Image Source: Art & Life in Africa - University of Iowa Good day everyone. This week I will be doing a series on the topic of Ifa/Orisa. I will attempt to answer some questions pertaining to the tradition and the basics of understanding it. Today, I begin with The Ifa Divination Process. ...

Image Source: Art & Life in Africa - University of Iowa Good day everyone. This week I will be doing a series on the topic of Ifa/Orisa. I will attempt to answer some questions pertaining to the tradition and the basics of understanding it. Today, I begin with The Ifa Divination Process. ...

Aboru Aboye Abosise! I greet you all in the traditional Ifa initiate greeting. Today I want to share with you a story. This story is from the sacred "scriptures" of Ifa; specifically from the Odu Ifa nicknamed Ogbe/Sa or otherwise called Ogbe (ug-beh) Osa (Oh-Sah). What is an Odu? ...

Aboru Aboye Abosise! I greet you all in the traditional Ifa initiate greeting. Today I want to share with you a story. This story is from the sacred "scriptures" of Ifa; specifically from the Odu Ifa nicknamed Ogbe/Sa or otherwise called Ogbe (ug-beh) Osa (Oh-Sah). What is an Odu? ...

I greet you all in the Yoruba traditional initiates greeting, from the Odu Ifa Ogunda Meji, Aboru Aboye Abosise. Today I want to share with you a story from the scriptures of Ifa, from the Odu Ifa nicknamed Owonrin/sogbe otherwise called Owonrin/Ogbe. There are 256 major Odu’s of Ifa, which involves 16 major Odu’s which are the Mejis or the sixteen Kings (although they are feminine principles and 240 permutations )born from the 16 elders. 16 x 16 equals 256, then see it this way 16 major and 240 minor all adds up to 256 unimaginable possibilities of the human being and his journey. You can look at it as them marrying into each other and becoming a family. ...

I greet you all in the Yoruba traditional initiates greeting, from the Odu Ifa Ogunda Meji, Aboru Aboye Abosise. Today I want to share with you a story from the scriptures of Ifa, from the Odu Ifa nicknamed Owonrin/sogbe otherwise called Owonrin/Ogbe. There are 256 major Odu’s of Ifa, which involves 16 major Odu’s which are the Mejis or the sixteen Kings (although they are feminine principles and 240 permutations )born from the 16 elders. 16 x 16 equals 256, then see it this way 16 major and 240 minor all adds up to 256 unimaginable possibilities of the human being and his journey. You can look at it as them marrying into each other and becoming a family. ...

Hello to you all! I have been missing for some days as I have been busy with Egbe initiations and also I was (still am) fighting the flu. Here on Embracing Spirituality, I have written on Egbe before (read here), and I have done many initiations for people here in Nigeria. I even have initiated Egbe myself and so have my children. I have video footage of the recently done Egbe initiation this past week, but the young lady has not yet agreed to me showing them, so I may post some audio in the comments instead. ...

Hello to you all! I have been missing for some days as I have been busy with Egbe initiations and also I was (still am) fighting the flu. Here on Embracing Spirituality, I have written on Egbe before (read here), and I have done many initiations for people here in Nigeria. I even have initiated Egbe myself and so have my children. I have video footage of the recently done Egbe initiation this past week, but the young lady has not yet agreed to me showing them, so I may post some audio in the comments instead. ...

Aboru Aboye oooo!, I greet you all in the language of Ifa and of all traditional people, from the holy Odu Ogunda Meji. Today, August 20th 2016, all Orisha People in Nigeria and around the world will celebrate Isese day (e-shay-shay), which is Day of Tradition. Today in Nigeria all Babalawo's, Iyanifa's, Olorishas and everyone who practices the traditional way of life which is the practice, worship and veneration of Ifa/Orisha will celebrate this day for all its worth. The appropriate greeting for this day is Isese Lagba (E-shay-shay-Lag-ba) which means tradition is the best way, or tradition is on top of all religions. After someone greets you "Isese Lagba," you will answer Isese Lagba Gbogbo Wa (E-shay-shay- Bug-bo Wa!) which means tradition will stay with us always. ...

