Month: May 2015

ABORU ABOYE ABOSISE,

2015 AMERICAN IFA READING OF THE YEAR: ILE IKOKO ATA

This is our reading of the year. Whomever decides to read, listen and or follow is your choice. We would like to say thank you to all the priest(ess) who have made it possible to get this odu verse(s) on this side of the ocean:

ODU OTURA ‘GBE (OTURA NIKO, OTURA ORIKO)
IRE ORUN AT THE FEET OF
OBATALA GOVERNING WITH OSUN (OSHUN) ASSISTING AND WATCH ESU FOR TRICKSTERS
WITNESSING ODU OTURE OGBE IRE; IWORI’ROSUN IBI
OBI EJIFE IRE

MAFEREFUN OBATALA, OSUN, ORISA OKO, ORUNMILA, IYAMIIS AND ESU

FLAG IS WHITE ONLY at your door or outside your house over the door.

Ifa says in ODU OTURA ‘GBE:

Agbe maa gb’owun mi r’okun
Aluko maa gb’owun mi r’osa’
Odidere maa gb’owun mi re’Wo Ile, ati bee bee lo

Translation:

Agbe should boost one’s pronouncement across the ocean
Aliko should echo one’s pronouncement across the sea
Odidere should reverberated one’s pronouncement homewards

COMMENT: your neighbor’s condition may be the same as yours. We have to learn to be kind and supportive and be the foundation for each other. There will be time when we have to be the life jacket for others in serious times.

Ifa is telling us that we need to have tolerance to attract great wealth, happiness, blessings, victory and success in all our ventures.

Ifa says in ODU OTURA ‘GBE:

Aja ti mo wi loran ti o ba fe
a daja Elegbara
agbo momo ti mo wi loran ti o gba
a dagbo mole
ototo eniyan ti mo ba wi loran
ti o ba fe
ejoo e si bo ti le se ni ko mase
oun ni yoo fowo agare bomi mu
a difa  fun okookan ninu irunmole
nijo ti won n lo ree ba won najaa payamora
a difa fun Ogun pelu awon irunmole
won fe lo na oja ni ile aye
won ni oja ti e lo yi
ki orisa Ogun lo toju egbaa owo ey nitori olubode
Ogun ti ro wipe tani o le da oun duro lenu ibode
aye oun torun ka bo ntori  bode oja lasan lasan
ni Ogun, oni ja ole, ejemu oluwonran ,asinwin abeegun kikan afofoida ti bagba leru
ni Ogun ko ba toju owo kan kan , ko si toju egbaa owo nitori Olubode
Ogun ti ro wipe tani o le da ohun duro lenu , ni Ogun ba ko ri oja , nigbati o de enu bodeoja  ni o ba olubode
eniti o je oga ibode wa ni Aja. Aja si ti mo Ogun , dara-dara wipe ko ni ipamara tabi ipayamora.

Ni Aja ba bere owo bode lowo ogun Lakaiye osin imole.
Ni Ogun ba da aja lohu wie se ko mo ohun ni  abi ko ma iru eniyan ti o se ni.
Aja wa da lohun wipe , ohun ti o wa ni ile yi ju wipe, mo ma e  tabi nko ma e , ohun ti o wa ni le ju mimo ara eni lo.
Ni Aja ba wi fun Ogun wipe ki o tete mu owo bode tire sile, ki wahala ma ba sele, .
Ni Ogun wa da aja lohun wipe, wahala Aja gan gan ni o ti reti, wahala aja ni o fe ri.
Ni Ogun wa so fun aja wipe ki o kuro lenu ibode nitri ibunnu oun .
Ni Ogun wa bere ija pelu aja, ni o ba be aja lori, Ogun wa ro wipe, wahala ti tan, ni ko pe, ko jina, opolopo Aja wa yo si Ogun onija ina, bi Ogun ti nbe wan lori, ni awon opolopo aja miran ba yo si.

