IWA PELE (GOOD CHARACTER)

A Yoruba adage says Iwa rere leso eniyan meaning it is good character that guides one in life,the Yoruba people believes it is good character that guides one to success in life. The good character will be that thing that will even protect man when he is in danger.The importance of good character cannot be over emphasized that's why i decided to share what Ifa taught us about this topic. Remember Ifa speaks in parable,i pray you are blessed as you read this enjoy

Orisa lo se laa ni feere                It is Obatala who made pawpaw like trumpet(name of an Ifa priest)
O se enu re dududu                He made the mouth of the trumpet systematically(name of an Ifa priest)
Komo araye o le maa ri n fon     For all humans to use for rythmn(name of an Ifa priest)
Difa fun Orunmila                             The made Ifa reading for Orunmila
Baba n lo ree gbe Iwa niyawo           He wanted to marry Iwa(character)
Ebo ni woni ko wa se                        Ebo was prescribed for him


This verse of Odu Ifa Ogbe-otura(ogbe-alara) tells the story of when Orunmila was going to get married to
a woman named Iwa(character).Orunmila was told by the above babalawos that he need to make ebo(sacrifice}
and make sure he is contempted and always take care of her i.e Iwa(character) so Orunmila made ebo and he
went ahead to marry Iwa(Character). When the new wife came into Orunmila's household everything started
going well for him,he is very happy cause he was having success upon success.So it got to point when
Orunmila started giving his wife(Iwa) some troubles at home,sometimes he complain on the meal she cooked,
the next day he will complain on the compound.Everyday he(Orunmila) gives his wife(iwa) one problem or
the other.Orunmila has totally forgotten what the babalawos(Ifa priests) told him. One day Iwa(Character)
became sick and tired of Orunmila's complain and troubles,so she decided to pack and go. After she left
things started going from bad to worse for Orunmila he didn't noticed until he found out he was virtually
left with nothing.So he went for Ifa divination and his babalawos(Ifa priests) told him that he has chased
someone away from his life he needs to go and beg the person to come back to his life before everything
will come back to normal for him.So after making ebo(sacrifice) Orunmila start the journey in search of
his wife that packed out.People told him that they heard she went to king Alara,so Orunmila travelled to
Aramoko and he went to the palace and asked the king if he has seen his wife or not? the King said she
has come to the palace he told her he cannot harbour her because Orunmila is his close firend and he is
the one that helped him spiritually and made him king,he now gave Orunmila a clue that he heard she went
to Ijero,when Orunmila got to the town King Ajero told Orunmila the same thing King Alara said,it was
King Ajero that gave Orunmila another clue that it seems she is on her way to King Owa-rangun-aga's
palace. Orunmila quickly continues his journey,on getting there he finds his wife and he told the king
all that happened.They pity Orunmila and helped him plead to his wife to follow him back home and she
agreed.Henceforth,Orunmila says whoever has all blessings in life and does have Iwa(good character)
all the blessings is another man's blessing.whatever we do in life let's have good character i pray
that Ifa will not let us loose all blessings that belong to us...ase o

Orisa lo se laa ni feere             It is Obatala who made pawpaw like trumpet(name of an Ifa priest)
O se enu re dududu                 He made the mouth of the trumpet systematically(name of an Ifa priest)
Komo araye o le maa ri n fon           For all humans to use for rythmn(name of an Ifa priest)
Difa fun Orunmila                           The made Ifa reading for Orunmila
Baba n lo ree gbe Iwa niyawo          He wanted to marry Iwa(character)
Ebo ni woni ko wa se                       Ebo was prescribed for him
O gbebo mbe o rubo                         He made ebo as prescribed
Nje Alara o riwa n mi?                     King Alara did you find/see Iwa(character)?
Iwa la n wa o Iwa                            We are in search of Iwa(character)
Ajero o riwa n mi?                           King Ajero did you find/see Iwa(character)?
Iwa la n wa o Iwa                            We are in search of Iwa(character)      
Owaran-gun o riwa n mi?                King Owaran-gun did you find or see my wife?
Beeyan lowo ti o niwa                    If one is rich in life
Bi o niwa owo olowo ni                  If he doesn't have good character the riches will be lost
Iwa la n wa o Iwa                            We are in search of Iwa(character)
Beeyan nire gbogbo                        If one has all blessings in life
Bi o niwa ire onire ni                      If he lacks good character all the blessings will vanish
Iwa la n wa o Iwa                           We are in search of Iwa(character)

In conclusion,i implore all of us to keep our good character so that it will bless,guide and protect us in life. I pray that Ifa,all our Orisas(deities) and Olodumare(God) will not let our blessings vanish ase o

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The Story of Cockroach and Cock

