Meaning of Iwori Odi in the Diloggún
- Through a life of dissipation, the person has let their home fall into neglect.
- She often becomes absorbed in her own thoughts, unaware of what is happening around her.
- Her eyes are closed and it is time to open them.
- You are a perceptive medium: things from the other world are placed in your mind, and yet you find yourself at a standstill because you do not attend to your spiritual court.
- In material matters you must come down from the heights (set aside vain illusions) and live the reality of life, so that you can weigh and understand who wishes you well and who wishes you ill.
- If the person is a woman, she performed a binding spell on her husband.
- Through this Ifá one suffers urinary troubles; the kidneys and bladder must be looked after.
- This Ifá speaks of maritime phenomena such as seaquakes, storm surges, tidal waves, and the like.
- The person must not bathe in the sea nor go on outings in launches, boats, and so on, because they could drown.
- The bullfight speaks here.
- The bull and the bullfighter.
- Lizards are not to be killed; they are your salvation.
- Osain must be divided in order to win the war of your life for the sake of your children.
- It marks a great war with a palero.
- Okra is not to be eaten.
- To win the war, a white flag is raised in the house.
- The Warriors and Oshún must be fed.
- Your enemy wears a mask and works against you behind your back.
- The eyesight must be cared for; blindness is possible. Take a decoction of corn silk.
- An Ifá of losses.
- The person’s body is strong, but there are losses.
- In this Ifá there is no complete happiness, for family problems and marital deceptions on both sides keep arising.
- If the woman has children who are already grown, they oppose her taking another husband.
- The selfishness of children who wish to rule over their parents.
- It marks that in her youth the woman led a life of sexual dissipation.
- Yemayá was the obini of Orishaoko and he sent Shangó to watch over her while he was away; Shangó went, and within a few days he slept with her. When Orishaoko found out, he flew into a rage and declared war on Shangó.
What this sign indicates
- That you should be careful with thieves and with people from the other world.
- You work hard and never see the fruit of your labor.
- Your eyes are closed, and it is time to open them so that you are not deceived or swindled.
- Your body is well, but here it comes out that you will suffer losses.
- You are destined for a very great stroke of fortune, over which people will try to bewitch you.
- If you act quickly you will have no losses; do not enter into any business deal in which you would lose.
- You dreamed of a son who is alive.
- Babá is angry, and for that reason you must perform a rogation with orí, efun, and ekru so that you do not meet so many stumbling blocks; always walk alone and avoid arrogance.
- If your mother has passed away, she prays for you from the other side.
- Find out what you must do so that you can overcome.
Advice and warnings
- Be careful with a brown-skinned man who is laying a trap for you.
- You must bless yourself with the prayer of Saint Louis Bertrand, because many evil eyes are upon you.
The traditional reading of this sign also warns of the following:
- You are pregnant.
Proverbs of Iwori Odi
- Lo negro no se vuelve blanco. What is black does not turn white.
Patakíes of Iwori Odi
The counsel of the children
There was once a woman who had lived a life of submission to men. She had two children who were about to marry, but she fell in love with another man and had two more children with him. This man was a great womanizer and took up with a lover near where they lived, which caused the mother of his children great suffering, until she finally decided to distance herself from him, reaching the point of wanting no contact with him at all.
The woman took a lover of her own, but since her husband was a very violent man, she feared for her life and even came to suspect that he was working witchcraft against her. Although she knew he would never leave her, even while she too harbored dark thoughts about him and his lover, her children counseled her, and she decided to seek the help of Orunla, who performed an ebbo to resolve the situation.
After the ebbo was performed, everything was set right for the woman, and she was at last able to find the peace and tranquility she had longed for.
The sparrow, the bull, and the cow
A sparrow and a bull met, and the sparrow proposed a wager to determine which of them was brave enough to dare to kill his own children. The bull, reluctantly, accepted the bet. The sparrow, in complicity with his children, pretended to kill them in mid-air, and one by one they let themselves drop to the ground. Then it was the bull’s turn to prove his courage, and he began to charge at his children.
A cow passing by observed everything that was happening and decided to go see Orunla. He marked a rogation for her and told her to go speak with the bull, to make him understand that he was falling into a trap and that he must stop before his children were killed. The cow spoke with the bull and made him see that it was all a trap, and that the sparrow was more cunning than he was.
The bull took the counsel to heart and stopped killing his children, returning to his normal life. Thus it was shown that courage is not always a matter of physical strength, but also of the intelligence and wisdom to make the right decisions.
The little bird’s intelligence
The ox despised the little bird, who kept coming to pester him by fluttering about his head; the ox would grow irritated and charge at him, trying to kill him. One day, weary of so much contempt, the little bird began to annoy the ox as usual, but this time flying toward rocky ground, where he managed to lead the ox, who charged at him trying to kill him. Once on that ground, the little bird redoubled his fluttering over the ox’s head, and the ox charged with such fury and force that he lost his balance, struck the hard rock with his horns, and there broke his neck, losing his life.
Works and ebbó of Iwori Odi
Works of the oddun iwori odi
- Ebbo
- Akuko, 2 eyele, malaguidi, ada, asho ara, ofa, atitan ilé, asho fun fun, bogbo ewe, osiadie, eku, eya. The osiadie is for oparaldo. Akuko for Elegbara, eyele meyi for Obatalá, gbogbo ewe for ebominisi, obi, itana for kofibori.
- Ebbo
- Three akuko, a trap, bagasse, eku, eya, a rope, s3.15.
Orishas in this sign
The orishas that the letter itself links to this sign, according to what the source records:
- Shangó — When Orishaoko found out, he flew into a rage and declared war on Shangó.
- Orisha Oko — When Orishaoko found out, he flew into a rage and declared war on Shangó.
Other important aspects of the sign
Ewé of the sign
Malambo, mobila, flor de agua, cocuyo.
Ozain of iwory odi
A small piece of cocuyo wood, cambia voz, root of oyu oro, 3 atare mili — white and black —, a coin with a hole in it, a little iye of this Ifá, cloth of whatever color it takes. It is wrapped and bound with threads of 4 colors. One asks what it eats and which its days are, and what it drinks, whether otí or dry wine from the night dew. Whatever its days may be, everything is asked of Orunla so as not to fail.
Iwori Bode Iweri Ifá Iweri Oso Yene Gongole Yebe Oshanlá Abere Ni Ifá Olokun Obore Gbore Omo Ina Bore Ifá Wolode Fi Alaquema Sovere Ifá Oshanlá Lorubo.