who you are and who you could become
diminishes. On some level we all do this. So with Òsóòsi we begin to look for
alternatives to what psychologists call regression and what Ifa calls being possessed
by elenini. The elenini is a self invoked and self generated demon. They limit your
growth. Self created demons are the hardest to destroy because they have no
existence in the first place. As a diviner when you encounter
elenini, you know that you can't kill it, all you can do is educate it, try and convince
the elenini that it is not real.
Having taken this to a practical level, I would like to take it back into the
cosmological and metaphysical realms. If we make a horizontal line that represents
the spectrum of light, the top end is ultra violet and the bottom end is infrared. So
you're all aware of the notion that we use our eyeballs to look at the light spectrum
somewhere in the middle. There are vibrations of light on the lower end and on the
higher end of the spectrum that we cannot see.
If you really think about the Ifa concept of "Orun" which is poorly translated to
mean "Heaven" and I think more accurately translated to mean "invisible
dimension." If you look at the science of light, it is true without a doubt that there
are invisible light rays that have an influence on visual reality. These light rays
cannot be seen. That means we can say that there is an invisible dimension that
helps shape the physical dimension. That in my judgement is what Ifa means when
it speaks of Orun. It is not heaven, it is not the pearly gates, it is the invisible
dimension of the physical environment that has clear substance and effect and real
power, we just can't see it. The reason I believe this, is because Ifa refers to Orun as
being on the earth, under the earth, above the clouds, in our own consciousness,
with the living, and with the dead. There are seven different names for Orun which
are located, I believe on different frequencies along the spectrum of light.
What is it that allows us to see along a particular band of light? We are controlled by
gravity, time and substance. If we had a different field of gravity and a different
sense of time, we would be looking at a different frequency along the spectrum of
light. When you have oso the ability to go out of your body, then the first thing you
are doing is liberating yourself from the effects of gravity. In addition to being able
to go into the forest and see things in the physical realm, you can also see things in
the invisible realm. It is my belief that the really wise and adept masters of Ifa
including the shamans of Òsóòsi, both see and enter physically these dimensions of
light that are not normally visible.
If you can physically enter that dimension, you can see invisible influences and you
can effect them in ways that will cause them to have an impact on the visible realm.
If you are able to do that, to those who are unable to do that, what you do appears
miraculous. It isn't. You just have the key to enter those realms. If you don't know
how a car works, the work of a mechanic can seem like magic.
In Ifa there are two ways to enter the invisible realm. One is through the use of eiye
which is the spirit of a dead bird that is used to pull yourself out of your body. The
other is through Òsóòsi. Ifa has its own tradition of dwarfs and little people and they
are associated with Òsóòsi. They are described in one of two forms. One is as small
people who look like regular people in terms of their proportions, expect they're real
tiny. The other is as what I call little fur balls. Do you remember the "Trouble with
Tribbels" on Star Trek? That's the other way that the spirit helpers for Òsóòsi
manifest in Africa.
When these spirits appear visually and spontaneously out in the forest, which they
do for people who are sensitive, it becomes a matter of caution. That is because
when you get into the upper regions of the light spectrum time and space become
distorted. So when the fur balls appear, if you follow them, you can literally
disappear and reappear somewhere else. This is interesting, because that's not so far
different from the description of UFO abductions. I'm not sure that isn't a spiritual
phenomena rather than an outer space phenomena.
The idea is that Òsóòsi 's helpers are taking you into the invisible realm and this is a
long and well established tradition in Africa. Malidoma Some actually speaks of this
much more eloquently, because in Africa it’s such a normal aspect of life, there is
very little need to explain it. If you came to visit me from a different country and
you didn't have a grocery store you may be interested in it and you may want me to
describe it, but it would be just too mundane for me to bother with. So this kind of
phenomena, although it’s not prevalent, it is mundane enough so there is not a lot of
discussion or attempt at explanation. It’s not like my friends in Africa are saying yo'
