Oyekun Otura

Path 1

Olokun wanted his son to receive Ifá, and Orunmila was his godfather, but aroni got in the way. At that moment Elegbá arrived at Orunmila’s house looking for something to eat. Orunmila told him he had nothing to offer, that the only one who had been there was Olokun’s son, for whom he was to make Ifá, but aroni had interfered and so nothing had been prepared.

Elegbá took out his horn of oda Eshu and got aroni drunk. Then he went to Orunmila’s house and told him that aroni was drunk and sprawled in the street.

Orunmila went to Olokun’s house and asked him whether that drunken oluwo was the one who was going to make Ifá for his son. Olokun then called Orunmila back to perform the seating for his son.

The king’s spoiled daughter

A babalawo named oyekun tura came to a town by the command of god, and presented himself transfigured as Santa Bárbara. He raised his red flag almost level with the king’s own flag, and when the king found out he ordered him seized and brought before him as a prisoner.

The king, enraged, asked oyekun by what authority he had raised that flag. Oyekun answered humbly that he was grateful for the invitation and that he had raised the flag by the command of god in order to perform divinations. The king then asked him to divine something.

Oyekun tura told the king that although he possessed many material goods and riches in his kingdom, there was a great spiritual emptiness that needed to be resolved. He further revealed that the king carried a shadow on his soul that weighed heavily upon him, and that he would weep a great deal because of that spiritual lack.

The king felt humiliated and, in his arrogance, answered oyekun tura that he was a king and knew what he was doing, and that the law should be carried out. Oyekun tura was taken to prison at once, to be beheaded the following day.

The king had one only daughter, very spoiled, who did as she pleased, even walking about alone at all hours of the day and night. The young woman went to the prison, saw the prisoner and praised the beautiful red cloak he was wearing. She then asked oyekun tura to give it to her.

He answered that he no longer needed it, since he would be executed the next day, and agreed to give it to her in exchange for another garment. The young woman handed over her own garment and took the red cloak with her, wearing it through the night.

The following day they caught the young woman wearing the red cloak, put her in a cart and killed her. The king was frantic, searching for his daughter. The kingdom fell into turmoil on learning that the king’s daughter had been murdered while the prisoner was still alive.

At that moment oyekun tura was summoned once more before the king, who, in tears and with his soul in pieces, returned the garment to him, understood the truth of the divination, and authorised him to place his flag wherever he wished.

When this Ifá comes up, it indicates a situation of osorbo. Something grave has been done and things are out of balance. The person represented by the king in this story has a much-indulged daughter. The traditional reading of this sign warns that she may well be lost to him, or suffer some kind of violence in the near future, or be dishonoured in some way.

Where the children of Obatalá were sick

When Obatalá came into the world, he found all his children sick: some in the stomach, some in the chest, some in the feet.

He then took them to Orunmila’s house, who consulted Ifá for them and made them an ebó. Obatalá ordered them to drink no kind of liquor and to wash the aching parts with omiero. In this way they recovered and lived in well-being.

When Ayapa wanted to rule the world

On this path, ayapa lived in a land where she wished to be the wise one and to have everyone bow before her. She set about thinking how to achieve this, and one day said: «if I take everyone’s brain and keep it under my control, I will be the wise one and they will all have to bow down to me». So she found a güiro and a cord and hung it around her neck. She would go out into the street and take the brain of everyone she met, dropping it into the güiro.

When the güiro was full, ayapa decided to put it somewhere no one would see it, thinking to place it in the crown of a palm tree. She found, however, that the güiro was a great hindrance hanging from her neck.

Ayapa did not realise this and kept trying to climb the palm, sweating and growing exhausted. What she did not know was that a young man was watching her, and he said: «listen, put the güiro on your back, behind you, and you will see that you can climb the palm».

Realising that the young man was right, ayapa grew angry and exclaimed: «there is still someone who knows more than I do, and he is only a boy». Rattled, she threw the güiro down and left. The young man, who was Elegbá, picked up the güiro and found that it held human brains. He asked himself: «what should I do?». But he realised that the only one who could resolve that problem was Orunmila, so he hurried to his house.

Orunmila consulted this Ifá and told him: «you must go out into the street and, to everyone you see without a brain, put one in; but take care not to make a mistake». The young man, who was Elegbá, went out into the street to carry out the mission Orunmila had given him.

To everyone he saw without a brain he reached into the güiro and fitted one, without noticing that he was swapping them: a man’s brain he put into a woman, and a woman’s brain into a man. He also put children’s brains into adults and adults’ brains into children.

