African Traditional Religion : Yoruba wisdom

[awo dino]

Silva and Gold
By Chief FAMA

A verse of an Odu Ifa says in part:
Ti oju o ba ri ohun bi okùn
Ki i ri ohun bi ide
Difa fun Ofuntola
Ti aguntan re o ma fohun bi eniyan….

English
If one has not encountered silva
One may be unable to identify gold
Divined for Ofuntopola
Whose ram would speak like a person….

Joy, happiness, contentment—with the three words meaning almost the same thing—signify certain state of equilibrium that we all desire, and that we all wish we can have all the time. Good (!muy bien)! Of course, we should have joy; of course, we should be happy; of course, contentment should be the ceiling of our achieved goals. However, the master designer wants us to toil first, then, reap the rewards of our toil (hard work) later. If we look around us, we will see evidence of these divine orders. For instance, everyone is involved with one thing or the other early mornings: students getting ready for school to toil in classrooms for their futures; workers, business operators, business owners, (and everyone in general regardless of our different callings), preparing and rushing to toil for rewards of our immediate and distant future comforts; immediate reward being pay-checks at the end of the month and distant reward being the foreseeable eventual, comfortable retirement from Odumare's ordained daily survival chores we call work.

Ofuntola of mythological era went through the same routine one morning. By the evening, his luck had changed from rocky to greatness. So it is in our real daily life situations as there have been instances of similar occurrences. We probably know of somebody or heard of somebody or read about somebody whose life had been likewise dramatically changed for the best. As humans, we all have the divine luck for greatness; therefore, we should claim the ordained greatness after our daily toils, week after week, month after month, every time, and all the time. In addition to wishing you greatness this morning, may Odumare, via Ifa and the Orisas, crown your efforts with success, ase. Claim the silva and gold, that is the fortune that has been divinely bestowed upon you! A ji ire ni oni o (Good morning).

Chief FAMA
Ile Orunmila.com.
Electronic correspondence may be sent to fsorunmila@aol.com.

 

[awo dino]

Today and Freshness
By Chief FAMA

Mo fe ti ana danu
I blew away staleness.

An important aspect of Ifa practice is Ifa's emphasis on cleanliness and purity. For instance, a verse says in part, "Mo we owo mi iteni-iteni, mo we ese mi iteni-iteni" ("I washed my hands thoroughly, I washed my feet thoroughly") which means the entire body has been washed clean. Even when it is assumed that the body has been washed clean early in the morning, Ifa still most times implores that the hands of devotees be dusted for purification with Ifa's spiritual powder, iyereosun. When this is the case, an accompanying statement is, "Mo fe ti ana danu o (I have blown away staleness)."
Every day is an Odumare (God) given opportunity in this terrain we have labeled life because every morning is an indication of the extension of our existence. It is assumed that our bodies are washed clean every morning; periodically during the day, we wash our hands for cleanliness. Another cleansing we can add to our regimental physical cleaning is that of staleness. And, staleness comes in many forms: it can be staleness of ideas, staleness of motivation, or staleness of consciousness. Backing up good ideas with actions remove staleness; motivating ourselves for a good cause removes staleness; consciously embarking on positively enriching pursuit removes staleness from our lives and from our environs. May our day be thoroughly cleansed of staleness today as we go about our daily tasks, ase. A ji ire ni oni (Good morning).

With the newness from staleness idea, it is hereby announced that Chief FAMA'S latest book, Reflections on the Wisdom of Ifa, is now available—online at ileorunmila.com, amazon.com, and at Ile Orunmila Communications. Ile Orunmila Communications can be reached at 909 886 6023.

 

[awo dino]

Yemoja; Hope, Balance, Joy
By Chief FAMA

A song to Yemoja from a verse of an Odu Ifa says:
O wo awo yo
Yemoja wo awoyo
Olomo agbesere.

English
Looking at the earthenware, she was filled with emotion (she was choked up)
[Yemoja was awestruck]
Yemoja looked at the earthenware and was filled with emotion
Mother of plenty, happy children.

Whether one is religious or non religious, whether one believes in the existence of spirit or one does not, whether one believes in the concept of Odumare (God) or one does not believe in it, an undeniable phenomenon to mankind on earth is the acknowledgment of mystery, that is, the unknown. Most times, womankind is so wrapped up in the present that the unknown is repressed. Even when the unknown is not repressed, moving head-on into the unknown unfolds another phenomenon—uncertainty. A little bit down the route of uncertain is the question of security.

