MEANINGS OF SEEING BABALAWO IN DREAM BY BABALAWO OBANIFA -Obanifa extreme documentaries
This work will document some of the meanings
of seeing Babalawo In your dream from the perspective of Yoruba culture and
spirituality. Babaaláwo or Babalawo (Babalao or Babalaô
in Latin
America; literally meaning 'father of the mysteries' in the Yoruba
language) is a spiritual title that denotes a priest of the Ifá oracle. Ifá is a divination
system that represents the teachings of the Òrìṣà Ọrunmila,
the Òrìṣà of Wisdom, who in turn serves as the oracular representative of Olodumare. A
Babalawo's female counterpart is known as an Iyaláwo or Ìyánífá.
The Babalawos ascertain the future of their clients through communication with
Ifá. This is done through the interpretation of either the patterns of the divining
chain known as Opele, or the sacred palm nuts called Ikin, on the
traditionally wooden divination tray called Opon Ifá.
In addition to
this, some of them also perform divination services on behalf of the kings and paramount
chiefs of the Yoruba people. The major purpose of this work is to
document some of the meanings seeing
Babalawo in dream. As in the case of any other dream symbol . Seeing Babalwo in
dream can have either positive or negative meanings. The meaning to be
attribute to seeing Babalawo in dream will depend on the contents and context
of such dream. Below are documentation of some of the meanings of seeing Babalawo in dreams as document by
Babalawo Obanifa.
TI A BA LALA TI
BABALAWO N SE ETUTU TABI RUBO FUN (IF YOU SEE THAT BABALAWO IS MAKING EBO (SACRIFICE
FOR YOU IN DREAM): If you see in your
dream that Babalawo is making ebo for you. This kind of dream is positive
message dream telling the dreamer that he /she need to seek counsel of wise
people above him or her techniacly or spiritually so that he doesn’t make
mistake.
TI A BA LALA TI
BABALAWO SO ADIYE MON APA LOJU ALA (IF YOU SEE IN YOUR DREAM THAT BABALAWO TIE
HEN TO HIS SHOULDER) : This kind of
dream connote that an imminent fight between two powerful people which may
later result into great harm to less privilege
if proper effort is not taking to curtail it.
TI A BA LALA RI
BABALAWO TO ASO DUDU(IF YOU SEE BABALAWO THAT DRESS IN PURE BLACK DRESS IN YOUR
DREAM): In any kind of dream where
you see Babalawo that wear pure black cloth. This kind of dream connote that some
enemies are already planning to physically or spiritually invoke injuries on
the person . It is warning dream telling the person to see immediate protection
from the motive of the evil one.
TI A BA LALA TI
A GBA BABALAWO LOJU (IF YOU DREAM THAT YOU SLAP A BABALAWO IN YOUR DREAM): In any kind of dream where the dreamer see that he
slap Babalawo In dream. This kind of dream is warning dream telling the dreamers to examine his
/her character. Avoid rudeness and naughty behavior that put you in danger with
people greater than you.
TI A BA LALA TI
BABALAWO N PIDAN LOJU ALA (IF YOU SEE A BABALAWO PERFORMING MAGIC IN YOUR
DREAM): This kind of dream connotes
that connote that deception and fraud.
In any kind of dream where you see Babalawo making or performing magic. It
means some people are already planning to fraud you. You should be very careful
not to fall victim
TI A BA RI
BABALAWO TI DURO TO WO WA LOJU ALA(IF YOU SEE BABALWO WHO STAND AND JUST
LOOKING AT YOU IN YOUR DREAM): This kind of dream connote you need counsel of elder or technical
experts in what you do.
Copyright :Babalawo Pele
Obasa Obanifa, phone and whatsapp contact :+2348166343145, location Ile Ife
osun state Nigeria.
IMPORTANT NOTICE : As regards the article above, all rights reserved, no part of this article may be reproduced or duplicated in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying and recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without prior written permission from the copyright holder and the author Babalawo Obanifa, doing so is considered unlawful and will attract legal consequences
IMPORTANT NOTICE : As regards the article above, all rights reserved, no part of this article may be reproduced or duplicated in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying and recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without prior written permission from the copyright holder and the author Babalawo Obanifa, doing so is considered unlawful and will attract legal consequences

Haga clic en el Vedio arriba para ver y descargar NO SHAKING - The Flowolf Ft Mayorkun & Peruzzi
SIGNIFICADOS DE VER BABALAWO EN SUEÑO POR BABALAWO OBANIFA -Obanifa documentales extremos

Este trabajo documentará algunos de los significados de ver a Babalawo en su sueño desde la perspectiva de la cultura y espiritualidad yoruba. Babaaláwo o Babalawo (Babalao o Babalaô en América Latina; literalmente significa 'padre de los misterios' en el idioma yoruba) es un título espiritual que denota un sacerdote del oráculo de Ifá. Ifá es un sistema de adivinación que representa las enseñanzas del Òrìṣà Ọrunmila, el Òrìṣà de la Sabiduría, quien a su vez sirve como representante oracular de Olodumare. La contraparte femenina de Babalawo se conoce como Iyaláwo o Ìyánífá. Los Babalawos determinan el futuro de sus clientes a través de la comunicación con Ifá. Esto se hace a través de la interpretación de los patrones de la cadena de adivinación conocida como Opele, o las nueces de palma sagradas llamadas Ikin, en la bandeja de adivinación tradicional de madera llamada Opon Ifá.
Además de esto, algunos de ellos también realizan servicios de adivinación en nombre de los reyes y los jefes primordiales del pueblo yoruba. El propósito principal de este trabajo es documentar algunos de los significados de ver a Babalawo en sueños. Como en el caso de cualquier otro símbolo de sueño. Ver a Babalwo en sueños puede tener significados positivos o negativos. El significado que se atribuye a ver a Babalawo en sueños dependerá de los contenidos y el contexto de dicho sueño. A continuación hay documentación de algunos de los significados de ver a Babalawo en sueños como documento de Babalawo Obanifa.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO N SE ETUTU TABI RUBO FUN (SI VES QUE BABALAWO ESTA HACIENDO EBO (SACRIFICIO PARA TI EN SUEÑO): Si ves en tu sueño que Babalawo está haciendo ebo para ti. Este tipo de sueño es un mensaje positivo. sueñe diciéndole al soñador que él / ella necesita buscar el consejo de personas sabias por encima de él, tanto técnica como espiritualmente, para que no se equivoque.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO SO ADIYE MON APA LOJU ALA (SI VES EN TU SUEÑO QUE BABALAWO ATA A SU HOMBRO): Este tipo de sueño connota que una lucha inminente entre dos personas poderosas que luego puede resultar en un gran daño para menos privilegio si no se requiere el esfuerzo adecuado para reducirlo.
TI A BA LALA RI BABALAWO A ASO DUDU (SI VES A BABALAWO QUE VESTIR CON UN VESTIDO NEGRO PURO EN TU SUEÑO): En cualquier tipo de sueño en el que veas a Babalawo que usa tela negra pura. Este tipo de sueño connota que algunos enemigos ya planean invocar lesiones físicas o espirituales a la persona. Es un sueño de advertencia diciéndole a la persona que vea protección inmediata del motivo del maligno.
TI A BA LALA TI A GBA BABALAWO LOJU (SI SUEÑAS QUE LE PUSAS UN BABALAWO A TU SUEÑO): En cualquier tipo de sueño donde el soñador vea que abofetea a Babalawo en sueños. Este tipo de sueño es un sueño de advertencia que les dice a los soñadores que examinen su personaje. Evite la grosería y el comportamiento travieso que lo ponga en peligro con personas mayores que usted.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO N PIDAN LOJU ALA (SI VES UNA MAGIA QUE REALIZA BABALAWO EN TU SUEÑO): este tipo de sueño connota ese engaño y fraude. En cualquier tipo de sueño donde veas a Babalawo haciendo o realizando magia. Significa que algunas personas ya planean estafarte. Debes tener mucho cuidado de no ser víctima
TI A BA RI BABALAWO TI DURO A WO WA LOJU ALA (SI VES A BABALWO QUIÉN ESTÁ DE PIE Y TE ESTÁ MIRANDO EN TU SUEÑO): este tipo de sueño implica que necesitas consejo de un anciano o expertos técnicos en lo que haces.
Copyright: Babalawo Pele Obasa Obanifa, teléfono y contacto de WhatsApp: +2348166343145, ubicación Ile Ife osun state Nigeria.
AVISO IMPORTANTE: en lo que respecta al artículo anterior, todos los derechos reservados, ninguna parte de este artículo puede reproducirse o duplicarse de ninguna forma ni por ningún medio, electrónico o mecánico, incluyendo fotocopias y grabaciones, o por cualquier sistema de almacenamiento o recuperación de información sin permiso previo por escrito del titular de los derechos de autor y del autor Babalawo Obanifa, hacerlo se considera ilegal y traerá consecuencias legales

Clique no Vedio acima para assistir e baixar NO SHAKING - The Flowolf Ft Mayorkun & Peruzzi
SIGNIFICADOS DE VER BABALAWO EM SONHO DE BABALAWO OBANIFA - Documentários extremos de Obanifa

Este trabalho documentará alguns dos significados de ver Babalawo em seu sonho a partir da perspectiva da cultura e espiritualidade iorubá. Babaaláwo ou Babalawo (Babalao ou Babalaô na América Latina; literalmente significa 'pai dos mistérios' na língua iorubá) é um título espiritual que denota um padre do oráculo Ifá. Ifá é um sistema de adivinhação que representa os ensinamentos do Òrìṣà unrunmila, o Òrìṣà da Sabedoria, que por sua vez serve como representante oracular de Olodumare. A contraparte feminina de um Babalawo é conhecida como Iyaláwo ou Ìyánífá. Os Babalawos determinam o futuro de seus clientes através da comunicação com Ifá. Isso é feito através da interpretação dos padrões da cadeia de adivinhação conhecidos como Opele, ou das nozes sagradas chamadas Ikin, na tradicional bandeja de adivinhação de madeira chamada Opon Ifá.
Além disso, alguns deles também prestam serviços de adivinhação em nome dos reis e chefes supremos do povo iorubá. O principal objetivo deste trabalho é documentar alguns dos significados de Babalawo sonhar. Como no caso de qualquer outro símbolo de sonho. Ver Babalwo no sonho pode ter significados positivos ou negativos. O significado a ser atribuído à visão de Babalawo no sonho dependerá do conteúdo e do contexto desse sonho. Abaixo está a documentação de alguns dos significados de ver Babalawo nos sonhos como documento de Babalawo Obanifa.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO NO SE ETUTU TABI RUBO DIVERTIDO (SE VOCÊ VÊ QUE BABALAWO ESTÁ FAZENDO EBO (SACRIFÍCIO PARA VOCÊ SONHANDO): Se você vê em seu sonho que Babalawo está fazendo Ebo para você, esse tipo de sonho é uma mensagem positiva. sonhe dizendo ao sonhador que ele / ela deve procurar aconselhamento de pessoas sábias acima dele, tecnicamente ou espiritualmente, para que ele não cometa erros.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO TÃO ADIYE MON APA LOJU ALA (SE VOCÊ VÊ EM SEU SONHO QUE BABALAWO SE APLICA AO SEU OMBRO): Esse tipo de sonho indica que uma luta iminente entre duas pessoas poderosas, que mais tarde pode resultar em grandes danos a menos privilégio se não houver esforço adequado para reduzi-lo.
TI A BA LALA RI BABALAWO PARA ASO DUDU (SE VOCÊ VÊ BABALAWO QUE VESTIDA EM VESTIDO PRETO PURO EM SEU SONHO): Em qualquer tipo de sonho em que você vê Babalawo que usa pano preto puro. Esse tipo de sonho indica que alguns inimigos já estão planejando física ou espiritualmente invocar ferimentos na pessoa. É um sonho de advertência que diz à pessoa para ver proteção imediata contra o motivo do maligno.
TI A BA LALA TI A GBA BABALAWO LOJU (SE VOCÊ SONHA QUE BATE UM BABALAWO EM SEU SONHO): Em qualquer tipo de sonho em que o sonhador vê que ele dá um tapa em Babalawo em sonho. Esse tipo de sonho é um sonho de advertência, dizendo aos sonhadores para examinarem seu caráter. Evite grosseria e comportamento desobediente que o colocam em perigo com pessoas maiores que você.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO N PIDAN LOJU ALA (SE VOCÊ VÊ UMA BABALAWO REALIZANDO MÁGICA EM SEU SONHO): Esse tipo de sonho conota que conota esse engano e fraude. Em qualquer tipo de sonho em que você vê Babalawo fazendo ou realizando mágica. Isso significa que algumas pessoas já estão planejando fraudar você. Você deve ter muito cuidado para não ser vítima
TI A BA RI BABALAWO TI DURO PARA WO WA LOJU ALA (SE VOCÊ VÊ BABALWO QUE ESTÁ E APENAS OLHA PARA VOCÊ NO SEU SONHO): Esse tipo de sonho significa que você precisa de conselhos de especialistas mais velhos ou técnicos no que faz.
Direitos autorais: Babalawo Pele Obasa Obanifa, telefone e whatsapp: +2348166343145, local Ile Ife osun state Nigeria.
AVISO IMPORTANTE: Com relação ao artigo acima, todos os direitos reservados, nenhuma parte deste artigo pode ser reproduzida ou duplicada de qualquer forma ou por qualquer meio, eletrônico ou mecânico, incluindo fotocópia e gravação ou por qualquer sistema de armazenamento ou recuperação de informações sem permissão prévia por escrito do detentor dos direitos autorais e do autor Babalawo Obanifa, fazê-lo é considerado ilegal e atrairá consequências legais

Cliquez sur le Vedio ci-dessus pour regarder et télécharger NO SHAKING - The Flowolf Ft Mayorkun & Peruzzi
SIGNIFICATION DE VOIR BABALAWO EN RÊVE PAR BABALAWO OBANIFA -Obanifa extreme documentaries

Ce travail documentera certaines des significations de voir Babalawo dans votre rêve du point de vue de la culture et de la spiritualité yoruba. Babaaláwo ou Babalawo (Babalao ou Babalaô en Amérique latine; signifiant littéralement «père des mystères» dans la langue yoruba) est un titre spirituel qui désigne un prêtre de l'oracle Ifá. Ifá est un système de divination qui représente les enseignements du Òrìṣà Ọrunmila, le Òrìṣà de la Sagesse, qui à son tour sert de représentant oraculaire d'Olodumare. La contrepartie féminine d'un Babalawo est connue sous le nom de Iyaláwo ou Ìyánífá. Les Babalawos déterminent l'avenir de leurs clients en communiquant avec Ifá. Cela se fait par l'interprétation des motifs de la chaîne de divination connue sous le nom d'Opele, ou des noix de palme sacrées appelées Ikin, sur le plateau de divination en bois traditionnellement appelé Opon Ifá.
En plus de cela, certains d'entre eux effectuent également des services de divination au nom des rois et des chefs suprêmes du peuple yoruba. Le but principal de ce travail est de documenter certaines des significations de voir Babalawo en rêve. Comme dans le cas de tout autre symbole de rêve. Voir Babalwo en rêve peut avoir des significations positives ou négatives. Le sens à attribuer au fait de voir Babalawo en rêve dépendra du contenu et du contexte d'un tel rêve. Vous trouverez ci-dessous la documentation de certaines des significations de voir Babalawo dans les rêves comme un document de Babalawo Obanifa.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO N SE ETUTU TABI RUBO FUN (SI VOUS VOYEZ QUE BABALAWO FAIT EBO (SACRIFICE POUR VOUS EN RÊVE): Si vous voyez dans votre rêve que Babalawo fait ebo pour vous. Ce genre de rêve est un message positif. rêve disant au rêveur qu'il / elle a besoin de demander conseil à des personnes sages au-dessus de lui ou techniquement ou spirituellement afin qu'il ne se trompe pas.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO SO ADIYE MON APA LOJU ALA (SI VOUS VOYEZ DANS VOTRE RÊVE QUE BABALAWO LIENT LA POULE À SON ÉPAULE): Ce genre de rêve signifie qu'un combat imminent entre deux personnes puissantes qui peut plus tard entraîner de grands dommages à moins privilège si des efforts appropriés ne sont pas nécessaires pour le réduire.
TI A BA LALA RI BABALAWO À ASO DUDU (SI VOUS VOYEZ BABALAWO CETTE ROBE EN ROBE NOIRE PURE DANS VOTRE RÊVE): Dans tout type de rêve où vous voyez Babalawo qui porte un tissu noir pur. Ce genre de rêve implique que certains ennemis prévoient déjà d'invoquer physiquement ou spirituellement des blessures sur la personne. C'est un rêve d'avertissement disant à la personne de voir une protection immédiate contre le motif du malin.
TI A BA LALA TI A GBA BABALAWO LOJU (SI VOUS RÊVEZ QUE VOUS GAGNEZ UN BABALAWO DANS VOTRE RÊVE): Dans tout type de rêve où le rêveur voit qu'il gifle Babalawo dans le rêve. Ce genre de rêve avertit le rêve en disant aux rêveurs d'examiner son personnage. Évitez l'impolitesse et les comportements coquins qui vous mettent en danger avec des gens plus grands que vous.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO N PIDAN LOJU ALA (SI VOUS VOYEZ UN BABALAWO PERFORMING MAGIC DANS VOTRE RÊVE): Ce genre de rêve connote qui connote que la tromperie et la fraude. Dans tout type de rêve où vous voyez Babalawo faire ou effectuer de la magie. Cela signifie que certaines personnes prévoient déjà de vous frauder. Vous devez faire très attention à ne pas être victime
TI A BA RI BABALAWO TI DURO À WO WA LOJU ALA (SI VOUS VOYEZ BABALWO QUI SE LÈVE ET VOUS REGARDE JUSTE DANS VOTRE RÊVE): Ce genre de rêve connote que vous avez besoin des conseils d'experts plus âgés ou techniques dans ce que vous faites.
Copyright: Babalawo Pele Obasa Obanifa, téléphone et contact WhatsApp: +2348166343145, emplacement Ile Ife Osun, Nigeria.
AVIS IMPORTANT: En ce qui concerne l'article ci-dessus, tous droits réservés, aucune partie de cet article ne peut être reproduite ou dupliquée sous quelque forme ou par quelque moyen que ce soit, électronique ou mécanique, y compris la photocopie et l'enregistrement ou par tout système de stockage ou de récupération d'informations sans autorisation écrite préalable du titulaire du droit d'auteur et de l'auteur Babalawo Obanifa, le faire est considéré comme illégal et entraînera des conséquences juridiques
Haga clic en el Vedio arriba para ver y descargar NO SHAKING - The Flowolf Ft Mayorkun & Peruzzi
SIGNIFICADOS DE VER BABALAWO EN SUEÑO POR BABALAWO OBANIFA -Obanifa documentales extremos

Este trabajo documentará algunos de los significados de ver a Babalawo en su sueño desde la perspectiva de la cultura y espiritualidad yoruba. Babaaláwo o Babalawo (Babalao o Babalaô en América Latina; literalmente significa 'padre de los misterios' en el idioma yoruba) es un título espiritual que denota un sacerdote del oráculo de Ifá. Ifá es un sistema de adivinación que representa las enseñanzas del Òrìṣà Ọrunmila, el Òrìṣà de la Sabiduría, quien a su vez sirve como representante oracular de Olodumare. La contraparte femenina de Babalawo se conoce como Iyaláwo o Ìyánífá. Los Babalawos determinan el futuro de sus clientes a través de la comunicación con Ifá. Esto se hace a través de la interpretación de los patrones de la cadena de adivinación conocida como Opele, o las nueces de palma sagradas llamadas Ikin, en la bandeja de adivinación tradicional de madera llamada Opon Ifá.
Además de esto, algunos de ellos también realizan servicios de adivinación en nombre de los reyes y los jefes primordiales del pueblo yoruba. El propósito principal de este trabajo es documentar algunos de los significados de ver a Babalawo en sueños. Como en el caso de cualquier otro símbolo de sueño. Ver a Babalwo en sueños puede tener significados positivos o negativos. El significado que se atribuye a ver a Babalawo en sueños dependerá de los contenidos y el contexto de dicho sueño. A continuación hay documentación de algunos de los significados de ver a Babalawo en sueños como documento de Babalawo Obanifa.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO N SE ETUTU TABI RUBO FUN (SI VES QUE BABALAWO ESTA HACIENDO EBO (SACRIFICIO PARA TI EN SUEÑO): Si ves en tu sueño que Babalawo está haciendo ebo para ti. Este tipo de sueño es un mensaje positivo. sueñe diciéndole al soñador que él / ella necesita buscar el consejo de personas sabias por encima de él, tanto técnica como espiritualmente, para que no se equivoque.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO SO ADIYE MON APA LOJU ALA (SI VES EN TU SUEÑO QUE BABALAWO ATA A SU HOMBRO): Este tipo de sueño connota que una lucha inminente entre dos personas poderosas que luego puede resultar en un gran daño para menos privilegio si no se requiere el esfuerzo adecuado para reducirlo.
TI A BA LALA RI BABALAWO A ASO DUDU (SI VES A BABALAWO QUE VESTIR CON UN VESTIDO NEGRO PURO EN TU SUEÑO): En cualquier tipo de sueño en el que veas a Babalawo que usa tela negra pura. Este tipo de sueño connota que algunos enemigos ya planean invocar lesiones físicas o espirituales a la persona. Es un sueño de advertencia diciéndole a la persona que vea protección inmediata del motivo del maligno.
TI A BA LALA TI A GBA BABALAWO LOJU (SI SUEÑAS QUE LE PUSAS UN BABALAWO A TU SUEÑO): En cualquier tipo de sueño donde el soñador vea que abofetea a Babalawo en sueños. Este tipo de sueño es un sueño de advertencia que les dice a los soñadores que examinen su personaje. Evite la grosería y el comportamiento travieso que lo ponga en peligro con personas mayores que usted.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO N PIDAN LOJU ALA (SI VES UNA MAGIA QUE REALIZA BABALAWO EN TU SUEÑO): este tipo de sueño connota ese engaño y fraude. En cualquier tipo de sueño donde veas a Babalawo haciendo o realizando magia. Significa que algunas personas ya planean estafarte. Debes tener mucho cuidado de no ser víctima
TI A BA RI BABALAWO TI DURO A WO WA LOJU ALA (SI VES A BABALWO QUIÉN ESTÁ DE PIE Y TE ESTÁ MIRANDO EN TU SUEÑO): este tipo de sueño implica que necesitas consejo de un anciano o expertos técnicos en lo que haces.
Copyright: Babalawo Pele Obasa Obanifa, teléfono y contacto de WhatsApp: +2348166343145, ubicación Ile Ife osun state Nigeria.
AVISO IMPORTANTE: en lo que respecta al artículo anterior, todos los derechos reservados, ninguna parte de este artículo puede reproducirse o duplicarse de ninguna forma ni por ningún medio, electrónico o mecánico, incluyendo fotocopias y grabaciones, o por cualquier sistema de almacenamiento o recuperación de información sin permiso previo por escrito del titular de los derechos de autor y del autor Babalawo Obanifa, hacerlo se considera ilegal y traerá consecuencias legales

Clique no Vedio acima para assistir e baixar NO SHAKING - The Flowolf Ft Mayorkun & Peruzzi
SIGNIFICADOS DE VER BABALAWO EM SONHO DE BABALAWO OBANIFA - Documentários extremos de Obanifa

Este trabalho documentará alguns dos significados de ver Babalawo em seu sonho a partir da perspectiva da cultura e espiritualidade iorubá. Babaaláwo ou Babalawo (Babalao ou Babalaô na América Latina; literalmente significa 'pai dos mistérios' na língua iorubá) é um título espiritual que denota um padre do oráculo Ifá. Ifá é um sistema de adivinhação que representa os ensinamentos do Òrìṣà unrunmila, o Òrìṣà da Sabedoria, que por sua vez serve como representante oracular de Olodumare. A contraparte feminina de um Babalawo é conhecida como Iyaláwo ou Ìyánífá. Os Babalawos determinam o futuro de seus clientes através da comunicação com Ifá. Isso é feito através da interpretação dos padrões da cadeia de adivinhação conhecidos como Opele, ou das nozes sagradas chamadas Ikin, na tradicional bandeja de adivinhação de madeira chamada Opon Ifá.
Além disso, alguns deles também prestam serviços de adivinhação em nome dos reis e chefes supremos do povo iorubá. O principal objetivo deste trabalho é documentar alguns dos significados de Babalawo sonhar. Como no caso de qualquer outro símbolo de sonho. Ver Babalwo no sonho pode ter significados positivos ou negativos. O significado a ser atribuído à visão de Babalawo no sonho dependerá do conteúdo e do contexto desse sonho. Abaixo está a documentação de alguns dos significados de ver Babalawo nos sonhos como documento de Babalawo Obanifa.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO NO SE ETUTU TABI RUBO DIVERTIDO (SE VOCÊ VÊ QUE BABALAWO ESTÁ FAZENDO EBO (SACRIFÍCIO PARA VOCÊ SONHANDO): Se você vê em seu sonho que Babalawo está fazendo Ebo para você, esse tipo de sonho é uma mensagem positiva. sonhe dizendo ao sonhador que ele / ela deve procurar aconselhamento de pessoas sábias acima dele, tecnicamente ou espiritualmente, para que ele não cometa erros.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO TÃO ADIYE MON APA LOJU ALA (SE VOCÊ VÊ EM SEU SONHO QUE BABALAWO SE APLICA AO SEU OMBRO): Esse tipo de sonho indica que uma luta iminente entre duas pessoas poderosas, que mais tarde pode resultar em grandes danos a menos privilégio se não houver esforço adequado para reduzi-lo.
