Ojuani Yekun

Orunmila becomes rich

On this path, Orunmila was in a village and warned the neighbours that the Eternal Father would send many good things down from heaven, and he advised them to make an offering so that all would go well. The people of that village, however, did nothing about it. Shortly afterwards, diamonds, corals and pearls began to fall from the sky. Everyone rejoiced, and they were astonished to see that Orunmila did not come out of his house. They called him, but he would not come out, and people called him a fool for not picking anything up.

Then rifles, machetes and spears began to fall from the sky, driving themselves into the ground. People said: «Look at what is falling now, nobody is going to take that.» Orunmila, however, went out and gathered up all the weapons, storing them in his house. People asked him what he wanted them for, since they were of no use. Shortly afterwards all the riches began to run out, some declared war on one another, and everyone went to buy weapons from Orunmila, who became rich.

Ifá SAYS: Beware of lies. Do not deny food to those who visit your house. There is much envy directed at you.

The merchant who neglected Orunmila

There was a man who believed he had great gifts for business and trade. He had a strong desire to become a successful merchant, but everything went badly for him. He was advised to visit Orunmila, who saw this Ifá for him and told him to perform a particular ebo (sacrifice).

The man followed the instructions and began to prosper. He opened a shop selling bogbo ileke (coloured beads) and earned a great deal of money. He stopped visiting Orunmila, however. As time went by, money began to grow scarce in that area, despite the demand for ileke beads. The merchant decided to give people credit without consulting anyone, and found that those who bought the beads prospered and did not pay him.

Faced with this, the man went back to Orunmila’s house. On learning of his visit, Orunmila said to him: «Since you were not obedient when you had money and did not come back to consult with Ifá, you are not fit to run a business. You must look for other work.» Because of his situation, the merchant was forced to seek employment under another owner.

Orunmila makes a pact with Oluo Popo

In the land of Lodeni, all the inhabitants owed money to Oluo Popo and mocked him. For that reason, Oluo Popo went to the ile of Ikú (death) and made a pact with her to destroy the land of Lodeni within nine days.

When they learned of this, the inhabitants ran to look for Orunmila to find out how they could free themselves from that calamity. Orunmila consulted this Ifá and told them: «Ikú Elese Oluo Popo Oni Oshosi». He instructed them to perform an ebo with various animals, including those that were already rotting, and to hang them outside the town. He also named the ewe (herbs) Ejeni, Owo La Meyo and Eran Malu.

The inhabitants of Lodeni carried out the ebo and hung the animals as Orunmila had instructed them. Three or four days later the stench was unbearable, and death (Ikú) set out on her journey towards the town to fulfil her pact with Oluo Popo. Ikú sang: «ODebiya Ayo Kua Umpra Lini Kun Chacho Shara Nile Lodeni».

When Ikú reached Lodeni, however, and saw the constant wheeling of flocks of Gunugun (carrion birds), she rejoiced greatly and caught the foul smell that hung over everything. Then she said: «See how powerful I am. Out of the fear these people have of me, every one of the inhabitants has died of fright.» She then went to report to Oluo Popo what had happened and told him she had kept her part of the bargain.

Oluo Popo went to Lodeni to check whether Ikú was telling the truth, and he was astonished to find every inhabitant in perfect health. Angry, believing that Ikú had lied to him, he went straight to confront her and called her a liar. He also told her: «Orunmila has more power than you, for thanks to the ebo he performed, all the inhabitants of Lodeni were saved from you.»

Faced with this, Oluo Popo broke his pact with Ikú and went to see Orunmila to make a new pact with him.

If this Ifá comes with Intori Arun, Oluo Popo speaks. The person has sores and eruptions on the body. There are infections, discharge, problems in the womb, and the person is not sound in his habits.

Here the dominion of women was born

The akuko and the owunko for Elegbara.
The chicken with all the asheses for oparaldo at the bank of a river or a ditch.
Ashe of Orunmila is poured into the güiro and it is handed over to the person concerned, who beforehand is given eyerbale of eya tuto; it always eats together with Elegbara (except owunko).

