Meaning of Ogbe Yekun in the Diloggún
Composition and essential aspects
Ogbe Yekun, father of combinations, lives to a ripe old age. He is the diviner of the rod; he was the one who cast Ifá for the rod, and afterwards the rod died.
He is the eldest of the iworos. This Oddun is not written on the board: it is replaced by Okana Yekun. The iyefa is not smeared on the forehead. Maferefun Oshún.
Relationship with the Orishas
It speaks of an Orisha who was forgotten by his followers. He must be worshipped again and given what was customary, so that he does not cause ona.
For Elegbá, eku and ewo (crumbled ishu) are placed to resolve matters; for Oshún, five sapotes are hung on her edenes as an offering to unblock roads.
Changes, punishments and reckonings
This Oddun marks reckonings. Ogbe Yekun will reach greatness one way or another, willingly or by force. It also indicates the loss of positions, which is why one must be cautious at work and in business.
It marks people who have been overlooked and who will eventually reach an important post. Here the virtue of urine was born, a symbol of inner purification.
Family and personal conflicts
It speaks of a person who is looked down upon within the family. They are always regarded as a bad head. It indicates vices and sexual excess that must be corrected.
It also warns about manipulation inside the spouse’s family. The relationship may have been forced through spiritual work.
A mother does not want her son or daughter to marry, out of sheer attachment or financial control. The person was probably not raised by their father, and if he is still alive, he may pass away soon.
In this sign is born
- The edenes of Oshún.
- The virtue of urine.
- The three itá of Ifá.
What this sign indicates
- Where you live there is a friend who wants to see you fall. Give thanks to your Guardian Angel.
- You do not heed what you are told.
- You have a hidden enemy who, if you are careless, will drag you into trouble with the law.
- You will have to seat Oshún and you will have a home of your own.
- Touch your forehead every day with the edenes of Oshún, and you will see what you long for.
- You are short of clothing. You must make a rogación with cloth in order to keep clothes (all the sticks and all the winds made ebbo).
- You are to be fortunate in your old age, because you will come out well from all your difficulties and you will live many years.
- In the house where you live they cannot stand the sight of you.
- If you go to a party or a meal, try not to eat or drink, and if possible, arrive late.
- You are about to receive good news. Give thanks to the Jimaguas.
- Hold your tongue a little and beware of rash acts.
- It speaks of a person given to vice.
- There are situations between families.
- Touch your forehead every day with the edenes of Oshún.
- If you want things to go well for you, attend to the Saints, above all Elegbá, Oggún and Oshún.
- Be affectionate with your spouse and with your elders.
Advice and warnings
- Do not go out at night for seven days.
- Be careful with an evil thing that is going to be laid down to kill you.
- Do not raise your hand against anyone, because your opponent may well kill you, and do not disrespect anyone either.
- Beware of a piece of gossip that a friend is going to bring you.
- Beware of trouble with the law.
- Beware of traps in papers and documents. Keep the peace at home and avoid arguments. In this Oddun the owunko speaks, an animal that stands for filth, slowness and bad temper.
- The owner of this sign may be in that same state: without a home, sweating heavily, with slow digestion, sleeping little, always complaining. Older women take up with younger men.
The traditional reading of this sign also warns about the following:
- You are pregnant and people say it is harm worked against you, and it is not. That is a matter of Oshún. Do not be afraid, nothing will happen to you. People will be left astonished.
- There is a sick person in your house. Take care that they do not die on you.
- Beware of a toothache.
- You are pregnant and people say it is harm worked against you, and when you give birth they will be amazed.
- You are to die of old age.
- The owner of this Oddun dies of old age, but must avoid raising a hand against anyone, because it could bring death upon him. For everything to go well, he must attend to the Saints and to his egun.
Proverbs
- Desciende sobre la muerte. It comes down upon death.
- El arco iris solo ocupa el tramo que Dios le mande. The rainbow covers only the stretch that God assigns to it.
- El que desea que no lo engañen, que no engañe. Whoever wishes not to be deceived should not deceive.
- Para hacer el mal, no hay hombre pequeño. When it comes to doing harm, no man is too small.
- Cuando la boca no habla, las palabras no ofenden. When the mouth does not speak, words give no offence.
