Who is Olatunji Somorin?
May 24, 2009 at 5:09 pm | Posted in Initiation | 6 CommentsTags: Ifa, Ifa initiation, Ifa Initiation for women, Initiation of women, Olatunji Somorin, Opon Ifa, Somorin, Types of Ifa initiation, Women in Ifa, Women in Orisa Religion, Women in Yoruba
Most of the information posted in this blog has been supplied to me by Oluwo Olatunji Muyia Somorin and his Iyawo (wife) Iyanifa Oluwakemi Telaroko Somorin.
Many persons in the new world have been asking exactly who is Olatunji Somorin. Here is the information that has been shared with me:
Olatunji Somorin is
The Araba Of Eposo
The Ekarun Aro Of Ode Remo
Awise Of Ikenne Remo
Gbawoniyi of Idotun Remo
Asiwaju Awo Of Idado, Sagamu
Oluwo Olatunji Somorin recently wrote the book Women in Yoruba Religion, published by Teledalase Eposo/Ode Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria. This book draws copiously from the Odu Ifa to explain and validate the role of women in diverse aspects of the Yoruba Religious Tradition including:
1. The power, understanding the significant and mysterious roles of women in Ifa Orisa (Yoruba) tradition.
2. That women subjugation or domination by men is not only alien to Yoruba, but also has no basis in Yoruba religion.
3. That the Yoruba places more emphasis on the state of perfectly or harmoniously aligned position with all creatures by considering the micro and macro nature, state and tendencies of everything all the time.
4. The different rites of passages and their importance in Yoruba religion especially Ifa initiation for both sexes in addition to learning Ifa texts and leading or partaking in all Ifa rituals except seeing odu by women.
5. The distinct, mutually beneficial and complimentary roles of an Iyanifa and a babalawo.
This book has become a very valuable addition to our family library and is worth reading over and over again.
The Creation of Earth
May 10, 2009 at 1:49 pm | Posted in Ifa Theology | 2 CommentsTags: apo abira, Creation of Earth, Creation of the Earth, earth, How the Earth Was Created, Ifa, Ifa creation, The Ifa Account of Creation
IFA’S ACCOUNT OF THE CREATION OF AYE (EARTH)
The following is one of the first lessons emailed to me by Oluwo Olatunji Muyia Somorin
There are many stories about the creation of this part of the planetary system called AYE (earth). This work is not going to challenge all other accounts of “the creation”, but, it is merely going to narrate the IFA’S (ORUNMILA’S) version.
According to ancient oral tradition i.e. the Holy Sacred Verses of IFA called ODUS, the earth (AYE) have no ground to tread upon in the beginning. The whole place was full of water and had one special palm tree in the middle of the water. Then OLODUMARE summoned all the ORISAS through his chief maid ARUGBA to go down and inhabit the earth.
All the Orisas without exemption owe total and unflinching allegiance to OLODUMARE as they were brought to existence by him to assist in the management of the planetary system.
IFA revealed to us that the Orisas were the first creation of OLODUMARE. They were the first inhabitants of ORUN (Heaven) and they all lived normal lives there, each in the image which was taken from OLODUMARE. Some of them play different roles in the molding of the human image in clay before OLODUMARE gave life (breath) to the images. It was only ORUNMILA that witness that process of giving life to human images, hence, his name ELERI IPIN or ELERI ORISA i.e. Witness of human destiny or GOD’S own witness.
The creation of man brought about the need to inhabit earth, OLODUMARE chose to send the ORISAS to earth using their own knowledge. Unwritten records have it that ORUNMILA poured down loose dirt from snail shell unto the watery earth, immediately water began to bubble and heaps of sands pilled up around the foot of the special palm tree. The hen (5 legged hen) was sent down and it scattered the loose dirt over a large area. The hen is still performing same operation till today. The chameleon was sent down to inspect and test the firmness of the earth. The chameleon walked about stealthily in the ground. The chameleon still treads softly on the ground till today.
When the earth (aye) was created, ORUNMILA descended with other items in the APO ABIRA (Divine bag), followed by all other ORISAS under the leadership of ORISA NLA. They were all given a particular function to perform as the “Minister” or “Intermediary” of OLODUMARE and MAN.
The creation of the earth was completed in 4 days while the fifth day was set aside to worship OLODUMARE through various ORISAS by their followers and faithfuls.
The sacred spot where creation began is called ILE-IFE, which means (widening ground) and today ILE IFE is the spiritual center and cradle for Humanity for all OLORISAS and BABALAWOS.
There is however, another saying that it was ORISA NLA that took the lead in the processes of creation of AYE and not ORUNMILA. The school of thought that says ORISA NLA took the lead further explained that ORUNMILA was sent later by OLODUMARE to administer and manage all other ORISAS after series of serious crises that put the ORISAS against one another. This explain the reverence, honour and respect given to ORUNMILA (BABALAWO) by all OLORISAS (be it Ogun, Sango, Oya etc) as the only witness of Human destiny and creation, pathfinders and chief custodian of all ORISAS.
The Divine bag (apo abira) contain many things some of which were: – plants, animals, money among other things. The honour and respect given to ORUNMILA by the ORISAS then and to BABALAWO by baba- and iya-lorisas now, was borne out of the fact that ORUNMILA (then) and BABALAWO (now) with their knowledge through divination followed by sacrifice and the use of leaves and herbs (EWE IFA) have the capability of changing things/events/ situations etc from misfortune to fortunes and vice versa.