Aboru boye to all, the story I want to share is a myth from the Odu Ifa that is called Obara-ose and this Odu Ifa teaches us to always consult Ifa on whatever we want to do and always make sure we make ebo and heed to the instructions of Ifa. Most especially when it comes investing our money into a particular business or an investment. According to the culture of Yoruba people they consult Ifa at every stage of their lives so to know what the future holds and the loopholes of their lives so as to lesser troubles in life which will be easily conquered by ebo(special sacrifice as a mode of prayer to God) and divine instructions from Ifa. The Odu Ifa goes thus:


Obara sekun se pepe                                                The name of babalawo(the Ifa priest)
Difa fun Aayan                                                         Who performed Ifa divination for Cockroach
N lo ree ra Akuko leru                                             Coakroach was going to buy Cock as a slave
Ebo ni woni ko se                                                     He was told to make ebo


The above babalawo(Ifa priest) performed an Ifa reading for Cockroach when he decided to buy a slave named Cock(male chicken) so the babalawo(Ifa priest) prescribed an ebo for Cockroach and he was also warned not buy Cock(male chicken) as  slave because it might bring destruction into Cockroach's life. Cockroach refused to make ebo and he didn't heed to the advice of Ifa. Since Cockroach has made up his mind about purchasing a new slave called Cock(male chicken) so he went he went to the market to buy Cock(male chicken) and he was successful in doing that he bought himself a new slave little did he know that he has bought trouble into his entire family.
However, Cockroach took Cock(male chicken) to his house where he has every member of his family, so Cock started eating the children of Cockroach one by one, by the time Cockroach get to realize Cock is eating his children Cock has virtually finished all Cockroach's children. So Cockroach decided to ask/confront Cock(male chicken) immediately Cockroach did this he saw that Cock tried to attack and strike him but he able waive it away. He also realize that Cock(male chicken) is far powerful more than he is so he decide to run for safety o his life.
Henceforth Cock(male chicken) becomes big threat and a fear factor for all the generation of Cockroach eternally. Cockroach will eternally regret buying a slave Ifa instructed him not to buy initially. So Cockroach lamented and say: How does a slave that one used his money to buy rebels against one?  people come and see the slave whom I use my money to buy and he is militating against me

Let us now look in the Odu Ifa verse again when Ifa says:

Obara sekun se pepe                                                The name of babalawo(the Ifa priest)
Difa fun Aayan                                                         Who performed Ifa divination for Cockroach
N lo ree ra Akuko leru                                             Coakroach was going to buy Cock as a slave
Ebo ni woni ko se                                                     He was told to make ebo
Igba ai sebo                                                               He refused to make ebo
Igba ai setutu                                                             He refused to heed to advice of Ifa
Eru taa kowo ra                                                         slave we used one's money to buy
se e kogun jani?                                                         why is he the same one rebelling against one?


I implore everyone to always consult Ifa on everything we want to venture into in life, make ebo and also make sure we heed to the advice of Ifa. If we all can endeavor to do this I believe the sky is not going to be the limit but the beginning for all of us. My prayer is that may Olodumare(God) not allow us use our hands to buy/bring destruction into our lives and family ase o! ire nla fun gbogbo wa(bid blessings for all)
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THREE MYSTERIES OFLIFE ABOUT ILE(LAND)

Aboru boye to all,i want to share this verse of Ifa with
all and sundry.This teaching comes from Odu Ofun-nagbe,
it speaks about three mysteries of life namely:Ibi taa gbe
bini(Where one is born),Ibi taa gbe sun(where one will
end up his/her life and ibi taa mon gbe(Where one will
live).These three factors are misery to us,they are all
beyond our undrstanding as a human.Ifa only advice us in
this verse to make atonement to wherever ile(land) we
find ourselves so the ile(land) that where we are born,live
and die will be of blessings to us.
The verse goes thus:


Kada aso dudu bo erin                  Let's use a black cloth to cover head of elephant
Kada eyi wini-wini ko ekun             Let's use the one with multi-color to cover tiger
Ojo oganjo nni pakoko toju timu     It is the rain that falls in the mid-night that get wolfs wet
Difa fun Ibi taa gbe sun                 The 3 above awos casted Ifa divination for "where death will meet us"
Difa fun ibi taa gbe bini                  "Where we shall be born"
Difa fun ibi taa mon gbe                "Where we shall be dwelling"
Awon meteeta  torun bowaye          The 3 of them are coming from heaven to earth
Ebo n woni ki won o se                   Ebo was prescribed for them
Won gbebo mbe won rubo              They made ebo as prescribed by the awos


As we can read in the above verse the three myteries(where death will meet us,Where we shall be born and Where we shall be dwelling)
consulted Ifa before coming to planet earth.They desired not to be understandable by any man and the awos prescribed ebo for them and they made the ebo.
they did ebo as prescribed by the awos.Their ebos was acceppted by Olodumare(God) and the Supreme Being gave them the power to become
uncomprehendable for all humans.No man can ever tell where he is going to be born,no man can also tell where death will catch up with him/her(A man can be born in Nigeria and end his life in U.K),likewise no man can tell where he is going to dwell(A man can be born in Jamaica and make his/her living in U.S.A).These three factors remain a mystery.So in this verse,Ifa only advice us to make atonement to wherever or whichever land we find ourselves in life.This will make the land to which we are born,lived on and died on be of
blessing to us.