Aboru Aboye oooo!, I greet you all in the language of Ifa and of all traditional people, from the holy Odu Ogunda Meji. Today, August 20th 2016, all Orisha People in Nigeria and around the world will celebrate Isese day (e-shay-shay), which is Day of Tradition. Today in Nigeria all Babalawo's, Iyanifa's, Olorishas and everyone who practices the traditional way of life which is the practice, worship and veneration of Ifa/Orisha will celebrate this day for all its worth. The appropriate greeting for this day is Isese Lagba (E-shay-shay-Lag-ba) which means tradition is the best way, or tradition is on top of all religions. After someone greets you "Isese Lagba," you will answer Isese Lagba Gbogbo Wa (E-shay-shay- Bug-bo Wa!) which means tradition will stay with us always. ...

Good day to every one, this is a short post (I will be very busy today) with the highlights of one of the initiations done the other day. This one that I am showing today is that of initiation to Orisa Obatala. I love this Orisa so much. The man of peace, the wise man, the Orisa who was given the task to create man. To the person who left a comment this morning about Jesus is the only way, please to low mi site and gwey. Go warn pon bus or preach in church, but do not come on my blog like yuh ah fling wud. I respect everyone's religion, but your comment was not coming from a good place, so nuh mek mi fling mi cyber frock ova mi head and tell yuh some claat. ...

Good day to every one, this is a short post (I will be very busy today) with the highlights of one of the initiations done the other day. This one that I am showing today is that of initiation to Orisa Obatala. I love this Orisa so much. The man of peace, the wise man, the Orisa who was given the task to create man. To the person who left a comment this morning about Jesus is the only way, please to low mi site and gwey. Go warn pon bus or preach in church, but do not come on my blog like yuh ah fling wud. I respect everyone's religion, but your comment was not coming from a good place, so nuh mek mi fling mi cyber frock ova mi head and tell yuh some claat. ...

Hello everyone, I pray all is well for you. I know you have read in the comments of Prosperity's post that I am busy doing initiations, this is why I have been silent. Initiations rides high on energy and there are so many things going on at once, many people from near and far are here, the place is filled with so much power and live wire energy. I love the whole vibe it creates, and I am always curious to see the birth of the person being initiated, all sorts of things are revealed, the person's destiny opens like a book and we all read a chapter to the initiate of their life's journey, the negative and the positives, and instruct them of the do's and dont's of their life. If the person is to be blind in their later years, the odu, (the destiny book) states this and solution in way of prescribed sacrifice or the preparation of powerful medicine is done to remove it. This is why I love this tradition. Well, this short post is just me sharing with you a little about how powerful Egbe is. ...

Hello everyone, I pray all is well for you. I know you have read in the comments of Prosperity's post that I am busy doing initiations, this is why I have been silent. Initiations rides high on energy and there are so many things going on at once, many people from near and far are here, the place is filled with so much power and live wire energy. I love the whole vibe it creates, and I am always curious to see the birth of the person being initiated, all sorts of things are revealed, the person's destiny opens like a book and we all read a chapter to the initiate of their life's journey, the negative and the positives, and instruct them of the do's and dont's of their life. If the person is to be blind in their later years, the odu, (the destiny book) states this and solution in way of prescribed sacrifice or the preparation of powerful medicine is done to remove it. This is why I love this tradition. Well, this short post is just me sharing with you a little about how powerful Egbe is. ...

In Africa, especially Nigeria where I live half the year and where I initiated into the tradition of Ifa/Orisha, women who marry there often times convert to the religion of their husbands. Most often a Nigerian would refer to someone as his wife or she would say this is her husband, but they go by the concept of "take a woman and call her your wife" and in most cases it is when a woman has a child for the man, she is automatically his wife or referred to as such. So de ooman just haffi breed and braps she have husband ,sans paper fi sign or parson wid him black frock an collar. If the husband is Muslim or the woman was brought up christian, then upon them getting together and becoming a family (she breed and him get sudden wife) the woman then begins to practice Islam, you will not see the man converting to hers, it will be she that does it. It is the same if he were Christian and also if he is traditional worker. With tradition however, she does not have to initiate, unless he is a Babalawo and Ifa specifies this, but she no longer visits the Church or the Mosque, although I have seen some women still observe Christian and Muslim holidays or special days. ...