Ni won wa bu ogun je, ni won si fa ni aso orun re ya, bee si Ogun pa won, ni o si bewo lori . Bibe ti won be awon ajaanu aja won yi lori, nse ni won poo si titi ti apa Ogun ko le ka won mo, nigbati Ogun ba awon irunmole yii, ja ni awon opolopo eniyan ati awon irunmole toku , naa oja lo, ni won duna dura, ti won si nta, ti nwon si ra, ni olukaluku won si ko ere oja wasi le, sebi awon naa gba enu ibode, won si san owo bode, nitori won le paya mora.Ipari ija ni wipe, oja ti tu, gbogbo eniya si ti na oja tan, ti won ti pada wa si ile.

Ni Ogun wa wo inu igbo nitori aso re ti o ti fa ya, o wa be mariwo ope , o wa fi bo ara re nitori ki awon eniyan  ki o maa ba ma fi se yeye, ki o ma ba bi lere wipe  kilode  ti  gbogbo aso Ogun fi faya  ti o si wa ni ihoho, lati ojo naa ati igba naa ni ogun ti nse lo mariwo dipo aso, ni gbogbo se wa korin wipe, ki ni aso Ogun , mariwo laso Ogun ooo , mariwo  kilaso Ogun , mariwo laso ogun mariwo.

Ati wipe aini ipaya mora lo je ki Ogun di alaini aso lara.
Ipaya mora yi de nni ifa ko wa ki a ni nile aye, ti a ba fe leke ti a ba fe bori , ti a ba fe se ohun rere ati oun mere mere  in ile aye.

Ifa orunmila ni ipaya mara  nitori naa ni o se je Olori ninu gbogbo Irunmole, o si wa ko wa wipe, ki a ma ni ipayamara  ki a le bori ohun gbogbo Ipayamara lebo , oun ni etutu ti a fi gbe ile oko  ti a fi se oko obirin , ti a fi dari oun gbogbo  ki o le lo dara- dara. Ifa o ba wa fun mi ni ipayamara ki le bori iku, aisan, ofo, ofo, ese, ejo ati gbogbo ajogun orun patapa ase.

TRANSLATION:

Let my sacrifice be accepted
Ela let my ritual goes to the heaven above
the dog that refuses to heed the spiritual  advise
become Elegbara’s dog
the fat ram that I warned which remained adamant and stubborn
become an Esu’s ram
the person who refuses to heed  the spiritual  counsel
should be left to his or her foolishness
he or she will suffer the consequence of his or her action  and bring woos to his life and destruction to the destiny of his or her generation.
This divine Ifa oracle for  Ogun the god of iron
and open Ifa divination to other great divinities in the cosmos
while he and other divinities  were  about to go to the market of tolerance
they were advised that the market they intend to  go
they should keep two thousand cowries, the traditional money
Ogun the god of iron
the great fighter  in battle
the great chief of ejemu oluwonran
a powerful mad man
a glitteringly sharpened sword that baffles

The old man believes, no creatures either seen or unseen, either human or ghost have the capacities to disturb him on the entrance gate of heaven or earth, not to talk of the ordinary gate of the earthily market.

Ogun decided not to keep any money. On the day of the market, Ogun the god of Iron prepared and went with other divinities to the market . On reaching the gate, he met a dog, who was the chief guard of the gate of the market.

The dog as a guard knew Ogun very well. He knew Ogun as the god of iron  and also knew the evil side of Ogun as a creature without tolerance. The dog then asked Ogun the two thousand cowries money as the entrance fees of the market. Ogun responded that the dog should know he is not human, but divinities and he should not be disturbed by any man or other creature.

The dog advised Ogun to comply with the rules and regulation, that anyone who intend to go into the market must pay the entrance fees and that Ogun should not be furious. The dog advised Ogun, but the later did not heed to the advised, he Ogun had decided to force his way into the market without paying the amount. Ogun told the chief guard to quit the entrance to avoid his fury.

