Ifa: The Spiritual Tradition of Orisa and Ancestor Worship
Ancestor Worship, Part III
February 2018
Homage To The One Who Sends and to those who are sent! Homage to Orisa and Egun!
Ifokanbale Omo Orisa! Peace of Mind from Olodumare Children of Orisa!
Ire ati Ayo!
Good Tidings and Joyfulness!
I honor your gods, I drink from your wells, I bring an undefended heart to our meeting place. I have no cherished outcomes, I will not negotiate by withholding, and I am not subject to disappointment. I am here! And They are all here with me! Ase! Ase! Ase!
Lord of my Ancestors, I have no knowledge except that which is given to me through inspiration, that which is sent to me by way of an angel, and that which I am blessed to acquire by way of some discipline. I thank you for guiding my words, my thoughts, and my actions so that all that I say and do may serve to point the seekers in the right direction. Ase! Ase! Ase!
It is my heartfelt desire that these monthly Posts and this Blog Library, dating back two years now, assists our readers in learning more about this wonderful spiritual tradition and in finding and understanding your place in this Divine Creation. As I mentioned in other places on this website, it takes many years to become a fully qualified and authorized Babalawo. Potential Priest, Priestesses, and Babalawos may study 15 years or more to internalize the knowledge of the Ifa Corpus, and even then they have only scratched the surface of this living spiritual tradition. My initiation as a Priest of Obatala, Babalawo, and member of the Isoro Traditional Council of Chiefs took place over a period of about 12 years but there is much knowledge that I did not acquire during that period of growth into my status and role as the Oluranse Emese, Voice of the Emese. After all, I did not spend those 12 years there at the Source. As I recently said at our monthly Ifa Isopo Ikojopo (Ifa Connectivity Gathering), I, like all of you, am still a work in progress. That is one of the reasons that I appreciate when you, the readers of the monthly Blog, write to me with your comments and questions. As I often say, “The road to wisdom is paved with questions?”
Although my education and training in the Ifa Corpus is limited in comparison to the Babalawos who live and study for years there in Ile-Ife, at the Root of Ifa Civilization, I do have the advantage and blessing of being able to take my questions directly to the Source of Sacrosanct Knowledge on Ifa, the Emese and the Isoro Traditional Council of Chiefs. When you write me with your comments and questions, and I respond, you should know that I would send your questions and my responses to the Council to make sure that what I have given you is completely consistent with the Ifa Corpus, Sacred Oracles of Ifa, and the Ifa Spiritual Tradition of Orisa and Ancestor Worship as a whole. Every Blog Post is sent to the Council for their review and there is no reluctance on my part to issue a correction or clarification in a follow-up Post should the Council inform me of some misstatement or need for additional information to be shared. So as always, I invite you to become a monthly reader of the Posts and to visit this website often to explore the wealth of information that is available in the libraries and other links. Also, invite your family, friends, and associates to visit the website and see if the contents of the website and Blog speak to their spiritual yearnings.
In response to my Post on Ancestor Worship, I received an email that I would like to share with you along with my response. Hopefully, you will find value to both the email and the response. I will quote both in their entirety, as always, edited only for names, spelling, and punctuations.
“Alafia Baba Umar! Thank you for sharing your blog on the ancestors and Orishas. I enjoy reading them. I’ve learned a lot about metaphysics and the physical world and find it comforting to know even at the moment when I’m feeling alone I am not alone because ancestors are with me. As discussed in your blog, I’ve decided to start setting a plate for my ancestors. One of the Korean stores I shop in always has a small plate of food set by a statue of Buddha, a candle, and a portrait of a family member. I never asked why but now I see the importance of this daily practice. My question: Here in our house I keep glasses of water and a small tray of treats on a table designated for the Orishas and our ancestors. This is one of the areas where I go to pray and talk daily with the Orishas and ancestors. Is it okay to have the Orishas and ancestors sharing the same table or should I have two separate areas? I want to be sure none are offended.” Again, I am grateful to the reader for their question because it allows all of us to grow in knowledge and understanding.
Here is my response!