Fa'lokun come and see the fur balls.
But there are certain places that are accessible gateways into this dimension that
work as shrines that lead you into different realms. Those gateways are usually
rocks or particular trees and when people approach those things they literally walk
into the tree, or walk into the rock and disappear. They may reappear three or four
hours later. This implies a mastery of the ability to shift dimensions. This is an
aspect of Ifa that is still used and preserved and worked with in Africa that we don't
have a clue about in this country. When you hear that Ifa is in regression in Africa,
do not believe it. Especially in regard to this kind of phenomena.
Question: You said earlier that when you go into this Òsóòsi state the realm you
enter has physical substance.
Fa'lokun: That's right.
Question: Couldn't UFO's be a manifestation of the physical aspects of this
dimension?
Fa'lokun: We have the spectrum of light and I have said that one way to enter the
invisible spectrum is to leave your body. The other way is to stay in your body and
open your visual powers of perception, so that the invisible realm all around you
becomes visible. One method is to project your consciousness out of your body, the
other is tapping into higher vibrations of perception. Now I have experienced a little
bit of both. When you go out of your body you see the physical environment around
you. You are aware that you are not where you should be. When your visual powers
begin to open up, you see things in the environment that should not be there and
they are transparent in the classic sense of ghost phenomena. The thing that is mind
boggling about this experience is that even though the things you see are
transparent, they are tactile. If you reach out and touch it there is a sense of
interaction. The brief experience that I have had of this type of interaction suggests
to me that it can be used as a powerful tool for transformation.
Question: Is that like shape shifting?
Fa'lokun: Yes, shape shifting is an aspect of Òsóòsi that I did not go into. Shape
shifting involves going into possession with the spirit of an animal, not so that you
look like the animal to someone around you, but so that you feel like the animal to
other animals. So it is possible to shape shift as a tool of hunting. If you are able to
go into possession with the spirit of an animal, then you have the ability to blend
with those animals in the forest. This is a hunting technique, but it does not manifest
in real life the way it does in the movies.
Questions: Is shape shifting associated with Oya?
Fa'lokun: Yes.
Question: What is the relationship between Òsóòsi and Oya?
Fa'lokun: Òsóòsi is a local spirit and Oya is a much more universal spirit in Nigeria.
Oya's oso or out of body ability is more associated with being pulled out of the body
by a bird spirit. When a woman goes out of her body using the spirit of a bird, it is
not always women, but usually women and Oya women in particular who have this
skill, they lay down on a matt and they have someone guiding the out of body
experience. They are painted and when you see them, they look like they are dead,
they are barely breathing and there is no movement. Sometimes that is used as way
of searching for certain things. It is also used as form of protection. It can be used to
stimulate nightmares and cause aggravation. That is done in the context of self
protection and communal protection. If someone was attacking a village and all the
women of the village were astral traveling as the enemy was approaching, that can
be very distracting to the enemy assault.
Question: Òsóòsi will direct you to your spiritual path, what about Elegba?
Fa'lokun: Esu is the gatekeeper. Esu's function is to put us at the center of the tray.
When you say put us on the right path, you can't go from point A to point B without
moving from your center. You cannot grow while being stuck in a place of fear for
example. Esu puts us in the center of our self. That is symbolically called the gate or
doorway through which movement occurs, but it is not the movement itself. You
know people always say my life would get better if I would win the lottery. There is
no way that you can grow spiritually while sitting around waiting to be saved by the
lottery. You are living in fantasy or illusion and there is no way to move forward
while being possessed by illusion.
Before you can begin a spiritual journey, you have to come face to face with your
inner self. If you are not face to face with your inner self you are in a state of Esu ni
ba ko, or in proper Yoruba Esu ipako. People who are not centered, according to Ifa,
have problems in the back of their neck. This is the place that links the head and the
heart. Once you are thinking the same thing that you are feeling, then the head and
the heart are in alignment. You are no longer possessed by a fragment of your
