African Priest

Alafia! Peace!
Ase! Ase! Ase!

 

Kabo! Kabo! Welcome! Welcome! to Ile Awo Orisa
The House of the Mysteries of Orisa
The Voice of the Emese and the Isoro Traditional Council of Chiefs

 
   
 
         

 

The Authorized Voice
of the Emese,
The Caretakers, Guardians,
and Repository of IFA

 

Associated Sites

Ile Awo Orisa Blog


Preview

Adura: An Ifa Prayer
Book For Beginners
Vol I, 2nd Edition


Seifu-Sharif


 

 

 

 

Orisa Ogun

The Lord of Iron

Mo juba awo Ogun.
Iwo ni Oluwa Irin.
Iwo ni Alabo Otito.
Iwo ni Ologun Julo Nase, Oluwa Ogun.
Iwo ni Oluwa Awo Aiye.
Iwo ni Oluwa Ikannu Ina.
Iwo ni Oluwa Ebo Eje-tutu.

I humble myself before the mystery of Ogun.
You are the Lord of Iron.
You are the Defender of Truth.
You are the Most Powerful Warrior, the Lord of War.
You are the Owner of the Mystery of Earth.
You are the Lord of the Fury of Fire.
You are the Lord of the Blood Sacrifice.

There is a Yoruba saying:

“Whichever divinity regards Ogun as of no consequence,
will eat his yams with his hands (i.e. unprepared) for times without number.”

It is Obatala who laid out the blueprint for this reality and is the thread of this creation. It is Orunmila who provided the wisdom for the implementation of Obatala’s blueprint. It is Orunmila and Eshu-Elegba who provided a communications bridge between the heavenly and earthly realms, and Eshu-Elegba who provided for a dynamic experience among the ‘godseekers’ by establishing the laws that govern choice, chance, and change. It is Yemoja who allowed Obatala to call forth aiye (earth) from the depths of the sea, and iye (life) from the essence of water. And it is Orisha Ogun who cleared the path of obstacles and stands as the defender of the purity and excellence of Olodumare’s experiences in this reality. It is Obatala who creates blood, Yemoja who uses blood to create life, Orunmila who informs us when blood is to be ‘let’ according to the will of the Orisha, Ogun who ‘lets’ blood, and Eshu-Elegba who regulates the circumstances and controls the forces by which all of these manifestations are expressed.

In many respects, Ogun is considered chief among the Orisha, and is paid due regard right along with Eshu-Elegba. And because of this early service in behalf of the mission of Obatala, Ogun is associated with clearing the path and removing barriers.

Orisa Ogun is the Lord of Earthly Fire, for without control over fire he could not exercise authority over the use of iron, steel and all metals. In order to give structure to the firmament under our feet, and in order to provide the ‘godseekers’ with the tools to work out our existence in this reality, Obatala called upon this primordial sentient being, Orisha Ogun, to help weave the web of the ecosystem that supports life on planet earth. It is the strength of Ogun’s Ase that keeps the land that Obatala raised from the realm of Olokun from dropping back to the depths of the sea.

Iba se Orisa Ogun!

Homage to Orisa Ogun!

 

 

  A Service of Ile Awo Orisa since 2001 Last Revised February 18, 2019