“Alafia…! Ire Aiku! Yes! Orisa and Egun are Entities of two different realms or spheres of influence. Therefore, the altars should be separated. They can be in close proximity to each other but not the same table or level. For example, if you had a multi-level table you could separate them on different levels. Or simply place them on different tables in the same room or area. The key is to be able to focus your attention on the specific Supernatural Entities to which you are talking, praying, appealing on any particular occasion, and to respect the order of influence in your spiritual relationships, first your Ori, second your Egun, and third, your Orisa. Also, all of the Orisa should not be clustered together because they have different energies some of which are not compatible. Hope this helps!”
Both the email of the seeker and my response were forwarded to the Isoro Council for any comments, corrections, or additions. The Council responded with great insights into the placement of Orisas but no corrections or additions to my response about regarding the separation of altars or the order of influence in our spiritual relationships, Ori first, Egun second, and your Crowning Orisa third.
Part of my role as Oluranse Emese is to look at some of the many sources of information available in books and on the Internet and provide the Council with the opportunity to evaluate the information for consistency with the Ifa Corpus, the Sacred Oracles of Ifa, and the Ifa Spiritual Tradition of Orisa and Ancestor Worship as a whole. Sometimes, I may come across a website or other source and send the information via email directly to the Council for their review. Sometimes, I learn of someone who claims to be an initiated Babalawo or Iyalorisa, even claiming to have been initiated in Ile-Ife, and I will send his or her name and information to the Council to see if there is any record or knowledge of this person ever being initiated in Ile-Ife. How would they know or remember? Perhaps a personal experience can shed some light. Several years ago I was suppose to receive a very important package from the Emese and Council. I, of course, wanted to make sure that they had my mailing information exactly correct. So, I wrote to my liaison to the Council and asked if we needed to verify that they had the correct address. Baba assured me that there was no need to do any further verification because my name and contact information are engraved in the walls of the Isoro Council headquarters. The Emese and the Isoro Traditional Council of Chiefs are the most reliable repository of information about the history of Ifa to be found any place in the world, including who has been initiated as a Priest, Priestess, Iyalorisa, or Babalawo.
As I mentioned, I will be sharing more from the Council’s response to my email and questions regarding the Orisa and altar placements as we continue with our discussion of Ifa: The Spiritual Tradition of Orisa and Ancestor Worship. We’ll be talking about Orisa Worship next. But, first let me conclude this Post with a few words on Ancestral Reverence from Baba Ifa Karade and his book, The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts.
“It is the ancestors who have interpreted and revealed the words of the universal construct. They have actualized the ashe in regards to psychological and cultural expression. They have uncovered the inherent divinity and spirituality of human existence. The ancestors provide the ethics and world views of the tradition. Adherents to the tradition abide by the ancestral wisdom in order to develop themselves and the culture. Ways of behavior to ensure a good life are primarily ancestral statements. It is a good life which leads to a good death. A death which leads beyond the gate and is life everlasting. The alaashe (keepers, guardians of the ashe, Babalawos, Ifa Corpus) provide examples of right living as handed down by Yoruba ancestors.”
Ifarabale: Composure
Owo: Respect
Suuru: Patience
Eso: Caution
Imo: Knowledge
Ogbon: Wisdom
Oye: Understanding
Baba Ifa Karade did not give the definition or meaning of ‘alaashe’ in the above quote. My translation of the term is given in the parenthesis. I will look to the Council to comment if my translation needs correction.
Remember your Egun, for they are surely remembering you!
Ref: The Handbook of Yoruba Religious Concepts, by Baba Ifa Karade, Publisher Samuel Weiser, Inc., ISBN: 0-87728-789-9
Aajiirebi! May the Unblemished Cloth of Orunmila Continue to cloth us with the Wisdom Of the Here and the Hereafter!
Ase! Ase! Ase!
Click on the Contact Us link above or below to email your comments or questions.
Ki Olodumare, Orisa, ati Egun fifun e ni Itona, Imoye, ati Opo Ire!
My Olodumare, Orisa, and Ancestors bestow on you Guidance, Wisdom, and Abundant Blessings!