consciousness, you are in the center of the tray. You are at a place where you can
open the door that will allow you to step on the path. Coming to the center is Esu's
role.
Once the door is open and you see where the path is heading, then you invoke Ogun
to clear away the obstacles. That is the reason why we associate Esu, Òsóòsi and
Ogun because they have the inter-relationship that allows for growth. Their
interaction is the fundamental Ifa paradigm for growth. These three spirits are called
Ebora and the fourth Ebora is called Osun. The Osun is the symbolic representation
of the map of consciousness or the realm through which the Ebora travel.
Question: Do you invoke Òsóòsi before you invoke Ogun?
Fa'lokun: That is my tendency. Sometimes if you invoke Ogun to cut away the
obstacles before invoking Òsóòsi, the obstacles are something different than what
you expected. It is always better to have a road map. The classic example is my life
is miserable because my boss is an idiot. The truth might be that you are doing a bad
job. So you invoke Ogun to clear the path, thinking that you will get a new boss and
you end up getting fired. If you have a clear vision of where the path lies, you can
move forward.
This is one of the reasons why Ifa places so much emphasis on the respect for
elders. For example, when you make the transition between childhood and
adulthood, what better person to guide you than an adult. One of the real tragedies
of life in America is that kids are initiating themselves with no guidance from
adults. It is an effective initiation because it includes a test of courage. You know
how you join a gang in Oakland? You come to the meeting place and get the poop
beaten out of you. Afterwards you feel like a real man. What is missing is a clear
sense of what do I do with my life? Do I go around and beat people up, or do I have
a inner sense of certainty about myself that allows me the opportunity to stop having
to prove myself? You can only make that leap of logic through the guidance of the
grandfathers who have something to show for their life.
The other issue is the question of why puberty rites are separated by gender. In life,
a woman cannot tell a boy what it means to be a man and a man cannot tell a girl
what it means to be a woman. If you ever use those words, if a man ever tells a girl
to be a woman and if a woman ever tells a boy to be a man, it is never ever heard.
That is why there is a need in single parent situations for same gender guidance.
That is the need for the introduction of a same gender mentor. If this does not occur,
the child gets stuck in ways that become extremely dysfunctional, even with the best
of intentions from the parent.
That is why, in Africa, they put so much value on the extended family. No matter
what is going on in your immediate family, in terms of having a father or a mother
at home, there are at least twenty fathers and mothers in the neighborhood who will
take on that role. They will be believable as mother and father because everybody
older than you of child bearing age is called Baba or Iya. If you ever try and ask an
Africa who his real biological father is, it becomes a question that is hard to
formulate in Yoruba.
Question: If a younger person does something wrong they could get twenty
spankings before they reach home.
Fa'lokun: Not only do they have twenty fathers in the neighborhood, they might
have nine older brothers who all take on a mentor role. When you enter a Yoruba
household, they will identify who is the senior brother and who is the junior brother.
This establishes a pecking order within the support system of providing guidance to
the children.
Question: This problem even occurs in households where there are two parents.
Fa'lokun: Yes, two parents and no consciousness of the problem. Absolutely. I did
not mean to single out one parent families as the only source of this problem. Any
family that does not have a connection to the extended family and that does not
recognize the importance of these issues will have problems.
Question: What does Òsóòsi like?
Fa'lokun: Òsóòsi in Santeria Lucumi is usually found in the Ogun pot as a metal
bow and arrow, sometimes with two or three arrows and a chain for the string. In
Santeria and Lucumi, Òsóòsi usually eats all the same things as Ogun and is fed at
the same time with the addition of anisette. So when I say the same thing as Ogun,
that is palm oil, gin, nuts and yams. They feed anisette to Òsóòsi, I have never seen
anisette in Nigeria. So Òsóòsi is usually fed gin. When I give Òsóòsi, I give it
separate from Ogun. I usually give a bow and arrow, antlers and Native American
artifacts. The ase of Òsóòsi, the thing that brings Òsóòsi to the pot is ash. Burnt
wood scraped from a burnt stick. If you want to receive Òsóòsi you scrape the
charcoal on to the items for Òsóòsi. This is one of the four fundamental ase's that
create the world.