On this path, in the land of Beri Bawa, there lived an awo named Ibsohe, who had a daughter called Obiri Abariyekun. Because of her bad conduct towards others, her father cursed her and she decided to leave home. She went to live in the house of Oboni Shangó, where she had a daughter called Obini Yekun. This girl grew up beautiful and later married a follower of Ozain, who taught her great secrets and provided her with a prosperous life. Obini Yekun came every day to the place where the güiro (percussion instrument) was kept in order to obtain power. She would call it by whistling three times and offer it eyerbale (herbs) of eya tuto, singing: «yeyele Ikú, Yeyele Ikú, Mawa Ozain. Yeyele Ikú, Yeyele Ikú, Ikú Mawa». The güiro began to move, and she, using an asho (bracelet), would blow smoke over it and present a face to it, and also hand it a stick of eru that she consecrated. When she needed to call the güiro, she would strike it three times and say: «Ozain Karaku Mawa Soye Ikú. Mawa Ozain Karaku Iboran. Eye Ikú Mawa». The first time she did this she obtained great power, and when the follower of Ozain arrived, he turned into blood. He cursed her and drove her out, telling her: «Never again will you be near me.» He warned her that she would have to return to the land she came from. Even so, she held great power, and the people of that land obeyed only what she did or said.

Obogon, the father of that follower of Ozain, consecrated his son and made him become the great Obogon, known as Omo Rukale. He was always asking his father to let him go to another land and consecrate his secret there so as to triumph as his father had. Although his father did not want him to, Orukale insisted so much that he finally got his way, and he set out for the land of Obini Yekun. On seeing her, Orukale fell in love with her, and the land began to prosper. The people felt well, but Obini Yekun, using her power, sought to make Orukale reveal his secret to her. Orukale greeted her with respect and began to think that he held great power over her and over the people she ruled.

Orukale had no time to go to where his secret was kept, and one day he began to sing: «awalirona Ori Bawa, Awalirona Eggun Orubewa«. She asked him to sing more softly and, without realising it, she called it. At that moment Orukale grew very glad and went on singing, but the power of Obini Yekun began to weaken until it turned into blood. She went towards Orukale’s secret and confused him, making him start to strike the sticks of the ebbo. And so she lost all her power.

This is where the dominion of women over men was born, and where for the first time a woman raised her hand against a man. This path explains that all omo Oggún, otoku before their obini if they do not know what they have to do.

The woman of the three kings

1ST EBBO: owunko, akuko, eyele meyi, obi meta, malaguidi, meta okuni, atitan de la plaza, itana, orí, efun, eku, awado, comida atrasada, eya, epo, opolopo owo.

2ND EBBO: owunko, akuko, obi, itana, awado, eku, eya, epo, fifesho.

3RD EBBO: eyele meyi, obi, itana, awado, orí, efun, eku, eya para ode.

There was a woman who felt sad and weary of her bad luck, so she decided to visit Orunmila. He saw this Ifá for her and told her to perform three ebboses (rituals). The woman performed the first ebbo, and when she cast it away in the marketplace, people saw her and began to call her a witch. She was arrested and brought before the king. The woman was young and beautiful, and the king fell in love with her. In secret they were intimate, and she became pregnant by the king. The woman, however, neglected to perform the other two ebboses that Orunmila had prescribed for her.

After some time the woman gave birth to a son, and things began to go badly for her. Because of marital troubles she decided to leave her husband and take her son with her. When she reached another land, she consulted an awo who did Osode for her and saw this Ifá. He told her to make an offering and to take it to the marketplace.

When she cast the ebbo away in the marketplace, people again called her a witch, and once more she was arrested and brought before the king of that land. Once again the king fell in love with her and they were intimate in secret. The woman became pregnant again and had another son.

After some time she separated from the king and went off to another land with her two sons. She consulted an awo in that new land, who saw this Ifá for her and told her: «Your last husband is pursuing you to take away your son, the only one he has managed to have. He wants him to inherit everything when he dies, and so you must perform an ebbo to protect yourself.» The woman thought there was no longer any need to perform the ebbo.

Days later the woman met the king of that land and agreed to become his lover. She became pregnant for the third time, but decided to look for a way not to have any more children.

The woman’s second husband sent emissaries to that land with orders to kill her and to bring back the son, so that he would inherit the throne on his death. When the woman passed through the marketplace and the emissaries saw her with her three sons, they killed her and took the king’s son away to his father’s land.

Elegbara must be received quickly, and ode must be attended to closely.

The woman must use her head wisely and, if she has had marital troubles in her second marriage, she must quickly seek the guidance of Orunmila. If she has children with that husband, she must not abandon them. It is advised that the woman have her tubes tied. It is also important that she avoid crowded places, since she may be mistaken for someone else.