In Africa, especially Nigeria where I live half the year and where I initiated into the tradition of Ifa/Orisha, women who marry there often times convert to the religion of their husbands. Most often a Nigerian would refer to someone as his wife or she would say this is her husband, but they go by the concept of "take a woman and call her your wife" and in most cases it is when a woman has a child for the man, she is automatically his wife or referred to as such. So de ooman just haffi breed and braps she have husband ,sans paper fi sign or parson wid him black frock an collar. If the husband is Muslim or the woman was brought up christian, then upon them getting together and becoming a family (she breed and him get sudden wife) the woman then begins to practice Islam, you will not see the man converting to hers, it will be she that does it. It is the same if he were Christian and also if he is traditional worker. With tradition however, she does not have to initiate, unless he is a Babalawo and Ifa specifies this, but she no longer visits the Church or the Mosque, although I have seen some women still observe Christian and Muslim holidays or special days. ...

Aboru Aboye oooo!!! Today, August 20th 2015, all Orisha People in Nigeria and around the world will celebrate Isese day (e-shay-shay), which is Day of Tradition. Today in Nigeria all Babalawo's, Iyanifa's, Olorishas and everyone who practices the tradition way of life which is the practice, worship and veneration of Ifa/Orisha will celebrate this day for all its worth. The appropriate greeting for this day is Isese Lagba (E-shay-shay-Lag-ba) which means tradition is the best way, or tradition is on top of all religions. After someone greets you "Isese Lagba," you will answer Isese Lagba Gbogbo Wa (E-shay-shay- Bug-bo Wa!) which means tradition will stay with us always. ...

Aboru Aboye oooo!!! Today, August 20th 2015, all Orisha People in Nigeria and around the world will celebrate Isese day (e-shay-shay), which is Day of Tradition. Today in Nigeria all Babalawo's, Iyanifa's, Olorishas and everyone who practices the tradition way of life which is the practice, worship and veneration of Ifa/Orisha will celebrate this day for all its worth. The appropriate greeting for this day is Isese Lagba (E-shay-shay-Lag-ba) which means tradition is the best way, or tradition is on top of all religions. After someone greets you "Isese Lagba," you will answer Isese Lagba Gbogbo Wa (E-shay-shay- Bug-bo Wa!) which means tradition will stay with us always. ...

The Yoruba people of South Western Nigeria has been practicing the tradition of Ifa/orisha for over ten thousand years. Ile Ife, Nigeria is where the great Orunmila, owner of the sacred  Ifa Oracle first descended. Ile Ife is our Garden of Eden (I abhor making this reference, but I do for easier understanding). The tradition got to the new world through the African Holocaust, the Trans Atlantic Slave trade, otherwise known as Slavery. The slaves (some were Babalawo's and initiates) who arrived in Cuba put together whatever they could remember of the orishas and practiced the tradition secretly and hid the Orishas in catholic saints, because they being captured and turned into Slaves had to practice the religion of their oppressors, which was Christianity, as most people were forced into Christianity. Sango became Santa Barbara, and Ogun Saint Peter and so on, Osun, La Caridad de Cobre and so on. All Orishas are African, and remember civilization began on that great continent, so truth be told, we are all Africans. ...

The Yoruba people of South Western Nigeria has been practicing the tradition of Ifa/orisha for over ten thousand years. Ile Ife, Nigeria is where the great Orunmila, owner of the sacred  Ifa Oracle first descended. Ile Ife is our Garden of Eden (I abhor making this reference, but I do for easier understanding). The tradition got to the new world through the African Holocaust, the Trans Atlantic Slave trade, otherwise known as Slavery. The slaves (some were Babalawo's and initiates) who arrived in Cuba put together whatever they could remember of the orishas and practiced the tradition secretly and hid the Orishas in catholic saints, because they being captured and turned into Slaves had to practice the religion of their oppressors, which was Christianity, as most people were forced into Christianity. Sango became Santa Barbara, and Ogun Saint Peter and so on, Osun, La Caridad de Cobre and so on. All Orishas are African, and remember civilization began on that great continent, so truth be told, we are all Africans. ...