Question: Why do you use Native American pieces in your Òsóòsi?
Fa'lokun: Òsóòsi has the ability to go into the invisible realm. This means that
Òsóòsi can identify the invisible spirits of the land that you are living on. In Africa
Òsóòsi is used to identify that which is indigenous to Africa. When you have a
displaced Òsóòsi, in the West, you have some fundamental issues to resolve
regarding the ritual technology of the new environment. The first problem is to
identify those plants that can be used in a ceremonial way. They are no longer the
plants that you are used to using in Africa. It is possible on the astral plane to go into
dialogue with plants. You ask what effect plants will have on human consciousness.
So one of the things we want Òsóòsi to do is to identify the function of various
aspects of the ecological support system. Herbs and plants are a fundamental aspect
of Ifa worship. When you go to the market in Nigeria there are booths that have
hundreds of different kinds of tree bark. Each piece has a function and a name and
they are commonly known in the area. Even Efun is eaten by pregnant women as a
source of calcium.
When you are in Igbodu, the first thing you want to do is to identify the natural
source of the particular power that you are working with . So you don't go to the
ocean to worship the spirit of the river and you don't go to the mountain to worship
the spirit of the desert. But if you have thousands of miles of flat forest and if you
are in the jungle of Cuba, it may not be readily apparent what forces are strongest in
a particular area. It may not be apparent what the spiritual use of that land was in the
past.
You know the Catholic Church was notorious for building churches on holy ground
of what every area they took over. The Africa slaves were much more respectful.
They would invoke Òsóòsi to discover how the land was used before they arrived.
They used Òsóòsi to discover the name of the indigenous spirits of the land and then
they honored that in conjunction with the Orisa that they were used to working with.
So Òsóòsi was used to insure that nothing was done in conflict with the Native
American uses of the land. If you want to honor the spirit of this land, the place that
we are standing on right now, the way you would find out what was here is to
invoke Òsóòsi and have Òsóòsi bring back that information. That way you are not
invoking conflicting spirits on this land that would neutralize their effectiveness. If
you invoked the spirit of fire in the place that was used for the spirit of water you
would negate any power that you were trying to generate.
The big unwritten chapter in American history is the relationship between Native
Americans and African Americans, especially during slavery and the period
immediately afterwards. Many freed slaves after the Civil War went to Oklahoma
and lived on reservations. So we have a very large African American, Native
American ethnic mix in this country. When two cultures get together they exchange
ideas. The relationship between herbs and the land as it was preserved in Native
American spirituality needed to be assimilated into traditionally African spirituality
as it was practiced on this land. It is my belief that Òsóòsi, or something similar,
played a big role in this assimilation process. Òsóòsi was a spiritual mediator in the
blending of these two traditions. The Language of Orisa in Cuba is a mixture of
Yoruba, Spanish and Native American dialects. That is an interesting preservation. It
is its own dialect. When I say that Òsóòsi spelled Ochosi is not proper Yoruba, it
does not diminish the fact that it is proper in Lucumi dialect, which has its own
inherent credibility.
Question: Do you think Òsóòsi could explore outer space?
Fa'lokun: Do you know the Dogons? They have a ritual that they do every 51 years
to celebrate the elliptic of the dark star that travels around Sirius. They have been
doing this for thousands of years. They have mapped the orbit and they celebrate the
cycle of the orbit. The first time that this star was seen by a telescope was about ten
years ago. It is invisible to the naked eye. This is either a remarkable coincidence, or
they received the information from extra terrestrials, or they have highly evolved
use of out of body perception. There is no way to trace the origin of this tradition,
but my vote is on astral travel.
Awo Fa'lokun Fatunmbi is a popular author of several books on traditional African
Orisa religion, including "Iwa-Pele: The Search for the Source of Santeria and
Lucumi," "Awo: Ifa and the Theology of Orisa Divination," and "Iba Se Orisa: Ifa
Proverbs, Folktales, Sacred History and Prayer." He is co-founder of Ile Orunmila
Oshun in Oakland, CA. A great babalawo and teacher, he is also founder of the Awo
Study Center, an organization that teaches the techniques of divination and ritual to
Ifa and Orisa initiates. Awo Dino