TI A BA LALA RI BABALAWO PARA ASO DUDU (SE VOCÊ VÊ BABALAWO QUE VESTIDA EM VESTIDO PRETO PURO EM SEU SONHO): Em qualquer tipo de sonho em que você vê Babalawo que usa pano preto puro. Esse tipo de sonho indica que alguns inimigos já estão planejando física ou espiritualmente invocar ferimentos na pessoa. É um sonho de advertência que diz à pessoa para ver proteção imediata contra o motivo do maligno.
TI A BA LALA TI A GBA BABALAWO LOJU (SE VOCÊ SONHA QUE BATE UM BABALAWO EM SEU SONHO): Em qualquer tipo de sonho em que o sonhador vê que ele dá um tapa em Babalawo em sonho. Esse tipo de sonho é um sonho de advertência, dizendo aos sonhadores para examinarem seu caráter. Evite grosseria e comportamento desobediente que o colocam em perigo com pessoas maiores que você.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO N PIDAN LOJU ALA (SE VOCÊ VÊ UMA BABALAWO REALIZANDO MÁGICA EM SEU SONHO): Esse tipo de sonho conota que conota esse engano e fraude. Em qualquer tipo de sonho em que você vê Babalawo fazendo ou realizando mágica. Isso significa que algumas pessoas já estão planejando fraudar você. Você deve ter muito cuidado para não ser vítima
TI A BA RI BABALAWO TI DURO PARA WO WA LOJU ALA (SE VOCÊ VÊ BABALWO QUE ESTÁ E APENAS OLHA PARA VOCÊ NO SEU SONHO): Esse tipo de sonho significa que você precisa de conselhos de especialistas mais velhos ou técnicos no que faz.
Direitos autorais: Babalawo Pele Obasa Obanifa, telefone e whatsapp: +2348166343145, local Ile Ife osun state Nigeria.
AVISO IMPORTANTE: Com relação ao artigo acima, todos os direitos reservados, nenhuma parte deste artigo pode ser reproduzida ou duplicada de qualquer forma ou por qualquer meio, eletrônico ou mecânico, incluindo fotocópia e gravação ou por qualquer sistema de armazenamento ou recuperação de informações sem permissão prévia por escrito do detentor dos direitos autorais e do autor Babalawo Obanifa, fazê-lo é considerado ilegal e atrairá consequências legais

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SIGNIFICATION DE VOIR BABALAWO EN RÊVE PAR BABALAWO OBANIFA -Obanifa extreme documentaries

Ce travail documentera certaines des significations de voir Babalawo dans votre rêve du point de vue de la culture et de la spiritualité yoruba. Babaaláwo ou Babalawo (Babalao ou Babalaô en Amérique latine; signifiant littéralement «père des mystères» dans la langue yoruba) est un titre spirituel qui désigne un prêtre de l'oracle Ifá. Ifá est un système de divination qui représente les enseignements du Òrìṣà Ọrunmila, le Òrìṣà de la Sagesse, qui à son tour sert de représentant oraculaire d'Olodumare. La contrepartie féminine d'un Babalawo est connue sous le nom de Iyaláwo ou Ìyánífá. Les Babalawos déterminent l'avenir de leurs clients en communiquant avec Ifá. Cela se fait par l'interprétation des motifs de la chaîne de divination connue sous le nom d'Opele, ou des noix de palme sacrées appelées Ikin, sur le plateau de divination en bois traditionnellement appelé Opon Ifá.
En plus de cela, certains d'entre eux effectuent également des services de divination au nom des rois et des chefs suprêmes du peuple yoruba. Le but principal de ce travail est de documenter certaines des significations de voir Babalawo en rêve. Comme dans le cas de tout autre symbole de rêve. Voir Babalwo en rêve peut avoir des significations positives ou négatives. Le sens à attribuer au fait de voir Babalawo en rêve dépendra du contenu et du contexte d'un tel rêve. Vous trouverez ci-dessous la documentation de certaines des significations de voir Babalawo dans les rêves comme un document de Babalawo Obanifa.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO N SE ETUTU TABI RUBO FUN (SI VOUS VOYEZ QUE BABALAWO FAIT EBO (SACRIFICE POUR VOUS EN RÊVE): Si vous voyez dans votre rêve que Babalawo fait ebo pour vous. Ce genre de rêve est un message positif. rêve disant au rêveur qu'il / elle a besoin de demander conseil à des personnes sages au-dessus de lui ou techniquement ou spirituellement afin qu'il ne se trompe pas.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO SO ADIYE MON APA LOJU ALA (SI VOUS VOYEZ DANS VOTRE RÊVE QUE BABALAWO LIENT LA POULE À SON ÉPAULE): Ce genre de rêve signifie qu'un combat imminent entre deux personnes puissantes qui peut plus tard entraîner de grands dommages à moins privilège si des efforts appropriés ne sont pas nécessaires pour le réduire.
TI A BA LALA RI BABALAWO À ASO DUDU (SI VOUS VOYEZ BABALAWO CETTE ROBE EN ROBE NOIRE PURE DANS VOTRE RÊVE): Dans tout type de rêve où vous voyez Babalawo qui porte un tissu noir pur. Ce genre de rêve implique que certains ennemis prévoient déjà d'invoquer physiquement ou spirituellement des blessures sur la personne. C'est un rêve d'avertissement disant à la personne de voir une protection immédiate contre le motif du malin.
TI A BA LALA TI A GBA BABALAWO LOJU (SI VOUS RÊVEZ QUE VOUS GAGNEZ UN BABALAWO DANS VOTRE RÊVE): Dans tout type de rêve où le rêveur voit qu'il gifle Babalawo dans le rêve. Ce genre de rêve avertit le rêve en disant aux rêveurs d'examiner son personnage. Évitez l'impolitesse et les comportements coquins qui vous mettent en danger avec des gens plus grands que vous.
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO N PIDAN LOJU ALA (SI VOUS VOYEZ UN BABALAWO PERFORMING MAGIC DANS VOTRE RÊVE): Ce genre de rêve connote qui connote que la tromperie et la fraude. Dans tout type de rêve où vous voyez Babalawo faire ou effectuer de la magie. Cela signifie que certaines personnes prévoient déjà de vous frauder. Vous devez faire très attention à ne pas être victime
TI A BA RI BABALAWO TI DURO À WO WA LOJU ALA (SI VOUS VOYEZ BABALWO QUI SE LÈVE ET VOUS REGARDE JUSTE DANS VOTRE RÊVE): Ce genre de rêve connote que vous avez besoin des conseils d'experts plus âgés ou techniques dans ce que vous faites.
Copyright: Babalawo Pele Obasa Obanifa, téléphone et contact WhatsApp: +2348166343145, emplacement Ile Ife Osun, Nigeria.
AVIS IMPORTANT: En ce qui concerne l'article ci-dessus, tous droits réservés, aucune partie de cet article ne peut être reproduite ou dupliquée sous quelque forme ou par quelque moyen que ce soit, électronique ou mécanique, y compris la photocopie et l'enregistrement ou par tout système de stockage ou de récupération d'informations sans autorisation écrite préalable du titulaire du droit d'auteur et de l'auteur Babalawo Obanifa, le faire est considéré comme illégal et entraînera des conséquences juridiques

点击上面的视频观看并下载SHA-Flowolf Ft Mayorkun＆Peruzzi
BABALAWO OBANIFA -Obanifa极端纪录片在梦中梦见BABALAWO的含义

这项工作将从约鲁巴文化和灵性的角度记录在梦中看到巴巴拉瓦的某些含义。 Babaaláwo或Babalawo（拉丁美洲的Babalao或Babalaô;在约鲁巴语中的字面意思是``神秘之父''）是一种精神称谓，表示Ifa甲骨文的神父。 Ifá是代表智慧的Òrìṣàrunmila（智慧的divrìṣà）的教义的占卜系统，而后者又是Olodumare的口头代表。 巴巴拉沃（Babalawo）的女性同伴被称为伊亚拉沃（Iyaláwo）或Ìyánífá。 Babalawos通过与Ifá的沟通来确定客户的未来。 这是通过解释称为Opele的分割链的模式或称为OponIfá的传统木制占卜托盘上称为Ikin的神圣棕榈果完成的。
除此之外，其中一些人还代表约鲁巴人的国王和最高酋长执行占卜服务。 这项工作的主要目的是记录梦中看到巴巴拉沃的一些含义。 就像其他任何梦境符号一样。 在梦中看到Babalwo可能具有积极或消极的意义。 在梦中看到巴巴拉沃的意义取决于这种梦的内容和背景。 以下是巴巴拉沃·奥巴尼法（Babalawo Obanifa）将梦中的巴巴拉沃看成梦的一些含义的文档。
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO N SE ETUTU TABI RUBO FUN（如果您看到BABALAWO正在制造EBO（梦中为您牺牲））：如果您在梦中看到Babalawo正在为您制造EBO。这种梦想是积极的信息 梦告诉梦者，他/她需要在技术上或精神上寻求比他或她高的智者的建议，以免他犯错。
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO SO ADIYE MON APA LOJU ALA（如果您在梦中看到BABALAWO绑在他的肩膀上）：这种梦想意味着两个有势力的人之间即将展开的战斗，后来可能会给较小的人带来巨大的伤害 如果没有采取适当的措施减少特权，则可享有特权。
TI A BA LALA RI BABALAWO向ASO DUDU（如果您看到BABALAWO在您的梦中穿着纯黑连衣裙）：在任何一种梦中，您都会看到Babalawo穿着纯黑布。 这种梦想意味着一些敌人已经在计划从身体或精神上伤害这个人。 这是一个警告性的梦想，告诉人们看到从邪恶的人的动机得到的直接保护。
TI A BA LALA TI A GBA BABALAWO LOJU（如果您梦见自己在梦中拍了一个BABALAWO）：在任何梦中，做梦者都看到自己在梦中为Babalawo打巴掌。 这种梦是警告，梦告诉梦者去检查他/她的性格。 避免粗鲁和顽皮的行为，使您与比自己更大的人处于危险之中。
TI B BALALA TI BABALAWO N PIDAN LOJU ALA（如果您看到梦中的BABALAWO表演魔术师）：这种梦想意味着欺骗和欺诈。 在任何梦境中，您都能看到巴巴拉沃制作或表演魔术。 这意味着有些人已经在计划欺骗您。 您应该非常小心，不要成为受害者
TI A BA RI BABALAWO TI DURO到WO WA LOJU ALA（如果您在梦境中站稳脚跟，只是在寻找您的BABALWO）：这种梦想意味着您需要年长者或技术专家的意见。
版权：Babalawo Pele Obasa Obanifa，电话和whatsapp联系人：+2348166343145，位于尼日利亚Ile Ife osun省。
重要声明：关于以上文章，保留所有权利，未经事先书面许可，不得以任何形式或通过任何方式（包括影印和录制的电子或机械手段）或通过任何信息存储或检索系统复制或复制本文的任何部分 版权持有人和作者Babalawo Obanifa的行为被认为是非法的，并将引起法律后果
点击上面的视频观看并下载SHA-Flowolf Ft Mayorkun＆Peruzzi
BABALAWO OBANIFA -Obanifa极端纪录片在梦中梦见BABALAWO的含义

这项工作将从约鲁巴文化和灵性的角度记录在梦中看到巴巴拉瓦的某些含义。 Babaaláwo或Babalawo（拉丁美洲的Babalao或Babalaô;在约鲁巴语中的字面意思是``神秘之父''）是一种精神称谓，表示Ifa甲骨文的神父。 Ifá是代表智慧的Òrìṣàrunmila（智慧的divrìṣà）的教义的占卜系统，而后者又是Olodumare的口头代表。 巴巴拉沃（Babalawo）的女性同伴被称为伊亚拉沃（Iyaláwo）或Ìyánífá。 Babalawos通过与Ifá的沟通来确定客户的未来。 这是通过解释称为Opele的分割链的模式或称为OponIfá的传统木制占卜托盘上称为Ikin的神圣棕榈果完成的。
除此之外，其中一些人还代表约鲁巴人的国王和最高酋长执行占卜服务。 这项工作的主要目的是记录梦中看到巴巴拉沃的一些含义。 就像其他任何梦境符号一样。 在梦中看到Babalwo可能具有积极或消极的意义。 在梦中看到巴巴拉沃的意义取决于这种梦的内容和背景。 以下是巴巴拉沃·奥巴尼法（Babalawo Obanifa）将梦中的巴巴拉沃看成梦的一些含义的文档。
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO N SE ETUTU TABI RUBO FUN（如果您看到BABALAWO正在制造EBO（梦中为您牺牲））：如果您在梦中看到Babalawo正在为您制造EBO。这种梦想是积极的信息 梦告诉梦者，他/她需要在技术上或精神上寻求比他或她高的智者的建议，以免他犯错。
TI A BA LALA TI BABALAWO SO ADIYE MON APA LOJU ALA（如果您在梦中看到BABALAWO绑在他的肩膀上）：这种梦想意味着两个有势力的人之间即将展开的战斗，后来可能会给较小的人带来巨大的伤害 如果没有采取适当的措施减少特权，则可享有特权。
TI A BA LALA RI BABALAWO向ASO DUDU（如果您看到BABALAWO在您的梦中穿着纯黑连衣裙）：在任何一种梦中，您都会看到Babalawo穿着纯黑布。 这种梦想意味着一些敌人已经在计划从身体或精神上伤害这个人。 这是一个警告性的梦想，告诉人们看到从邪恶的人的动机得到的直接保护。
TI A BA LALA TI A GBA BABALAWO LOJU（如果您梦见自己在梦中拍了一个BABALAWO）：在任何梦中，做梦者都看到自己在梦中为Babalawo打巴掌。 这种梦是警告，梦告诉梦者去检查他/她的性格。 避免粗鲁和顽皮的行为，使您与比自己更大的人处于危险之中。
TI B BALALA TI BABALAWO N PIDAN LOJU ALA（如果您看到梦中的BABALAWO表演魔术师）：这种梦想意味着欺骗和欺诈。 在任何梦境中，您都能看到巴巴拉沃制作或表演魔术。 这意味着有些人已经在计划欺骗您。 您应该非常小心，不要成为受害者
TI A BA RI BABALAWO TI DURO到WO WA LOJU ALA（如果您在梦境中站稳脚跟，只是在寻找您的BABALWO）：这种梦想意味着您需要年长者或技术专家的意见。
版权：Babalawo Pele Obasa Obanifa，电话和whatsapp联系人：+2348166343145，位于尼日利亚Ile Ife osun省。
重要声明：关于以上文章，保留所有权利，未经事先书面许可，不得以任何形式或通过任何方式（包括影印和录制的电子或机械手段）或通过任何信息存储或检索系统复制或复制本文的任何部分 版权持有人和作者Babalawo Obanifa的行为被认为是非法的，并将引起法律后果
Babaaláwo or Babalawo (Babalao or Babalaô in Latin America; literally meaning 'father of the mysteries' in the Yoruba language) is a spiritual title that denotes a priest of the Ifá oracle. Ifá is a divination system that represents the teachings of the Òrìṣà Ọrunmila, the Òrìṣà of Wisdom, who in turn serves as the oracular representative of Olodumare. A Babalawo's female counterpart is known as an Iyaláwo or Ìyánífá.
Functions in society Edit
The Babalawos ascertain the future of their clients through communication with Ifá. This is done through the interpretation of either the patterns of the divining chain known as Opele, or the sacred palm nuts called Ikin, on the traditionally wooden divination tray called Opon Ifá.
In addition to this, some of them also perform divination services on behalf of the kings and paramount chiefs of the Yoruba people. These figures, holders of chieftaincy titles like Araba and Oluwo Ifa in their own right, are members of the recognised aristocracies of the various Yoruba traditional states.
Training Edit
Babalawos and Iyanifas undergo training in the memorization and interpretation of the 256 odù or mysteries, as well as in the numerous verses or Ese of Ifá. Traditionally, the Babalawo and the Iyanifa usually have additional professional specialties. For instance, several would also be herbalists, while others would specialize in extinguishing the troubles caused by Ajogun. The Babalawos and Iyanifas are, however, primarily trained in the determination of problems, or to divine how "Ìwà" (i.e., character) can be maintained so that "ire" (i.e., that which is the good desired) may manifest, and the application of both spiritual and related secular solutions. Their primary function is to assist people in finding, understanding, and being in alignment with their individual "Orí" (one's spiritual self) until they experience spiritual wisdom as a part of their daily experience.
The Ifá priest helps people develop the discipline and character that supports such spiritual growth called "Iwa Pele", or good character. This is done by identifying the client's spiritual "destiny", and developing a spiritual blueprint which can be used to support, cultivate, and live out that destiny.
For other uses, see IFA (disambiguation).
Ifá is a Yoruba religion and system of divination. Its literary corpus is the Odu Ifá. Orunmila is identified as the Grand Priest, as he is who revealed divinity and prophecy to the world. Babalawos or Iyanifas use either the divining chain known as Opele, or the sacred palm or kola nuts called Ikin, on the wooden divination tray called Opon Ifá.
Sixteen Principal Odu
Name
1
2
3
4
Ogbe
I
I
I
I
Oyẹku
II
II
II
II
Iwori
II
I
I
II
Odi
I
II
II
I
Irosun
I
I
II
II
Iwọnrin
II
II
I
I
Ọbara
I
II
II
II
Ọkanran
II
II
II
I
Ogunda
I
I
I
II
Ọsa
II
I
I
I
Ika
II
I
II
II
Oturupọn
II
II
I
II
Otura
I
II
I
I
Irẹtẹ
I
I
II
I
Ọsẹ
I
II
I
II
Ofun
II
I
II
I
Sixteen Principal Afa-du
(Yeveh Vodou)
Name
1
2
3
4
Eji-Ogbe
I
I
I
I
Ọyeku-Meji
II
II
II
II
Iwori-Meji
II
I
I
II
Odi-Meji
I
II
II
I
Irosun-Meji
I
I
II
II
Ọwanrin-Meji
II
II
I
I
Ọbara-Meji
I
II
II
II
Ọkanran-Meji
II
II
II
I
Ogunda-Meji
I
I
I
II
Ọsa-Meji
II
I
I
I
Ika-Meji
II
I
II
II
Oturupon-Meji
II
II
I
II
Otura-Meji
I
II
I
I
Irete-Maji
I
I
II
I
Ọse-Meji
I
II
I
II
Ofu meji
II
I
II
I
Ifá is practiced throughout the Americas, West Africa, and the Canary Islands, in the form of a complex religious system, and plays a critical role in the traditions of Santería, Candomblé, Palo, Umbanda, Vodou, and other Afro-American faiths, as well as in some traditional African religions.
History Edit
The 16-principle system seems to have its earliest history in West Africa. Each Niger–Congo-speaking ethnic group that practices it has its own myths of origin; Yoruba religion suggests that it was founded by Orunmila in Ilé-Ifẹ̀ when he initiated himself and then he initiated his students, Akoda and Aseda. Other myths suggest that it was brought to Ilé-Ifẹ̀ by Setiu, a Nupe man who settled in Ilé-Ifẹ̀. According to the book The History of the Yorubas from the Earliest of Times to the British Protectorate (1921) by Nigerian historian Samuel Johnson and Obadiah Johnson, it was Arugba, the mother of Onibogi, the 8th Alaafin of Oyo who introduced Oyo to Ifá in the late 1400s.[1] She initiated the Alado of Ato and conferred on him the rites to initiate others. The Alado, in turn, initiated the priests of Oyo and that was how Ifá came to be in the Oyo empire. Odinani suggests that Dahomey Kings noted that the system of Afá was brought by a diviner known as Gogo from eastern Nigeria.[2]
Orunmila came to establish an oral literary corpus incorporating stories and experiences of priests and their clients along with the results. This odu corpus emerges as the leading documentation on the Ifá tradition to become a historical legacy.
Yoruba canon Edit
In Yorubaland, divination gives priests unreserved access to the teachings of Orunmila.[3] Eshu is the one said to lend ashe to the oracle during provision of direction and or clarification of counsel. Eshu is also the one that holds the keys to ones ire (fortune or blessing)[4], thus acts as Oluwinni (ones Creditor), he can grant ire or remove it.[5] Ifá divination rites provide an avenue of communication to the spiritual realm and the intent of ones destiny.[6]
Igbo canon Edit
In Igboland, Ifá is known as Afá, and is performed by specialists called Dibia. The Dibia is considered a doctor and specializes in the use of herbs for healing and transformation.[7]
Ewe canon Edit
Among the Ewe people of southern Togo and southeast Ghana, Ifá is known as Afá, where the Vodun spirits come through and speak. In many of their Egbes, it is Alaundje who is honored as the first Bokono to have been taught how to divine the destiny of humans using the holy system of Afá. The Amengansi are the living oracles who are higher than a bokono. A priest who is not a bokono is known as Hounan, similar to Houngan, a male priest in Haitian Vodou, a derivative religion of Vodun, the religion of the Ewe.
Odù Ifá Edit
Divination tray
There are sixteen major books in the Odu Ifá[8] literary corpus. When combined, there are a total of 256 Odu (a collection of sixteen, each of which has sixteen alternatives ⇔ 16^2, or 4^4) that are believed to reference all situations, circumstances, actions and consequences in life based on the uncountable ese (or "poetic tutorials") relative to the 256 Odu coding. These form the basis of traditional Yoruba spiritual knowledge and are the foundation of all Yoruba divination systems. Ifá proverbs, stories, and poetry are not written down. Rather, they are passed down orally from one babalawo to another.
International recognition Edit
The Ifá Divination system was added in 2005 by UNESCO to its list of the "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity".[9]
Notable followers Edit
21 Savage, British-American rapper
Osunlade, musician, record producer, DJ
Wande Abimbola, Nigerian linguist
Sandra Valls, American comic, actor, singer
See also
The powerful Babalawo of Ifa: shamanism and the matrix of life
Priests of Ifa gather at the palace to perform the rite of Ifa Adagba, Nigeria, August 1982. Photo by John Pemberton III.
“We write in every aspiration for truth, in thought and deed by day, and in soul struggles by night, the story of our desire for spiritual development. Upon the pages of the book of Karma are written the minutest particulars of individual efforts; when the feeble will is strong enough to prevent further births in this world, which is the spirit’s dream life, we shall find in real existence all the chapters that we have written in all our transitions. Only then will we be able to read the whole book through and know the nature of the long journey out of spirit through matter and back again to the All.” – An excerpt from a Theosophical doctrine.
As the days drift by and the evanescence of the seasons fade into the mysteries of nothingness, we are reminded of the transient nature given the life we live and all that is contained therein. Of tomorrow’s happenstance, who can know? Of the impersonal forces by whose beckon we are accorded the insight and guidance with which we gain traction on our muddied paths, how much of gratitude can we pay in recompense given the unconditional nature of the wisdom with which they employ in helping heal our over-grown ego?
Of the energy intelligence by whose creative endeavor flora and fauna have flourished and continue to evolve on our plane of existence, whose eyes can behold? Of the rise and fall of the Sun, of the changing phases of the Moon and of the vibrations underlying the mystic winds that have ferried our adventure-loving relatives to distant lands in search of love and inner joy, whose feet can keep up with their non-existent pace? Many are the questions surrounding the beautiful mystery called life.
Life, however, does not have to remain unto us a puzzling phantom, because if it does, it wouldn’t be worth the struggle embedded in living it. The problems and situations with which we are faced contain in them the respite of a freed salvation, our quota towards the liberation of our impersonal Self in the recognition of the vestiges bared by our trials lies in the willingness and humility required to elevate our senses to those unfettered heights.
There are persons walking amongst us who by virtue of the mysteries surrounding their birth are naturally aligned with dimensions higher than what our five senses permit our innate perceptive abilities. These are the ones who wield the key to unlocking the mysteries contained in all of our unanswered questions, aiding our vessels in their sojourn along the shoreless ocean of immutability. The Babalawo happens to be one of those select few whose innate abilities transcend what is offered by the average.
A Babalawo in Nigeria — Photo: Faith & Belief by Jarred James Breaux
‘Babalawo’ is a highly revered pedigree of an Ifa high priest, a servant and mouthpiece of Orunmila in the Yoruba cultural tradition and pantheon. It means, among other equally reverent permutations; ‘The Father of Mysteries’.
The Babalawo acts as an intermediary between the living in the ‘Upper world’ on one hand, and the living in the ‘Lower world’ on the other hand, for in most Afrikan communities, the ones who have shed their flesh in the transition process others call ‘death’ are believed to be living nonetheless but in a world qualitatively different from ours. He is ‘called’ from an early age in life amongst his peers to tread the path of a ‘Seer’ because of the spiritual aptitude characteristic of his ethereal self. His work is always garnished with a deep-seated reverence for all who cross the path of his divine duty.
The Babalawo is by personality very generous and intelligent, with a marked capacity for memorizing endless volumes of information; the one who will wield the high title of ‘Babalawo’ is required by the duty entailed therein to retain in the storehouse of his memory 256 Odu. His divining is usually done with a divining chain called Opele, or palm nuts on a sacred divining tray named Opon Ifa. The Opele and the palm nuts represent the male principle, and the divining tray represents the female principle in the dual nature of things but most importantly, they are indicative of the Law of Opposites; which teaches that every noble creative process requires by virtue of creating, an interaction between the negative and the positive; their interactive energies which bring to us the manifested creative answers to some of our deep-seated questions.