ORUNMILA (babalawo), also make food among other things available to the ORISAS according to revelation in different divinations to people. A knowledgeable BABALAWO knows the fundamentals of the liturgy and other things of all the ORISAS while OLORISAS only master ways of their own ORISAS and probably at best know few things about one or more ORISAS.
We are of the opinion that it was ORUNMILA that took the lead and not ORISA NLA for it is only Babalawos that carries apo abira around till today.
ISSUE BY THE ELEDA WITNESS INTERNATIONAL, ODE REMO,
OGUN STATE OF NIGERIA.
Types of Initiation
May 10, 2009 at 11:43 am | Posted in Initiation | Leave a commentTags: Elegon initiation, Ifa initiation, Olodun initiation, Opon Ifa, Types of Ifa initiation
Opon Ifa with Opele
Presently in my country there is quite a bit of debate about initiation. I know about the ritual called Hand of Ifa, but please clarify the different types of Ifa initiation that exist. What are the levels? After Itefa, are there other stages of Ifa initiation?
IyaKemi
There are 3 types of initiation
1. ONIRELE
This is a type of initiation that our local military in the days of our ancestor do before going to war or if there is a war like situation
.2. ELEGAN
This is another type of Ifa initiation in which the Odu -sacred calabash is not present and the Ikin are not buried in a special prepared place by the Osun staff. The Elegan initiation only takes two hours. The Ori of the initiated is appeased and some Ifa chants are said. Ifa will be cast to know the Odu and sacrifices may be made at that time or postponed to some other time. The Elegan initiation can be elevated to Olodun.
The origin of Elegan
The origin and explanation regarding the beginning of ELEGAN INITAITION can be got from the Odu of Ifa called OTURA OSA.
Osun Funmilayo has 4 children, Agbe, Aluko, Odidere and AWODI. The Awo ALAPAASIKI initiated and taught Agbe, Aluko, Odidere the act and science with all they need to know to becoming a Babalawo or Iyanifa, but Awodi never got intiated nor learnt to because a Babalawo or Iyanifa
Awodi went to IFE, because he knew they needed a babalwo there and presented himself as a babalawo, divining and initiating people. Word got to the Awos Alapasiki and Awodi’s siblings of what he was doing, that he was pretending to be a babalawo and initiating people. Agbe and Aluko were sent to Ife to ask and summoned him home. They asked Awodi on whose authority he was using to do all that he claimed he knew.
Because of the initiation he was doing and parading himself as a babalawo. Awodi had become a very influential personality in Ife. He asked some of his members who were in the position of authority to imprison and kill his brothers.
As a result of not hearing from the other two, AGBE AND ALUKO, Odidere was sent to Ife to find out what happened. Odidere went to the babalawo to divine concerning his trip and was told to be very diplomatic in relation to the message he has been sent to deliver to his brother Awodi. When he got to Ife he never spoke or behaved like the way the other brothers behaved and spoke. He told Awodi that what ever he was doing is good and ok but he need to come home to see their mother and get initiated. Yes Awodi got initiated but did not change the way he has been conducting initiations. They name of this type of initiation he was doing was called ELEGAN. That was the begining of Elegan in Ife.
3. OLODUN IFA INTAITION.
This is a type of initiation where the SACRED ODU CALABASH is present. The initiation process takes almost 15-20 hours.
The process is to call on the energies who were present at the time of your birth, when you choosing your IPIN (literally destiny) and also call on the universal energy, to be unlocked into the person so that he/she could be able to fulfill his/her destiny and know what to do and of most importance is the taboo, which prevent one from achieving one aims and objective.
Unlike Elegan, the each person Ikin are buried in a special prepared place in front of the Osun Staff. The name of the place is called Oju Oree, which signified the boundaries between the Material world and the Spiritual world.
IyaKemi went on to describe some of the many steps in the Olodun Itefa initiation. Others are secret and cannot ever be described to the uninitiated)
On you question if there is still any initiation to do after Itefa, if you do Olodun itefa and it was properly done, and all the processes, I highlighted above were done, including the ones that I did not mention here, you will not need to do any other Ifa initiation.
I hope I was able to answer your question.
Me
Modupe. Thank you very much.
Hello world!
May 9, 2009 at 11:13 pm | Posted in Welcome | 1 CommentTags: Elegon initiation, Ifa initiation, Olodun initiation, Types of Ifa initiation
Welcome to Ifa Matters. If a newcomer to the Ifa tradition is considered a baby, then I am not a baby…I am an embryo. I am still in the very early stages of my development – I have not yet emerged into the fully-formed spiritual baby that I trust I will one day become. An as an embryo, I am still dependent on the one carrying me to provide the nourishment I need to grow. But I will grow, in darkness, surrounded and cushioned by water, fragile yet more resilient than many realize.
For now the computer is my umbilical cord and the Internet is the placenta from which I draw the information needed to grow. Physical distance separates me from my teachers, so for most of the time my learning must take place online.
My spiritual father once told me that the birth of a baby is heralded with joy. However, the placenta, once the embryo’s sole source of nourishment, is disposed of speedily. The placenta, he explained, is a symbol of the misfortune that trails the newborn entering this world. One hidden lesson I have taken from this allegory is that for further development to take place, it is sometimes necessary to disconnect from the very thing that is the means of sustenance. But never prematurely… to disconnect too soon means death. Maybe one day I will no longer need online lessons, but for now they are vital for my spiritual growth.
This blog is my way of sharing what I learn with others who may also be at the start of their spiritual development. Most of the information will be in the form of question and answer discussions with the babalawo I call Oluwo and the Iyanifa I call IyaKemi. They are actual transcripts of our online sessions.
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