In the process, a fight and strife ensued. Ogun beheaded the dog, not knowing that there were more dogs in hiding to fight him immediately. After beheading, two more dogs appeared, and attacked Ogun. Ogun killed the two. As he was killing them, more dogs appeared, they torn the cloth of Ogun and also bite him.

Ogun killed more dogs than ever seen, but more dogs continue to find his way to meet and attack Ogun , until Ogun ran to the nearest bush to cover himself with palm frond .  That was how Ogun covered his nudity through palm frond or palm leave from the nearest palm tree.

By the time Ogun came back with the intention of going into market  to carry out his commercial activities , the market had been closed, no one was in the market. Ogun lost out in the race of physical success, and human progress because of intolerance.

Ogun the most valiant and bravest divinties forfeited the gain of the market  and the reward of commercial activities. Intolerance made Ogun to lose his cloth, honor and dignity, however he was forced to be using palm frond till today , according to the popular song

What is the cloth of Ogun ? Mariwo ( palm frond)
What is the cloth of Ogun ? Mariwo is the cloth, mariwo is indeed the cloth.
Ogun become a clothless divinity because of intolerance.

ODU OTURA ‘GBE (OTURA NIKO, OTURA ORIKO) CONTINUE:

“LACK OF CONFIDENCE SUFFERING LOSSESS”
“THE EXTENSION OF IFA”
“RACE OF VARIOUS PEOPLE”
WARS AND BATTLES”
‘ALL SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND IN OUR SPIRITUALITY”

IFA SAYS be aware of two faced people – falsehood
IFA SAYS you need to have patience
IFA SAYS avoid people who are nasty, stubborn, selfish, dominant, think a lot, AND always takes opposition of what you are saying.
IFA SAYS this is the year of life and death – wear more white clothes for balance
IFA SAYS develop your spirituality and connect to your eguns/ancestors more
IFA SAYS ESU comes to remind us of the fake sellers in the world
IFA SAYS seek Oduduwa for health
IFA SAYS expect good and evil from AWOS
IFA SAYS suffering of emotional problems, throat and spine
IFA SAYS be honest with yourself when asking Ifa, Orisa and eguns for answers
IFA SAYS you should always ask the right questions when you are making life changes
IFA SAYS EBOS FOR THE ORI; NEED TO PRAY TO YOUR ORI FOR GUIDANCE
IFA SAYS expect delays
IFA SAYS to not drink alcohol
IFA SAYS destruction of families, a lot of children and new relationships
IFA SAYS ALL THIS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM THE OUTSIDE ENVIRONMENT WHO DOESN’T HAVE LOVE FOR YOUR LIFE
IFA SAYS you need to protect your head
IFA SAYS you need to dress well

EBO;
2 HENS TO OSHUN
1 WHITE PIGEON OR WHITE DOVE TO ORI
Continue to clean with ewe (herds) baths throughout the year

Ceiba Tree: The  Throne  of  Iroko  in  the  New  World

By Baba Odunsola Esudina Ifaseye (aka Turbado Marabou)

I grew up in Gainesville, FL, which is nationally known as tree city. I remember when I was young playing with family and friends the relationship we had with trees. I remember hugging trees, talking to them and of course, they spoke back. We always had a special tree or a special part of the forest that no matter what seemed magical and sacred to us. Alas, we grew up and the connection we once shared with trees disappeared or was dismissed as insanity and childish obsession. Thank the Orisha that this concept of the powerful connection between humans and trees was correct all along and in fact, this paper will indicate it is a major aspect of our faith.

Sacred trees, to this day, are an essential part of worship in cultures worldwide. Of particular interest to Orisha worshipers in the Caribbean, South America and Florida is the Ceiba tree. The Ceiba is also known as the silk wood cotton tree. It is a tree well known in the Americas, the Caribbean and Africa as one of the ruling class of trees. Testimonies of miracles including healings and saintly appearances have grown to legendary proportions in the world of devotees of Yoruba, Olukomi, Voodun and various shamanistic faiths and practices. For example, the Maya consider the Ceiba the center of their cosmology. Its roots stretch in the four directions and are considered a pathway to the underworld of the dead. The top of the tree represents heaven and the trunk represents earth.