Life with its ambiguous curves and shifts consist of many unknowns. Sometime the unknown is anticipated. Such anticipated unknown usually has a joyful ending attached to it. In real life situations, a calculated shift can be the catalyst for an unanticipated unknown. Such shift can bring balance or imbalance into an otherwise glorious life. But, when change is necessary, one can retrospectively view hitherto unknown curves and shifts in one's life; then, compare the results of the then unknowns with the presently known results. The obvious results, indicative of a spiritual code, should provide the insight needed in moving forward with the unknown that Odumare has deliberately woven into a person's life on earth.
So, as today's journey unravels with the known securities of our jobs, businesses, relationships, families and support groups, may the unknown complements these known securities, ase. For those whose journeys continue today with the unknown with which yesterday was marked, continue to nurture the hope of a greater tomorrow. In ancient philosophy, Yemoja did it! She did it in old age and with grey hair, too. Plus, when another shift occurred in her already joyous state, she was awestruck. May we be so blessed that we will look at life and be amused with joy and smile--today, tomorrow, and until the span of life itself, ase. A ji ire ni oni o (Excellent morning, good people). "Be fired up" (*) for greatness.
*Present President of the United States of America—Barack Obama.

Ase

 

[awo dino]

Ori, Slandering, and Atori
Ori, Ibayanje, owun Atori

A difa fun olori-ire
Ti won nfi ejo re wi kiri
Atori, Ifa ni yi o to temi si rere, atori

Ifa was cast for the person blessed with good destiny
Who was the target of vicious slander and gossip
To the person intent on destroying me
*Atori, Ifa, the energy with the power to straighten,
will straighten things out for me

*atori means "cane," or "switch," but also means, "to straighten..."

Ancient people were not immune to slander, as evidenced in the above verse of Odu Ifa. If the ancients had to deal with slander, we too will have to deal with it. So, as we go about our daily activities, we should mentally immunize ourselves against slander. Should one be an unfortunate victim of slander, then one should ask Ifa, the energy put forth by Odumare to deal with such problems, to straighten out things in one's behalf. Ase.


excerpt from "Reflections on the Wisdom of Ifa"
Chief FAMA

 

[awo dino]

Bi Ifa o gbe eni (gbe'ni)
Ekun ni ngbe eni (ngbe'ni)—

English
When Ifa wants to bless one
Crying wants to take center stage…

According to Ifa, sometimes, a blessing comes in the form of pain.
In this regard, the pain could be in the form of a disappointment, a
discomfort, even in the form of something that seems embarrassing.
Running away from any such situation only prolongs an existing
condition because by running away from the situation, one might also
be running away from a divine solution to the problem.

Two related itan (stories)

(1)Three unexpected visitors knocked on Orunmila's door. Orunmila received them warmly. But, there was a concern: not enough food in the house. Orunmila auctioned off a prized possession to raise money
for the purpose. The visitors spent some days and were well cared for. The visitors were emissaries and their purpose was to bless Orunmila. Their mission was designed in such a way that, in order to
bless Orunmila, they had to test Orunmila's temperament first. To add to the twist, the treasure they brought to Orunmila was disguised as a personal effect, and they left it behind. Orunmila sent a
telepathic message to remind them of their forgotten property. It was at this stage that the nature of the emissaries' visit was revealed to Orunmila.

(2) The Yoruba word "Iyawo" means "wife" in English. By definition,
iyawo means "Iya" (pain), "Iwo" (a town called Iwo)—Pain-[at]-Iwo.
Ifa has it that Orunmila went to this ancient town to get his bride.
Everything was okay until the bride decided to personally test her
prospective husband's temperament. She broke Orunmila's professional
instrument, she left Orunmila unattended for a long while. Even the
food she served Orunmila had a story of its own. Orunmila was level-
headed while the prank lasted. Having passed the tests, the bride
happily went with her husband to her new home. Back home and when
town-folks asked Orunmila information about his wife, his answer was
always, Iya-ti-mo-je-ni-Iwo (the result of my indignation in Iwo
town). This eight syllable word, "Iya-ti-mo-je-ni-Iwo" became known
today as Iyawo.
(baba’s iyawo turned out to be a wonderful partner and blessed him with many children)
Please, make a sound decision today; do not pass off a good
opportunity because of a slight discomfort. May we be divinely guided
in our endeavors today and always, ase.

Chief FAMA
IleOrunmila.com