- The 256 Odu Ifa, volume 1, Oju Odu, Apola and Paponda Ogbe, translated Yoruba to english, spanish and portuguese.
- For the Yoruba, the sixteen principle signs are called Odu or Olodu, from each of which are drawn sixteen subordinate signs (omo-Odu, “children of the odu” or Odus). These represent the sixteen essential life situations with sixteen possible variations each. This means 256 possible combinations (Odu’s) or two to the eighth power.
There are exactly 256 steps to the center of the one being created at Ola Olu. Each one presents you with each of the unique ancient symbols of the energy matrix’s inside the path of Ifa.that are known as Odu. It is the life work of an Ifa Priest to understand each one of these Odu.
Overview
Awo Fategbe' further expands this book by offering several chapters on Yoruba Theology and the Interpretation of the verses. Iyanifa Fayele' Faseguntunde offers an introduction on African philosophical thought.
In this article we talk about what is Odu Ifa and the meaning of the information contained within each Odu. We explain the structure of Odu and the names and symbols used to describe the Odu. We also go into what is ese Ifa, the verses contained within the Odu as well as provide an example of an ese (verse) from one of the Odu.
What is Odu Ifá?
Ifá is an ancient religion and a complexsystem of divination conceptualized many centuries ago by the Yoruba people ofWest Africa. Ifá Yoruba religion is based on oral literature scriptures knownas OduIfá or the Ifa corpus.
It is a collection of Ifá spiritualtraditions, timeless wisdom, cultural and historical information. Thisinformation has been gathered for centuries through divination, communicationwith the universe, real life situations and experiences. It is this well ofinfinite and timeless wisdom from which a Babalawo continues to learn in hislife long journey of Ifa practice.
256 odu contain the secrets of Ifa
Odu Ifá is the blueprint of life used toguide humanity towards the manifestation of their destiny in a positive way. Itprovides guidance on how to proceed through uncertain times. Through properinterpretation of Odu Ifá, questions with unknown outcomes can be answered.
The Yoruba people have preserved the oral scriptures of Odu Ifá throughout time. This information has been passed down orally from generation to generation. Although, you can find literary works and websites like this one containing an abundance of information about Ifá.
You can learn more about other topics related to Ifáhere
The literary corpus or oral scripturesof Odu Ifá and the Ifá divination system were made part of the Masterpieces ofthe oral and intangible heritage of humanity in 2005. This collection oftimeless wisdom was classified as such in an effort to preserve and protect it.
16 Odu Ifá Meaning
According to oral tradition, the 16 odu ifa were 16 heavenly prophets that came down to Earth and revealed themselves to Orunmila, the prophet of Ifa religion. Orunmila is also known as the deity of wisdom that was present during the creation and allocation of destiny for all human beings.
Another oral tradition tells the story of Orula having 16 children with Odu or Oduduwa. These children being considered the representation of the 16 major odu. In either case, the 16 principle odu represent the first 16 major odu ifa signs that creates the foundation for Ifa religion. This is where the remaining 240 minor odu ifa signs also come from.
16 Principle Odu Ifa – The pillars of Ifa Corpus
As previously mentioned, each odurepresents centuries of philosophy, wisdom, and knowledge gathered by Ifapriests. They include information related to moral teachings, spiritualguidance, life experiences, ethics, rituals, sacrifices, and much more. Thisinformation is provided and integrated within in each odu in the form of ese orverses.
Each odu contains information associatedwith the good and the bad. It provides guidance on how to manifest the good andhow to keep negative disruptive forces known as Ajogun at bay.
It is through the divinatory processesthat the odu currently shaping our lives is revealed to us. This sacred act ofdivination (performed by an experienced Babalawo or Iyanifa) is what provides theopportunity that allows us to know ourselves better. Furthermore, it allows usthe opportunity to know how we can live and maintain a positive life for all.
Learnmore details about the process of Ifá divination here
256 Odu Ifá
256 odu Ifa refers to the complete collection of the Ifa corpus. There are a total of 256 odu that make up the foundation of the Ifa religion. The previously mentioned 16 principle or major odu ifa are considered the pillars of the Ifa corpus. The remaining 240 minor odu ifa are derived from these 16 major odu.