Nje atari o mon ibusun              One's head don't know where one's life will end
Ori o mon ibugbe                    One's head does not know where man will dwell
A ba meku,a ba meja                 We are adviced to take rat and fish
A ba mata,a ba momi                 we are adviced to bring allegator pepper and water
A ba mepo,                              we are adviced to bring palm oil and all other ingredients of atonements
Ka e tunle ibe se                  We shall use all to make the land peaceful(chase away all evils and make it a land of blessing)

This Odu Ifa also emphasize on the importance of giving offering to ile(land) in order to attract blessing on earth and make one's stay on earth pleasurable.The Yoruba people consider ile(Land) as a deity that sees all that man is doing or going through on earth.
As a matter of fact,one of the minor Odus Ifa speaks of Ile(Land) who used to be the wife of Orunmila.She leaked some top secret that's why she was cursed to be able to see all the activities of men but be unable to talk.Anyways that's not the point i am emphasizing in this,all i want to say is that Ile(Land) is also a deity and we neeed to give atonement and offering to it at a point in time in our life so that it will be of blessing to us.My Prayer for every one of us is that may Ile(Land) bless us abundantly  in life Ase o!
Ire gbogbo o!

WHAT IFA IS AND WHAT IFA IS NOT

IFA IS NOT A RELIGION BUT IT CONTAINS RELIGION WITHIN ITSELF. IT IS NOT HISTORY; BUT IT CONTAINS HISTORY. IT IS NOT PHILOSOPHY; BUT IT CONTAINS PHILOSOPHY. IT IS NOT SCIENCE; BUT IT CONTAINS SCIENCE WITHIN ITSELF, AND IT IS A VERY A PROFOUND KIND OF SCIENCE, BY WHICH WONDERFUL THINGS ARE PERFORMED. IT IS NOT MUSIC; BUT SOME OF YOU WOULD HAVE NOTICED THE MUSIC IN THE STANZA OF IFA THAT I HAVE RECITED TO YOU. IFA IS NOT ANYONE THING, BUT IT CONTAINS EVERYTHING WITHIN IT, IN IT'S TOTALITY

Why it is Forbidden for Cobra to Eat or Swallow Giant Rat

Aise ile aye nigbe                                  - It is forbidden it exist on earth(name of awo)

Ti aba se emi niise?                               - If its done what will happen?(name of awo)

Difa fun Ewu                                         - Consultation was done for Giant Rat

N loree te Oka nifa                                - when he wanted to initiate cobra into Ifa

Ebo n woni o se(o rubo)                        - He was told to make ebo and he did

Oka bo o gbawo mi ibi lose                   - Cobra if you swallow awo you betray

Oka bo gbawo mi wa a ku                     - Cobra if you swallow awo you will surely die

The Importance of Making Ebo and Heeding the Voice of Ifa.

Aboru boye to all my brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers in African Traditional

Religion. I hope and pray this note finds you in peace and not in pieces. May all our

Orishas and Olodumare(God) continually bless us in all our endeavors.

I want us to look into this Odu Ifa and learn from it. The name of the Odu Ifa is

called Irosun-dii. I strongly believe that if we apply the knowledge of Ifa into our

daily life, we shall remain on the path of success. This verse speaks of two close

friends. The verse goes thus:

Irosun odi babalawo eku lodifafun eku   -  Irosun odi is the awo that consult for rat

Eku nii tii se omo onibu                          -  Rat was the owner of river

Irosun odi babalawo eja lodifa fun eja    -   Irosun-dii is the awo that consult for fish

Eja nii tii se omo onipapa                       -   Fish was the owner of the bush

Ebo ni woni kii won o se                         -  They were both warned and told to make ebo

Rat and fish were close friends. They were both going through some difficulties in

life, so they both went for Ifa consultation with the above babalawo. The Odu Ifa that

appears for both of them is Irosun-dii. The babalawo told them to make ebo

and be careful when it comes to sharing their property with other people. Remember that Fish was the owner of the

bush and Rat was the owner river.

They both refuse to make ebo and they did not heed the advice of Ifa. Fish used to

find it so hard to survive in the bush during the dry season. Rat, on the other hand,

was enjoying his home river come rain or come shine.

Fish went to his friend rat and explained all the difficulties he was going

through trying to survive in the bush. Fish ask his friend to please help him. He

said Rat should please let him stay in the river for a little while and when the dry

season is over he shall leave the river and go back to the bush where he belongs.