The Babalawo’s ultimate will is to discover the will and purpose of Orunmila; one of the most powerful deities among the Yoruba pantheon.
The Odu is an unwritten literary corpus; stories representative of all circumstances contained within the motions of life. They hold in them happenstances from the past, evidence of the now and impeccably accurate predictions of the future in sub verses named ese. The Odu is unwritten because the Babalawos hold the belief that; that which is written so as to unburden the mind becomes dead in essence, whereas that which is held in the mind is perpetually renewed in mode and make by the creative energies of the mind and thus is of a living nature irrespective of how old it is given the duration of its occurrence sometime past in relation to present moment.
o, the individual who is called to take up the high duty of a Babalawo usually understudies a more advanced and experienced Babalawo, one who passes this oral literary corpus of a heritage containing primordial wisdom and insight to him a day at a time. This can take up to 20 years to accomplish, but the training and studies entailed given the role and title of a Babalawo continues throughout the life of the initiate, as he also serves as a source of Odu to add to the already existing ancient store by incorporating some of the life stories shared with him by his visitors.
The 256 Odu is what I refer to as; the Matrix of Life, for there is nothing bound by the cords of life from the past, in the now, within the future or in the hereafter that commands the needed power to elude the confines of the absolute. There are 16 principal Odu and 240 minor Odu culminating in a total of 256 Odu. Each Odu contains verses which tell a story, and the appropriate Odu for the situation a Babalawo and his visitor may be faced with is determined using some precise mathematical algorithm based on the sciences of probabilities and binaries.
In the parlance of its adherents; “when the Odu falls, there is a story that comes with it.” The nature of this story will provide the spiritual information sought after by one who may be experiencing a Babalawo in his line of work, and it is an honour as well as noteworthy to mention that the ‘chosen’ Odu, as well as the predictive wisdom it carries, are always accurate, always!
The Babalawo is thus in effect and practice, a Shaman of African descent, and a very powerful one for that matter. He is bound by a code of conduct intrinsic to his line of work to be at peace and in harmony with members of all other religious sects, as his duty is to humanity and not members of his believing cohort. He is also a herbalist, a counsellor, a philosopher, a storyteller, a cosmologist and a philanthropist where he finds himself.
There have been, there is and there always will be forces higher than man in his current state, these forces are always benevolent, ready and willing to lead and guide man on his sojourn within the realm of Earth. The duty required of us is to quiet our apprehensions in the recognition of that fact and open up in humility to embrace the wisdom they have made available to us all around us, and the simple veracity that; we are not alone on our journey.
Those who seek after life’s deep waters will find within the rivers of their souls a dynamically potent shoreless ocean of immutability, always.
Cuban Ifá From An Insider
Hidden within the mysterious Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, also known as Lucumí, there is a deep body of secrets and rituals called Ifá, divination practiced by priests whose title, babalawo, means "Father of the Secrets." This book pulls away the veil of secrecy to reveal exactly what Ifá is and how it works, exploring its history, cosmology, Orichas, initiations, mythology, offerings, and sacrifices. Join Frank Baba Eyiogbe in this fascinating introduction that discusses the functions of the babalawo, the role of women, the future of Ifá, and much more.
Product description
Cuban Ifá From An Insider
Hidden within the mysterious Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, also known as Lucumí, there is a deep body of secrets and rituals called Ifá. This book pulls away the veil of secrecy to reveal exactly what Ifá is and how it works, exploring its history, cosmology, Orichas, initiations, mythology, offerings, and sacrifices. Join Frank Baba Eyiogbe in this fascinating introduction that discusses the functions of the babalawo, the role of women, the future of Ifá, and much more.
Praise:
"A wonderful and much needed addition to the literature on Afro-Cuban religion. Engagingly written, scholarly while remaining accessible . . . it presents an up-to-date exposition of both the history and contemporary philosophy of one of the world's most complex systems of divination."mdash;Stephan Palmié, Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Social Sciences at the University of Chicago and author of The Cooking of History: How Not to Study Afro-Cuban Religion
Review
"A wonderful and much needed addition to the literature on Afro-Cuban religion. Engagingly written, scholarly while remaining accessible . . . it presents an up-to-date exposition of both the history and contemporary philosophy of one of the world's most complex systems of divination."―Stephan Palmié, Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Social Sciences at the University of Chicago and author of The Cooking of History: How Not to Study Afro-Cuban Religion
About the Author
Frank Baba Eyiogbe has been practicing Santeria for over twenty-seven years: twenty-three years as a santero (Orisha priest) and eighteen years as a babalawo (initiated in Cuba). Frank has achieved the highest level of babalawo, "Olofista." He created the premier Santeria website www.orishanet.org, and has been a guest on NPR’s All Things Considered and The Global Guru and was interviewed for LIFE magazine. He has guest lectured at the University of Washington as well as UC Berkeley.
uban Ifá From An Insider
Hidden within the mysterious Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, also known as Lucumí, there is a deep body of secrets and rituals called Ifá, divination practiced by priests whose title, babalawo, means "Father of the Secrets." This book pulls away the veil of secrecy to reveal exactly what Ifá is and how it works, exploring its history, cosmology, Orichas, initiations, mythology, offerings, and sacrifices. Join Frank Baba Eyiogbe in this fascinating introduction that discusses the functions of the babalawo, the role of women, the future of Ifá, and much more.
Cuban Ifá From An Insider
Hidden within the mysterious Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, also known as Lucumí, there is a deep body of secrets and rituals called Ifá. This book pulls away the veil of secrecy to reveal exactly what Ifá is and how it works, exploring its history, cosmology, Orichas, initiations, mythology, offerings, and sacrifices. Join Frank Baba Eyiogbe in this fascinating introduction that discusses the functions of the babalawo, the role of women, the future of Ifá, and much more.
Praise:
"A wonderful and much needed addition to the literature on Afro-Cuban religion. Engagingly written, scholarly while remaining accessible . . . it presents an up-to-date exposition of both the history and contemporary philosophy of one of the world's most complex systems of divination."mdash;Stephan Palmié, Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Social Sciences at the University of Chicago and author of The Cooking of History: How Not to Study Afro-Cuban Religion
Review
"A wonderful and much needed addition to the literature on Afro-Cuban religion. Engagingly written, scholarly while remaining accessible . . . it presents an up-to-date exposition of both the history and contemporary philosophy of one of the world's most complex systems of divination."―Stephan Palmié, Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Social Sciences at the University of Chicago and author of The Cooking of History: How Not to Study Afro-Cuban Religion
About the Author
Frank Baba Eyiogbe has been practicing Santeria for over twenty-seven years: twenty-three years as a santero (Orisha priest) and eighteen years as a babalawo (initiated in Cuba). Frank has achieved the highest level of babalawo, "Olofista." He created the premier Santeria website www.orishanet.org, and has been a guest on NPR’s All Things Considered and The Global Guru and was interviewed for LIFE magazine. He has guest lectured at the University of Washington as well as UC Berkeley.
Features & details
Product Details
Publication date: February 8, 2015
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
Language: English
ASIN: B00S1MTLG8
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 602230
About the author
Frank Baba Eyiogbe was initiated as a babalawo (Santería high priest) in Havana, Cuba in 1996 and received Olófin sixteen years later. He is an Oluwo as he was initiated five years earlier as a priest of Obatalá so he could be well-versed as a santero as well as a babalawo. He travels back and forth between La Havana and the U.S., working as a babalawo in both countries.
Frank considers Ifá his life as well as his profession and is happily married to his wife Lisa with two twin children, Emiliano and Xochitl.
"He is an excellent babalawo, my best godchild and wherever I go I use him as an example. An American who is as much a babalawo as us (in Cuba). As I always say, he is my most advanced godchild. It is always invigorating to share my little grains (of knowledge) with a godchild that I hold in such esteem and respect as a human being and as a babalawo." - Miguelito Perez Alvarez, elder babalawo and Frank Baba Eyiogbe's Padrino in La Havana, Cuba
Ifá versus Ocha
Religious Differences, Terminology June 3, 2012 by Santeria Church
An Olorisha wears the Idé of Orunmila
Does your spiritual lineage work with Ifá or is it an Ocha house? (Ocha is a Spanish contraction of Orisha) This is a common question you’ll hear among santeros and it is a topic of great debate. There seem to be two major ways of working the religion of Santeria: spiritual lineages who work with Ifá and Babalawos, and those who don’t. Both are legitimate and valid practices but what is the difference, and why does this disparity exist in Santeria?
What is Ifá and Who are Babalawos
Ifá is the name of the sect of Orunmila within Santeria. Orunmila (also spelled Orunla or Orula) is the orisha of divination who knows how our fate will unfold. Some practitioners also call Orunmila by the name Ifá. The reason I specifically call out Ifá as a separate sect is because the ritual functions within the Ifá sect can only be accomplished by priests of Orunmila – called Babalawos (or Oluwos if they were orisha priests prior to passing to Ifá – which many are). Only Babalawos can give the Eshu that is received in Ifá. Only Babalawos can give the Idé of Orunmila (bracelet of Orunmila), which is always worn and keeps the spirit of Ikú (death) at bay. Only Babalawos can divine with the okuelé (diviner’s chain) and the ikín (palm nuts) – and these are the ONLY divination tools used in Ifá. Only Babalawos can give Kofá or Awofakán (Mano de Orula), giving a smaller shrine of Orunmila for people to have in their home (note this is not a consecration as a priest of Orunmila – it is a reception of his mysteries into your life for balance and to learn one’s destiny). Only Babalawos can consecrate other Babalawos as priests. A Santero or Santera cannot do these things.
But the inverse is also true. A Babalawo cannot do many of the things a Santero or Santera can. They cannot give addimú orishas (token Orishas) to others except for the Warriors (Eshu, Ogun, Ochosi, Osun), Osain, Olokun and Oduduwa – and even then they can only give the Ifá style ones that can never be passed on by that individual (unless they become a Babalawo in time). They do not read diloggún (cowrie shells) – they stick only to the use of the diviner’s chain and palm nuts. There is a pataki (legend) that Orunmila surrendered the cowries to Oshun and the orishas to use after she mastered the skill simply by watching him – and he swore that he would create a new system only for men, and only for his priests; that was the okuelé and ikin. Babalawos cannot give the initiation of Elekes (necklaces) – but they can give Orunmila’s eleke to people. They cannot initiate people in the Kariocha ceremony to be priests of other Orishas. They can perform sacrificial rights, or entrance readings leading in to a kariocha but they cannot be in the sacred room when the initiation is taking place. They do not birth orishas.
So in many ways, the Ifá sect is a subdivision of Santería. A cloistered sect of diviners with membership limited to heterosexual men, who dedicate their lives to the mastery of divination, the science of Ifá and the knowledge of Odu. Babalawos are not the high priests of our religion. That is a misnomer perpetuated in many of the early books on Santeria written by outsiders to our faith. They are the masterful diviners in our religion who focus solely on the function of Ifá.
Lineages that Work with Ifá
A Babalawo performs Ifá divination using Ikín and Opón Ifá
Many of the spiritual lineages, or “houses”, that work with Ifá will regularly go to Babalawos or include them in their ritual functions. Babalawos are consulted when determining the tutelary Orisha of an individual. In this ritual, three Babalawos (minimum) gather together and use the ikin (palm nuts) and the Opón Ifá (table of Ifá) to determine that person’s tutelary Orisha. This is often done when a person received their Kofá or Awofakán (mano de Orula, hand of Orunmila). Ifá believes that only a Babalawo can determine a person’s tutelary Orisha because Orunmila witnessed destiny unfold. (Orisha priests will argue this point and explain that it was Orunmila and Elegguá who witnessed fate together and that Elegguá actually preceded Orunmila, so Elegguá can also tell us who a person’s tutelary orisha is.) Houses that work with Ifá will also employ Babalawos to perform sacrificial rites during ceremonies, and they will have Babalawos perform the entrance reading and the Ebó Até (cleansing at the mat) during a person’s life reading.
A person becomes a Babalawo when they are told they have a destiny in the sect of Ifá through divination. This can be through the life reading when receiving Awofakán, or it can be through a life reading received after their Kariocha. Not everyone can become a Babalawo. Women and gay men are strictly prohibited from being initiated as Babalawos in Santería Lucumi (Lukumí). Some individuals go from being an Aborisha directly into the sect of Ifá as a priest of Orunmila. Most others end up being initiated as an Olorisha to their tutelary orisha (Elegguá, Ogún, Oshun, Yemaya, etc.) and then later in life “pass to Ifá” and become ordained as a priest of Orunmila (Babalawo). These individuals are called Oluwos (Oluos). The moment they pass to Ifá they no longer function as an Olorisha and can no longer participate in the rituals that an Olorisha officiates (elekes, warriors of ocha, kariocha, etc.). They dedicate their lives to the sect of Ifá and the ritual functions to which they are limited.
Lineages that Do Not Work with Ifá
Many spiritual lineages, or “houses”, do not work with Ifá at all. In these houses the Obá Oriaté will officiate all ceremonies. The Oriaté is an orisha priest who has been specially consecrated due to his knowledge of divination and all of our ceremonial rituals, to officiate rituals in the sacred room (igbodú). Since the Oriaté is a Santero or Santera, he/she can do much more for an orisha initiate than a Babalawo can – but he cannot perform the special functions that are restricted to Ifá. An Oriate can determine the tutelary Orisha of an individual (actually any orisha priest can, provided he or she is a skilled diviner). This is performed either using the cowrie shells of the godparent’s tutelary orisha, or with the diloggun of Eleggua (because Elegguá witnessed all destiny and knows everything taking place – and is truly neutral). Houses that do not work with Ifá argue that Olorishas are the only ones who should truly determine a person’s tutelary orisha because they actually birth orishas and crown people as priests, where Ifá does not. (Personally I do not think this is a determining factor because you can cite the impartiality of Ifá as an equally valid reason to let Babalawos do this.) In non-Ifá houses, the Oriaté performs sacrificial rites (so can any individual who has received Pinaldo – the sacred knife), the Oriaté does the entrance readings prior to Kariocha and the Ebó Até (cleansing at the mat) during a person’s life reading. The Oriaté officiates the kariocha ceremony where a priest is initiated. Oriatés can birth and give addimú orishas (token orishas) or any other function in the religion. They are the Orisha High Priests.
The separation between Ifá and Ocha lineages has historical roots. When the slave trade of the Yoruba began, the spiritual practices of the Yoruban tribes were just starting to solidify into one religion. As millions of Yoruba people, especially Olorishas, were sold into slavery, the Yoruba populace was divided by the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. The religion continued to evolve back in Africa, and evolved differently here in the Americas. This accounts for this disparity between the two religions and explains why Yoruba Traditional Religion has commonalities with, but cannot be compared directly to Lucumi/Lukumí Religion. The followers of Ifá in Africa were relatively untouched by the slave trade, and the sect of Ifá in Africa grew in prominence and ritual function. In Traditional Yoruba Religion, Ifá is deeply intertwined with Orisha worship and plays a different role than in Lukumí. The followers of Ifá, as a population, were the last group taken in slavery and brought to Cuba.
In Cuba, as Santeria Lucumi started to take form, there was a marked absence of Babalawos and the Ifá sect. The style of initiation performed in the Yoruba city of Oyo became the most prominent style of initiation in Santeria. This initiation includes the reception of the “four pillar” orishas of Santeria regardless of that person’s tutelary orisha: Obatala, Oshun, Yemaya and Chango. The Obá Oriaté functioned as the master of ceremonies in all rituals. Women were the strongest leaders in Santeria and every lineage will honor mighty women in their Moyuba prayer. Santeria Lucumi unified in practice and purpose in the late 1800’s. There is historical evidence that by 1860, Lucumi people were performing ordinations to priesthood. Santeria, without the influence of Ifá, was functioning strongly in Cuba up until the early 1900’s.
The Idé of Orunmila can be worn by anyone to protect them from Ikú (death) but only Babalawos and Oluwos can give the bracelet and confer this protection
In the early 1900’s, women who were once the strongest and most powerful leaders in Santeria, began losing prominence as the Babalawos and sect of Ifá rose in power. In the sect of Ifá, when a Babalawo marries a woman Olorisha, she becomes an Apetebí Aya Ifá (slave of Ifá) and is forbidden from performing diloggun divination. Divination becomes the sole domain of the Babalawo in that house, and women are subjugated. Many of the most powerful women in Santeria were getting married to Babalawos because of the status associated with the position, but in the process, women lost power in Santeria. Babalawos became the master of ceremonies in those houses, and thus began the difference between spiritual lineages that work with Ifá versus those that are Ocha-centric. The office of Oriaté, once traditionally held by the most influential women in our religion, became dominated by men. To date there are two, perhaps three, female Oriatés left in the United States, and a few more in Cuba. In modern times, most Apetebís know very little about Ocha, and mainly defer to their husbands about knowledge of Ifá.
Therefore, the lineages that do work with Ifá typically introduced this sect into their Santeria practice through marriages in the past. A female Olorisha likely married a Babalawo and he began divining for everyone and running the show. Lineages that don’t have Ifá strongly involved in their practice likely never experienced this phenomenon. Both are traditional practices according to the culture bearers of the religion of Santeria.
Everyone Comes to the Feet of Ifá
In spite of the division between Ifá and Ocha-centric lineages, everyone will eventually come to Ifá for some need. Some go to Babalawos to get their Kofa or Awofakán (Mano de Orula, Hand of Orula) and that’s it. Others come for an occasional reading from time to time, or to receive the Idé of Orunmila (bracelet of Orunmila that keeps death at bay). Some will visit Babalawos when facing a very difficult spiritual ob
Aleyos, Santeros and Babalawos – oh my!
Ceremonies, Terminology June 1, 2012 by Santeria Church
An ornate set of elekes for Eleggua, Obatala, Oshun, Yemaya and Chango
What’s a santero? Is a babalawo a high priest? What do all of these names mean? It is important to understand what the different terms in our religion mean especially those used for the various levels of initiation, so you know who you’re dealing with.
Aleyo
Aleyos are people who have not received anything in Santeria. They may or may not be followers of the religion. They are not formally associated with any spiritual lineage (ilé). They can freely work with their Ancestors as can anyone.
Aborisha
Aborishas are people who have received the initiation of necklaces (elekes) or warriors (Eleggua, Ogún, Ochosi and Osun). These people are under the protection of the Orishas, or have some Orishas in their home. Aborishas have duties and responsibilities toward their godparents that gave them necklaces or the warriors. They are required to honor their godparent on the anniversary of the godparent’s initiation (ocha birthday) as a priest or priestess with an offering called a “derecho”. The derecho consists of a plate, two coconuts, two candles and a donation of money. This derecho is presented to the godparent’s tutelary Orisha every year. Every ceremony in Santeria involves a primary godparent (can be male or female) and a second godparent known as an ojugbona (can be either gender as well). An aborisha will need to pay respect to both their godparent and ojugbona on their ocha birthday. A person remains an aborisha until they are crowned as a priest of priestess in the religion. Some lineages allow aborishas who have received warriors to divine with obi while others reserve this for Olorishas. Most Aborishas are encouraged to focus on their relationship with their Ancestors and their Warriors as ways of developing spiritually.
Olorisha (Santero/Santera)
When a person undergoes the ceremony of kariocha (hacer el santo) he or she becomes an Olorisha. This is a ceremony where that person’s tutelary Orisha is seated on his head – he is literally crowned with that Orisha and his body and life are consecrated to the service of that Orisha. Olorishas can be crowned to any of the following orishas: Eleggua, Ogun, Ochosi, Obatala, Aggayu, Oya, Oshun, Obba, Yemaya, or Chango. Rarer initiations can be done to Inle, Babalu Aye, Orisha Oko, Olokun or Yewa but some of these are only done in Africa. Men or women can be olorishas – the term is the same for either gender. Olorishas can perform readings with cowrie shells (diloggún) or with obi. They can work with ancestors, give necklaces, give warriors, give orishas, crown others in kariocha, or a whole multitude of spiritual services. They are effectively a priest or priestess of our religion.
The terms Santero (man) and Santera (woman) are syncretized terms that indicate “one who works with saints”. Within Santeria, you are not a Santero or a Santera until you have undergone the initiation of kariocha and finished your year as an Iyawo. Santero and Santera are alternate terms for Olorishas.
Iyawo (Yawó, Yabo)
In Santeria, when a person goes through kariocha, they spend a year dressed in white with a long list of behavioral restrictions in order to preserve their purity and keep them centered and focused. This allows the energy of the kariocha to properly seat within that individual and it allows them to bond with their Orishas. An iyawo is not allowed to initiate others nor is he or she allowed to participate in ceremonies aside from drumming celebrations. They are supposed to remain rather isolated and quiet for their year. Once an iyawo completes their year in white and celebrates their first ocha birthday (anniversary of their initiation), they can then return to a normal mode of dressing and a regular life. They move out of being an iyawo and into being an Olorisha. Until an iyawo performs his three month ceremony (ebó meta), he cannot work his Orishas or put anything on them in terms of offerings.
Padrino, Madrina (Babatobi, Iyatobi)
The terms padrino and madrina are spanish terms for godfather or godmother. These are terms of respect when referring to the people who initiated you in Santeria. To be a padrino or a madrina you must be an Olorisha or Babalawo because they are the only ones who have the authority to initiate others. The Lucumi term for a padrino is “babatobi” and the term for a madrina is “iyatobi”.
Oyugbona (Ojugbona, Yubona)
An oyugbona is your second godparent and in many ways is more important than your primary godparent. The word oyugbona (ojugbona) literally means “eyes on the road”. They are the “look-out” on your spiritual journey and are in charge of your spiritual well being. Unfortunately the importance of the oyugbona is being forgotten or overshadowed by the role of the godparent. In religious ceremonies, the oyugbona does most of the hard work and deserves as much respect as our babatobi or iyatobi. The oyugbona must also be an olorisha.
The oyugbona must also be an olorisha.
Babalawo
The Table of Ifá with Ikin used by Babalawos to divine
There is a great misconception in the religion of Santeria that Babalawos are high priests of the religion. Babalawos are not high priests, they are those who have been consecrated as priests of the Orisha Orunmila (Orunla). The sect of Orunmila is sometimes called Ifá. The term Ifá is also interchangeably used for the Orisha Orunmila himself. In Santeria (Lucumi/Lukumi) only heterosexual men can be initiated as priests of Orunmila/Ifá. Babalawos can only participate in the Ifá sect, they cannot perform kariocha nor can they give the ceremony of elekes. They can give warriors of Ifá, the bracelet of Orunmila (idé Orunmila), and Kofá/Awofakan (Mano de Orunmila) which is an initiation where an individual receives the mysteries of Orunmila. They can, logically, initiate others as Babalawos. If the Babalawo was an Olorisha prior to being initiated in Ifá he is technically called an Oluwo and no longer functions in the realm of the Olorisha once he passes to Ifa.
The sect of Ifá is basically a diviner’s sect. They specialize in divination using either the Okuelé (diviner’s chain with 8 seed pods on it) or with Ikin (palm nuts) and the Opón Ifá (a wooden board). Babalawos can also perform ceremonies of cleansing, readings for a person to determine their tutelary Orisha, entrance readings prior to Kariocha and they can officiate sacrificial ceremonies. It is important to state that Babalawos do not read with cowrie shells – they only use either Okuelé or Ikín in divination. Many lineages do not work with Ifá and most of those lineages refer to an Obá Oriaté to officiate their ceremonies. Once a person is initiated to Ifá or passes from Ocha to Ifá, they are no longer allowed to crown people to any Orisha other than Orunmila. In many ways the step away from the Orisha sects into a strict worship of the Ifá sect.
In African lineages they are beginning to initiate women to Ifá and call them Iyanifá. This is a relatively new evolution of the religion back in Africa and is not recognized in Santeria as a practice.
Obá, Oriaté
The Obá Oriaté is the true high priest in our religion. They are the master of ceremonies who knows all of the rituals and officiates them on behalf of a community. There is a great misconception that only men can be Obá Oriates. This is not only liturgically incorrect, but there is historical evidence to the contrary. Some of the most powerful Oriates in our religion were women. Santeria is a woman’s religion, and women dominate its practice. The Oriate is the person who officiates the kariocha ceremony and orchestrates the efforts of the Olorishas who are present to initiate the new Iyawó. The Obá Oriaté can officiate sacrificial ceremonies, work with ancestors, give cowrie shell readings (diloggun), determine a person’s tutelary Orisha, do entrance readings prior to ceremonies, give necklaces, give warriors, give Orishas, give life readings (itá), perform ebó – they can perform religious services in every aspect of Santeria. They go through a special ceremony to remove any taboos from their hands so that they can officiate the initiation of any individual. Oriates may be crowned to any Orisha (except Orunmila).
Who, or what, is a Babalawo?
A Babalawo is a sage or high priest, who is well versed in the rituals, the lore and the history of the Yoruba Tradition/ Religion called IFA. He has become a master in the Cabalistic and ritualistic aspects of IFA. Babalawo (Baba-ni-Awo) means "Father in the knowledge of things material and spiritual."
The Cabalistic mastery makes the Babalawo a craftsman who has acquired the fine skills of the preparation of medications (curative, calming, preventive), some of which can be explained in western scientific terms. He also utilizes the power of invocation and evocation of spiritual forces to effect the expression of phenomena. He is therefore a redeemer from the Ajogun (evil forces of the material and spiritual systems).