In the following sections of thisarticle we go into more details of how the 256 odu ifa are structured alongwith an explanation of what is contained within the odu.
Ese Ifa
Each of the 256 odus of ifa contain eseor verses of information, similar to the Bible in the Christian religion. Thereare many verses or ese within each Odu. Some may have hundreds of ese or versus.This is not counting the ones that may have been lost in time due to the lackof documentation.
The number of verses per Odu may increasethroughout time. Adding knowledge and wisdom to the ever-expanding foundationof the ifa Yoruba religion. In recent history, Ifa priests have taken on theresponsibility of documenting the sacred ese in an effort to conserve theinformation for future generations.
The ese or Ifá prayers are recited by aBabalawo or Iyanifa for many reasons. This is done during Ifá divination andother Yoruba religion rituals.
These ese ifa or verses contain theadvice and messages that is to be interpreted by the Babalawo or Iyanifa duringthe divinatory process. They are what holds the solutions and answers to issuesand questions being asked by the person seeking advice and guidance from Ifa.
Example of an Odu ese Ifa
Here is one example of an ese out ofmany verses within the Odu Ejiogbe-Odi or Ogbe Odi in Yoruba language;interpretation will follow:
Ogbe di kaka
Ogbe di kunkun
Ogbe di ganmun ganmun
Ki irun imun re o mon ba yo sile
A d’ifa’ fu’n Esu Odara
Igba ti nlo re de igbere lodo
A d’ifa fun gbogbo okanle irunmole
Nijo ti won n lo ree ji eja
Esu Odara ko
Ebo ni won ni ko se
O gbebeo nibe o rubo
Nke mo moyin o
Eyin aseni
Emi moyin
Eyin odale
Interpretation of ese Ifa:
At a high level, this ese is aboutadvising the person or community for which this Odu was marked, to be carefulwith individuals surrounding them. Individuals they may have trust in might havethe intentions of betrayal. They may act like friends but in actuality are traitors.
On the other hand, this Odu also advisesnot to jump to conclusions in situations as it may have ramifications in their life.This person is advised to take the time to understand any situations and orscenarios they may currently be in. There may be more than meets the eye.
Other verses in this odu talk about theimportance of making sacrifice to maintain a positive position. There arereferences to Esu in this Odu, the orisha considered to be the messengerbetween Ifa and Olodumare. Properly appeasing Esu and having trust in hisability to defend the person this Odu was marked for is advised.
As previously mentioned there are manyverses for each of the 256 odu. In this site we attempt to provide thisinformation along with appropriate interpretations for each odu. We willcontinue to share the information we learn about as time goes on, Ase!
How Odu is revealed to us
An integral part of the Odu Ifáinterpretation is the process of consulting with Ifá and the oral scriptures usingthe Ifádivination system. It is the most complex and accurate divinationsystem known by many for its reliability. This system is the channel thatcommunicates with the universe to obtain information and answers that help usto make better informed decisions in our lives.
A Babalawo or Iyanifa will have theproper training and ability to perform this process correctly. The process ofIfá divination allows the information of Odu Ifá to be revealed during thedivination sessions to the person or community seeking advice and guidance.
Read more about Babalawo powers here and Iyanifa Ifa priestess here
Ifa divination is a system that aids inbetter understanding of oneself and purpose. Through years of study andpractice of Ifá, a Babalawo or Iyanifa will obtain deeper understanding of themysteries, the evolution, and the secrets held by the natural forces of theuniverse and of this world.
There are multiple methods used tocommunicate with Ifá. The process of using the Ifá divination system also involvesthe use of various tools. The Babalawo or Iyanifa will choose the toolsnecessary based on the method of communication to be used.
A descriptionof Ifádivinationtools and how they are used during Ifá divination canbe found here.
Odu Ifá is the map that allows humans tonavigate life itself. A way for all humans to live in harmony with each otherand the Earth. The common message delivered across each Odu is that of makinglife for yourself and those around you a more positive experience.
Structure of the oral scriptures Odu Ifá
The sacred oral scriptures of Odu Ifá corpus are structured into a total of 256 signs. These 256 signs are derived from the 16 major Odu Ifá or 16 principle signs of Ifá. In other words, a combination of the 16 principle odu (16×16) or 16 squared will result in the 256 Odus of Ifa.