So Rat was like "what are friends for? I will stay in the bush and let my friend stay

in the river for a little while.". As we all know, Rat has the adaptation to

survive in the bush, so they both agree on this.

Fish got to the river and felt so comfortable. He was feeling so much like he is

home. So when the dry season was over Rat went to his friend fish and told him that

its time for him to leave the river and go back to the bush where he belongs.

Fish said back to Rat that he had found the place where he will live for the rest of his

life. Rat was very upset at what his friend said and remind him of the agreement

between them. Fish said there was nothing as such between them.

However, Fish was smart enough to go for a consultation about his stay in the river.

Eyokoro babalawo eja lodifa fun Eja       Eyokoro is the awo that consult for fish

Ebo was prescribed for Fish and special Ifa medicine to rub on the body. The awo assured

Fish that there will be no problem for him. Rat tried all his possible best to

get back to the river, which used to be his home, but all his efforts were to no avail.

So he had to switch to plan B. He went to Cat and hired him to kill Fish. By so doing

he planned to get back to his home. He payed cat. When cat got to the river where he was to

execute his work, he tried to get a hold of Fish but the special Ifa medicine rubbed

on his body keeps making him slip away. He tried all his best but he couldn't get a hold

of fish. So he went back to Rat and told him it was impossible for him hunt Fish down and

Rat was left with no choice but to accept his fate. Eversince then... the river became the home of Fish and the bush became home of Rat 'til today.

I want all of us to meditate and learn one or two things from this verse of

Odu Ifa....May we be blessed as we continually grow spiritually. May we be

blessed abundantly.  ASE OOO!!!

Irosun odi babalawo eku lodifafun eku   Irosun odi is the awo that consult for rat

Eku nii tii se omo onibu                           -  Rat was the owner of river

Irosun odi babalawo eja lodifa fun eja     -  Irosun-dii is the awo that consult for fish

Eja nii tii se omo onipapa                        -  Fish was the owner of the bush

Ebo ni woni kii won o se                          - They were both warned and told to make ebo

Eyokoro babalawo eja lodifa fun Eja        -  Eyokoro is the awo that consult for fish

Nje mose boro molo                               -  I slip away and escape

Ate kii mu eja lodo                                 - Trap does not catch fish in the river

mose boro mo lo                                    -  I slip away and escape

The Importance of Good Character

Aboru boye to all my brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers in ATR,. I am writing this note to

discuss the importance of good character. The verse of Ifa below comes from IROSUN-GEDA. This verse

tells the story of Ori (head) and his younger brother Iwa (character) when they were both coming from

heaven to earth. I pray that Ifa will bless us as we read:

Aja sian aje e deyin                           -  name of an Awo

Agbo sian ti roro                               -  name of an Awo

Agbo ti o ba sian ti roro                    -  name of an Awo

Kaya magbo rele                               -  name of an Awo

Kalo mu agbo bo baba                      -  name of an Awo

Difa fun Iwa                                      -  Ifa reading was done for Iwa (character)

Tiise Abu leyin ori                             -  who is the younger brother of Ori

Igba ti won ti ode orun bowaye         -  they were both coming from heaven

Ebo n woni ki won o se e                  -  Awos told them to make ebo

Tiwa nikan losoro                             -  It is only character that needed to be taken care of

Tiwa nikan losoro                             -  It is only character that needed to be taken care of

Ori o kuku buru to e dele Ife             -  Ori is not unfortunate since the creation of the world

Tiwa nikan losoro                             -  It is only character that needed to be taken care of

Just like every other people, Ori went to the above Awos for a consultation before coming to earth.

The Odu Ifa that appeared for Ori was IROSUN-GEDA. The Awos told Ori that Ifa revealed that Ori

will have plenty of blessing. He needs to make ebo so the blessings will come and also make ebo with his younger

brother Iwa(Character) so that his younger brother will not be the one blocking his blessings. Ori

told the Awos to make ebo for him and he will make ebo for his brother later.

The Awos did as Ori said and he started the journey to earth with his younger brother named Iwa

(character). When they got to earth the ebo, that Ori made, started its manifestation by bringing good

fortunes to Ori,but because Ori did not make ebo with his younger brother some of the blessings

will not come to Ori because character will block them. When a particular blessing had decided to

come to Ori, Iwa(character) will cause problems which will make the blessing go away.   

My brethren I want to implore us to be mindful of our character, because it might be the master key

to all the doors of blessing we have been knocking and aspiring for in our life. We need to keep

good character cause it will attract blessing. If there is a man that have bad character that man

is automatically chasing away his blessing in life.

There is a yourba adage that says: Iwa rere leso eniyan - Good character is the life guard of a man.

May Ifa help all of us. Ase o! Remain blessed. Love always.

Awo Bibilari Abayomi Awolade Elebuibon