In many IFA verses, the client is full of praise for his and her Babalawo after the feat has been performed. The Babalawo in turn then praises IFA who then in turn sings the praises of Olodumare (the Almighty).
In order to become a Babalawo, one needs to get initiated in to IFA and one needs to study with elders in order to get well versed in IFA.
The first step is to receive the Hand of IFA which will help you connect to the Ase (power) of Orunmila (Deity of Wisdom)/ IFA.
The second step is to go through Igboodu (the sacred Grove) which is the initiation into IFA. Here one receives the Ase from IFA, and also one is being guided how to work IFA for oneself, ones family and the community.
A good Babalawo is a servant of Orunmila who helps and assist clients in attaining their Highest Destiny. He is a well respected leader who is in touch with the material and spiritual. He is never in conflict with any other tradition or religions - indeed; his help is sought in many ways as his influence extends into all phases of life. He lives for one purose only, to discover the will of Orunmila.
Moreover, he himself lives in accordance with the beliefs of IFA and his manifest reverence and meticulous observance of its ritual constitute one of the strongest arguments against the charge of general dishonesty.
The Pastor and the "Babalawo": The Interaction of Religions in Nineteenth-Century Yorubaland
J. D. Y. Peel
Africa: Journal of the International African Institute
Vol. 60, No. 3 (1990), pp. 338-369
Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International African Institute
DOI: 10.2307/1160111
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1160111
Page Count: 32
Topics: Pastors, Christianity, Divinat
Babalawo
Meaning of Babalawo in English:
Babalawo
NOUN
Originally in West Africa: a traditional healer in the Ifa system of divination.
Origin
Mid 19th century. From Yoruba babaláwo from bàbá father + -l- (elided form of -ni- in) + awo cult, secret.
Pronunciation
Babalawo/babəˈlɑːwəʊ/
Babalawo
Santería: an old religion in the new Cuba
By Katarina Delgado, Havana, Cuba, 2018
The yearly letter released this on January 2 by the Yoruba Cultural Association of Cuba stated that “Everyone is worthy of respect.” But some practitioners of Santería, derived from Yoruba, say their religion is not always respected, or understood.
An estimated 70 percent of Cubans practice some form of Santería, an Afro-Caribbean religion derived based in natural elements, according to the U.S. Department of State.
“People see Santería as something negative or like witchcraft but it’s not like that because Santeria is a religion practiced for the good, not to do harm to anyone,” Israel Bravo-Vega, a Cuban Babalawo or Santeria priest, said. Babalawo (also spelled Babalao, means “father of the mysteries’ in the Yoruba language originated in West Africa).
Vega works at el Templo de Yemaya in Trinidad, Cuba where tourists are welcomed to walk in and learn about Santería’s traditions and origins.
“Santería came from Nigeria and mixed with Catholicism and continues surviving until today,” Vega said. “It’s a religion practiced in Cuba, a religion from black people.”
The traditions and practices still used today in Santería were inherited from slaves, though mixed with other religions, Elias Aseff, a Cuban scholar, said. The first records of slaves in Cuba go back to as early as 1513. Slaves were brought to Cuba to farm the coffee and sugarcane crops. Over three centuries of slave trading, an estimated 600,000 slaves were brought to Cuba from Western Africa. Along with labor, they brought the Yoruba religion which Santeria draws from along with Catholicism.
Different tools are used in rituals. The tool pictured above is used before beginning a ritual in order to cleanse.
“Because this religion came from Africa. And we always have a stigma, a taboo about religions from black people because black people were segregated and they were regarded as evil,” Aseff said. “If African people were the colonizers of the western, it would be the other way around and maybe witchcraft would be the Christianism.”
The main way Santería, or “the way of the saints,” draws from Christianity is through the Saints. Different Yoruba spirits, known as Orishas, are represented as Christian Saints. Our Lady of Charity represents the Yoruba Goddess of the River, Ochún. Saint Lazarus, a very popular saint in the religion, is representative of Babalú-Ayé who is called upon for the sick. Because of this mixture with the Catholic religion, Manuel Cruz, a Catholic priest in Cuba, is skeptical about Santeria.
“As a Catholic, logically, I don’t agree with many of the things they do,” Cruz said. “They mix is with Catholicism so it’s taken from here, from there.”
But, Cruz says, he doesn’t have an issue with the Santeros and that there is a mutual respect.
“We respect everyone’s religion,” Delia Peniche, a believer of Santería who works as a
librarian in el Museo de los Orishas, said. “I don’t say because you’re catholic I can’t speak to you, I’ll speak to you normally. I respect your religion.”
Santeria combines elements of Christianity and the African Yoruba religion.
Because the Orishas are represented in Saints, Cruz encounters Santeros in his church.
“They come here sometimes to pray,” Cruz said. “They come in tranquility, I have a relationship with them.They are good people, nice people. There are certainly people who do harm, who do bad things, but I don’t know them.”
The close ties between the two religions bring them close together in Cuba. Sometimes, too close for Cruz’s comfort.
“They throw sacrificed chickens, food. For them it’s a way to express their sacrifice, leaving it in a catholic temple but they don’t notice that they are dirtying everything,” Cruz said.
Sacrifices are among the traditional methods of the Santería practice. Chickens, doves, goats and other animals are used in rituals to please the Orishas.
“They’re sacrifices we do to the saints to better our lives, to be able to save ourselves. In the end, that’s the function of an animal, they’re going to kill it one way or another,” Gustavo Diaz Claro, Babalawo and president of the Yoruba Cultural Association of Cuba, said.
While many people think animal sacrifice is a unnecessary everyday occurrence in the Santería tradition, Michel Arena, a young Cuban Babalawo, says that’s not the case.
“Sacrifices aren’t indiscriminate. It’s not like we’re going to do a sacrifice because someone is going on a trip or someone wants a position, like people think,” Arena said. “We sacrifice when it’s necessary and when the saint asks for it. We don’t do it every day. Sometimes people are simply told to light two candles and beg the saint and the person is resolved.”
Arena says another common practice includes bathing in fresh water with white flowers in order to cleanse.
Common practices include lighting candles and offering food to the Orishas.
“This religion is a weapon to face problems,” Aseff said. “This is not an ideology like in Christianism that if you do good things, if you have good behavior you will receive the blessing of the god and you will have a better life after death. We don’t promise that. We try to solve problems now because you are facing your problem every day.”
Santeros use different elements including herbs, water or fruits depending on the issue the person is having. For example, one might be told to bathe in fresh water with honey to sweeten a relationship.
“Sometimes people think that with doing the biggest things it’ll get better but no,” Claro said. “With the simplest things you can solve it.”
Some believers choose to solve their issues without ever resorting to animal sacrifices.
“I don’t understand why I would need to give a saint blood for something. I don’t agree with that,” Diana Cabrera Echeverria, a civil engineer and shop owner in Cuba, said. “I have my saint, I pray, I give fruit, candy, I light a candle and that’s where stop.”
Echeverria says that despite popular beliefs about the religion, she’s not an outlier.
“The majority of Cubans are like that. They light candles, they dress up in colors on the day of their saints but they don’t get to the point of sacrifice,” Echeverria said. “I think if you’re getting to that point it’s something diabolical.”
But while the religion is common practice in Cuba, Jorge Guzman, a Babalawo living in Miami, Florida, says his religion is still not fully understood.
“Ignorance is nothing more than being full of incorrect information and not opening yourself to new information,” Guzman said. “There’s a lot of ignorance regarding what the base of the religion is.”
Interviews were conducted in Spanish and translated into English, with the exception of Elias Aseff.
Author Katarina DelgadoPosted on January 17, 2018Tags ACYC, Africa, African religion, animal sacrifice, Babalao, Babalawo, Catholic, Catholicism, Christianity, Cuba, Elias Aseff, Israel Bravo-Vega, Orishas, Religion, ritual, sacrifice, Santeria, Slavery, Templo de Yemaya, Trinidad, Yearly Letter 2018, Yoruba, Yoruba Cultural
DEFINITION
babalawo
A Nigerian consult of the oracle from the Yoruba culture. Sometimes the term is used to define a voodoo priest. In movies, they sometimes have dark powers or require expensive sacrifice for their services.
baba: father
ala (o ni) : of
awo: divination
I need money. I'll donate a nice fat goat to the babalawo so he can tell me my future.
by Woske August 22, 2009
THE CONFUSION BETWEEN WHO IS AND WHO IS NOT A BABALAWO
The Confusion between who is and who is not a Babalawo
The Baba ni Áwo, better known as Babalawo, is the term to refer to the most respected of all; and there are not many.
More and more frequently you see someone wearing a thicker and bigger Ide (bracelet) around their wrists, wearing innumerable necklaces, covered in “religious” attributes, dressed in white 24hrs a day and living in an Ile (house) extensively decorated with objects called Orishas or Saints, which are not the same and many do not even exist. Others who also call themselves Babalawo are those who, for example, sing in a music group but do not act as priest; or those who perform other activities except work with Ifá. People usually think that a person is Babalawo because he has consecrated Ifá, but this is not true; there still a narrow and long way to go. Everything is achieved step by step; initiation does not mean graduation (in Wande’s words), there is a process before entering wogbò Ifá (forest of Ifá). I believe in and hold on to the traditional method in which you have to prove your capacity before being initiated. I write about this because I see a big confusion on this issue and I like to inform in order to prevent mistaken opinions about the Yoruba religion due to negative actions by a (…), unpublished works by (…), suggestions against Ifá’s commandments by someone who calls himself Babalawo.
When a person is initiated or performs Itefá (Ceremony of Ifá), it does not mean that the person is Babalawo, this person is an Omo´ko´Fa (Apprentice of Ifá) and needs to practice, learn, understand and wisely interpret Ifá. This takes years of study, provided the person has the necessary capacity to absorb this knowledge, the intelligence to understand Ifá and a genuine source of learning. I have known some who have more than 30 years of Ifá and do not know who Igba Odu, Oro, Egbe and Edan are; they do not know how to perform an Ose Ifá correctly and they are spreading and transmitting misguided knowledge because, and I want to make this clear, they have also been victims themselves of their masters. What is difficult to understand is the reason why they continue holding on to their senseless, misguided, illogical and unreasonable knowledge. Anyway, when an initiate in Ifá be able to prove their knowledge, then will we be in the presence of a real Babalawo. It is necessary to gain Àse (power) to become a competent Babalawo. The Babalawo must prove his ability to Orunmila with confidence and wisdom through exemplary actions, the Babalawo’s commitment is to Orunmila, not to his colleagues.
Many people speak about Ifá without knowing what Ifá is, its emergence and what it literally means.
Ifá means: dismantle everything. In the process in which Olodumare was going to send Orunmila to the earth, together with the other Irunmoles, Olodumare only called Orunmila to give him the 16 barrels containing all the wisdom of creation whose content he had to eat and swallow without leaving any trace or residue. In this process, the biggest barrel spills its content and breaks into pieces. When this happened, Olodumare told Orunmila to pick up the pieces and clean every residue from the floor and swallow it. After having finished, Olodumare confessed to Orunmila what he had eaten and that this wisdom, sensibility and intelligence were going to improve his spirituality in all aspects of life; this came to a point in which Orunmila could spiritually see beyond his partners (Irunmoles).
Ifá is Olodumare´s words through Orunmila, it is a living and immortal message for the whole world in any circumstance.
This prevails in a verse by Osa Irete:
Ogbon inu Omo ni i ran om lo eyin odi
Ofun imoran ni i ro omoran I’ ero
Imoran amoju, ka mo ponna pelu, enu ni i yo ‘ni
D’fafun Orunmila
Ni ojo ti Olodumare yo o ko okun ogbon le’owo
Summary: Intelligence and wisdom in abundance. A wise person makes good use of his intelligence and this puts you in a great position.
Do no rush in learning, life is too short for this, only the time and effort that is put into it will make your understanding and wisdom grow. It is necessary to live seriously inside in order to carry in total humbleness and light the specifications of Ifá to anyone who wishes to find them. Seek the essence of Ifá beyond praying a verse from memory like a poem, because as a prayed poem it does not have any Àse (power).
I will conclude with a phrase that my godfather Awo Ogunbiyi Elebuidon Omobobola:
“Igba Nlo, Igba Nbo, Ile Aye O re bi Kan”
“Time comes and goes but the land remains”. Thus, there is time to continue learning based on the cosmological cycle of life.
Ifá is wisdom, patience, honesty, sensibility, character, principles and values; it is to carry out the veracity of the truth. “Live by the truth, be righteous and kind, and avoid cruelty and greed”. Only then will you be blessed!
The pastor and the babalawo: the interaction of religions in nineteenth-century Yorubaland
J. D. Y. Peel
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1160111
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 December 2011
Extract
The system of divination called Ifa is among the most elaborate of African systems of divination and occupies a unique position in what is often called ‘Yoruba traditional religion’. That it is inappropriate simply to regard it as part of Yoruba traditional religion indicates the nature of our problem. For its saliency in Yoruba religion, as that has been conceived by commentators both Yoruba and non-Yoruba since the early nineteenth century, has precisely been because of its capacity to ‘ride’ social change, to detach itself from much of what Muslims and Christians call paganism, and to impose itself on the respectful attention of the modern educated.
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What does babalawo mean?
Definitions for babalawo
ba·bal·a·wo
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word babalawo.
Babalawo
Babalawo is a Yorùbá chieftaincy title that denotes a Priest of Ifá. Ifa is a divination system that represents the teachings of the Orisha Orunmila, the Spirit of Wisdom, who in turn serves as the oracular representative of God. The Babalawo claim to ascertain the future through communication with Orunmila. This is done through the interpretation of either the patterns of the divining chain known as Opele, or the palm nuts called Ikin, on the traditionally wooden divination tray.
Home/Babalawo
Babalawo
noun | bah · bah · lah · wo |
Baba + oni + awo = Babalawo – or- Father (Owner) of Secrets. This person is an earthly representative of Orunmila, the Orisha of Wisdom and owner of the Ifa divination system. The Babalawo is the keeper of secrets, knowledge, and wisdom of the Ifa tradition. To gain this title, one must go through extensive training under the tutelage of a highly experienced and competent Babalawo. During this process of training, the student is called an Awo. Once he has gained experience and becomes well-versed in the vast wisdom of Ifa, he becomes independent and is now called a Babalawo.
In en:Santería a Babalawo or "father of the secrets" is the equivalent of a priest.
Synonyms for babalawo
This thesaurus page is about all possible synonyms, equivalent, same meaning and similar words for the term babalawo.
We couldn't find direct synonyms for the term babalawo.
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babaco, babacu oil, babaha, babala, babalaas, babalon, babalou, babalu, baban, babangida
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Nigeria: 'I Am Babalawo, But I Still Go to Church'
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10 JUNE 2005 This Day (Lagos)
Lagos — Lekan Babalola, a Nigerian percussionist who is making waves internationally left Nigeria to study Engineering on a scholarship from the Lagos state government. The better part of his studies soon submerged his interest in engineering.
He followed his art, studying film making first, then a throw back from the past returned him to early years and time spent with the Babalawo, the local diviner. It struck a chord in him. This freak incidence ignited two passions in Lekan: to become a professional musician and for this he chose to play an instrument he was already familiar with back in the Aladura church before going to England. Second, he decided to become a Babalawo, spending time to research the Ifa corpus. Nseobong Okon-Ekong met Lekan in Cape Town, South Africa with Paul. Both men are members of an ensemble called the African Jazz All Stars. The band is conglomerate of distinguished bands leaders drawn from various African countries. They are all based in London. Incidentally, there are three Nigerians in the band.
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Babalawo
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Related to Babalawo: Odu Ifa, Ifa divination
Babalawo A traditional healer in the Ifa system of divination in West Africa.
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ERIC Number: EJ127982
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 1974
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
The Indigenous Yoruba Babalawo Model: Implications for Counselling in West Africa
Makinde, Olu
West African Journal of Education, 18, 3, 319-27, oct 74
The training and methods of the Yoruba babalawos in the healing profession, their philosophy and practice have much in common with Rogerian and other Western approaches. The author traces historical origins and the interactive process of the "Babalawo" method, which he believes has a place in empirical psychotherapy and counseling in West Africa. (JT)
Descriptors: African History, Counseling, Counseling Theories, Developing Nations, Higher Education, History, Models
Publication Type: N/A
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Africa
Santeria : Ashé
Ashé de Orula
Ashé is one of the most used terms of Santeria. However, most of us, when we begin to learn the concepts and their meanings while taking our first steps in religion, we receive the brief explanation that the Ashé is a blessing or in some case a vital power or a powder that is given yb our Santero/a o Babalawo.
The term Ashé is much broader and, therefore, much more interesting than it seems. It’s correct understanding speaks about the belief system that constitutes the symbolic and ritual construction of the Santería.
Before explaining the term, I remind you of some fundamental aspects of the belief system of the African and Afro-Hispanic cults:
To fully understand Afro-Hispanic cults, it is important to understand that we have an animist vision of the world. Animism is a word that means that, in the world everything, nature, including stones, plants, rivers, seas, etc., are inhabited by spiritual energies. All religions in the world have vestiges of animism in their belief system, for example: Catholics believe in a spiritual being who can live in a consecrated ostia, Judaism speaks of the ark of the covenant which was a a receptacle in which the spirit of his God dwelt and, in the sacred city of Mecca, is a black rock stoned by the believers of Islam, which is the physical representation of Shaitan’s spirit.
Animism, in the Santería, is very easy to see when one sees how a practitioner asks permission to the mountain to take a plant and leaves a payment in coins. Or again, when cocoa butter smeared a sacred stone that is part of the secret that hides in the tureen of some Orisha. But do not make the mistake to think that Santeríe means only to worship mountains or pebbles.
For Santería, seeing the world in this way also implies that man’s relationship with nature is not based on a utilitarian type of relationship, as a Catholic who believes that the world and all the resources available to it are at his disposal.
In this document, we explain that the Santero is convinced that, since there are spiritual entities that animate everything in nature, every thing merit consideration and respect.
Animism connects the Santero with nature and its functioning in a way very different from that of other religions, because the individual does not possess nature, but he becomes image, receptacle and element. it also implies that when the Santero makes a prayer or an offering, it is not to please a God, but to find his place in the order in which he is immersed as an individual.
Animism is therefore a means of spiritualizing all that exists in nature and of giving it sensible properties. Hence the belief in the soul, because if all that is in nature is inhabited by spiritual beings, men who are part of nature also share this fact.
In the case of Yoruba’s, it should be noted that they identify persons with this vital energy. For example: at the time of the splendor of the Yoruba peoples, it was customary to make a bronze replica of the dead king’s head and a wooden body. The body was burned, but the head was preserved, symbol of the immortality of this vital force.
So life and death are the presence or the absence of the same force that is reflected in the vital points of the human body and not only that, but this same force, as we said before, can spread everywhere but in different quantities. For example. A tree has much more life force than a woodpecker, and a lion will have more life force than a field rat, and an Orisha will have more than one person.
The vital force, as you have already understood, is the Ashe, which is contained in each of the elements of the universe is variable and does not always correspond to the size of the objects it inhabits. Therefore, it may be that the Ashe of an individual actually has more of that life force than an immense stone.
The Ashe has another property that influences the way of practicing religion. This has to do with the fact that it is an energy a force that is accessible to everyone.
I do not know if you have noticed that Afro-Hispanic practices such as Santería or even Palo Monte are practices, have no notion of good and evil in moral terms.
The concept of good and bad in Santería and other Afro-Hispanic cults has two aspects: that which benefits or harms the community and the attachment to religious worship.
When your Babalawo entrusts you with the Ashe of Orula it is to allow you to realize works to find your place in the world and to feel part of the universe which surrounds us.
Awo Ifalade
Santeria.fr
Santeria: Every 28th of June we celebrate Oggun’s day
Oggun is the Orisha that represents and is the patron of the blacksmiths, of the wars, of technology, of the surgeons of the army as well as everything that needs uniforms and of all the ones that works in some way or another with the metals or some metal in particular.
Oggun the Orisha warrior is characterized by having a strong and violent character, but above all with his enemies, and his symbol is the machete, with which he faces each and every one of his enemies, but also used to break through, between the abundant vegetation and flora that can exist in a jungle or in a mountain.
When his brother Eleggua opens roads, it is he (Oggun) the great warrior in charge of protecting and securing those roads or those opportunities that are presented to the practitioners and believers of the religion.
His clothing consists of a vest and purple pants, he wears a flat cap, he also wears an ornate belt with long palm fibers and on her shoulder a tiger skin bag that is also adorned with snails. The favorite number of Oggun is 3 as well as their multiples, your preferred day is Tuesday as well as the days
4 of each month. You are greeted! Oke Oggun! Oggun Kobú Aguanilé!
Orisha Oggun is the second in Cuban Santeria (rule of Ocha), this because this (Oggun) is the owner of the machete (Embelebobo) and comes
just behind Eleggua, who as we said before is his brother and is the one who opens the way.
Oggun is said to be in charge of taking justice into his own hands, without caring what others will say or what they may think, all thanks to his great and strong character and that attitude of great violence towards his enemies, what makes him an impulsive deity who loses control when he rages and is extremely severe.
Oggun family
Son of Obbatalá and Yemu (hence the direct messenger of the first), and as we have already said, he has Eleggua, Shangó, as brothers Oshosi, Osun and in some patakis also of Dada, who are also deities.
Offerings and dances
Oggun can be given in offering all kinds of animals, that are sacrificed for him are always accepted in a very good way, since the simple action of sacrifice represents this deity.
It is usually offered to this deity honey, smoked fish, cacao butter, as well as toasted corn and liqueur, being this one, preferably the gin or the moonshine which is the alcoholic beverage more similar to the one used by the Yorubas .
He is known for two characteristics dances, the dance of the warrior as well as the dance of the worker, in the first one he breaks into the air with his machete throwing it downwards, while he advances with one foot and the other one is dragging and in the second one, in which he makes the mimic as if he were hammering with the machete like a blacksmith or as if he were harvesting with his tool.
The Santería Religion / The Lucumi Religion recognize by Unesco
Santería, (Spanish: “The Way of the Saints”), also called La Regla de Ocha (Spanish: “The Order of the Orishas”) or La Religión Lucumí (Spanish: “The Order of Lucumí”), the most common name given to a religious tradition of African origin that was developed in Cuba and then spread throughout Latin America and the United States. <!--more-->
Santería was brought to Cuba by the people of the Yoruban nations of West Africa, who were enslaved in great numbers in the first decades of the 18th century. The name “Santería” derives from the correspondences and similarities between the Yoruba deities called orishas and the saints (santos) of Roman Catholic piety.
Many contemporary practitioners refer to the tradition as “the religion of the orishas” or the “Lukumi religion,” after the name by which the Yoruba were known in Cuba.Santería is based upon the development of personal relationships through divination, sacrifice, initiation, and mediumship (see medium) between practitioners of the religion and the orisha deities, who provide their devotees with advices, wisdom, and success and who guide devotees through their lives. It is believed that access to the orishas can be achieved through various types of divination. In the Ifá oracle, for example, a trained priest, a babalawo (“father of the mystery”), interprets the fall of consecrated palm nuts to reveal the orishas’ response.
Most Ifá consultations prescribe some form of sacrifice to one or several of the orishas. These offerings may range from simple presentations before home altars to elaborate feasts in the orishas’ honour.
From the Cuban Revolution of 1959 to the early 21st century, nearly one million Cubans left the island, bringing Orisha religion to cities throughout the Americas, particularly Miami and New York. The tradition also spread to other Latino communities, African Americans, and white Americans. Although census data are lacking, it is likely that initiated devotees number in the tens of thousands and that those who consult an orisha at one time or another may be counted in the millions.
Devotees see the Orisha tradition as a world religion and have received public recognition of their spiritual achievements. In 1993 the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the right of devotees to practice the controversial rite of animal sacrifice in the case Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. Hialeah. The U.S. Army and Federal Bureau of Prisons have incorporated orisha ministries into their chaplaincies. Musicians, painters, sculptors, and writers have found in the Orisha tradition sources of African artistry and pride. It is likely that Orisha traditions will continue to grow and be recognized as one of the principal African contributions to world culture.
The Ifa divination system, which makes use of an extensive corpus of texts and mathematical formulas, is practiced among Yoruba communities and by the African diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean. The word Ifa refers to the mystical figure Ifa or Orunmila, regarded by the Yoruba as the deity of wisdom and intellectual development.
In contrast to other forms of divination in the region that employ spirit mediumship, Ifa divination does not rely on a person having oracular powers but rather on a system of signs that are interpreted by a diviner, the Ifa priest or babalawo, literally “the priest’s father”. The Ifa divination system is applied whenever an important individual or collective decision has to be made.
The Ifa literary corpus, called odu, consists of 256 parts subdivided into verses called ese, whose exact number is unknown as they are constantly increasing (there are around 800 ese per odu). Each of the 256 odu has its specific divination signature, which is determined by the babalawo using sacred palm-nuts and a divination chain. The ese, considered the most important part of Ifa divination, are chanted by the priests in poetic language. The ese reflect Yoruba history, language, beliefs, cosmovision and contemporary social issues. The knowledge of Ifa has been preserved within Yoruba communities and transmitted among Ifa priests.
Under the influence of colonial rule and religious pressures, traditional beliefs and practices were discriminated against.The Ifa priests, most of whom are quite old, have only modest means to maintain the tradition, transmit their complex knowledge and train future practitioners. As a result, the youth and the Yoruba people are losing interest in practising and consulting Ifa divination, which goes hand-in-hand with growing intolerance towards traditional divination systems in general.
