In Idi Meji female power is the overriding theme. I submit the following essay.
by Fayomi Falade Aworeni Obafemi
Which Witch Is It?
Do We Truly Understand The Nature Of Witchcraft In The Religious Tradition Of Ifa?
In the West African Yoruba religious tradition of Ifa; one of the most difficult subjects is understanding our behavior and character as it relates to our personal private beliefs when using the tremendous forces that come from following this spiritual path. Certainly not the spoken words in public forums of prayers, invocations, and incantations but the problematic behavior that comes from worshipping a tradition that is primarily metaphysical, incorporeal, supernatural and above all mystical when some of this traditions followers are insecure, fearful, and sometimes very limited spiritually, emotionally, or even lack the necessary scholarship that will enable them to delve deeply into the inner encoded lore of Ifa. Because of this, there are moral behaviors that must be adhered to in order for us to have order within our ranks as priest and most assuredly our devotees.
Odu Ifa scriptural verse(ese Ifa)
Idi Meji sings to us in part:
Great mass of earth at the end of the road
Infinite ashes
Ifa was consulted for Iyami Osonronga
When they were coming from Heaven to the world,
They said, they were coming to the world
They then called Orunmila to come from Orun
Olodumare gave Orunmila permission to go,
Orunmila departed
At the spot where he was to depart, he rested on the stone wall at Orisa Nla
He met the Iyami on route
Orunmila said,"Where are you going?"
They said, that they were going to Earth
He said, what are you going to do there
They said, those will not be our accomplices, we will torment them
We will spoil them
We will bring illness to their bodies
We will bring weakness to their bodies
We will take away their intestines
We will eat their livers
We will drink their blood
We will not hear the voice of any person on Earth
Orunmila said Ha! He said that his children are on Earth
They said that they did not know the children of anyone
Orunmila said, his children were on Earth
They said very well then
They said Orunmila speak to your children...
First to qualify this article for Ile Iwosan Orunmila Mimo Temple newsletter for January, 2008; we want to clarify that the title of this article does not reflect our reverence and obeisance to Awon Iyami Osoronga (The Great and Mysterious Mother), Yewajobi (Mother of all the Orisa and all living things) all the Great Mothers who make things happen, Agbalaagba (Old and Wise One). With these known appellations I salute the Terrestrial and Cosmological Mothers who deserve the respect so long ago forgotten by your children.
Which Witch Is It?
Here at out temple, we attempt strongly by not using the verbiage of the word “witch” for it brings about the ugly imagery brought through the western connotation and visual an elder woman, with broom stick doing evil works against humanity. Aging is beautiful, women's force and power is awesome and healing. This negative image has permeated societies world wide,
creating negative influence and confluence against women who are strong and with power.
However, the point and emphasis of this post is not only to correct the imagery but also to
address the wrong use of power in the hands of those who are mentally and spiritually unprepared to handle this type of wonderful and powerful energy. This is to include those forces of our Father's of the Night and all other spirits that ca be used for the darkest of deeds against humanity. Forces and entities that were designed to balance the evil energies we, human being commit in the world. Also in the very beginning of the Oriki of Odi Meji you will be first introduced to the strong and symbiotic relationship between Iyami Osoronga and Orunmila.
Often times, we hear within the community of Ifa and Orisa worshippers, the now notion of, people throwing witchcraft on their enemies; or committing sometimes very despicable acts of spiritual violence against others, sometimes it is done as well in the community in the world. Those people who are not related to our religious tradition. For the unspeakable acts of things that they want others to do, control issues, jealousy, hatred, bitterness, loneliness, self esteem issues, mental health issues, zealousness out of control behaviors and thoughts that reek of people not understanding' the tenets of Ifa.
Many people in conducting these heinous acts and thought-forms, do not understand the spiritual groundwork of what this actually entails or even can see the spirits of which they are conjuring, meditating, invoking, and simply sending to another home, body or spirit to inflict dangerous thought forms upon those who may be innocent or to those whose abilities or karma may in fact match or succeed theirs.
Sometimes people, to include some diviners; do not and in the ignorance understand that not all adverse energies are those sent by our Mothers and Fathers of the Night; but can be an Egbe spirit from a person own spiritual egbe bringing calamity to the person who not following through with
promises made in heaven. Or it can be the Mother's' brought into action by a person's own folly by bringing foolishness of their aberrant behaviors because they refused to abide by the lessons given by Olodumare through Ifa of good conduct and appropriate goodness in their lives. They lie to themselves and cover up their inner most thoughts not realizing that Esu is the Telephone operation that connects thought patterns with Ori, and that thought itself is an energy easily seen in intricate patterns within the inner and outer universe.
There are even times when the energies of the Orisa can be seen in the position of the ajogun to those that are impacted by these forces in a negative position for when they too have violated the sacred space of another.
The responsibility of all worshipers of the Ifa and Orisa priest and aleyo devotee is tantamount to this idea, understand the forces that you are dealing with'; be mindful of the tremendous force of destruction that lay at the hands of individuals who want to use negative and evil on others without provocation other than their own insecurities, hatefulness and more..
Which Witch Is It?
For a clear example of this is as such: A 'person' wants an 'another person' to die a physical death, wishing or paying nefarious priest to send all manners of evil because they have been slighted verbally by a person. The timidity of this action is that the crime is not worth of the extreme punishment. Instead of the person having the courage to speak of their concerns or irritability at another, they would rather this person or their families die a horrible death just to satisfy their sick sense of justice.