OGUN (Ogu, Ogoun and Ogum)

Oriki

Ogun awo, Olumaki, alase ajuba

Ogun ni jo ti ma lana lati ode
Ogun oni're onile kangun-dangun ode Orun, egbe lehin
Pa san bo pon ao lana to
Imo kimo 'bora, egbe lehin a nle a benge logbe

Ogun, chief of strength, owner of power, I salute you

Ogun dances outside to the open road
Ogun, owner of good fortune, owner of many houses in the realm of the ancestors,
help those who journey
Remove the obstructions from our path
Wisdom of the warrior spirit, guide us on our spiritual journey with strength
ase

Homage to Ogun, the bleeding of the flesh wound

Homage to Otarigidi, Ogun's Godmother
Homage to Omobowu and Ewiri-Maje, Ogun's wives
ase

OGUN is primal energy. The word Ogun, with the appropriate tonal changes, can be
translated to mean war, inheritance, medicine and perspiration. Ogun is that force of
nature that keeps matter in motion. Once god gives a being life, it is Ogun who
sustains that organism. Ogun is the sustainment of life. Without Ogun, the universe,
as we know it, would not exist. He controls one quarter of the universe and although
he cannot exist of himself, he is so important in the scheme of things, that all of the
ORISHA are dependent on him for their existence. Ogun is one of the oldest of
Orisa in the Yoruba pantheon. Ogun's symbol is the knife. It is because of this that a
major contradiction arises. Ogun eats first, because the knife is the first thing to taste
blood in any sacrifice. It is said that ESU/LEGBA must eat first, and in ritual feasts
and bloodless offerings, he is presented his food first. However, in blood offerings it
is Ogun, the only one allowed to take a life, who eats first, and it is because of him
that the other Orisa can be fed blood. Although Ogun lives in iron, and one of his
symbols is iron, his essence, energy, existed long before iron was created.
Ogun is the father of metamorphosis, because with his great strength and with the
aid of intense heat, he transforms carbon into diamonds, sandstone into marbles, and
marble into gneiss. The cauldron is symbolic of a womb, a mine, the primordial
abyss, and the tools which kept inside it are used by Ogun to fashion or shape
whatever potential riches are inside.
Ogun is the God of War, Energy and Metal. Ogun keeps matter in motion. Ogun is
the sustainer of life. Ogun lives in the knife, and with it, clears a path for man. Ogun
is the force within your computer. Ogun is technology. Ogun is the force of gravity,
the force of attraction. Ogun represents the tools that shape man, bringing out a
person's potential, enhancing one's life. Ogun controls life and death. Ogun is our
heart beat and the final contraction during birth. Ogun is auto accidents and gun
wounds. Ogun is the warrior, hunter and farmer. Ogun is the God of loyalty and life-
long friendships. Ogun is the master of secrets, skills, crafts, professions and
creations. In Cuba he is Saint Peter. In Brazil he is Saint George. Ogun clears
obstacles that get in the way of spiritual growth.
The main tools of Ogun are the anvil, which signifies the earth's ability to transform
man. the shovel, which is used fir digging into one's potential;the machete, which is
used to clear path's and to protect; The rake, which is used to gather and smooth
rough area's of the self; the hoe, which is used to cultivate one's potential; The
hammer, which is used to bend or shape one's faculties; and the pick, which is used
to pierce or penetrate the hardened areas of the self. the implements are gifts of
Ogun which he uses to help a person through life. Ogun's favorite animal is the dog.
Ogun likes all dogs but his favorite is the black dog. He favors it because of its
faithful and devoted, because of the way it hunts. The dog is known as man's best
friend. Ogun represents all occupations in which cutting instruments are used. Ogun
is called upon to remove the obstacles in our path. Ogun helped the divinities to
survive in their initial settlement on earth and to effect harmony among themselves
as they struggled with new and unforeseen circumstances. Ogun is the Orisa of
barbers, doctors, butchers, etc., any occupation that uses knives or blades, or iron
tools.

OGUN Oni' re ni je aj'a,

OGUN ikola a je `gbin,
OGUN gbena-gbena`oje igi ni i je!
pa si'le ps s'oko.
Laka aiye OGUN ko laso,
moriwo l'aso OGUN.
Ire kii se ile OGUN,
emu lo ya mu ni'be.

OGUN, the owner of Ire, eats dog,

OGUN of circumcision, eats snail,
OGUN of carvers, saps the juice of trees!
He kills in the house and kills on the farm.
He who covers the world, OGUN had no cloth,
Palm frond is the cloth of OGUN.
Ire is not the home of OGUN,
he just stopped there to drink palm wine.
ase

Ogun has character, personality and status. He is not afraid to be himself. Like iron,
he is rigid, self assured, and unyielding. Because he is untiring, deliberate and
focused, he accomplishes all that he sets out to do. He is strength, but used
creatively. Ogun is very creative. Children of Ogun, when trying to figure out how
to accomplish something will always think of the physical first. They like to use
their hands and their strength. Others marvel at the untiring energy of his children.
Ogun sees and makes his own way. He is economy in action; no wasted motion,
catch only what you are going to eat. Ogun is the champion of laborers everywhere,
the first union boss.
As the "owner of all iron," Ogun provides the tools which are essential to creating
civilization. Ogun is evolutionary energy. He is technology. Like all the Orisa, Ogun
has two opposing attributes which seem in conflict, but are actually two sides of the
same coin (create and destroy).
In another post, I told the story of Ogun killing an entire village, and his subsequent
move to the bush. This story speaks to his capacity for destruction and unrestrained
bloodlust. There is another itan that tells of how at the beginning of creation the
Orisa came upon impenetrable brush. Ogun cut a path through the bush. This story
speaks to Ogun as the mover of things, evolution, progress. We pray to Ogun to
remove obstacles from our paths, both spiritual and material. It also speaks to his
life as an outcast.