The 6th of june is Oshosi’s day
Ochosi (Oshosi) lives in the woods and is a great hunter and fisherman. He’s also a warrior, a magician and a seer with shamanistic powers. Ochosi is the lord of justice, and the patron of those who have problems with the law. According to a pataki (sacred story), when Ochosi lived on earth as a human, he was given a special task by Eleguá: he needed to hunt and trap a rare bird that Orula wanted to give to Olofi as a gift. Ochosi was an expert hunter and he found the bird without a problem. He took it home and put it in a cage, and then went to tell Orula that he had the bird. While Olofi was out, his mother came home and found the bird in the cage. She thought it was meant for their dinner, so she killed and dressed the bird, and then she went to the market to buy some of the condiments she needed to cook it. Ochosi came home and saw the bird was dead, and he was very upset. He didn’t know who had killed it, but he decided that he needed to go get another bird right away, so Orula would be able to give it to Olofi. Ochosi hunted and trapped a second bird and gave it to Orula and, together, they went to present the bird to Olofi. Olofi was so happy with the gift that he wanted to reward Ochosi, so he gave him a crown and made him an Oricha on the spot. He asked Ochosi if there was anything else he wanted, and the hunter replied, yes, he wanted to shoot an arrow into the air and have it pierce the heart of the person who killed the other bird. Olofi, all knowing, understood what Ochosi’s words meant, so he asked if Ochosi was sure that’s what he wanted. Yes, said Ochosi, I want justice, and Olofi granted his wish. Ochosi released an arrow and almost at once he heard his own mother cry out. The arrow had pierced her heart and killed her. Ochosi was terribly sad when he realized what he had done, but he also knew that justice had been done. Olofi knew then that Ochosi wouldn’t hesitate to punish any wrong doing he came across, and he made it Ochosi’s job to hunt for the truth and measure out justice in the world.
The Attributes of Ochosi
Ochosi lives in an iron cauldron with Ogún, which is placed next to Eleguá near the interior entryway of the home. Most patakis say that Ogún, Eleguá and Ochosi are brothers, but they may have different mothers and fathers. For example, Yemayá is often mentioned as Ochosi’s mother, whereas Yemú (Yembo) is the mother of Eleguá and Ogún. According to a pataki, Ogún and Ochosi weren’t always on friendly terms, but they came to understand that they needed each other and made a pact to always work together. When the earth was newly formed, there were so many forests that Ochosi had a hard time getting to his prey when he hunted. His arrow never missed the mark, but there were no paths or clearings, so he couldn’t reach the animal he had killed, and he had no food. Ogún had a similar problem. He was great at making metal traps, but he could never catch anything in the traps. Each one went to complain to Orula about their problem, and Orula suggested they go individually to make ebbó (an offering) in the forest. They ran into each other while they were going to make ebbó, and they started to talk. Soon, they realized that together they could do much more than either could do alone. Ochosi could hunt and kill animals for food, and Ogún could use his machete to clear the path. This way, Ochosi could reach his prey and he could share the food with Ogún. This explains why Ochosi and Ogún are inseparable.
Ochosi’s symbol
Ochosi is one of the four warriors, with Eleguá, Ogún and Osun. His days are Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, and the 4th day of every month. Ochosi’s symbol is a crossbow and arrow. His tools include 3 arrows, 3 hunting dogs, a small mirror, a piece of stag’s horn, a fishing hook and a scalpel, which makes his protection is important for people undergoing surgery. He’s also the owner of all kinds of hunting birds, like falcons and hawks, and he looks after wildlife in general. Some also say he’s the patron of those who work with dogs, and he measures out justice to those who mistreat dogs. The eleke for Ochosi is usually blue and yellow, sometimes with green, coral or amber beads. His numbers are 3, 4 and 7. He’s syncretized in the Catholic religion with Saint Norbert. His feast day is June 6. Ochosi’s children are quick on their feet, have excellent reflexes, are sharp and attentive, full of initiative. They love change and new adventures. Sometimes they have a desire to wander, but normally they enjoy family life and are hospitable to others. Ochosi’s children are trustworthy and truthful. In order to petition Ochosi for justice, the seeker must be in the right. That is to say, someone who has been falsely accused or is being victimized by a wrongdoer can ask Ochosi for intervention, and Ochosi will deliver swift justice. Ebbó for Ochosi is often left in front of the jail or courthouse.
For any further information : info@santeria.fr
Santeria: Every 28th of June we celebrate Oggun’s day
Oggun is the Orisha that represents and is the patron of the blacksmiths, of the wars, of technology, of the surgeons of the army as well as everything that needs uniforms and of all the ones that works in some way or another with the metals or some metal in particular.
Oggun the Orisha warrior is characterized by having a strong and violent character, but above all with his enemies, and his symbol is the machete, with which he faces each and every one of his enemies, but also used to break through, between the abundant vegetation and flora that can exist in a jungle or in a mountain.
When his brother Eleggua opens roads, it is he (Oggun) the great warrior in charge of protecting and securing those roads or those opportunities that are presented to the practitioners and believers of the religion.
His clothing consists of a vest and purple pants, he wears a flat cap, he also wears an ornate belt with long palm fibers and on her shoulder a tiger skin bag that is also adorned with snails. The favorite number of Oggun is 3 as well as their multiples, your preferred day is Tuesday as well as the days
4 of each month. You are greeted! Oke Oggun! Oggun Kobú Aguanilé!
Orisha Oggun is the second in Cuban Santeria (rule of Ocha), this because this (Oggun) is the owner of the machete (Embelebobo) and comes
just behind Eleggua, who as we said before is his brother and is the one who opens the way.
Oggun is said to be in charge of taking justice into his own hands, without caring what others will say or what they may think, all thanks to his great and strong character and that attitude of great violence towards his enemies, what makes him an impulsive deity who loses control when he rages and is extremely severe.
Oggun family
Son of Obbatalá and Yemu (hence the direct messenger of the first), and as we have already said, he has Eleggua, Shangó, as brothers Oshosi, Osun and in some patakis also of Dada, who are also deities.
Offerings and dances
Oggun can be given in offering all kinds of animals, that are sacrificed for him are always accepted in a very good way, since the simple action of sacrifice represents this deity.
It is usually offered to this deity honey, smoked fish, cacao butter, as well as toasted corn and liqueur, being this one, preferably the gin or the moonshine which is the alcoholic beverage more similar to the one used by the Yorubas .
He is known for two characteristics dances, the dance of the warrior as well as the dance of the worker, in the first one he breaks into the air with his machete throwing it downwards, while he advances with one foot and the other one is dragging and in the second one, in which he makes the mimic as if he were hammering with the machete like a blacksmith or as if he were harvesting with his tool.
News from Cuba
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El Servicio de Cambio Climático Copernicus, del Centro Europeo de Previsiones Meteorológicas a Medio Plazo (CEPMMP), confirmó algo que había adelantado la Organización Meteorológica Mundial (OMM): el 2019 fue el segundo año más cálido jamás registrado en el mundo y culminó una década récord en temperaturas.
Nombran nueva Viceministra Primera de Comercio Exterior de Cuba January 8 2020
La Habana, Cuba.- El Ministerio de Comercio Exterior e Inversión Extranjera de Cuba divulgó hoy la asunción de su nueva viceministra primera, Ana Teresita González Fraga.
Mayabeque está de cumpleaños January 8 2020
Cuba. – A pocas horas está Mayabeque de arribar a sus 9 años de creada y sus 11 municipios preparan diversas actividades culturales, deportivas y recreativas en saludo a la esperada efeméride.
Jornadas de Puertas Abiertas en la CUJAE January 8 2020
La Habana, Cuba. – Los próximos días 11 y 18 se realizarán desde las 9 de la mañana en la Universidad Tecnológica de La Habana José Antonio Echeverría, CUJAE, las Jornadas de Puertas Abiertas.
Espadista Yunior Reytor por sumar puntos hacia Tokio 2020 January 8 2020
Dueño de la medalla de bronce individual en los Panamericanos de Lima y considerado en la actualidad la principal figura de la espada cubana...
Más victorias cubanas en Bundesliga de Luchas January 8 2020
Tres victorias de cubanos apoyaron la primera sonrisa del club Germania Weingarten en las semifinales de la Bundesliga de Luchas 2019-2020.
Ópera de Beijing exhibirá arte milenario en La Habana January 8 2020
La Ópera de Beijing exhibirá el arte milenario de China con la gala cultural que conmemorará las seis décadas de relaciones diplomáticas entre la nación asiática y Cuba, anunciaron hoy sus organizadores.
Celebran 60 años de relaciones fraternas entre Cuba y la India January 8 2020
La proposición de fundar en grupo de investigación y estudio sobre relaciones bilaterales Cuba-India constituyó el preámbulo para celebrar el aniversario 60 de nexos comunes entre los dos países.
Asiste presidente de Cuba a debate de plan económico con trabajadores January 8 2020
El presidente Miguel Díaz-Canel asistió hoy al debate sobre el plan económico nacional para el año 2020 con miembros de la Central de Trabajadores de Cuba (CTC).
Camagüey regresa a la final de la pelota cubana 29 años después January 8 2020
Quienes madrugaron en el estadio Cándido González de esta región al oriente de Cuba no olvidarán la jugada de Alexander Ayala que significó el retorno a una final de Serie Nacional del equipo Camagüey.
The Santería Religion / The Lucumi Religion recognize by Unesco
Santería, (Spanish: “The Way of the Saints”), also called La Regla de Ocha (Spanish: “The Order of the Orishas”) or La Religión Lucumí (Spanish: “The Order of Lucumí”), the most common name given to a religious tradition of African origin that was developed in Cuba and then spread throughout Latin America and the United States. <!--more-->
Santería was brought to Cuba by the people of the Yoruban nations of West Africa, who were enslaved in great numbers in the first decades of the 18th century. The name “Santería” derives from the correspondences and similarities between the Yoruba deities called orishas and the saints (santos) of Roman Catholic piety.
Many contemporary practitioners refer to the tradition as “the religion of the orishas” or the “Lukumi religion,” after the name by which the Yoruba were known in Cuba.Santería is based upon the development of personal relationships through divination, sacrifice, initiation, and mediumship (see medium) between practitioners of the religion and the orisha deities, who provide their devotees with advices, wisdom, and success and who guide devotees through their lives. It is believed that access to the orishas can be achieved through various types of divination. In the Ifá oracle, for example, a trained priest, a babalawo (“father of the mystery”), interprets the fall of consecrated palm nuts to reveal the orishas’ response.
Most Ifá consultations prescribe some form of sacrifice to one or several of the orishas. These offerings may range from simple presentations before home altars to elaborate feasts in the orishas’ honour.
From the Cuban Revolution of 1959 to the early 21st century, nearly one million Cubans left the island, bringing Orisha religion to cities throughout the Americas, particularly Miami and New York. The tradition also spread to other Latino communities, African Americans, and white Americans. Although census data are lacking, it is likely that initiated devotees number in the tens of thousands and that those who consult an orisha at one time or another may be counted in the millions.
Devotees see the Orisha tradition as a world religion and have received public recognition of their spiritual achievements. In 1993 the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the right of devotees to practice the controversial rite of animal sacrifice in the case Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. Hialeah. The U.S. Army and Federal Bureau of Prisons have incorporated orisha ministries into their chaplaincies. Musicians, painters, sculptors, and writers have found in the Orisha tradition sources of African artistry and pride. It is likely that Orisha traditions will continue to grow and be recognized as one of the principal African contributions to world culture.
The Ifa divination system, which makes use of an extensive corpus of texts and mathematical formulas, is practiced among Yoruba communities and by the African diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean. The word Ifa refers to the mystical figure Ifa or Orunmila, regarded by the Yoruba as the deity of wisdom and intellectual development.
In contrast to other forms of divination in the region that employ spirit mediumship, Ifa divination does not rely on a person having oracular powers but rather on a system of signs that are interpreted by a diviner, the Ifa priest or babalawo, literally “the priest’s father”. The Ifa divination system is applied whenever an important individual or collective decision has to be made.
The Ifa literary corpus, called odu, consists of 256 parts subdivided into verses called ese, whose exact number is unknown as they are constantly increasing (there are around 800 ese per odu). Each of the 256 odu has its specific divination signature, which is determined by the babalawo using sacred palm-nuts and a divination chain. The ese, considered the most important part of Ifa divination, are chanted by the priests in poetic language. The ese reflect Yoruba history, language, beliefs, cosmovision and contemporary social issues. The knowledge of Ifa has been preserved within Yoruba communities and transmitted among Ifa priests.
Under the influence of colonial rule and religious pressures, traditional beliefs and practices were discriminated against.The Ifa priests, most of whom are quite old, have only modest means to maintain the tradition, transmit their complex knowledge and train future practitioners. As a result, the youth and the Yoruba people are losing interest in practising and consulting Ifa divination, which goes hand-in-hand with growing intolerance towards traditional divination systems in general.
source
Joseph M. Murphy and Oluwo Ifaladé
Trouble is babalawo for one day
The reason the lady came to see the Babalawo was because she was frustrated by the diagnoses that her usual Babalawo, Baba Efe, gave her was rather tedious. Iyaloja had gone to Baba Efe to ask for advice on setting up shop to trade in the new shopping mall being built in the town.
If she set up this shop in the mall, will she sell, will she make profit and will her customers love her? She put two and two together, or as some Nigerian journalist I know but will not name would say, put too and too together, (o fi eeji p’eeta), and went to see Baba Ifa, also known as Baba Efe.
Malls have always been part of retailing in Nigeria, only they were not called malls at that time, the time called pre-independence and post-independence. We must not forget the days of CFAO, SCOA, KINGSWAY. These stores disappeared after the indigenisation decree. Overnight there was miniaturisation of products for greater spread of distribution to the common people. A packet of washing powder divided into fifty parts and packed in cellophane bags, a packet of loose sugar portioned into twenty parts and sealed in cellophane bags, salt and matches, milk and tea, and anything that people buy but cannot buy in great quantities were miniaturized and sold down the lower class habitations. And so the big stores disappeared. Now they are back again. If those stores appeared because a middle class that bought bulk was appearing in Nigeria, they seemed to have disappeared leading to the miniaturization of goods. Now that it seems that they are coming back again, the big stores are reappearing as malls.
The reason the lady came to see the Babalawo was because she was frustrated by the diagnoses that her usual Babalawo, Baba Efe, gave her was rather tedious. Iyaloja had gone to Baba Efe to ask for advice on setting up shop to trade in the new shopping mall being built in the town.
If she set up this shop in the mall, will she sell, will she make profit and will her customers love her? She put two and two together, or as some Nigerian journalist I know but will not name would say, put too and too together, (o fi eeji p’eeta), and went to see Baba Ifa, also known as Baba Efe.
Malls have always been part of retailing in Nigeria, only they were not called malls at that time, the time called pre-independence and post-independence. We must not forget the days of CFAO, SCOA, KINGSWAY. These stores disappeared after the indigenisation decree. Overnight there was miniaturisation of products for greater spread of distribution to the common people. A packet of washing powder divided into fifty parts and packed in cellophane bags, a packet of loose sugar portioned into twenty parts and sealed in cellophane bags, salt and matches, milk and tea, and anything that people buy but cannot buy in great quantities were miniaturized and sold down the lower class habitations. And so the big stores disappeared. Now they are back again. If those stores appeared because a middle class that bought bulk was appearing in Nigeria, they seemed to have disappeared leading to the miniaturization of goods. Now that it seems that they are coming back again, the big stores are reappearing as malls.
Baba Ifa brought out his opon ifa and threw the opele. He threw the cowry shells a couple more times and declared that Iyaloja would trade and profit at the new mall but she must sacrifice. Iyaloja said she was ready to make whatever sacrifice was called for in this her new endeavour. Baba Ifa said that she would need the right foot of a left-handed man and the left foot of a right-handed woman. These two feet of different people she must burn together with different currency notes from different parts of the world including and especially U.S dollars, British pounds sterling and Chinese yuan. The ashes must be buried at the entrance door of the shop, which entrance must be different from the exit door.
She went around for weeks looking for these human feet without success. She could not find matching feet to the specification demanded. There were many suppliers who also tried to fool her to think that they were giving her what she asked for. But they charged her an arm and a leg, so to speak! So, she decided to visit another Babalawo.
A friend, also a frequent customer of seers, pastors and vision-vendors, recommended her to a new modern priest of Ifa. When she got to the ‘office’, she found Oga Trouble as the main consultant, or Baba Ifa for the day. There was an ante-room where those who had come to consult were seated waiting their turn to see the new Ifa priest. When she finally saw him, he was surprised to see him in a sky blue three piece suit with a cream coloured shirt and a bow tie of the same colour as the suit. The Ifa priest greeted her with a pleasant smile, invited her to sit down on the couch and asked if she would like something to drink. Not having had such a reception before at the place of an Ifa priest, she was confused and she did not know what to say. Rather than ask for something to drink, she blurted out that she had come to consult the Ifa Priest on her new venture. Maybe she was in the wrong place?
You are where you should be, Iyaloja. His pronunciation of her name was off key Yoruba, like a mix of Cuban/Brazilian Yoruba. You are going into trading in these modern malls, abi? Iyaloja was surprised about what she was coming to consult Ifa about. Again, he smiled and said that he had googled her name and Google had revealed unto him her silent desires and secret hope for plentiful profits. Was that not what she was after? Iyaloja confirmed her desire and prayed the modern Ifa priest to tell her what he saw for her.
Trouble, the Ifa Priest for the day, said that he needed to refine her wish further. What was she wishing to trade in? She wanted to trade in shoes. The priest turned to his computer, the modern opon ifa and googled footwear. He checked out how many stores in the particular mall she wanted to trade in traded in footwear – 97 stores traded in footwear. They sold children’s shoes, men’s shoes, women’s shoes and disabled and specially needed shoes. On further refining the search, only ten sold shoes for men and women and none specialized in women’s shoes. So, when Iyaloja asked for final solution, the Priest said that Ifa advised that she specialises in women’s shoes and special shoes for disabled and people needing specially constructed shoes. This was an area where few people traded.
Iyaloja thanked the priest and asked for the sacrifice she needed to make. Trouble asked if she had consulted other Ifa priests before coming to her. She said she had and told him what sacrifice she was asked to make. Why feet? Because people walked to the mal, l and so feet for sacrifice. Trouble asked if more people did not drive to the mall, arriving in personal motorcars, public taxis, uber taxis, keke napep, okadas and bicycles! So, far more people arrived at the mall on tyres. It means that if anything is to be used for sacrifice it should be tyres, which is common to all the means of arriving at the mall and at her shop. She agreed and she was asked to bring a tyre. This tyre was cut up and used to make foot mats. These foot mats were placed at the entrance and at the exit with ‘welcome’ and ‘thanks’ written on them in four languages. She also paid a consulting fee. Thus ended the first day of Ifa consulting done by Trouble and his company.
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babalawo
n. a Yoruba chieftaincy title that denotes a Priest of Ifá
Wikipedia
Babalawo
Babaaláwo or '''Babalawo (Babalao '''or Babalaô in Latin America; literally meaning 'father of the mysteries' in the Yoruba language) is a spiritual title that denotes a Priest of Ifá. Its female counterpart is called Iyalawo (meaning 'mother of divination) or Iyanifa (Mother of Ifa). Ifá is a divination system that represents the teachings of the Orisha Orunmila, the Orisha of Wisdom, who in turn serves as the oracular representative of Olodumare. The Babalawo ascertain the future of their clients through communication with Ifá. This is done through the interpretation of either the patterns of the divining chain known as Opele, or the sacred palm nuts called Ikin, on the traditionally wooden divination tray called Opon Ifá.
See also:
words rhyming with babalawo, words from word "babalawo", words starting with "b", words starting with "ba", words starting with "bab", words starting with "baba", words starting with "babal", words ending with "o", words ending with "wo", words ending with "awo", words ending with "lawo", words containing "a", words containing "ab", words containing "aba", words containing "abal",
Functions in society Edit
The Babalawos ascertain the future of their clients through communication with Ifá. This is done through the interpretation of either the patterns of the divining chain known as Opele, or the sacred palm nuts called Ikin, on the traditionally wooden divination tray called Opon Ifá.
In addition to this, some of them also perform divination services on behalf of the kings and paramount chiefs of the Yoruba people. These figures, holders of chieftaincy titles like Araba and Oluwo Ifa in their own right, are members of the recognised aristocracies of the various Yoruba traditional states.
Training Edit
Babalawos and Iyanifas undergo training in the memorization and interpretation of the 256 odù or mysteries, as well as in the numerous verses or Ese of Ifá. Traditionally, the Babalawo and the Iyanifa usually have additional professional specialties. For instance, several would also be herbalists, while others would specialize in extinguishing the troubles caused by Ajogun. The Babalawos and Iyanifas are, however, primarily trained in the determination of problems, or to divine how "Ìwà" (i.e., character) can be maintained so that "ire" (i.e., that which is the good desired) may manifest, and the application of both spiritual and related secular solutions. Their primary function is to assist people in finding, understanding, and being in alignment with their individual "Orí" (one's spiritual self) until they experience spiritual wisdom as a part of their daily experience.
The Ifá priest helps people develop the discipline and character that supports such spiritual growth called "Iwa Pele", or good character. This is done by identifying the client's spiritual "destiny", and developing a spiritual blueprint which can be used to support, cultivate, and live out that destiny.
For other uses, see IFA (disambiguation).
Ifá is a Yoruba religion and system of divination. Its literary corpus is the Odu Ifá. Orunmila is identified as the Grand Priest, as he is who revealed divinity and prophecy to the world. Babalawos or Iyanifas use either the divining chain known as Opele, or the sacred palm or kola nuts called Ikin, on the wooden divination tray called Opon Ifá.
Sixteen Principal Odu
Name
1
2
3
4
Ogbe
I
I
I
I
Oyẹku
II
II
II
II
Iwori
II
I
I
II
Odi
I
II
II
I
Irosun
I
I
II
II
Iwọnrin
II
II
I
I
Ọbara
I
II
II
II
Ọkanran
II
II
II
I
Ogunda
I
I
I
II
Ọsa
II
I
I
I
Ika
II
I
II
II
Oturupọn
II
II
I
II
Otura
I
II
I
I
Irẹtẹ
I
I
II
I
Ọsẹ
I
II
I
II
Ofun
II
I
II
I
Sixteen Principal Afa-du
(Yeveh Vodou)
Name
1
2
3
4
Eji-Ogbe
I
I
I
I
Ọyeku-Meji
II
II
II
II
Iwori-Meji
II
I
I
II
Odi-Meji
I
II
II
I
Irosun-Meji
I
I
II
II
Ọwanrin-Meji
II
II
I
I
Ọbara-Meji
I
II
II
II
Ọkanran-Meji
II
II
II
I
Ogunda-Meji
I
I
I
II
Ọsa-Meji
II
I
I
I
Ika-Meji
II
I
II
II
Oturupon-Meji
II
II
I
II
Otura-Meji
I
II
I
I
Irete-Maji
I
I
II
I
Ọse-Meji
I
II
I
II
Ofu meji
II
I
II
I
Ifá is practiced throughout the Americas, West Africa, and the Canary Islands, in the form of a complex religious system, and plays a critical role in the traditions of Santería, Candomblé, Palo, Umbanda, Vodou, and other Afro-American faiths, as well as in some traditional African religions.
History Edit
The 16-principle system seems to have its earliest history in West Africa. Each Niger–Congo-speaking ethnic group that practices it has its own myths of origin; Yoruba religion suggests that it was founded by Orunmila in Ilé-Ifẹ̀ when he initiated himself and then he initiated his students, Akoda and Aseda. Other myths suggest that it was brought to Ilé-Ifẹ̀ by Setiu, a Nupe man who settled in Ilé-Ifẹ̀. According to the book The History of the Yorubas from the Earliest of Times to the British Protectorate (1921) by Nigerian historian Samuel Johnson and Obadiah Johnson, it was Arugba, the mother of Onibogi, the 8th Alaafin of Oyo who introduced Oyo to Ifá in the late 1400s.[1] She initiated the Alado of Ato and conferred on him the rites to initiate others. The Alado, in turn, initiated the priests of Oyo and that was how Ifá came to be in the Oyo empire. Odinani suggests that Dahomey Kings noted that the system of Afá was brought by a diviner known as Gogo from eastern Nigeria.[2]
Orunmila came to establish an oral literary corpus incorporating stories and experiences of priests and their clients along with the results. This odu corpus emerges as the leading documentation on the Ifá tradition to become a historical legacy.
Yoruba canon Edit
In Yorubaland, divination gives priests unreserved access to the teachings of Orunmila.[3] Eshu is the one said to lend ashe to the oracle during provision of direction and or clarification of counsel. Eshu is also the one that holds the keys to ones ire (fortune or blessing)[4], thus acts as Oluwinni (ones Creditor), he can grant ire or remove it.[5] Ifá divination rites provide an avenue of communication to the spiritual realm and the intent of ones destiny.[6]
Igbo canon Edit
In Igboland, Ifá is known as Afá, and is performed by specialists called Dibia. The Dibia is considered a doctor and specializes in the use of herbs for healing and transformation.[7]
Ewe canon Edit
Among the Ewe people of southern Togo and southeast Ghana, Ifá is known as Afá, where the Vodun spirits come through and speak. In many of their Egbes, it is Alaundje who is honored as the first Bokono to have been taught how to divine the destiny of humans using the holy system of Afá. The Amengansi are the living oracles who are higher than a bokono. A priest who is not a bokono is known as Hounan, similar to Houngan, a male priest in Haitian Vodou, a derivative religion of Vodun, the religion of the Ewe.