Another scenario is you want a man or woman to be yours; a life mate and are willing to separate, destroy families, through metaphysical means by sending evil spirits, wearing charms to entice, break up, or simply cause problems in their life until they conform to your will.
There are those occasions of when a person has had their life interfered with by these errant forces and a skilled diviner is needed to right the situation in their lives. The idea still says that the actions of these people, who will by any means necessary to bring harm, pain and hurt to anyone because of their own small mindedness is a tragedy before the eyes of Olodumare.
When such forces are set in the world, it is truly an abomination before the Elders of Orun(Heaven) and in time the payment that is visited is just as horrendous because the person or persons
using such mechanism to break another will or interfere in the lives of others has violated the holy tenet of Olodumare.
They constructed a rear court
They built a chamber
They said, this is the place where we will gather
They piled up a huge mound where the eleiyes could gather themselves
When they had gathered
When they had arrived on Earth
They sent stomach-aches to infants
They sent sickness to infants
They took away the intestines of the people
They drank the blood of the people
They sent headaches to more children
They sent sickness from one child to another
They sent rheumatism from one child to another
They sent headaches, fever, and bad stomach from one child to another
They caused the swollen stomach of the pregnant to detract
They carried away the fetus of those not sterile
They did not allow any woman to become pregnant
Those who were already pregnant were prevented from giving birth
The people went to beseech the children of Orunmila
They asked the children of Orunmila to help them
They would help them, those who were pregnant
The sacrifice that Orunmila had told his children to make that day
His children had made it.
Which Witch Is It?
The attitudes of our followers towards the usages of witchcraft as a means to arbitrate issues; that could be readily communicated by developing interpersonal communicative skills and or through seeking the advice of Ifa or Orisa or in some cases a mental health care professional. However, when we chose to use nefarious means in which to negotiate our wants and desires or manage to use those negative methodologies, instead we now open the door for warfare that can only end in tragedy and in the most extreme cases even death.
It is important for us to learn how to agree to disagree or see as in the Odi Meji verse speaks on, "How Orunmila Calmed the Iyami Osonronga", for when calling upon these forces bringing them into the world for evil that same evil can be turned on to the sender.
We really have to ask ourselves the validity and state of a person's mind, if they want a person's death because they, the person stepped on your toes. Or that every time there is a natural disaster in the world and unfortunately we may be in-convenience by the converging storms, "this storm was sent by the Orisa against their known or unseen enemies". Or if the parent, child, or close personal friend of your enemies either pass away, or have an illness, then your Orisa is avenging your bruised ego by inflicting massive pain on another, then we really need to look at the person sending this in several ways because they would want the death, illness, loss of employment, loss of home or more because you have little to no courage and lack esteem. Maybe perhaps there is a serious issue to mental health concerns with a need to seriously look at how you process your anger or better yet your hurt and pain.
It is unfortunate and really sad that we find our life lacking for we would rather see the harm brought to another living being than to find ways through Ifa and Orisa to find a solution to our problems or even look within our own spirit for an answer. Peace is not still.
Here in Odi Meji is our called and chant to soothe the forces that have been invoked, when Our Mothers have been bothered unnecessarily as we should also be asking forgiveness of the women's energies that have been betrayed when inappropriately invoking this force for the harm of women and families. Again we must find better ways of communication with our desires and learned not to infringe upon another human being when we cannot control them or our desires.
Nwon ba nkorin bayi pe
Iya kere e mo ohun mi o
Iyami Osonronga, gbogbo ohun ti mba nwi
Ogbo lo ni e mda gbo dandan
Iyami Osoronga, e mo ohun mi o
Iyami Osoronga, igba l o ni ki e mda gba
Iyami Osoronga, e mo ohun mi o
Iyami Osoronga, oro ti okete ba le so
Ni le gbo dandan
Iyami Osoronga, e mo ohun mi o
Iyami Osonronga, gbogbo ohun ti mba ti nwi, ni ko mda se
Which Witch Is It?
Iyami Osoronga e mo ohun mi o
They must chant like this:
Petite mother you will know my voice
Iyami Osoronga (Great and Mysterious Mother) every word that I speak
The ogbo leaf has said that you will understand it absolutely
Iyami Osoronga you will know my voice
Iyami Osoronga the calabash says that you will take it
Iyami Osoronga you will know my voice
Iyami Osoronga, the word that the okete rat speaks to the earth
The Earth will hear it absolutely
Iyami Osoronga you will know my voice
Iyami Osoronga everything that I say, you will do
Iyami Osoronga you will know my voice.
No matter the type of spiritual entity, what is most imperative and important is that we learn to stop the unnecessary warfare and harm brought to people just because we don't like them of we cannot control our jealousies. We must learn to go to Ifa and pray for the enlightenment of how to negotiate our lives better and abide by what Ifa and Orisa direct. More than likely the true evil witch is not the forces that we are calling to bring harmful warfare to others and innocent ones is not the Deities but it is in fact the face of self looking back at oneself.
Ire gbogbo
Iyanifa Fayomi Falade Aworeni Obafemi
Ile Iwosan Orunmila Mimo Temple
4311 North 80th Lane
Phoenix Arizona 85033