Important notes

• This Ifá indicates that the person’s Elegbá is swapping his roads, so it is necessary to break him and make a new one that fits the person’s road.
• «Elder», that is, a prodigy child. Ozain must be taken into account on this path, where people carry a mental inversion: an older person with the mind of a child, and likewise a child with the mind of an adult.

The three brains of man

The akukó is for Ozain with Olokun. The ayapa together with the eyele are used to feed Orí, Aboñu and Oko. The signs are first marked in those places, then eru, obi, kola, ataré, grated obi, orí, efun, eku and eyá are added, all of this while the person lies on the mat with the ebó at their side.

First the eyerbale of the ayapa is offered and this is sung: «ayapa Eye Aum Boriboye Eru Ozain Eye Akikín Otún Olo Orun Abibo Eye Junimú Olo Osin Abibo Gongo Orun Junimú«. Then the eyele are placed on top and this is sung: «eyele Eye Orun Beye Otún Abibo Eye Junimú Orun Beye Osin Abibo Gongo Orun Eye Junimú». The feathers are added and a moment is allowed to pass.

Afterwards they are taken from the person and added to the ebó along with the heads of the ayapa and the eyele. The ayapa are left to dry so that, once cleaned, a secret may be made. The eyele are destined for Inle Onima, invoking Olokun. The crown of the ayapa is drawn out and kept for special occasions, together with ataré, eru and obi kola, to make obori eleda.

The secret is called Obayani Aum, and the inshe is loaded inside the ayapa. It carries afoshe of the 16 igui of Shangó, 7 bees, 7 bibijagua ants and 7 ants, all placed alive in a piece of ño, to which oñí (honey) and obifín are added. The following day, when all the eshishi otokú, it is ground and eru, obi, kola, leri adán and ataré are added, and it is mixed with the iyefa of the ebó. All of this is put into the 5 shells and kept beside Shangó, where it eats aparo and eyele.

Awo Obayani Aum was the son of Oyekun Tesia, and his father was named Awo Aum. They were the keepers of the secrets of Awo Akinkin Otun Olo Orun Abibo and of Osin Olo Abibo Gongo Orun, the two powers that governed the human body through Orí.

Awo Aum was always resentful, believing that no one in the world held his secret of ruling the body through the brain. Whenever someone from the land of Yoda Orí came to visit him, if he failed to master their brain he would fall into a quarrel with that person. He always fed the secrets of Awo Akinkin Otun Olo Orun Aribo and Osin Olo Orun Abibo Gongo Orun, and gave them eyele while singing:

«eyele Eye Orun Beye Otun Abibo Eye Juminu Orun Beye Osin Abibo Gongo Orun Eye Juminu».

In this way he held control over the people of that land. His son Awo Obayani Aum, however, possessed the secret of Aroni Mayeye, the force of intelligence granted by Olokun to the children of Olokun. He did not agree with his father’s actions and decided that it had to end.

He set out for the land of yoda ori, and on arriving he found the king of that land, Omolokun, under the effects of a potion prepared by Awo Aum. He made a consultation of Ifá and saw Oyekun Tesia, and ordered that the three points of the body where the secrets resided be fed, gradually returning command of the brain to the king and uncovering every trap Awo Aum had laid.

Olokun told him that he could no longer live in his dwelling, and so ordered that all the ayapa keke be gathered and offered to Olokun and to the secrets of Akinkin Otun Olo Orun Abibo and Osin Olo Orun Abibo Gongo Orun. Awo Obayani Aum used the shells to strengthen the secret of that land and to let the brain govern the body.

Then Ifá granted an Awo to Olokun and indicated that each time food was offered to those secrets, the Awo of that land would offer eyele to his leri while singing this chant: «Eyele Ozain Ori Omayeo Olokun Oporolun Eye».

In this way the brain grew stronger still and could think more clearly upon the secrets of Olokun and of Ifá.

Here was born the teaching that man has three brains that govern him: the cerebellum, the stomach and the sexual parts. When the latter two rule over the first, man moves towards his own destruction through the excesses he commits.

Notes

• Part of the secret of the güiro of Ozain of Olokun was born here.
• Akinkin otun olo orun abibo is the power that governs the right side of the human brain. Osin olo orun abibo gongo orun is the power that governs the left side of the human brain.

Abibo: is the orisha who taught human beings to work and to move their limbs.