Patakíes
Path 1
The lion became king of the jungle
Ebbó: Igba okan, omi tutto, ashes, three cudgels, ewe Ifá, laurel and opolopo owo. Here the adanes of Oshún are born.
The adanes of Oshún wanted to reach an important position in life. For that reason they went to Awo Ogbe Ate, diviner of the land of Edan Nile. In the reading the sign Ogbe Yekun came out, father of all the Omolu, who told them: «Before the adanes die, the eldest of the iworos will die.»
The lion, a close friend of the adanes, was harshly criticised by his own family. They said he had a bad head and an inferiority complex. Even so, the adanes brought him before Ogbe Ate, who told him he would be respected in the future if he carried out the ebbo and drank the prescribed potion. He also had to urinate around his resting place.
The lion obeyed. After performing the ebbo, he urinated around the spot where he slept. Shortly afterwards, when other animals tried to come close, they died on catching the smell of his urine.
It was then that the lion roared with a new strength, and all the animals cried out: «Is he not a man? Am I not? Does he not come from heaven? What is this that stands here? It is I, Kiniun, the Oba Igbo Biri.» And so they all acknowledged him as the true king of the jungle. From that day on, every time he roars, the world trembles.
In this path an Adán is placed on Orunmila, along with an inshe of Ozain lined in lion skin. He is offered a jícara (gourd bowl) with water and crushed laurel leaves, to which ashes are added and over which the 16 mejis are prayed. It is then drunk. This sign speaks of a forgotten Orisha, who must once again be adorned and revered.
Persuasion
Prayer:
Ogbe Yekun Ni Baba Omulo Agba Oloya Niro Demu, Agogó Nla Shenu Gbagba Loni Ni Parikoko Otenu Dun Dun Na Lori Ni Para Otenu Bata Jad Ogba Yekun Adifafun Ozain, Lodafun Orunmila. Ojuani Meyi.
Ebbó: Akuko okan, eyele meyi, una campana, un tamborcito dun dun, un tamborcito bata, gbogbo tenuyen, una botella de otí, una de oyin, eku, eya, awado y opolopo owo.
Ogbe Yekun was the father of the Omolu, a man feared for his immense power. No one dared set foot on his land, for he warned that whoever did would pay with his life. There he had plantations of timber trees from which hung the skulls of enemies and outsiders.
The people of Isalaya, in despair, went to Olofin for help. He sent them to consult Ifá, and the sign Ojuani Meyi came out, calling for a musical ebbo to be made and delivered into the land of Ogbe Yekun.
No one dared, until a young maiden, daughter of Ojuani Meyi, bravely offered herself: «I will go and I will master him.»
The young woman entered the land of Ogbe Yekun playing music. On seeing her he was dazzled and said: «Stop, beautiful woman. You are very lovely and I do not wish to harm you.» She answered firmly: «I have come for you and I will take you with me.»
Struck by her beauty, courage and melody, Ogbe Yekun let himself be mastered. She led him before Olofin, who on seeing him declared: «Tó Iban Eshu», and allowed him to return to his land with a different bearing.
Ever since, whenever Ogbe Yekun must be summoned, one has to turn to Ojuani Meyi, for only she has the power to bend him and bring him.
When Oduduwa earned the trust of Olofin
Ebbó: 2 goats, 4 kola nuts, white cloth, 4 white doves and 2 white hens.
Oduduwa decided to come down to earth, but before doing so Orunmila warned him that he had to perform an ebbo. Even so, he did not obey and came down unprotected, settling upon the back of Olofin.
The punishment was immediate: the sun burned him, the rain soaked him and hunger wore him down. Defeated, he returned to Ode Orun to ask for a second chance. Orunmila told him: «Now you will have to double the ebbo.» This time Oduduwa obeyed.
Once the full sacrifice was made, he returned to Isalaiye and took his place again upon Olofin. But the earth fell into crisis: the rains ceased, the crops died and women could no longer give birth.
Olofin, in anguish, called upon Gbori Jobi Oguleno Awo, the god of destiny and medicine. This awó consulted Ifá and the sign Ogbe Yekun came out.
The awó asked Olofin: «Who is that stranger you carry upon your back? Give him his own place.» And so Oduduwa was ordered to build his own house upon the earth.