Odù Ifá Edit
Divination tray
There are sixteen major books in the Odu Ifá[8] literary corpus. When combined, there are a total of 256 Odu (a collection of sixteen, each of which has sixteen alternatives ⇔ 16^2, or 4^4) that are believed to reference all situations, circumstances, actions and consequences in life based on the uncountable ese (or "poetic tutorials") relative to the 256 Odu coding. These form the basis of traditional Yoruba spiritual knowledge and are the foundation of all Yoruba divination systems. Ifá proverbs, stories, and poetry are not written down. Rather, they are passed down orally from one babalawo to another.
International recognition Edit
The Ifá Divination system was added in 2005 by UNESCO to its list of the "Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity".[9]
Notable followers Edit
21 Savage, British-American rapper
Osunlade, musician, record producer, DJ
Wande Abimbola, Nigerian linguist
Sandra Valls, American comic, actor, singer
See also
The powerful Babalawo of Ifa: shamanism and the matrix of life
Priests of Ifa gather at the palace to perform the rite of Ifa Adagba, Nigeria, August 1982. Photo by John Pemberton III.
“We write in every aspiration for truth, in thought and deed by day, and in soul struggles by night, the story of our desire for spiritual development. Upon the pages of the book of Karma are written the minutest particulars of individual efforts; when the feeble will is strong enough to prevent further births in this world, which is the spirit’s dream life, we shall find in real existence all the chapters that we have written in all our transitions. Only then will we be able to read the whole book through and know the nature of the long journey out of spirit through matter and back again to the All.” – An excerpt from a Theosophical doctrine.
As the days drift by and the evanescence of the seasons fade into the mysteries of nothingness, we are reminded of the transient nature given the life we live and all that is contained therein. Of tomorrow’s happenstance, who can know? Of the impersonal forces by whose beckon we are accorded the insight and guidance with which we gain traction on our muddied paths, how much of gratitude can we pay in recompense given the unconditional nature of the wisdom with which they employ in helping heal our over-grown ego?
Of the energy intelligence by whose creative endeavor flora and fauna have flourished and continue to evolve on our plane of existence, whose eyes can behold? Of the rise and fall of the Sun, of the changing phases of the Moon and of the vibrations underlying the mystic winds that have ferried our adventure-loving relatives to distant lands in search of love and inner joy, whose feet can keep up with their non-existent pace? Many are the questions surrounding the beautiful mystery called life.
Life, however, does not have to remain unto us a puzzling phantom, because if it does, it wouldn’t be worth the struggle embedded in living it. The problems and situations with which we are faced contain in them the respite of a freed salvation, our quota towards the liberation of our impersonal Self in the recognition of the vestiges bared by our trials lies in the willingness and humility required to elevate our senses to those unfettered heights.
There are persons walking amongst us who by virtue of the mysteries surrounding their birth are naturally aligned with dimensions higher than what our five senses permit our innate perceptive abilities. These are the ones who wield the key to unlocking the mysteries contained in all of our unanswered questions, aiding our vessels in their sojourn along the shoreless ocean of immutability. The Babalawo happens to be one of those select few whose innate abilities transcend what is offered by the average.
A Babalawo in Nigeria — Photo: Faith & Belief by Jarred James Breaux
‘Babalawo’ is a highly revered pedigree of an Ifa high priest, a servant and mouthpiece of Orunmila in the Yoruba cultural tradition and pantheon. It means, among other equally reverent permutations; ‘The Father of Mysteries’.
The Babalawo acts as an intermediary between the living in the ‘Upper world’ on one hand, and the living in the ‘Lower world’ on the other hand, for in most Afrikan communities, the ones who have shed their flesh in the transition process others call ‘death’ are believed to be living nonetheless but in a world qualitatively different from ours. He is ‘called’ from an early age in life amongst his peers to tread the path of a ‘Seer’ because of the spiritual aptitude characteristic of his ethereal self. His work is always garnished with a deep-seated reverence for all who cross the path of his divine duty.
The Babalawo is by personality very generous and intelligent, with a marked capacity for memorizing endless volumes of information; the one who will wield the high title of ‘Babalawo’ is required by the duty entailed therein to retain in the storehouse of his memory 256 Odu. His divining is usually done with a divining chain called Opele, or palm nuts on a sacred divining tray named Opon Ifa. The Opele and the palm nuts represent the male principle, and the divining tray represents the female principle in the dual nature of things but most importantly, they are indicative of the Law of Opposites; which teaches that every noble creative process requires by virtue of creating, an interaction between the negative and the positive; their interactive energies which bring to us the manifested creative answers to some of our deep-seated questions.
The Babalawo’s ultimate will is to discover the will and purpose of Orunmila; one of the most powerful deities among the Yoruba pantheon.
The Odu is an unwritten literary corpus; stories representative of all circumstances contained within the motions of life. They hold in them happenstances from the past, evidence of the now and impeccably accurate predictions of the future in sub verses named ese. The Odu is unwritten because the Babalawos hold the belief that; that which is written so as to unburden the mind becomes dead in essence, whereas that which is held in the mind is perpetually renewed in mode and make by the creative energies of the mind and thus is of a living nature irrespective of how old it is given the duration of its occurrence sometime past in relation to present moment.
o, the individual who is called to take up the high duty of a Babalawo usually understudies a more advanced and experienced Babalawo, one who passes this oral literary corpus of a heritage containing primordial wisdom and insight to him a day at a time. This can take up to 20 years to accomplish, but the training and studies entailed given the role and title of a Babalawo continues throughout the life of the initiate, as he also serves as a source of Odu to add to the already existing ancient store by incorporating some of the life stories shared with him by his visitors.
The 256 Odu is what I refer to as; the Matrix of Life, for there is nothing bound by the cords of life from the past, in the now, within the future or in the hereafter that commands the needed power to elude the confines of the absolute. There are 16 principal Odu and 240 minor Odu culminating in a total of 256 Odu. Each Odu contains verses which tell a story, and the appropriate Odu for the situation a Babalawo and his visitor may be faced with is determined using some precise mathematical algorithm based on the sciences of probabilities and binaries.
In the parlance of its adherents; “when the Odu falls, there is a story that comes with it.” The nature of this story will provide the spiritual information sought after by one who may be experiencing a Babalawo in his line of work, and it is an honour as well as noteworthy to mention that the ‘chosen’ Odu, as well as the predictive wisdom it carries, are always accurate, always!
The Babalawo is thus in effect and practice, a Shaman of African descent, and a very powerful one for that matter. He is bound by a code of conduct intrinsic to his line of work to be at peace and in harmony with members of all other religious sects, as his duty is to humanity and not members of his believing cohort. He is also a herbalist, a counsellor, a philosopher, a storyteller, a cosmologist and a philanthropist where he finds himself.
There have been, there is and there always will be forces higher than man in his current state, these forces are always benevolent, ready and willing to lead and guide man on his sojourn within the realm of Earth. The duty required of us is to quiet our apprehensions in the recognition of that fact and open up in humility to embrace the wisdom they have made available to us all around us, and the simple veracity that; we are not alone on our journey.
Those who seek after life’s deep waters will find within the rivers of their souls a dynamically potent shoreless ocean of immutability, always.
Cuban Ifá From An Insider
Hidden within the mysterious Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, also known as Lucumí, there is a deep body of secrets and rituals called Ifá, divination practiced by priests whose title, babalawo, means "Father of the Secrets." This book pulls away the veil of secrecy to reveal exactly what Ifá is and how it works, exploring its history, cosmology, Orichas, initiations, mythology, offerings, and sacrifices. Join Frank Baba Eyiogbe in this fascinating introduction that discusses the functions of the babalawo, the role of women, the future of Ifá, and much more.
Product description
Cuban Ifá From An Insider
Hidden within the mysterious Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, also known as Lucumí, there is a deep body of secrets and rituals called Ifá. This book pulls away the veil of secrecy to reveal exactly what Ifá is and how it works, exploring its history, cosmology, Orichas, initiations, mythology, offerings, and sacrifices. Join Frank Baba Eyiogbe in this fascinating introduction that discusses the functions of the babalawo, the role of women, the future of Ifá, and much more.
Praise:
"A wonderful and much needed addition to the literature on Afro-Cuban religion. Engagingly written, scholarly while remaining accessible . . . it presents an up-to-date exposition of both the history and contemporary philosophy of one of the world's most complex systems of divination."mdash;Stephan Palmié, Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Social Sciences at the University of Chicago and author of The Cooking of History: How Not to Study Afro-Cuban Religion
Review
"A wonderful and much needed addition to the literature on Afro-Cuban religion. Engagingly written, scholarly while remaining accessible . . . it presents an up-to-date exposition of both the history and contemporary philosophy of one of the world's most complex systems of divination."―Stephan Palmié, Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Social Sciences at the University of Chicago and author of The Cooking of History: How Not to Study Afro-Cuban Religion
About the Author
Frank Baba Eyiogbe has been practicing Santeria for over twenty-seven years: twenty-three years as a santero (Orisha priest) and eighteen years as a babalawo (initiated in Cuba). Frank has achieved the highest level of babalawo, "Olofista." He created the premier Santeria website www.orishanet.org, and has been a guest on NPR’s All Things Considered and The Global Guru and was interviewed for LIFE magazine. He has guest lectured at the University of Washington as well as UC Berkeley.
uban Ifá From An Insider
Hidden within the mysterious Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, also known as Lucumí, there is a deep body of secrets and rituals called Ifá, divination practiced by priests whose title, babalawo, means "Father of the Secrets." This book pulls away the veil of secrecy to reveal exactly what Ifá is and how it works, exploring its history, cosmology, Orichas, initiations, mythology, offerings, and sacrifices. Join Frank Baba Eyiogbe in this fascinating introduction that discusses the functions of the babalawo, the role of women, the future of Ifá, and much more.
Cuban Ifá From An Insider
Hidden within the mysterious Afro-Cuban religion of Santería, also known as Lucumí, there is a deep body of secrets and rituals called Ifá. This book pulls away the veil of secrecy to reveal exactly what Ifá is and how it works, exploring its history, cosmology, Orichas, initiations, mythology, offerings, and sacrifices. Join Frank Baba Eyiogbe in this fascinating introduction that discusses the functions of the babalawo, the role of women, the future of Ifá, and much more.
Praise:
"A wonderful and much needed addition to the literature on Afro-Cuban religion. Engagingly written, scholarly while remaining accessible . . . it presents an up-to-date exposition of both the history and contemporary philosophy of one of the world's most complex systems of divination."mdash;Stephan Palmié, Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Social Sciences at the University of Chicago and author of The Cooking of History: How Not to Study Afro-Cuban Religion
Review
"A wonderful and much needed addition to the literature on Afro-Cuban religion. Engagingly written, scholarly while remaining accessible . . . it presents an up-to-date exposition of both the history and contemporary philosophy of one of the world's most complex systems of divination."―Stephan Palmié, Chair of the Department of Anthropology and Social Sciences at the University of Chicago and author of The Cooking of History: How Not to Study Afro-Cuban Religion
About the Author
Frank Baba Eyiogbe has been practicing Santeria for over twenty-seven years: twenty-three years as a santero (Orisha priest) and eighteen years as a babalawo (initiated in Cuba). Frank has achieved the highest level of babalawo, "Olofista." He created the premier Santeria website www.orishanet.org, and has been a guest on NPR’s All Things Considered and The Global Guru and was interviewed for LIFE magazine. He has guest lectured at the University of Washington as well as UC Berkeley.
Features & details
Product Details
Publication date: February 8, 2015
Publisher: Llewellyn Publications
Language: English
ASIN: B00S1MTLG8
Amazon.com Sales Rank: 602230
About the author
Frank Baba Eyiogbe was initiated as a babalawo (Santería high priest) in Havana, Cuba in 1996 and received Olófin sixteen years later. He is an Oluwo as he was initiated five years earlier as a priest of Obatalá so he could be well-versed as a santero as well as a babalawo. He travels back and forth between La Havana and the U.S., working as a babalawo in both countries.
Frank considers Ifá his life as well as his profession and is happily married to his wife Lisa with two twin children, Emiliano and Xochitl.
"He is an excellent babalawo, my best godchild and wherever I go I use him as an example. An American who is as much a babalawo as us (in Cuba). As I always say, he is my most advanced godchild. It is always invigorating to share my little grains (of knowledge) with a godchild that I hold in such esteem and respect as a human being and as a babalawo." - Miguelito Perez Alvarez, elder babalawo and Frank Baba Eyiogbe's Padrino in La Havana, Cuba
Ifá versus Ocha
Religious Differences, Terminology June 3, 2012 by Santeria Church
An Olorisha wears the Idé of Orunmila
Does your spiritual lineage work with Ifá or is it an Ocha house? (Ocha is a Spanish contraction of Orisha) This is a common question you’ll hear among santeros and it is a topic of great debate. There seem to be two major ways of working the religion of Santeria: spiritual lineages who work with Ifá and Babalawos, and those who don’t. Both are legitimate and valid practices but what is the difference, and why does this disparity exist in Santeria?
What is Ifá and Who are Babalawos
Ifá is the name of the sect of Orunmila within Santeria. Orunmila (also spelled Orunla or Orula) is the orisha of divination who knows how our fate will unfold. Some practitioners also call Orunmila by the name Ifá. The reason I specifically call out Ifá as a separate sect is because the ritual functions within the Ifá sect can only be accomplished by priests of Orunmila – called Babalawos (or Oluwos if they were orisha priests prior to passing to Ifá – which many are). Only Babalawos can give the Eshu that is received in Ifá. Only Babalawos can give the Idé of Orunmila (bracelet of Orunmila), which is always worn and keeps the spirit of Ikú (death) at bay. Only Babalawos can divine with the okuelé (diviner’s chain) and the ikín (palm nuts) – and these are the ONLY divination tools used in Ifá. Only Babalawos can give Kofá or Awofakán (Mano de Orula), giving a smaller shrine of Orunmila for people to have in their home (note this is not a consecration as a priest of Orunmila – it is a reception of his mysteries into your life for balance and to learn one’s destiny). Only Babalawos can consecrate other Babalawos as priests. A Santero or Santera cannot do these things.
But the inverse is also true. A Babalawo cannot do many of the things a Santero or Santera can. They cannot give addimú orishas (token Orishas) to others except for the Warriors (Eshu, Ogun, Ochosi, Osun), Osain, Olokun and Oduduwa – and even then they can only give the Ifá style ones that can never be passed on by that individual (unless they become a Babalawo in time). They do not read diloggún (cowrie shells) – they stick only to the use of the diviner’s chain and palm nuts. There is a pataki (legend) that Orunmila surrendered the cowries to Oshun and the orishas to use after she mastered the skill simply by watching him – and he swore that he would create a new system only for men, and only for his priests; that was the okuelé and ikin. Babalawos cannot give the initiation of Elekes (necklaces) – but they can give Orunmila’s eleke to people. They cannot initiate people in the Kariocha ceremony to be priests of other Orishas. They can perform sacrificial rights, or entrance readings leading in to a kariocha but they cannot be in the sacred room when the initiation is taking place. They do not birth orishas.
So in many ways, the Ifá sect is a subdivision of Santería. A cloistered sect of diviners with membership limited to heterosexual men, who dedicate their lives to the mastery of divination, the science of Ifá and the knowledge of Odu. Babalawos are not the high priests of our religion. That is a misnomer perpetuated in many of the early books on Santeria written by outsiders to our faith. They are the masterful diviners in our religion who focus solely on the function of Ifá.
Lineages that Work with Ifá
A Babalawo performs Ifá divination using Ikín and Opón Ifá
Many of the spiritual lineages, or “houses”, that work with Ifá will regularly go to Babalawos or include them in their ritual functions. Babalawos are consulted when determining the tutelary Orisha of an individual. In this ritual, three Babalawos (minimum) gather together and use the ikin (palm nuts) and the Opón Ifá (table of Ifá) to determine that person’s tutelary Orisha. This is often done when a person received their Kofá or Awofakán (mano de Orula, hand of Orunmila). Ifá believes that only a Babalawo can determine a person’s tutelary Orisha because Orunmila witnessed destiny unfold. (Orisha priests will argue this point and explain that it was Orunmila and Elegguá who witnessed fate together and that Elegguá actually preceded Orunmila, so Elegguá can also tell us who a person’s tutelary orisha is.) Houses that work with Ifá will also employ Babalawos to perform sacrificial rites during ceremonies, and they will have Babalawos perform the entrance reading and the Ebó Até (cleansing at the mat) during a person’s life reading.
A person becomes a Babalawo when they are told they have a destiny in the sect of Ifá through divination. This can be through the life reading when receiving Awofakán, or it can be through a life reading received after their Kariocha. Not everyone can become a Babalawo. Women and gay men are strictly prohibited from being initiated as Babalawos in Santería Lucumi (Lukumí). Some individuals go from being an Aborisha directly into the sect of Ifá as a priest of Orunmila. Most others end up being initiated as an Olorisha to their tutelary orisha (Elegguá, Ogún, Oshun, Yemaya, etc.) and then later in life “pass to Ifá” and become ordained as a priest of Orunmila (Babalawo). These individuals are called Oluwos (Oluos). The moment they pass to Ifá they no longer function as an Olorisha and can no longer participate in the rituals that an Olorisha officiates (elekes, warriors of ocha, kariocha, etc.). They dedicate their lives to the sect of Ifá and the ritual functions to which they are limited.
Lineages that Do Not Work with Ifá
Many spiritual lineages, or “houses”, do not work with Ifá at all. In these houses the Obá Oriaté will officiate all ceremonies. The Oriaté is an orisha priest who has been specially consecrated due to his knowledge of divination and all of our ceremonial rituals, to officiate rituals in the sacred room (igbodú). Since the Oriaté is a Santero or Santera, he/she can do much more for an orisha initiate than a Babalawo can – but he cannot perform the special functions that are restricted to Ifá. An Oriate can determine the tutelary Orisha of an individual (actually any orisha priest can, provided he or she is a skilled diviner). This is performed either using the cowrie shells of the godparent’s tutelary orisha, or with the diloggun of Eleggua (because Elegguá witnessed all destiny and knows everything taking place – and is truly neutral). Houses that do not work with Ifá argue that Olorishas are the only ones who should truly determine a person’s tutelary orisha because they actually birth orishas and crown people as priests, where Ifá does not. (Personally I do not think this is a determining factor because you can cite the impartiality of Ifá as an equally valid reason to let Babalawos do this.) In non-Ifá houses, the Oriaté performs sacrificial rites (so can any individual who has received Pinaldo – the sacred knife), the Oriaté does the entrance readings prior to Kariocha and the Ebó Até (cleansing at the mat) during a person’s life reading. The Oriaté officiates the kariocha ceremony where a priest is initiated. Oriatés can birth and give addimú orishas (token orishas) or any other function in the religion. They are the Orisha High Priests.
The separation between Ifá and Ocha lineages has historical roots. When the slave trade of the Yoruba began, the spiritual practices of the Yoruban tribes were just starting to solidify into one religion. As millions of Yoruba people, especially Olorishas, were sold into slavery, the Yoruba populace was divided by the vast expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. The religion continued to evolve back in Africa, and evolved differently here in the Americas. This accounts for this disparity between the two religions and explains why Yoruba Traditional Religion has commonalities with, but cannot be compared directly to Lucumi/Lukumí Religion. The followers of Ifá in Africa were relatively untouched by the slave trade, and the sect of Ifá in Africa grew in prominence and ritual function. In Traditional Yoruba Religion, Ifá is deeply intertwined with Orisha worship and plays a different role than in Lukumí. The followers of Ifá, as a population, were the last group taken in slavery and brought to Cuba.
In Cuba, as Santeria Lucumi started to take form, there was a marked absence of Babalawos and the Ifá sect. The style of initiation performed in the Yoruba city of Oyo became the most prominent style of initiation in Santeria. This initiation includes the reception of the “four pillar” orishas of Santeria regardless of that person’s tutelary orisha: Obatala, Oshun, Yemaya and Chango. The Obá Oriaté functioned as the master of ceremonies in all rituals. Women were the strongest leaders in Santeria and every lineage will honor mighty women in their Moyuba prayer. Santeria Lucumi unified in practice and purpose in the late 1800’s. There is historical evidence that by 1860, Lucumi people were performing ordinations to priesthood. Santeria, without the influence of Ifá, was functioning strongly in Cuba up until the early 1900’s.
The Idé of Orunmila can be worn by anyone to protect them from Ikú (death) but only Babalawos and Oluwos can give the bracelet and confer this protection
In the early 1900’s, women who were once the strongest and most powerful leaders in Santeria, began losing prominence as the Babalawos and sect of Ifá rose in power. In the sect of Ifá, when a Babalawo marries a woman Olorisha, she becomes an Apetebí Aya Ifá (slave of Ifá) and is forbidden from performing diloggun divination. Divination becomes the sole domain of the Babalawo in that house, and women are subjugated. Many of the most powerful women in Santeria were getting married to Babalawos because of the status associated with the position, but in the process, women lost power in Santeria. Babalawos became the master of ceremonies in those houses, and thus began the difference between spiritual lineages that work with Ifá versus those that are Ocha-centric. The office of Oriaté, once traditionally held by the most influential women in our religion, became dominated by men. To date there are two, perhaps three, female Oriatés left in the United States, and a few more in Cuba. In modern times, most Apetebís know very little about Ocha, and mainly defer to their husbands about knowledge of Ifá.
Therefore, the lineages that do work with Ifá typically introduced this sect into their Santeria practice through marriages in the past. A female Olorisha likely married a Babalawo and he began divining for everyone and running the show. Lineages that don’t have Ifá strongly involved in their practice likely never experienced this phenomenon. Both are traditional practices according to the culture bearers of the religion of Santeria.
Everyone Comes to the Feet of Ifá
In spite of the division between Ifá and Ocha-centric lineages, everyone will eventually come to Ifá for some need. Some go to Babalawos to get their Kofa or Awofakán (Mano de Orula, Hand of Orula) and that’s it. Others come for an occasional reading from time to time, or to receive the Idé of Orunmila (bracelet of Orunmila that keeps death at bay). Some will visit Babalawos when facing a very difficult spiritual ob
Aleyos, Santeros and Babalawos – oh my!
Ceremonies, Terminology June 1, 2012 by Santeria Church
An ornate set of elekes for Eleggua, Obatala, Oshun, Yemaya and Chango
What’s a santero? Is a babalawo a high priest? What do all of these names mean? It is important to understand what the different terms in our religion mean especially those used for the various levels of initiation, so you know who you’re dealing with.
Aleyo
Aleyos are people who have not received anything in Santeria. They may or may not be followers of the religion. They are not formally associated with any spiritual lineage (ilé). They can freely work with their Ancestors as can anyone.
Aborisha
Aborishas are people who have received the initiation of necklaces (elekes) or warriors (Eleggua, Ogún, Ochosi and Osun). These people are under the protection of the Orishas, or have some Orishas in their home. Aborishas have duties and responsibilities toward their godparents that gave them necklaces or the warriors. They are required to honor their godparent on the anniversary of the godparent’s initiation (ocha birthday) as a priest or priestess with an offering called a “derecho”. The derecho consists of a plate, two coconuts, two candles and a donation of money. This derecho is presented to the godparent’s tutelary Orisha every year. Every ceremony in Santeria involves a primary godparent (can be male or female) and a second godparent known as an ojugbona (can be either gender as well). An aborisha will need to pay respect to both their godparent and ojugbona on their ocha birthday. A person remains an aborisha until they are crowned as a priest of priestess in the religion. Some lineages allow aborishas who have received warriors to divine with obi while others reserve this for Olorishas. Most Aborishas are encouraged to focus on their relationship with their Ancestors and their Warriors as ways of developing spiritually.
Olorisha (Santero/Santera)
When a person undergoes the ceremony of kariocha (hacer el santo) he or she becomes an Olorisha. This is a ceremony where that person’s tutelary Orisha is seated on his head – he is literally crowned with that Orisha and his body and life are consecrated to the service of that Orisha. Olorishas can be crowned to any of the following orishas: Eleggua, Ogun, Ochosi, Obatala, Aggayu, Oya, Oshun, Obba, Yemaya, or Chango. Rarer initiations can be done to Inle, Babalu Aye, Orisha Oko, Olokun or Yewa but some of these are only done in Africa. Men or women can be olorishas – the term is the same for either gender. Olorishas can perform readings with cowrie shells (diloggún) or with obi. They can work with ancestors, give necklaces, give warriors, give orishas, crown others in kariocha, or a whole multitude of spiritual services. They are effectively a priest or priestess of our religion.
The terms Santero (man) and Santera (woman) are syncretized terms that indicate “one who works with saints”. Within Santeria, you are not a Santero or a Santera until you have undergone the initiation of kariocha and finished your year as an Iyawo. Santero and Santera are alternate terms for Olorishas.
Iyawo (Yawó, Yabo)
In Santeria, when a person goes through kariocha, they spend a year dressed in white with a long list of behavioral restrictions in order to preserve their purity and keep them centered and focused. This allows the energy of the kariocha to properly seat within that individual and it allows them to bond with their Orishas. An iyawo is not allowed to initiate others nor is he or she allowed to participate in ceremonies aside from drumming celebrations. They are supposed to remain rather isolated and quiet for their year. Once an iyawo completes their year in white and celebrates their first ocha birthday (anniversary of their initiation), they can then return to a normal mode of dressing and a regular life. They move out of being an iyawo and into being an Olorisha. Until an iyawo performs his three month ceremony (ebó meta), he cannot work his Orishas or put anything on them in terms of offerings.