Ojo Ogun
Si lo, si lo, silo ni ma se aye
Dugbe dugbe a gba ode oorun keke
Ipe npe ju a si kun fe je
Paranganda ni da fomo odo
Abiri, abihun a simu Orisa
Mo ri faaji re

On the days when Ogun is angered

There is always disaster in the world
The world is full of dead people going to heaven
The eyelashes are full of water
Tears stream down the face
A bludgeoning by Ogun causes a man’s downfall
I see and hear, I fear and respect my Orisa
I have seen your bloody merriment

Ogun is stickler for justice. Children of Ogun feel the need for justice, and find it
very difficult to ignore injustice. He is truth. In Yorubaland, Ogun’s symbol, iron, is
used voluntarily in courts of law for the taking of oaths by witnesses to affirm that
the truth will be told (like we do with the bible). No one who believes in Orisa,
would dare lie after swearing to tell the truth on Ogun. When Ifa speaks of truth, it
does not mean some idealistic vision of the way things should be. Ogun searches for
the truth about the way things really exist in the world.

Ogun nurtures and protects the oppressed. Ogun is an outcast and protects society’s
outcasts. He makes sure that wealth is shared. He is looked to as a protector who
will promptly respond to the appeals of the oppressed in there encounter with an
unjust fate. He is looked to for protection within society, from injustice and without
from outside enemies. However, Ogun’s hot temper makes him a dreaded figure.
While he protects the innocent, the poor, victims of military attack, he inflicts pain
on others; the deceitful, the rich who don’t share, and one’s enemies in warfare.
Ogun is a solitary figure who lives alone in the forest. Ogun’s undergarments are
red, signifying his furious nature, but on top of this he wears Mariwo, palm fronds.
Palm fronds have supernatural connotations, and “soften” Ogun’s image. They
symbolize cool, restrained behavior.

I pay homage to Ogun Lakaaye, a divinity worthy of worship

Ogun, who had two very sharp cutlasses, sharp as fire
He used one for clearing an area for making a farm in the forest
The other he used to cut a path through the forest from one place to another
The type of clothing that Ogun wore,
On the day he made his descent from the hill to the plain,
I know very well
He wore a flame red coverlet over a blood red tunic

Mariwo yeyeye Ogun aso; Alagba de o

Swirling palm fronds are Ogun’s garment; The Honored One arrives

Ogun as the god of iron is most interestingly seen in the elaborate ritual attending
the establishment of a smelter. The smelter constitutes a shrine to Ogun, and its
flames are sacred. In the powder that ignites the furnace, the smelters mark the Odu
that incarnates Ogun – Ogunda Irete. Ogun’s Odu talks of victory, and success in the
face of danger, which speak to the occupation of a smelter who strives to be
victorious in creating quality iron, while playing with fire. The smelter straddles the
furnace and sacrifices a rooster while chanting invocations, pours the blood over the
Odu that was marked in the powder while igniting the furnace and chanting all the
secret names of fire. He then spits what he has been chewing; ataare pepper and
kolanut on the fire as further chants are said. The chewing of ataare pepper and
kolanut activate or fortify “ofo ase” the power of the word. In the saliva of the
smelter is his essence, connecting his ase with the Orisa. Through the smelter ritual,
humans shape, control and change raw power into socially useful power, reliving
the triumph and tragedy of Ogun.

Iba Ogun, Oniporin Aye’

Iba Ogun, Oniporin Orun
Iba Agbaagba me ta iporin
Igba iwa se
Ogun da kete ni popo
O rawo agada ibeje ibeje
Ina giri giri ninu ada
Oorun giri giri oke
Ina sunsu ari je
Oorun sunsu asun lolubo
Ina giri giri inu ada
Akuko rebe rebe Ogun fun o ree!
Kirin o po!
Kirin o jina
Wonron, wonron, wonron!
Ase

Homage to Ogun, the iron smelter of the world

Homage to Ogun, the iron smelter of heaven
Homage to the three patriarchs, iron smelters when existence began
Ogun put on a big straw hat in an open place
He spun the sword as a warning, as a warning!
The blazing fire in the furnace
The sun shining brightly above
Fire cooks the yam so it is edible
The sun cooks the yam so it wilts (rendering it inedible)
Blazing fire in the furnace
Here is the red-red rooster which Ogun presents to you!
So let the iron be well-smelted
Let the iron be well heated
To ring well and long!