Once it was finished, Gbori Jobi Oguleno warned: «To keep the balance, you will have to make him continual offerings.» Since then he is given: 2 goats, kola nuts, 101 cowries, 101 akara, white honey, palm oil and opolopo owo.
From that moment on, Oduduwa was well received. The rains came back, the crops flourished and women gave birth without complications. The harmony between heaven and earth was restored through obedience and respect for the spiritual order.
The goat and the mother
In a village there lived a goat together with his mother. As he grew up and became an adult, he began to feel the need for a mate.
One morning, before leaving for work, he left $25.00 with his mother and told her firmly:
«Find me a woman for tonight.»
When he came back at night, the goat asked about the woman. His mother, entirely matter-of-fact, answered him:
«Everything is arranged.»
When bedtime came, the goat’s mother presented herself before him and said without shame:
«There is no better woman for you than me.»
From then on, the goat began to mate with his own mother, breaking in this way the limits of what is permitted.
This patakí reveals how the loss of values and the confusion of family roles can lead to a deep transgression of what is sacred. It is a call to preserve ethics, respect and the natural order within the family.
When they wanted to dethrone Olofin
This path marks a crucial moment at the origin of the world. Certain spiritual forces tried to dethrone Olofin, the orí of all the Oshas and the highest figure of the sacred universe.
Faced with this threat, the ancestors performed a sacred ebbo with adie meyi and placed a crown (ade) upon his head, reaffirming his power in this way and securing his permanence as supreme leader of the spiritual order.
Since then Olofin has stood consecrated as the pillar that holds up the cosmic balance, and his authority was acknowledged by all the Oshas. This hierarchy is respected until the end of the world.
This patakí carries a clear teaching: respecting the spiritual hierarchies is key to keeping the divine order and protecting the harmony of the universe.
Works and ebbó of Ogbe Yekun
Works and Ebboses of Ogbe Yekun
- Work to remove witchcraft that has been ingested
- To draw the witchcraft out of the stomach, for seven days one drinks a decoction of parsley with romerillo flowers and sacu sacu, mixed with raw milk and otí. If the parsley root and the sacu sacu are hard to come by, the leaves are used instead, well crushed to draw out the juice.
- Work for health
- An ebbo is made with owunko and asho fun fun. Afterwards it is given to Elegbá.
- Work for when Oshún is angry (a debt owed to Oshún)
- An ebbo is made with an owunko, akuko, eran malu, an ikoko, tiger hair, adie meyi, ota meta, a corn cob, oñí (honey), eku, eya, epo, omi, añari, opolopo owo…
- Ebbó to fare well in old age (for okuni)
- Akuko, eyele meyi, a toothbrush, 16 pigs, china root, owunko, a ribbon, eku, eya and the secret of the adanes.
- Ebbó to fare well in old age (for obini)
- Owunko, adie meyi, eyele meyi, a ribbon, oñí and the remaining ingredients, opolopo owo.
- Secret of the sapote for resolving situations
- Two speckled eyele are given to Ozain, along with 9 eya tutu keke, the leri, elese and okokanes of the eyele, the 9 eya tutu keke, sapote leaves and seeds, prayed iyefa and a dried pitirre reduced to iye, obi motiwao, ikines meta. They are lined with beads and cowries.
- Work to resolve matters
- Five sapotes are hung for Oshún on her edenes.
- Ebbó
- Akuko, adie meyi, etu meyi, eran malu, oñí, awado, an apron with two pockets, tewewe, a rod of obi medilogun, igba, eku, eya, epo, opolopo owo.
- Ebbó
- Leri de malu, leri de elede, akuko, gbogbo awado, gbogbo epo, a pipe… After giving the akuko to Elegbá, the leri de elede is taken to the river and the leri de malu to a hill…
- Ebbó
- Akuko, eyele meyi, a bell, a small dun dun drum, a small bata drum, gbogbo tenuyen, a bottle of otí, one of oñí, eku, eya, awado, opolopo owo.
- Ebbó
- Akuko, igba okan, omi tutu, ashes, three hooked sticks, ewe Ifá laurel, eku, eya, awado, opolopo owo.
- Ebbó
- Akuko dun dun, abeboardie meyi, jío jío meta, osiadie okan, a small chest, obi, the cloth that has been kept, eko, a crown, a small gourd, eñigan, malaguidi, itana, eku, eya, awado, opolopo owo.