To elaborate further, the seventeenth minor odu ifa sign is a combination of the first major odu Ejiogbe and the second major odu Oyekun which results in the minor odu Ejiogbe – Oyekun. The eighteenth minor odu ifa sign is a combination of the first major odu Ejiogbe and third major odu Iwori which results in the minor odu Ejiogbe – Iwori.
This occurs up through ifa odu sign #31. Then ifa odu #32 starts with the second major odu Oyekun combined with the first major odu Ejiogbe which results in the minor odu Oyekun – Ejiogbe. This continues throughout the rest of the 16 major odu Ifa.
These combinations of odu ifa signs createdat #17 through #256 are known as the 240 minor odu Ifa or omo odu.
The following sections will demonstratea few of the actual symbols and names of the odu ifa signs which may provide moreclarity to how the signs are derived from the 16 major odu.
Odu ifa – Names & Symbols
Each odu has a name and a symbol associatedwith it. There are two sets of symbols used to denote each odu. One setinvolves the use of single and double vertical lines. The single linesrepresent the light, or an open position and the double lines represent thedark or a closed position.
Here is an example of the first 4 of the16 major odu expressed in vertical lines. From right to left: Ejiogbe, Oyekun,Iwori, Odi
Odu Ifa signs expressed in vertical lines
The second set of symbols involves theuse of 0’s and 1’s. Similar to the vertical lines, each 0 represents the darkor a closed or off position and the 1 represents the light or an open or on position.These symbols are grouped together into two sets of 4 symbols side by side.This structure symbolizes one Odu.
Ofun Meji Odu Ifa sign expressed in 0’s and 1’s
The reason for the two types of symbolsused to identify an odu is associated with the method of divination used by thediviner. For example, if the Babalawo or Iyanifa chooses to divine using theOpele Ifa (ifa divination chain), the odu revealed during divination is presentedin the form of 0’s and 1’s as seen in the previous image above.
Youcan read more about how to use the Opele Ifa here
If the Babalawo chooses to divine withikin ifa (sacred palm nuts), the way the odu revealed during divination is presentedin the form of the vertical line symbols as seen in the previous image with thefirst 4 major odu expressed in vertical lines above.
How Odu Ifa is read
The 256 Odus Way
Traditionally the odu ifa signs are readfrom right to left. Every odu has 4 sets of 2 markings or digits side by side. Whenan odu ifa is marked in iyerosun powder, the Awo will engrave the sign startingfrom the top set of digits.
For example, first digit marked is inthe right column and first row then continues to the left column first row. Thesecond set of digits in second row go next. Right column second row then leftcolumn second row. This continues until the fourth set of digits.
The 256 Odus Street
An Odu that has identical symbols on theright and left side signifies it is one of the 16 major odu. When the odu has oneset of symbols on the right side and a different set of symbols on the leftside, this signifies the odu is one of the 240 minor odu.
Ejiogbe (right side) Ejiogbe (left side) – Eji Ogbe Meji – One of the 16 principle odu
Ejiogbe(right side) Oyekun (left side) or Ogbe Oyeku – One of the 240 minor odu
The 256 Odus Circle
Take note of the 16 major odu ifa or 16 meyiin the following table. Starting with the 1st odu top right Baba Ejiogbe,2nd Oyekun, 3rd Iwori, 4th Odi, 5thIroso and so on through the table below. Vertical lines are used to express theIfa signs here:
All 16 major odu ifa signs
256 Odus Of Ifa
As mentioned earlier, the 17th minor odu ifa is a combination of the 1st principle odu and the 2nd principle odu expressed as follows in vertical lines and in 0’s and 1’s below:
256 Odu Ifa Pdf
Ejiogbe – Oyekun or Ogeb Oyeku – 17th odu ifa sign; one of the 240 minor odu
The 18th minor odu ifa signis a combination of the first major odu sign and third major odu sign expressedin vertical lines and in 0’s and 1’s below:
Ejiogbe – Iwori – 18th odu ifa sign; one of the 240 minor odu
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