In her 2004 book, Lydia Cabrera and the Construction of an Afro-Cuban Cultural Identity, Edna M. Rodríguez-Mangual offers various explanations about the myths surrounding the Iroko tree. Some believe that the Iroko tree (or silk cotton tree) itself is the actual saint or Orisha. Others feel that the Iroko tree is not the Orisa, but a dwelling place of all the Orisha. The third belief is that it is the home of the Purísima Concepción or Immaculate Conception and that the great mother comes there often. Another story states that the Iroko tree belongs to Oggun, and that the consecration of the tree will call “Orichoko” or the Orisa Iroko to the tree.

According to santoproduct.com, the natives often refer to a tree with limbs that reach high into the sky, and that grows so tall it is considered the throne of God (the Ceiba has been known to grow up to eighty feet). African legends say that Iroko lives at the top of the tree in its canopy. There are spirits of all sorts at the core of this tree. One of the many tasks of these entities is to keep Iroko from descending below the earth’s core.  When Africans arrived from the forced voyages across the Atlantic Ocean, all hope of returning to their homeland had been lost at sea.  Upon arriving at the islands to work the plantations, they noticed a tree that had the same properties as their Iroko. They were shocked because the Ceiba was so similar to the beloved Iroko of their homeland. Thus began the ritual of worshiping the Ceiba in the Americas and the Caribbean.

The local Indians believed that this tree was a God with great healing powers. They related to the African’s cosmology regarding the Ceiba. They noted the great reverence and respect the enslaved people paid to the Ceiba, and began teaching them that the spirits of their ancestors came to the Ceiba to visit them and deliver messages. Any spirit that sees the Ceiba is drawn to it and never departs its core. The Ceiba is never to be cut nor burnt; doing so is seen as an offense to the earthly throne of God. With understanding and parallels from both cultures firmly in place, the Ceiba became the seat of the Orisha Iroko in the new world and holds firm to this day.

To clarify; the Iroko tree is named after the Orisha Iroko and is considered the original house of Iroko. The Iroko in Africa is a tree named after the Orisha itself. Prior to slavery, The Ceiba was and still is considered by the indigenous peoples a sacred house for the spirits. They reside on all levels of its body. The roots are where the Egun resides, acting as a portal for astral travel. Lightning does not strike the Ceiba in spite of its great height. Practitioners equate this attribute with the Orisha Shango and say that this powerful King of fire protects the Ceiba. Shango and Ogun whose battles over wives and former wives is said to have occurred at the base of the Iroko tree and now in new world folklore it changed to the Ceiba tree.

The bark attracts spirts as well. It is said that when the Ceiba calls a spirit it cannot resist residing in its trunk from that point on. The canopy or top of the tree is where Iroko itself resides along with the Iyamis and several other Orisha (Orunmila, Obatala, Orisha Oko). Since the height of the tree can give the appearance of reaching the heavens, the Ceiba is called Olodumare’s walking cane. However, it is Iroko, an avatar of Obatala, that commands its magic and force or what we call the Ashe. People in the Caribbean and South America have used the magic of the Ceiba for centuries and 400 years later the Ceiba is the reigning queen of trees and commands the respect of all races and religions. From the King to the farmer, people of all walks of life pay homage to the Ceiba tree and bring offerings in exchange for blessings.