- Distribution
- Akuko dun dun and abeboardie meyi, for Oshún. Osiadie okan with its ingredients for Elegbá. Jío jío meta with its ingredients for Eshu.
- Ebbó
- Akuko, etu, awado, the tie of an apron with two pockets, a mask, igba, the remaining ingredients, opolopo owo.
Prayers and suyeres of Ogbe Yekun
Liturgical material transcribed from the manuscripts of the source; it is kept literal.
Prayer
Ogbe Yekun Ni Baba Omilu Agba Oloya Niro Demu, Agogó Nla Shenu Gbagba Loni Ni Parikoko Otenu Dundun Ni Parasidi Otenu Bata Jad Yekun Adifafun Ozain Lodafun Orunmila Kaferefun Ojuani Meyi.
Prayer
Akueno Olori Ashubo Awo Kaka Ado Adifafun Orí Kaferefun Orunmila.
Prayer
Ogbe Yekun Kukutu Adifafun Guoniti Afiti Biye Logbu Orungan.
Prayer
Ogbe Yekun Babá Omolu Abakaka Bara Adan Adifafun Kene Un Tio Pio Biye Loke Eranko Alubode Lanshi Lorubo.
Prayer
Ogbe Yekun Babá Omolu Babá Adifafun Shoro Koko Epasida Ikibo Okara Koko Roko Oko Koberu Ogbe.
Prayer
Ogbe Yekun Omolu Oba Kaka Edan Adifafun Yebeka Oka Apeinda Ikibo Oshosi Kakaraka Oko Koborun Ogbe Lola Ogbe Teke Oun Koye Kobin Adifafun Kenkun Tio Pio Eyele Lowo Eranko Olubebe Gbogbo Eranko Etu Lorubo.
Prayer
Ogbe Yekun Babá Omolu Babá Adifafun Shere Keke Episanda Ikibo Sheru Keke Oko Koboru Ogbe Yeku Lo Toke Oun Koshe Kotin Adifafun Owunko Ita Fire Iye Rewe Olubamba Toli Lebo Etu Korubo Medilogun Eran Malu, Oñí Medilogun Owo Elebo.
Ogbe Yeku Baba Omolu Abakaka Babá O An Adifafun Awano Ikibe Akora Keke Awano Tio Pito Biye Leke Eranko Andobelashi Gbogbo Eranko Lorubo Keke Medilogun Eran Malu, Eku, Eya, Awado, Oñí, Opolopo Owo.
Edafon Shuro Mi Ore, Eda Ewe Eda Efun Agayú Raun Osomobo Mobo Sodoromi Yare Iya Lode Aba.
Orishas in this sign
The orishas that the letter itself ties to this sign, according to what the source records:
Other important aspects of the sign
Ewé of the sign
The main plant of this sign is the sapote.
Here all the sticks and all the Saints performed ebbo.
In this Oddun human beings learned to clean their teeth, carrying the stick to the mouth after eating, to keep oral hygiene and their teeth in good condition.
The Eshu of the sign
This is the Eshu that lives lined with beads and cowries. Ogbe Yekun came down to earth accompanied by Oshumare.
Ogbe Yekun (Ogbe Oyekun): Patakíes, Meaning, Advice, Works or Ebboses and Secrets
Health and physical warnings
There may be witchcraft affecting the stomach. Strict oral hygiene is advised to avoid digestive trouble. One should not drink much water with meals. Here a handsome man speaks, who must be attended to spiritually.
One must guard against accidents with iron objects, especially if there are children in the house. The visits of Ikú (death) or of betrayal are present in this Oddun.
Transformation and evolution
This is an Oddun of transformation. The person must bring body and head into line: otherwise their destiny will be severed from their path. Do not wear striped clothing nor go out drinking in it: it may be fatal.
The person looks for a good spouse but does not find one. They are surrounded by people who neither respect them nor wish them well. Harm is being worked against them to destroy what is theirs.
Make ebbo with patience to win the war. The bundle does not carry malanga leaf, but sapote leaves. The awó must place the edenes of Oshún on his leri.
Charge
Ilekan, cemetery earth, earth of nigbe, 7 abere, afoshe of leri of akuko and of ayapa, obi motiwao, ikines meta. It is lined with beads and cowries.