Padrino, Madrina (Babatobi, Iyatobi)
The terms padrino and madrina are spanish terms for godfather or godmother. These are terms of respect when referring to the people who initiated you in Santeria. To be a padrino or a madrina you must be an Olorisha or Babalawo because they are the only ones who have the authority to initiate others. The Lucumi term for a padrino is “babatobi” and the term for a madrina is “iyatobi”.
Oyugbona (Ojugbona, Yubona)
An oyugbona is your second godparent and in many ways is more important than your primary godparent. The word oyugbona (ojugbona) literally means “eyes on the road”. They are the “look-out” on your spiritual journey and are in charge of your spiritual well being. Unfortunately the importance of the oyugbona is being forgotten or overshadowed by the role of the godparent. In religious ceremonies, the oyugbona does most of the hard work and deserves as much respect as our babatobi or iyatobi. The oyugbona must also be an olorisha.
The oyugbona must also be an olorisha.
Babalawo
The Table of Ifá with Ikin used by Babalawos to divine
There is a great misconception in the religion of Santeria that Babalawos are high priests of the religion. Babalawos are not high priests, they are those who have been consecrated as priests of the Orisha Orunmila (Orunla). The sect of Orunmila is sometimes called Ifá. The term Ifá is also interchangeably used for the Orisha Orunmila himself. In Santeria (Lucumi/Lukumi) only heterosexual men can be initiated as priests of Orunmila/Ifá. Babalawos can only participate in the Ifá sect, they cannot perform kariocha nor can they give the ceremony of elekes. They can give warriors of Ifá, the bracelet of Orunmila (idé Orunmila), and Kofá/Awofakan (Mano de Orunmila) which is an initiation where an individual receives the mysteries of Orunmila. They can, logically, initiate others as Babalawos. If the Babalawo was an Olorisha prior to being initiated in Ifá he is technically called an Oluwo and no longer functions in the realm of the Olorisha once he passes to Ifa.
The sect of Ifá is basically a diviner’s sect. They specialize in divination using either the Okuelé (diviner’s chain with 8 seed pods on it) or with Ikin (palm nuts) and the Opón Ifá (a wooden board). Babalawos can also perform ceremonies of cleansing, readings for a person to determine their tutelary Orisha, entrance readings prior to Kariocha and they can officiate sacrificial ceremonies. It is important to state that Babalawos do not read with cowrie shells – they only use either Okuelé or Ikín in divination. Many lineages do not work with Ifá and most of those lineages refer to an Obá Oriaté to officiate their ceremonies. Once a person is initiated to Ifá or passes from Ocha to Ifá, they are no longer allowed to crown people to any Orisha other than Orunmila. In many ways the step away from the Orisha sects into a strict worship of the Ifá sect.
In African lineages they are beginning to initiate women to Ifá and call them Iyanifá. This is a relatively new evolution of the religion back in Africa and is not recognized in Santeria as a practice.
Obá, Oriaté
The Obá Oriaté is the true high priest in our religion. They are the master of ceremonies who knows all of the rituals and officiates them on behalf of a community. There is a great misconception that only men can be Obá Oriates. This is not only liturgically incorrect, but there is historical evidence to the contrary. Some of the most powerful Oriates in our religion were women. Santeria is a woman’s religion, and women dominate its practice. The Oriate is the person who officiates the kariocha ceremony and orchestrates the efforts of the Olorishas who are present to initiate the new Iyawó. The Obá Oriaté can officiate sacrificial ceremonies, work with ancestors, give cowrie shell readings (diloggun), determine a person’s tutelary Orisha, do entrance readings prior to ceremonies, give necklaces, give warriors, give Orishas, give life readings (itá), perform ebó – they can perform religious services in every aspect of Santeria. They go through a special ceremony to remove any taboos from their hands so that they can officiate the initiation of any individual. Oriates may be crowned to any Orisha (except Orunmila).
Who, or what, is a Babalawo?
A Babalawo is a sage or high priest, who is well versed in the rituals, the lore and the history of the Yoruba Tradition/ Religion called IFA. He has become a master in the Cabalistic and ritualistic aspects of IFA. Babalawo (Baba-ni-Awo) means "Father in the knowledge of things material and spiritual."
The Cabalistic mastery makes the Babalawo a craftsman who has acquired the fine skills of the preparation of medications (curative, calming, preventive), some of which can be explained in western scientific terms. He also utilizes the power of invocation and evocation of spiritual forces to effect the expression of phenomena. He is therefore a redeemer from the Ajogun (evil forces of the material and spiritual systems).
In many IFA verses, the client is full of praise for his and her Babalawo after the feat has been performed. The Babalawo in turn then praises IFA who then in turn sings the praises of Olodumare (the Almighty).
In order to become a Babalawo, one needs to get initiated in to IFA and one needs to study with elders in order to get well versed in IFA.
The first step is to receive the Hand of IFA which will help you connect to the Ase (power) of Orunmila (Deity of Wisdom)/ IFA.
The second step is to go through Igboodu (the sacred Grove) which is the initiation into IFA. Here one receives the Ase from IFA, and also one is being guided how to work IFA for oneself, ones family and the community.
A good Babalawo is a servant of Orunmila who helps and assist clients in attaining their Highest Destiny. He is a well respected leader who is in touch with the material and spiritual. He is never in conflict with any other tradition or religions - indeed; his help is sought in many ways as his influence extends into all phases of life. He lives for one purose only, to discover the will of Orunmila.
Moreover, he himself lives in accordance with the beliefs of IFA and his manifest reverence and meticulous observance of its ritual constitute one of the strongest arguments against the charge of general dishonesty.
The Pastor and the "Babalawo": The Interaction of Religions in Nineteenth-Century Yorubaland
J. D. Y. Peel
Africa: Journal of the International African Institute
Vol. 60, No. 3 (1990), pp. 338-369
Published by: Cambridge University Press on behalf of the International African Institute
DOI: 10.2307/1160111
https://www.jstor.org/stable/1160111
Page Count: 32
Topics: Pastors, Christianity, Divinat
Babalawo
Meaning of Babalawo in English:
Babalawo
NOUN
Originally in West Africa: a traditional healer in the Ifa system of divination.
Origin
Mid 19th century. From Yoruba babaláwo from bàbá father + -l- (elided form of -ni- in) + awo cult, secret.
Pronunciation
Babalawo/babəˈlɑːwəʊ/
Babalawo
Santería: an old religion in the new Cuba
By Katarina Delgado, Havana, Cuba, 2018
The yearly letter released this on January 2 by the Yoruba Cultural Association of Cuba stated that “Everyone is worthy of respect.” But some practitioners of Santería, derived from Yoruba, say their religion is not always respected, or understood.
An estimated 70 percent of Cubans practice some form of Santería, an Afro-Caribbean religion derived based in natural elements, according to the U.S. Department of State.
“People see Santería as something negative or like witchcraft but it’s not like that because Santeria is a religion practiced for the good, not to do harm to anyone,” Israel Bravo-Vega, a Cuban Babalawo or Santeria priest, said. Babalawo (also spelled Babalao, means “father of the mysteries’ in the Yoruba language originated in West Africa).
Vega works at el Templo de Yemaya in Trinidad, Cuba where tourists are welcomed to walk in and learn about Santería’s traditions and origins.
“Santería came from Nigeria and mixed with Catholicism and continues surviving until today,” Vega said. “It’s a religion practiced in Cuba, a religion from black people.”
The traditions and practices still used today in Santería were inherited from slaves, though mixed with other religions, Elias Aseff, a Cuban scholar, said. The first records of slaves in Cuba go back to as early as 1513. Slaves were brought to Cuba to farm the coffee and sugarcane crops. Over three centuries of slave trading, an estimated 600,000 slaves were brought to Cuba from Western Africa. Along with labor, they brought the Yoruba religion which Santeria draws from along with Catholicism.
Different tools are used in rituals. The tool pictured above is used before beginning a ritual in order to cleanse.
“Because this religion came from Africa. And we always have a stigma, a taboo about religions from black people because black people were segregated and they were regarded as evil,” Aseff said. “If African people were the colonizers of the western, it would be the other way around and maybe witchcraft would be the Christianism.”
The main way Santería, or “the way of the saints,” draws from Christianity is through the Saints. Different Yoruba spirits, known as Orishas, are represented as Christian Saints. Our Lady of Charity represents the Yoruba Goddess of the River, Ochún. Saint Lazarus, a very popular saint in the religion, is representative of Babalú-Ayé who is called upon for the sick. Because of this mixture with the Catholic religion, Manuel Cruz, a Catholic priest in Cuba, is skeptical about Santeria.
“As a Catholic, logically, I don’t agree with many of the things they do,” Cruz said. “They mix is with Catholicism so it’s taken from here, from there.”
But, Cruz says, he doesn’t have an issue with the Santeros and that there is a mutual respect.
“We respect everyone’s religion,” Delia Peniche, a believer of Santería who works as a
librarian in el Museo de los Orishas, said. “I don’t say because you’re catholic I can’t speak to you, I’ll speak to you normally. I respect your religion.”
Santeria combines elements of Christianity and the African Yoruba religion.
Because the Orishas are represented in Saints, Cruz encounters Santeros in his church.
“They come here sometimes to pray,” Cruz said. “They come in tranquility, I have a relationship with them.They are good people, nice people. There are certainly people who do harm, who do bad things, but I don’t know them.”
The close ties between the two religions bring them close together in Cuba. Sometimes, too close for Cruz’s comfort.
“They throw sacrificed chickens, food. For them it’s a way to express their sacrifice, leaving it in a catholic temple but they don’t notice that they are dirtying everything,” Cruz said.
Sacrifices are among the traditional methods of the Santería practice. Chickens, doves, goats and other animals are used in rituals to please the Orishas.
“They’re sacrifices we do to the saints to better our lives, to be able to save ourselves. In the end, that’s the function of an animal, they’re going to kill it one way or another,” Gustavo Diaz Claro, Babalawo and president of the Yoruba Cultural Association of Cuba, said.
While many people think animal sacrifice is a unnecessary everyday occurrence in the Santería tradition, Michel Arena, a young Cuban Babalawo, says that’s not the case.
“Sacrifices aren’t indiscriminate. It’s not like we’re going to do a sacrifice because someone is going on a trip or someone wants a position, like people think,” Arena said. “We sacrifice when it’s necessary and when the saint asks for it. We don’t do it every day. Sometimes people are simply told to light two candles and beg the saint and the person is resolved.”
Arena says another common practice includes bathing in fresh water with white flowers in order to cleanse.
Common practices include lighting candles and offering food to the Orishas.
“This religion is a weapon to face problems,” Aseff said. “This is not an ideology like in Christianism that if you do good things, if you have good behavior you will receive the blessing of the god and you will have a better life after death. We don’t promise that. We try to solve problems now because you are facing your problem every day.”
Santeros use different elements including herbs, water or fruits depending on the issue the person is having. For example, one might be told to bathe in fresh water with honey to sweeten a relationship.
“Sometimes people think that with doing the biggest things it’ll get better but no,” Claro said. “With the simplest things you can solve it.”
Some believers choose to solve their issues without ever resorting to animal sacrifices.
“I don’t understand why I would need to give a saint blood for something. I don’t agree with that,” Diana Cabrera Echeverria, a civil engineer and shop owner in Cuba, said. “I have my saint, I pray, I give fruit, candy, I light a candle and that’s where stop.”
Echeverria says that despite popular beliefs about the religion, she’s not an outlier.
“The majority of Cubans are like that. They light candles, they dress up in colors on the day of their saints but they don’t get to the point of sacrifice,” Echeverria said. “I think if you’re getting to that point it’s something diabolical.”
But while the religion is common practice in Cuba, Jorge Guzman, a Babalawo living in Miami, Florida, says his religion is still not fully understood.
“Ignorance is nothing more than being full of incorrect information and not opening yourself to new information,” Guzman said. “There’s a lot of ignorance regarding what the base of the religion is.”
Interviews were conducted in Spanish and translated into English, with the exception of Elias Aseff.
Author Katarina DelgadoPosted on January 17, 2018Tags ACYC, Africa, African religion, animal sacrifice, Babalao, Babalawo, Catholic, Catholicism, Christianity, Cuba, Elias Aseff, Israel Bravo-Vega, Orishas, Religion, ritual, sacrifice, Santeria, Slavery, Templo de Yemaya, Trinidad, Yearly Letter 2018, Yoruba, Yoruba Cultural
DEFINITION
babalawo
A Nigerian consult of the oracle from the Yoruba culture. Sometimes the term is used to define a voodoo priest. In movies, they sometimes have dark powers or require expensive sacrifice for their services.
baba: father
ala (o ni) : of
awo: divination
I need money. I'll donate a nice fat goat to the babalawo so he can tell me my future.
by Woske August 22, 2009
THE CONFUSION BETWEEN WHO IS AND WHO IS NOT A BABALAWO
The Confusion between who is and who is not a Babalawo
The Baba ni Áwo, better known as Babalawo, is the term to refer to the most respected of all; and there are not many.
More and more frequently you see someone wearing a thicker and bigger Ide (bracelet) around their wrists, wearing innumerable necklaces, covered in “religious” attributes, dressed in white 24hrs a day and living in an Ile (house) extensively decorated with objects called Orishas or Saints, which are not the same and many do not even exist. Others who also call themselves Babalawo are those who, for example, sing in a music group but do not act as priest; or those who perform other activities except work with Ifá. People usually think that a person is Babalawo because he has consecrated Ifá, but this is not true; there still a narrow and long way to go. Everything is achieved step by step; initiation does not mean graduation (in Wande’s words), there is a process before entering wogbò Ifá (forest of Ifá). I believe in and hold on to the traditional method in which you have to prove your capacity before being initiated. I write about this because I see a big confusion on this issue and I like to inform in order to prevent mistaken opinions about the Yoruba religion due to negative actions by a (…), unpublished works by (…), suggestions against Ifá’s commandments by someone who calls himself Babalawo.
When a person is initiated or performs Itefá (Ceremony of Ifá), it does not mean that the person is Babalawo, this person is an Omo´ko´Fa (Apprentice of Ifá) and needs to practice, learn, understand and wisely interpret Ifá. This takes years of study, provided the person has the necessary capacity to absorb this knowledge, the intelligence to understand Ifá and a genuine source of learning. I have known some who have more than 30 years of Ifá and do not know who Igba Odu, Oro, Egbe and Edan are; they do not know how to perform an Ose Ifá correctly and they are spreading and transmitting misguided knowledge because, and I want to make this clear, they have also been victims themselves of their masters. What is difficult to understand is the reason why they continue holding on to their senseless, misguided, illogical and unreasonable knowledge. Anyway, when an initiate in Ifá be able to prove their knowledge, then will we be in the presence of a real Babalawo. It is necessary to gain Àse (power) to become a competent Babalawo. The Babalawo must prove his ability to Orunmila with confidence and wisdom through exemplary actions, the Babalawo’s commitment is to Orunmila, not to his colleagues.
Many people speak about Ifá without knowing what Ifá is, its emergence and what it literally means.
Ifá means: dismantle everything. In the process in which Olodumare was going to send Orunmila to the earth, together with the other Irunmoles, Olodumare only called Orunmila to give him the 16 barrels containing all the wisdom of creation whose content he had to eat and swallow without leaving any trace or residue. In this process, the biggest barrel spills its content and breaks into pieces. When this happened, Olodumare told Orunmila to pick up the pieces and clean every residue from the floor and swallow it. After having finished, Olodumare confessed to Orunmila what he had eaten and that this wisdom, sensibility and intelligence were going to improve his spirituality in all aspects of life; this came to a point in which Orunmila could spiritually see beyond his partners (Irunmoles).
Ifá is Olodumare´s words through Orunmila, it is a living and immortal message for the whole world in any circumstance.
This prevails in a verse by Osa Irete:
Ogbon inu Omo ni i ran om lo eyin odi
Ofun imoran ni i ro omoran I’ ero
Imoran amoju, ka mo ponna pelu, enu ni i yo ‘ni
D’fafun Orunmila
Ni ojo ti Olodumare yo o ko okun ogbon le’owo
Summary: Intelligence and wisdom in abundance. A wise person makes good use of his intelligence and this puts you in a great position.
Do no rush in learning, life is too short for this, only the time and effort that is put into it will make your understanding and wisdom grow. It is necessary to live seriously inside in order to carry in total humbleness and light the specifications of Ifá to anyone who wishes to find them. Seek the essence of Ifá beyond praying a verse from memory like a poem, because as a prayed poem it does not have any Àse (power).
I will conclude with a phrase that my godfather Awo Ogunbiyi Elebuidon Omobobola:
“Igba Nlo, Igba Nbo, Ile Aye O re bi Kan”
“Time comes and goes but the land remains”. Thus, there is time to continue learning based on the cosmological cycle of life.
Ifá is wisdom, patience, honesty, sensibility, character, principles and values; it is to carry out the veracity of the truth. “Live by the truth, be righteous and kind, and avoid cruelty and greed”. Only then will you be blessed!
The pastor and the babalawo: the interaction of religions in nineteenth-century Yorubaland
J. D. Y. Peel
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1160111
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 December 2011
Extract
The system of divination called Ifa is among the most elaborate of African systems of divination and occupies a unique position in what is often called ‘Yoruba traditional religion’. That it is inappropriate simply to regard it as part of Yoruba traditional religion indicates the nature of our problem. For its saliency in Yoruba religion, as that has been conceived by commentators both Yoruba and non-Yoruba since the early nineteenth century, has precisely been because of its capacity to ‘ride’ social change, to detach itself from much of what Muslims and Christians call paganism, and to impose itself on the respectful attention of the modern educated.
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What does babalawo mean?
Definitions for babalawo
ba·bal·a·wo
Here are all the possible meanings and translations of the word babalawo.
Babalawo
Babalawo is a Yorùbá chieftaincy title that denotes a Priest of Ifá. Ifa is a divination system that represents the teachings of the Orisha Orunmila, the Spirit of Wisdom, who in turn serves as the oracular representative of God. The Babalawo claim to ascertain the future through communication with Orunmila. This is done through the interpretation of either the patterns of the divining chain known as Opele, or the palm nuts called Ikin, on the traditionally wooden divination tray.
Home/Babalawo
Babalawo
noun | bah · bah · lah · wo |
Baba + oni + awo = Babalawo – or- Father (Owner) of Secrets. This person is an earthly representative of Orunmila, the Orisha of Wisdom and owner of the Ifa divination system. The Babalawo is the keeper of secrets, knowledge, and wisdom of the Ifa tradition. To gain this title, one must go through extensive training under the tutelage of a highly experienced and competent Babalawo. During this process of training, the student is called an Awo. Once he has gained experience and becomes well-versed in the vast wisdom of Ifa, he becomes independent and is now called a Babalawo.
In en:Santería a Babalawo or "father of the secrets" is the equivalent of a priest.
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Nigeria: 'I Am Babalawo, But I Still Go to Church'
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10 JUNE 2005 This Day (Lagos)
Lagos — Lekan Babalola, a Nigerian percussionist who is making waves internationally left Nigeria to study Engineering on a scholarship from the Lagos state government. The better part of his studies soon submerged his interest in engineering.
He followed his art, studying film making first, then a throw back from the past returned him to early years and time spent with the Babalawo, the local diviner. It struck a chord in him. This freak incidence ignited two passions in Lekan: to become a professional musician and for this he chose to play an instrument he was already familiar with back in the Aladura church before going to England. Second, he decided to become a Babalawo, spending time to research the Ifa corpus. Nseobong Okon-Ekong met Lekan in Cape Town, South Africa with Paul. Both men are members of an ensemble called the African Jazz All Stars. The band is conglomerate of distinguished bands leaders drawn from various African countries. They are all based in London. Incidentally, there are three Nigerians in the band.
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Babalawo
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Related to Babalawo: Odu Ifa, Ifa divination
Babalawo A traditional healer in the Ifa system of divination in West Africa.
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ERIC Number: EJ127982
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 1974
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
The Indigenous Yoruba Babalawo Model: Implications for Counselling in West Africa
Makinde, Olu
West African Journal of Education, 18, 3, 319-27, oct 74
The training and methods of the Yoruba babalawos in the healing profession, their philosophy and practice have much in common with Rogerian and other Western approaches. The author traces historical origins and the interactive process of the "Babalawo" method, which he believes has a place in empirical psychotherapy and counseling in West Africa. (JT)
Descriptors: African History, Counseling, Counseling Theories, Developing Nations, Higher Education, History, Models
Publication Type: N/A
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: N/A
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Africa
Santeria : Ashé
Ashé de Orula
Ashé is one of the most used terms of Santeria. However, most of us, when we begin to learn the concepts and their meanings while taking our first steps in religion, we receive the brief explanation that the Ashé is a blessing or in some case a vital power or a powder that is given yb our Santero/a o Babalawo.
The term Ashé is much broader and, therefore, much more interesting than it seems. It’s correct understanding speaks about the belief system that constitutes the symbolic and ritual construction of the Santería.
Before explaining the term, I remind you of some fundamental aspects of the belief system of the African and Afro-Hispanic cults:
To fully understand Afro-Hispanic cults, it is important to understand that we have an animist vision of the world. Animism is a word that means that, in the world everything, nature, including stones, plants, rivers, seas, etc., are inhabited by spiritual energies. All religions in the world have vestiges of animism in their belief system, for example: Catholics believe in a spiritual being who can live in a consecrated ostia, Judaism speaks of the ark of the covenant which was a a receptacle in which the spirit of his God dwelt and, in the sacred city of Mecca, is a black rock stoned by the believers of Islam, which is the physical representation of Shaitan’s spirit.
Animism, in the Santería, is very easy to see when one sees how a practitioner asks permission to the mountain to take a plant and leaves a payment in coins. Or again, when cocoa butter smeared a sacred stone that is part of the secret that hides in the tureen of some Orisha. But do not make the mistake to think that Santeríe means only to worship mountains or pebbles.
For Santería, seeing the world in this way also implies that man’s relationship with nature is not based on a utilitarian type of relationship, as a Catholic who believes that the world and all the resources available to it are at his disposal.
In this document, we explain that the Santero is convinced that, since there are spiritual entities that animate everything in nature, every thing merit consideration and respect.
Animism connects the Santero with nature and its functioning in a way very different from that of other religions, because the individual does not possess nature, but he becomes image, receptacle and element. it also implies that when the Santero makes a prayer or an offering, it is not to please a God, but to find his place in the order in which he is immersed as an individual.
Animism is therefore a means of spiritualizing all that exists in nature and of giving it sensible properties. Hence the belief in the soul, because if all that is in nature is inhabited by spiritual beings, men who are part of nature also share this fact.
In the case of Yoruba’s, it should be noted that they identify persons with this vital energy. For example: at the time of the splendor of the Yoruba peoples, it was customary to make a bronze replica of the dead king’s head and a wooden body. The body was burned, but the head was preserved, symbol of the immortality of this vital force.
So life and death are the presence or the absence of the same force that is reflected in the vital points of the human body and not only that, but this same force, as we said before, can spread everywhere but in different quantities. For example. A tree has much more life force than a woodpecker, and a lion will have more life force than a field rat, and an Orisha will have more than one person.
The vital force, as you have already understood, is the Ashe, which is contained in each of the elements of the universe is variable and does not always correspond to the size of the objects it inhabits. Therefore, it may be that the Ashe of an individual actually has more of that life force than an immense stone.
The Ashe has another property that influences the way of practicing religion. This has to do with the fact that it is an energy a force that is accessible to everyone.
I do not know if you have noticed that Afro-Hispanic practices such as Santería or even Palo Monte are practices, have no notion of good and evil in moral terms.
The concept of good and bad in Santería and other Afro-Hispanic cults has two aspects: that which benefits or harms the community and the attachment to religious worship.
When your Babalawo entrusts you with the Ashe of Orula it is to allow you to realize works to find your place in the world and to feel part of the universe which surrounds us.
Awo Ifalade
Santeria.fr
Santeria: Every 28th of June we celebrate Oggun’s day
Oggun is the Orisha that represents and is the patron of the blacksmiths, of the wars, of technology, of the surgeons of the army as well as everything that needs uniforms and of all the ones that works in some way or another with the metals or some metal in particular.
Oggun the Orisha warrior is characterized by having a strong and violent character, but above all with his enemies, and his symbol is the machete, with which he faces each and every one of his enemies, but also used to break through, between the abundant vegetation and flora that can exist in a jungle or in a mountain.
When his brother Eleggua opens roads, it is he (Oggun) the great warrior in charge of protecting and securing those roads or those opportunities that are presented to the practitioners and believers of the religion.
His clothing consists of a vest and purple pants, he wears a flat cap, he also wears an ornate belt with long palm fibers and on her shoulder a tiger skin bag that is also adorned with snails. The favorite number of Oggun is 3 as well as their multiples, your preferred day is Tuesday as well as the days
4 of each month. You are greeted! Oke Oggun! Oggun Kobú Aguanilé!
Orisha Oggun is the second in Cuban Santeria (rule of Ocha), this because this (Oggun) is the owner of the machete (Embelebobo) and comes
just behind Eleggua, who as we said before is his brother and is the one who opens the way.
Oggun is said to be in charge of taking justice into his own hands, without caring what others will say or what they may think, all thanks to his great and strong character and that attitude of great violence towards his enemies, what makes him an impulsive deity who loses control when he rages and is extremely severe.