According to the article, The Ceiba Tree As A Multivocal Signifier by Joseph Hartman, the  planting of a Ceiba is a sacred event recognized by practitioners from Santeria, Olukomi, Condomble, Palo Mayombe and Abaqua. Truly, Iroko through the sacred Ceiba is the jugular vein for African spiritual thought and practice. Blessed items are placed into the hole where the Ceiba tree is to be planted. Sacrifices are made to consecrate the earth and to appease Iroko and all spirits residing there. Songs and drums are played solidifying the unity and safety of the people under the branches of the Ceiba. In Condomble, Iroko is the Orisha of time, space and protection. Iroko’s secrets can be received through initiation. It is interesting to note that even though there was no contact between the enslaved people of the Caribbean and Brazil, in both places where the spiritual systems (pardon the phrase) took root, our ancestors found the Ceiba and reconnected. A metaphysical perspective however might consider that it was Iroko (who is said can summon all the Orishas at her base) who summoned her children to her with the intent on giving African people a path to reclaim themselves in the new world.

According to Cubayoruba.net initiations, incantations and petitions of all sorts are performed at the foot of the Ceiba tree. Initiations in Olukomi, Santeria, Macumba, Condomble and Palo Mayombe; spells against enemies, requests for money, woman requesting children, woman who do not wish children, dispelling of curses and miraculous cures all can be granted through Iroko’s throne on earth, the Ceiba tree. It is said that Iroko is objective; as long as the offering is accepted and Iroko is pleased your petition will be granted. Thus, Iroko governs desires, unity, protection and peace. To cut down this tree is considered taboo. In Cuba today, a Ceiba tree grows in Havana at the capital. Tradition as well as law considers the Ceiba a national tree revered by all regardless of race, class or religion.

On a higher plain, Iroko governs astral travel and the dimensional openings of time and space. It is said phenomena abide at the trunk of Iroko/Ceiba. On both sides of the water, you cannot cross the shadow of Iroko/Ceiba without risking the disapproval of Orisha. Even in the shade of the Ceiba, one can perform incantations and miracles. The miraculous Ceiba tree also contains medicinal properties. Even if it were not considered a sacred tree in the Yoruba diaspora it’s herbal properties are miraculous within itself.

Ancestral medicines have utilized the Ceiba tree for diseases and disorders of the body for centuries. Western science however is useful in it’s confirmations of the Ceiba’s healing power sited below. Continuing research and clinical studies are finding that the Ceiba can treat conditions related to prostate cancer. Ceiba contains Lupeol a chemical also found in vegetables such as green pepper, white cabbage, pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, red grapes, mangoes, olives, figs, three leaved capers and strawberries.    Lupeol has been the subject of many investigations and clinical trials during the last 15 years. Evidence verifies its claimed beneficial properties, which include its immense anti-inflammatory abilities. Some studies suggest that the antioxidant effect exerted by this herb show promise in prevention, reversal or delay of age-related diseases.

Herbcyclopedia.com asserts that the Ceiba has been used in traditional Chinese herbal medicine for the treatment of inflammatory conditions, diarrhea, fever, chronic inflammation, and as a diuretic. Ceiba is known to produce Anthelmintic effects that, as an additive, can be used in medicines that help the body expel parasitic worms. The root can also act as an aphrodisiac. The leaves have a high alkaline content that assists in pH balance. Studies have shown when the body exhibits a high alkaline content disease cannot survive in that environment.

Our ancestors claimed the magnificent Ceiba as an alternative for their beloved Iroko tree. So powerful is the tree’s spirit, that it is said to be an Orisha or a place where Orisha reside. Other religions also recognize the sacred Ceiba as a tree worthy of praise and worship. Additionally, the Ceiba has proven medicinal properties. Researchers continue to investigate the plant’s potential in preventative medicine and the treatment of existing diseases. Truly, the Ceiba is force to be reckoned with and a spiritual pillar in many cultures.

The information of the power of this great tree is a reminder to us all to take time to commune with nature and learn about the trees (and plants) that grow in our specific areas. The secrets held within the roots, trunk, bark, branches and leaves can be used to cure what ails you physically, mentally and spiritually. May Iroko bless you all. Ashe.

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