Ogun’s sacred objects

Ogun pot (iron cauldron)

With seven tools (mentioned earlier)
And Ogun stone
Ogun’s ileke (bead necklace). Ogun’s ileke is a good example of how ideas and
objects crossed over the Atlantic and were in many cases altered and then find
there way back to Afrika and alter the original source. Ogun;s beads were red
in Yorubaland, but became black and green in the Diaspora. Now, if you get his
beads in Afrika, they are black and green.
Extra altar items as one chooses:
Three railroad ties
Iron cutlass
Slag from a blacksmith’s shop
Anvil
Rifle
Bomb casing
Any iron artifacts

Ogun’s foods

For offerings Ogun eats gin, rum, nuts, snail, cola nuts, orogbo, corn, roasted yam,
and cooked beans with hot peppers. He loves palm oil and palm wine.
Some of Ogun’s herbs ( used for cooling him down) are odundun and rinrin. In the
Diaspora we also use purple basil, cana santa, pata de gallina, yerba de sangre, yerba
mora, pegojo, hueso de gallo, adormidera, siempreviva, anamu, romerillo, amanza
guapo, , palo manaju, ebano, quita maldicion, salvadera (you can translate to
English using an online translator).

Remember that the Orisa are personalized in order to make them more
understandable to humans. These stories are like the Hindu stories regarding their
dieties; for popular consumption, for education. They are beautiful in their own right
as literature. We want to understand the deeper meaning. The marriage of Oya and
Ogun. Ogun as warrior Orisa and Oya is also a warrior Orisa. Unlike Osun, who
will fight if needed, but warrior is not her main energy - Osun is a "cool" Orisa. But
Oya is a "hot" Orisa just like Ogun and Sango. Unlike Osun, Oya is a warrior. She is
the feminine aspect of the warrior. Ogun's color is red (nowadays it's green and
black). Sango is red and white. Obatala is white. Ogun’s red signifies raw energy,
unbridled, untamed, like Ogun. Sango is Ogun's younger brother, and although the
older brother should be king, Ogun is too wild to be king. He is a loner who lives in
the bush. He is called to the city only when needed (technological progress, etc.) but
everyone hopes as soon as they get what they want from him, that he’ll go back to
the bush, at which point everyone lets out a collective sigh of relief. That is why
children of Ogun are usually called upon for advice, help, etc. but are seldom
rewarded. Sango is king because he incorporates the red of Ogun – powerful,
courageous warrior – with the cool wisdom of Obatala. Thus he makes a great
leader. It is movement down the spectrum from red to white. Children of Obatala do
not like physical labor. They like to use their brains.
So Oya begins as “married” to Ogun. She is unbridled warrior energy. Like Ogun,
once you get her started she just might kill everyone – hard to control. Then she
leaves Ogun for Sango. She is moving down the spectrum. As Sango’s wife, she is
integral to his rulership. He cannot rule without her. This speaks to the fact that in
the old days, the king could not rule without the consent of the Iyami. Sango
becomes a great ruler; the people love him. But behind the scenes, it is Oya as his
chief advisor, who is guiding his decisions.
In a relevant itan (Pataki), Sango has been very successful. He has engaged many
enemies in war and has always been victorious, bringing prosperity to his kingdom.
Then one day he is being challenged by another king. This kingdom is very
powerful, so for the first time, Sango has doubts. He seeks Oya’s council. She
advises him to go ahead with the war, that he will be successful like always – he is
Sango! Sango loses the war, which results in the death of many of his people.
Despondent, he goes into the bush and commits suicide. This part of the itan is very
controversial and in Sango’s oriki you will find the line, “Sango is not dead!”
Anyways, Oya follows him and finding his body is overtaken with grief and turns
into the Niger river (most female Orisa turn into rivers).
Oya is also a shape shifter who wanders the bush as a water buffalo. On her altar,
we would find a water buffalo horn rubbed with camwood and filled with Oya
medicine – herbs, etc. Camwood is red and represents menstrual blood. Oguns pot is
also rubbed with camwood, or wrapped with a red sash. Connections to Oya.
Anyways, as water buffalo wandering the bush, we see in her qualities of Ogun,
who also wanders the bush. Awo dino