Oggun family
Son of Obbatalá and Yemu (hence the direct messenger of the first), and as we have already said, he has Eleggua, Shangó, as brothers Oshosi, Osun and in some patakis also of Dada, who are also deities.
Offerings and dances
Oggun can be given in offering all kinds of animals, that are sacrificed for him are always accepted in a very good way, since the simple action of sacrifice represents this deity.
It is usually offered to this deity honey, smoked fish, cacao butter, as well as toasted corn and liqueur, being this one, preferably the gin or the moonshine which is the alcoholic beverage more similar to the one used by the Yorubas .
He is known for two characteristics dances, the dance of the warrior as well as the dance of the worker, in the first one he breaks into the air with his machete throwing it downwards, while he advances with one foot and the other one is dragging and in the second one, in which he makes the mimic as if he were hammering with the machete like a blacksmith or as if he were harvesting with his tool.
The Santería Religion / The Lucumi Religion recognize by Unesco
Santería, (Spanish: “The Way of the Saints”), also called La Regla de Ocha (Spanish: “The Order of the Orishas”) or La Religión Lucumí (Spanish: “The Order of Lucumí”), the most common name given to a religious tradition of African origin that was developed in Cuba and then spread throughout Latin America and the United States. <!--more-->
Santería was brought to Cuba by the people of the Yoruban nations of West Africa, who were enslaved in great numbers in the first decades of the 18th century. The name “Santería” derives from the correspondences and similarities between the Yoruba deities called orishas and the saints (santos) of Roman Catholic piety.
Many contemporary practitioners refer to the tradition as “the religion of the orishas” or the “Lukumi religion,” after the name by which the Yoruba were known in Cuba.Santería is based upon the development of personal relationships through divination, sacrifice, initiation, and mediumship (see medium) between practitioners of the religion and the orisha deities, who provide their devotees with advices, wisdom, and success and who guide devotees through their lives. It is believed that access to the orishas can be achieved through various types of divination. In the Ifá oracle, for example, a trained priest, a babalawo (“father of the mystery”), interprets the fall of consecrated palm nuts to reveal the orishas’ response.
Most Ifá consultations prescribe some form of sacrifice to one or several of the orishas. These offerings may range from simple presentations before home altars to elaborate feasts in the orishas’ honour.
From the Cuban Revolution of 1959 to the early 21st century, nearly one million Cubans left the island, bringing Orisha religion to cities throughout the Americas, particularly Miami and New York. The tradition also spread to other Latino communities, African Americans, and white Americans. Although census data are lacking, it is likely that initiated devotees number in the tens of thousands and that those who consult an orisha at one time or another may be counted in the millions.
Devotees see the Orisha tradition as a world religion and have received public recognition of their spiritual achievements. In 1993 the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the right of devotees to practice the controversial rite of animal sacrifice in the case Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. Hialeah. The U.S. Army and Federal Bureau of Prisons have incorporated orisha ministries into their chaplaincies. Musicians, painters, sculptors, and writers have found in the Orisha tradition sources of African artistry and pride. It is likely that Orisha traditions will continue to grow and be recognized as one of the principal African contributions to world culture.
The Ifa divination system, which makes use of an extensive corpus of texts and mathematical formulas, is practiced among Yoruba communities and by the African diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean. The word Ifa refers to the mystical figure Ifa or Orunmila, regarded by the Yoruba as the deity of wisdom and intellectual development.
In contrast to other forms of divination in the region that employ spirit mediumship, Ifa divination does not rely on a person having oracular powers but rather on a system of signs that are interpreted by a diviner, the Ifa priest or babalawo, literally “the priest’s father”. The Ifa divination system is applied whenever an important individual or collective decision has to be made.
The Ifa literary corpus, called odu, consists of 256 parts subdivided into verses called ese, whose exact number is unknown as they are constantly increasing (there are around 800 ese per odu). Each of the 256 odu has its specific divination signature, which is determined by the babalawo using sacred palm-nuts and a divination chain. The ese, considered the most important part of Ifa divination, are chanted by the priests in poetic language. The ese reflect Yoruba history, language, beliefs, cosmovision and contemporary social issues. The knowledge of Ifa has been preserved within Yoruba communities and transmitted among Ifa priests.
Under the influence of colonial rule and religious pressures, traditional beliefs and practices were discriminated against.The Ifa priests, most of whom are quite old, have only modest means to maintain the tradition, transmit their complex knowledge and train future practitioners. As a result, the youth and the Yoruba people are losing interest in practising and consulting Ifa divination, which goes hand-in-hand with growing intolerance towards traditional divination systems in general.
The 6th of june is Oshosi’s day
Ochosi (Oshosi) lives in the woods and is a great hunter and fisherman. He’s also a warrior, a magician and a seer with shamanistic powers. Ochosi is the lord of justice, and the patron of those who have problems with the law. According to a pataki (sacred story), when Ochosi lived on earth as a human, he was given a special task by Eleguá: he needed to hunt and trap a rare bird that Orula wanted to give to Olofi as a gift. Ochosi was an expert hunter and he found the bird without a problem. He took it home and put it in a cage, and then went to tell Orula that he had the bird. While Olofi was out, his mother came home and found the bird in the cage. She thought it was meant for their dinner, so she killed and dressed the bird, and then she went to the market to buy some of the condiments she needed to cook it. Ochosi came home and saw the bird was dead, and he was very upset. He didn’t know who had killed it, but he decided that he needed to go get another bird right away, so Orula would be able to give it to Olofi. Ochosi hunted and trapped a second bird and gave it to Orula and, together, they went to present the bird to Olofi. Olofi was so happy with the gift that he wanted to reward Ochosi, so he gave him a crown and made him an Oricha on the spot. He asked Ochosi if there was anything else he wanted, and the hunter replied, yes, he wanted to shoot an arrow into the air and have it pierce the heart of the person who killed the other bird. Olofi, all knowing, understood what Ochosi’s words meant, so he asked if Ochosi was sure that’s what he wanted. Yes, said Ochosi, I want justice, and Olofi granted his wish. Ochosi released an arrow and almost at once he heard his own mother cry out. The arrow had pierced her heart and killed her. Ochosi was terribly sad when he realized what he had done, but he also knew that justice had been done. Olofi knew then that Ochosi wouldn’t hesitate to punish any wrong doing he came across, and he made it Ochosi’s job to hunt for the truth and measure out justice in the world.
The Attributes of Ochosi
Ochosi lives in an iron cauldron with Ogún, which is placed next to Eleguá near the interior entryway of the home. Most patakis say that Ogún, Eleguá and Ochosi are brothers, but they may have different mothers and fathers. For example, Yemayá is often mentioned as Ochosi’s mother, whereas Yemú (Yembo) is the mother of Eleguá and Ogún. According to a pataki, Ogún and Ochosi weren’t always on friendly terms, but they came to understand that they needed each other and made a pact to always work together. When the earth was newly formed, there were so many forests that Ochosi had a hard time getting to his prey when he hunted. His arrow never missed the mark, but there were no paths or clearings, so he couldn’t reach the animal he had killed, and he had no food. Ogún had a similar problem. He was great at making metal traps, but he could never catch anything in the traps. Each one went to complain to Orula about their problem, and Orula suggested they go individually to make ebbó (an offering) in the forest. They ran into each other while they were going to make ebbó, and they started to talk. Soon, they realized that together they could do much more than either could do alone. Ochosi could hunt and kill animals for food, and Ogún could use his machete to clear the path. This way, Ochosi could reach his prey and he could share the food with Ogún. This explains why Ochosi and Ogún are inseparable.
Ochosi’s symbol
Ochosi is one of the four warriors, with Eleguá, Ogún and Osun. His days are Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, and the 4th day of every month. Ochosi’s symbol is a crossbow and arrow. His tools include 3 arrows, 3 hunting dogs, a small mirror, a piece of stag’s horn, a fishing hook and a scalpel, which makes his protection is important for people undergoing surgery. He’s also the owner of all kinds of hunting birds, like falcons and hawks, and he looks after wildlife in general. Some also say he’s the patron of those who work with dogs, and he measures out justice to those who mistreat dogs. The eleke for Ochosi is usually blue and yellow, sometimes with green, coral or amber beads. His numbers are 3, 4 and 7. He’s syncretized in the Catholic religion with Saint Norbert. His feast day is June 6. Ochosi’s children are quick on their feet, have excellent reflexes, are sharp and attentive, full of initiative. They love change and new adventures. Sometimes they have a desire to wander, but normally they enjoy family life and are hospitable to others. Ochosi’s children are trustworthy and truthful. In order to petition Ochosi for justice, the seeker must be in the right. That is to say, someone who has been falsely accused or is being victimized by a wrongdoer can ask Ochosi for intervention, and Ochosi will deliver swift justice. Ebbó for Ochosi is often left in front of the jail or courthouse.
For any further information : info@santeria.fr
Santeria: Every 28th of June we celebrate Oggun’s day
Oggun is the Orisha that represents and is the patron of the blacksmiths, of the wars, of technology, of the surgeons of the army as well as everything that needs uniforms and of all the ones that works in some way or another with the metals or some metal in particular.
Oggun the Orisha warrior is characterized by having a strong and violent character, but above all with his enemies, and his symbol is the machete, with which he faces each and every one of his enemies, but also used to break through, between the abundant vegetation and flora that can exist in a jungle or in a mountain.
When his brother Eleggua opens roads, it is he (Oggun) the great warrior in charge of protecting and securing those roads or those opportunities that are presented to the practitioners and believers of the religion.
His clothing consists of a vest and purple pants, he wears a flat cap, he also wears an ornate belt with long palm fibers and on her shoulder a tiger skin bag that is also adorned with snails. The favorite number of Oggun is 3 as well as their multiples, your preferred day is Tuesday as well as the days
4 of each month. You are greeted! Oke Oggun! Oggun Kobú Aguanilé!
Orisha Oggun is the second in Cuban Santeria (rule of Ocha), this because this (Oggun) is the owner of the machete (Embelebobo) and comes
just behind Eleggua, who as we said before is his brother and is the one who opens the way.
Oggun is said to be in charge of taking justice into his own hands, without caring what others will say or what they may think, all thanks to his great and strong character and that attitude of great violence towards his enemies, what makes him an impulsive deity who loses control when he rages and is extremely severe.
Oggun family
Son of Obbatalá and Yemu (hence the direct messenger of the first), and as we have already said, he has Eleggua, Shangó, as brothers Oshosi, Osun and in some patakis also of Dada, who are also deities.
Offerings and dances
Oggun can be given in offering all kinds of animals, that are sacrificed for him are always accepted in a very good way, since the simple action of sacrifice represents this deity.
It is usually offered to this deity honey, smoked fish, cacao butter, as well as toasted corn and liqueur, being this one, preferably the gin or the moonshine which is the alcoholic beverage more similar to the one used by the Yorubas .
He is known for two characteristics dances, the dance of the warrior as well as the dance of the worker, in the first one he breaks into the air with his machete throwing it downwards, while he advances with one foot and the other one is dragging and in the second one, in which he makes the mimic as if he were hammering with the machete like a blacksmith or as if he were harvesting with his tool.
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The Santería Religion / The Lucumi Religion recognize by Unesco
Santería, (Spanish: “The Way of the Saints”), also called La Regla de Ocha (Spanish: “The Order of the Orishas”) or La Religión Lucumí (Spanish: “The Order of Lucumí”), the most common name given to a religious tradition of African origin that was developed in Cuba and then spread throughout Latin America and the United States. <!--more-->
Santería was brought to Cuba by the people of the Yoruban nations of West Africa, who were enslaved in great numbers in the first decades of the 18th century. The name “Santería” derives from the correspondences and similarities between the Yoruba deities called orishas and the saints (santos) of Roman Catholic piety.
Many contemporary practitioners refer to the tradition as “the religion of the orishas” or the “Lukumi religion,” after the name by which the Yoruba were known in Cuba.Santería is based upon the development of personal relationships through divination, sacrifice, initiation, and mediumship (see medium) between practitioners of the religion and the orisha deities, who provide their devotees with advices, wisdom, and success and who guide devotees through their lives. It is believed that access to the orishas can be achieved through various types of divination. In the Ifá oracle, for example, a trained priest, a babalawo (“father of the mystery”), interprets the fall of consecrated palm nuts to reveal the orishas’ response.
Most Ifá consultations prescribe some form of sacrifice to one or several of the orishas. These offerings may range from simple presentations before home altars to elaborate feasts in the orishas’ honour.
From the Cuban Revolution of 1959 to the early 21st century, nearly one million Cubans left the island, bringing Orisha religion to cities throughout the Americas, particularly Miami and New York. The tradition also spread to other Latino communities, African Americans, and white Americans. Although census data are lacking, it is likely that initiated devotees number in the tens of thousands and that those who consult an orisha at one time or another may be counted in the millions.
Devotees see the Orisha tradition as a world religion and have received public recognition of their spiritual achievements. In 1993 the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously upheld the right of devotees to practice the controversial rite of animal sacrifice in the case Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye v. Hialeah. The U.S. Army and Federal Bureau of Prisons have incorporated orisha ministries into their chaplaincies. Musicians, painters, sculptors, and writers have found in the Orisha tradition sources of African artistry and pride. It is likely that Orisha traditions will continue to grow and be recognized as one of the principal African contributions to world culture.
The Ifa divination system, which makes use of an extensive corpus of texts and mathematical formulas, is practiced among Yoruba communities and by the African diaspora in the Americas and the Caribbean. The word Ifa refers to the mystical figure Ifa or Orunmila, regarded by the Yoruba as the deity of wisdom and intellectual development.
In contrast to other forms of divination in the region that employ spirit mediumship, Ifa divination does not rely on a person having oracular powers but rather on a system of signs that are interpreted by a diviner, the Ifa priest or babalawo, literally “the priest’s father”. The Ifa divination system is applied whenever an important individual or collective decision has to be made.
The Ifa literary corpus, called odu, consists of 256 parts subdivided into verses called ese, whose exact number is unknown as they are constantly increasing (there are around 800 ese per odu). Each of the 256 odu has its specific divination signature, which is determined by the babalawo using sacred palm-nuts and a divination chain. The ese, considered the most important part of Ifa divination, are chanted by the priests in poetic language. The ese reflect Yoruba history, language, beliefs, cosmovision and contemporary social issues. The knowledge of Ifa has been preserved within Yoruba communities and transmitted among Ifa priests.
Under the influence of colonial rule and religious pressures, traditional beliefs and practices were discriminated against.The Ifa priests, most of whom are quite old, have only modest means to maintain the tradition, transmit their complex knowledge and train future practitioners. As a result, the youth and the Yoruba people are losing interest in practising and consulting Ifa divination, which goes hand-in-hand with growing intolerance towards traditional divination systems in general.
source
Joseph M. Murphy and Oluwo Ifaladé
Trouble is babalawo for one day
The reason the lady came to see the Babalawo was because she was frustrated by the diagnoses that her usual Babalawo, Baba Efe, gave her was rather tedious. Iyaloja had gone to Baba Efe to ask for advice on setting up shop to trade in the new shopping mall being built in the town.
If she set up this shop in the mall, will she sell, will she make profit and will her customers love her? She put two and two together, or as some Nigerian journalist I know but will not name would say, put too and too together, (o fi eeji p’eeta), and went to see Baba Ifa, also known as Baba Efe.
Malls have always been part of retailing in Nigeria, only they were not called malls at that time, the time called pre-independence and post-independence. We must not forget the days of CFAO, SCOA, KINGSWAY. These stores disappeared after the indigenisation decree. Overnight there was miniaturisation of products for greater spread of distribution to the common people. A packet of washing powder divided into fifty parts and packed in cellophane bags, a packet of loose sugar portioned into twenty parts and sealed in cellophane bags, salt and matches, milk and tea, and anything that people buy but cannot buy in great quantities were miniaturized and sold down the lower class habitations. And so the big stores disappeared. Now they are back again. If those stores appeared because a middle class that bought bulk was appearing in Nigeria, they seemed to have disappeared leading to the miniaturization of goods. Now that it seems that they are coming back again, the big stores are reappearing as malls.
The reason the lady came to see the Babalawo was because she was frustrated by the diagnoses that her usual Babalawo, Baba Efe, gave her was rather tedious. Iyaloja had gone to Baba Efe to ask for advice on setting up shop to trade in the new shopping mall being built in the town.
If she set up this shop in the mall, will she sell, will she make profit and will her customers love her? She put two and two together, or as some Nigerian journalist I know but will not name would say, put too and too together, (o fi eeji p’eeta), and went to see Baba Ifa, also known as Baba Efe.
Malls have always been part of retailing in Nigeria, only they were not called malls at that time, the time called pre-independence and post-independence. We must not forget the days of CFAO, SCOA, KINGSWAY. These stores disappeared after the indigenisation decree. Overnight there was miniaturisation of products for greater spread of distribution to the common people. A packet of washing powder divided into fifty parts and packed in cellophane bags, a packet of loose sugar portioned into twenty parts and sealed in cellophane bags, salt and matches, milk and tea, and anything that people buy but cannot buy in great quantities were miniaturized and sold down the lower class habitations. And so the big stores disappeared. Now they are back again. If those stores appeared because a middle class that bought bulk was appearing in Nigeria, they seemed to have disappeared leading to the miniaturization of goods. Now that it seems that they are coming back again, the big stores are reappearing as malls.
Baba Ifa brought out his opon ifa and threw the opele. He threw the cowry shells a couple more times and declared that Iyaloja would trade and profit at the new mall but she must sacrifice. Iyaloja said she was ready to make whatever sacrifice was called for in this her new endeavour. Baba Ifa said that she would need the right foot of a left-handed man and the left foot of a right-handed woman. These two feet of different people she must burn together with different currency notes from different parts of the world including and especially U.S dollars, British pounds sterling and Chinese yuan. The ashes must be buried at the entrance door of the shop, which entrance must be different from the exit door.
She went around for weeks looking for these human feet without success. She could not find matching feet to the specification demanded. There were many suppliers who also tried to fool her to think that they were giving her what she asked for. But they charged her an arm and a leg, so to speak! So, she decided to visit another Babalawo.
A friend, also a frequent customer of seers, pastors and vision-vendors, recommended her to a new modern priest of Ifa. When she got to the ‘office’, she found Oga Trouble as the main consultant, or Baba Ifa for the day. There was an ante-room where those who had come to consult were seated waiting their turn to see the new Ifa priest. When she finally saw him, he was surprised to see him in a sky blue three piece suit with a cream coloured shirt and a bow tie of the same colour as the suit. The Ifa priest greeted her with a pleasant smile, invited her to sit down on the couch and asked if she would like something to drink. Not having had such a reception before at the place of an Ifa priest, she was confused and she did not know what to say. Rather than ask for something to drink, she blurted out that she had come to consult the Ifa Priest on her new venture. Maybe she was in the wrong place?
You are where you should be, Iyaloja. His pronunciation of her name was off key Yoruba, like a mix of Cuban/Brazilian Yoruba. You are going into trading in these modern malls, abi? Iyaloja was surprised about what she was coming to consult Ifa about. Again, he smiled and said that he had googled her name and Google had revealed unto him her silent desires and secret hope for plentiful profits. Was that not what she was after? Iyaloja confirmed her desire and prayed the modern Ifa priest to tell her what he saw for her.
Trouble, the Ifa Priest for the day, said that he needed to refine her wish further. What was she wishing to trade in? She wanted to trade in shoes. The priest turned to his computer, the modern opon ifa and googled footwear. He checked out how many stores in the particular mall she wanted to trade in traded in footwear – 97 stores traded in footwear. They sold children’s shoes, men’s shoes, women’s shoes and disabled and specially needed shoes. On further refining the search, only ten sold shoes for men and women and none specialized in women’s shoes. So, when Iyaloja asked for final solution, the Priest said that Ifa advised that she specialises in women’s shoes and special shoes for disabled and people needing specially constructed shoes. This was an area where few people traded.
Iyaloja thanked the priest and asked for the sacrifice she needed to make. Trouble asked if she had consulted other Ifa priests before coming to her. She said she had and told him what sacrifice she was asked to make. Why feet? Because people walked to the mal, l and so feet for sacrifice. Trouble asked if more people did not drive to the mall, arriving in personal motorcars, public taxis, uber taxis, keke napep, okadas and bicycles! So, far more people arrived at the mall on tyres. It means that if anything is to be used for sacrifice it should be tyres, which is common to all the means of arriving at the mall and at her shop. She agreed and she was asked to bring a tyre. This tyre was cut up and used to make foot mats. These foot mats were placed at the entrance and at the exit with ‘welcome’ and ‘thanks’ written on them in four languages. She also paid a consulting fee. Thus ended the first day of Ifa consulting done by Trouble and his company.
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What is "babalawo"
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babalawo
n. a Yoruba chieftaincy title that denotes a Priest of Ifá
Wikipedia
Babalawo
Babaaláwo or '''Babalawo (Babalao '''or Babalaô in Latin America; literally meaning 'father of the mysteries' in the Yoruba language) is a spiritual title that denotes a Priest of Ifá. Its female counterpart is called Iyalawo (meaning 'mother of divination) or Iyanifa (Mother of Ifa). Ifá is a divination system that represents the teachings of the Orisha Orunmila, the Orisha of Wisdom, who in turn serves as the oracular representative of Olodumare. The Babalawo ascertain the future of their clients through communication with Ifá. This is done through the interpretation of either the patterns of the divining chain known as Opele, or the sacred palm nuts called Ikin, on the traditionally wooden divination tray called Opon Ifá.
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babalawo in English
babalawo
Definitions
[noun] a Yoruba chieftaincy title that denotes a Priest of Ifá
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Example sentences with "babalawo", translation memory
Moreover, several of the main babalawos (individuals who, in cultures of African origin, play a role similar to that of Christian priests and pastors) are doctors who work in hospitals and other health centres in the country.”
He's a very powerful babalawo.
Biography: My experience and knowledge were developed while working first handedly with multiple Oba Oriateses, highly recognized elder oloshas in Florida and Cuba, and the influence of babalawo’s / oluawos that have generously confided and shared with me valuable information concerning the Osha rules.
I have to see my babalawo, my healer.
We describe research with the babalawo of Santería, who are expert in the divinatory system of Ifá.
Showing page 1. Found 6 sentences matching phrase "babalawo".Found in 1 ms. Translation memories are created by human, but computer aligned, which might cause mistakes. They come from many sources and are not checked. Be warned.
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CONSULTATION WITH A BABALAWO
IFA Consultations
Divination is at the core of the Religion. Virtually everything we do in the Religion revolves around some form of divination. It is through divination that we find out if you should receive an initiation, or whether a cleansing or offering to the Egguns or an Orisha is what a person needs. We regularly use divination in our day to day lives to receive guidance and advice from IFA and the Orishas. In this way we live in alignment with the power of the Orishas, of Olodumare (God) and with our own Orí (Destiny).
One of the highest form of divination in the Religion is IFA, which is the exclusive domain of Orunmila and his specially trained priests known as Babalawos or ‘Fathers of the Secrets.’ who are the high priests in our Religion. Orunmila or Orula for short is the Orisha of wisdom and knowledge
The Purpose of Ifa Consultations
The purpose of IFA divination is to help the person align themselves with their destiny (Orí) and with the will of the Orishas. It should be noted that divination in this Religion is not ‘fortune-telling’. The consultations will often delve into a person’s past, present and future, and many questions regarding the person’s life will be answered. Even more importantly, when a person comes to be seen with IFA, they are learning how they can bring their lives into harmony with themselves as well as with the forces of the world that surrounds them. It is IFA and the Orishas who speak and advise as to what is the best path for the visitor to follow in order to better their lives. This can only be accomplished by properly trained Babalawos and gives the whole event a very different meaning and depth.
What Happens During a ‘Consulta’?
First, the babalawo will be saying a number of prayers to Olodumare, to the Eggun and to the Orishas asking their permission to do the work and asking them to speak about the situations affecting the life of the person coming to be seen.
Then the ecuele will be cast in order to get the essential Odu or ‘sign’ that accompanies that person. This Odu speaks of the person’s life, the road they are on, how they came to be on that road, and where the path leads. But first we will need to find out the particular path of this sign to further pinpoint the person’s situation.
Several questions are asked starting with whether the Odu comes with Iré (blessings) or with osogbo (some form of negativity). During this time various items called Ibo will be given to the person. The person is asked to shake and separate the items, one in each hand. The signs that come up tell us which hand to ask for. This is done so that the person’s personal ashé or spiritual energy is brought into the equation. In this way we ascertain what kind of blessing or negativity is accompanying the person and where it comes from, etc. At this point we begin to tell the person what advice Ifa has for them. Finally, we find out the ceremonies or work that is needed in order to ensure the Iré (blessings) or to defend the person from any negativity or Osogbo that might be putting the person out of harmony.
How Long Does This Take?
Well, that depends. As priests, we are the servants of Olodumare and the Orishas and the course of the consultation is in their hands. This means we cannot close the consultation until Orunmila is satisfied that all that needs to be said and all that needs to be done has been brought out to this person. This can take forty minutes or two hours, as it is up to the Orishas and not up to us.
Phone Consultations
We consult people who are not in the area and where they are unable to access a Babalawo. There are limitations, since certain types of work, such as sarayeyeo, rogaciones, paraldos cannot be done from a distance. And initiations cannot be done without the person present.
Of course, if you are in the Miami, Homestead or Hialeah area, or are planning a visit here, you can receive a consultation in person.
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