Meaning of Irete Ika in the Diloggún
- The struggle of the water against the sand.
- Maferefun Obatalá, Oshosi ati Shangó.
- The monkey’s house stinks, the jutía’s house stinks, and the black man’s house stinks.
- Here the fig tree was born, and the art of meditation among men.
- This Ifá marks violence and pride, and through them the person loses their way.
- The owner of this Ifá must receive Ozain in full in order to defeat their enemies.
- Every Inshe Ozain (protective charm) made under this Ifá must carry oju de oka (a maja’s eye) and is wrapped in maja skin.
- Here the son of Shangó was cast out.
- The person lives in constant struggle; they find no rest by day or by night.
- Olokun must be received. The tools of this ebbo are placed with Olokun, and the animals are sacrificed to him.
- The pendejera plant was sweet, and in order to survive it had to turn bitter.
- Because of your good heart you have always lost, for you have taken on burdens you could not carry afterward, or you have complicated your own life by solving other people’s problems.
- When you stop taking on what belongs to others, you will live with more calm and rest, which is what you need.
- Five güiritos de pasión, well prepared with sugar pellets and oñí (honey), are placed for Oshún.
- Two young eyele, to be taken as broth if there is trouble in the chest.
- There are serious family problems, and to be happy the person must separate from the family and go live far away from them.
- The person longs for something that only the Santos can grant.
- Change your ways. You do things your own way, and you are inconstant with the Santo, and that harms you.
- Here speaks the social outcast.
- The origin of the güiro pasión.
- You want to move from where you live, or go abroad.
- You have an inheritance of a house or land.
- You suffer in your legs or hip, whether from illness or from fractures caused by accidents or falls.
- You are hard-headed and unbelieving.
- Do not eat eggplant.
- Do not lose your temper or utter curses.
- You will have quarrels caused by jealousy.
- Be careful not to wound or fracture a foot.
- You are very proud, and that is why you do not listen to advice.
- For seven days do not eat fish, and do not kill mice.
- You left a woman because you could not provide for her properly, and she is trying to come back to you at any cost.
Born in this sign
- The fig tree.
- The art of meditation among men.
What this sign indicates
- You have three children and you are sad because you cannot provide for them properly.
- You want to move from where you live.
- You yourself are to blame for what is happening to you.
- You were not raised by your mother; you were taken in by others; you are hard-headed; you have an inheritance of a house.
- You are thinking about how to move.
- You will have a quarrel with another woman because of jealousy.
- You tell your husband everything about your life.
- You are very powerful, and that is why you disobey advice.
- You are being watched.
Advice and warnings
- You must bathe three times in a row in the sea, and whatever you find in the sea, place it behind your door, and good fortune will come to you.
- Do not eat eggplant.
- Feed your head.
- Do not get upset or utter curses, and be careful not to wound a foot.
Proverbs of Irete Ika
- No todo el mundo puede jugar bien el juego del guacalote. Not everyone can play the game of the guacalote well.
- Mucha gente está limitando sus propias limitaciones. Many people are limiting their own limitations.
- Gran vicio del hombre es traicionar al que en él confía. A great vice of man is to betray the one who trusts in him.
- El río que crece rápido lo hace de agua sucia. The river that rises quickly rises with dirty water.
- Cree en Dios pero mantén tu poder seguro. Believe in God, but keep your own power secure.
Patakíes of Irete Ika
– Violence and pride
Elegbara asked a farmer for an akuko, but the man refused him rudely. Elegbara saw that the man was violent and decided to punish him. He joined with Oggún, and together they went to the man’s field at night to trample it. The next day, when the farmer saw his crop ruined, he flew into a rage and, wielding his machete, began destroying it even further. As a result of his own violence, he ended up gravely wounding his own foot.
Violence and pride must be mastered so as not to lose one’s way.
– The man and the ayapa
Ebbo: Akuko, abiti, work tools, seawater and sand, a small piece of reef, bogbo ashe, opolopo owo.
A person placed an igba of oñí for Shangó at the foot of the aragba. The ayapa came out from among the ewe, and the man understood that it was watching him and followed it, but it slipped into the river, and when it came out to look again, the person killed it.
– The jutía and the maja
Ebbo: Akuko grifo, ekute, eyele moni, monkey hair, oka’s eye, maja, oti, obi, itanas, oñi, eku, eyo, abiti, oti laru, opolopo owo.
DESCRIPTION: akuko grifo and ekute for Ozain; the rest is determined by asking.
On this path, an old and wise monkey met a jutía. They decided to live together, and the monkey taught the jutía how to better its life and find food more easily. However, the monkey did not reveal all his secrets, because he distrusted the jutía.
One day the jutía abandoned the monkey, and later, when it faced a dangerous enemy called Oka Baruku, it returned to the monkey’s house asking for help. The monkey received it, but seeing its falseness, its ingratitude and its thanklessness, he told it that to defeat Oka Baruku, it only had to stare at him fixedly and not look away for anything.
The jutía followed the monkey’s advice, and when it came face to face with Oka Baruku, it stared at him fixedly until it overcame him and devoured him. In this way the jutía learned the importance of determination and perseverance in the struggle for survival.
Under this Ifá one must receive Ozain in order to defeat the enemy. This Ozain carries maja’s eyes and is wrapped in maja skin. In this Ifá is born the reason why the jutía conga is dominated by oka baruku, the maja, and why this jutía stares fixedly at him and falls victim to his hypnotism and the power of his gaze. One must keep a leri of eku in the Elegbá, and a little monkey in the house. This monkey is loaded and works like an Ozain.
– The okra for Elegbara
The man made the ebbo and offered the okra to the boy, and Orunmila told him that from then on, whenever anyone asked him for something, he must not refuse, because if he did, he would be punished by the gods. The man learned the lesson and became a more generous and kinder person toward others. From then on his field prospered and he never had trouble again. And this man’s story became an example for all those who learned from him, so that they would never deny something to someone in need.
The struggle of the water against the reef
The sea was in a difficult situation: it could not extend its waters because of a great mass of rocks, the reefs, and it felt oppressed by these powerful enemies. Olokun decided to visit Orunmila to find a way out. Orunmila made osode for her and saw this Ifá, and asked: «How is it possible that, being so powerful, you allow a mere mass of reefs to keep you from advancing and reaching the shore?» Olokun explained that the mass of reefs blocked her way. Then Orunmila prescribed a rogation that included demolition tools such as drills, picks and bars, as well as animals such as akuko, eyele, eku, aya, epo (palm oil), among others, so that she could destroy the mass of reefs. Olokun made ebbo and, with the tools, set to work. In a short time the great mass of reefs gave way and turned into a heap of sand, through the action of the sea and the waves.
This is the reason why the sea, to this day, reaches the shore. Yet at a certain distance from the shore the sand settles, and along great stretches of the coast the sea, because of the rogation, can rise above its level and flood the land before returning to its domain.
On this path Olokun must be received. The tools of this ebbo are placed with Olokun and taken to the sand and the seawater, and the akuko is given to Olokun and carried to the sea, so that the water takes it away. Perform oparaldo three times on the same day: one in the morning, another at twelve noon and the other at 7 in the evening; three osiadie, asho pupua, fun fun, dun dun, itanas, oti, a branch of alamo and algarrobo in the first. A branch of purple basil, almacigo and mar pacífico in the second, and in the third, ewe: guanguero, aberikunlo and pomegranate. An omiero is also made with all these ewes for bathing, with oti; the bathwater is collected and poured into a river with running water. Maferefun Olokun.
The three oparaldos go to the river.
How the ewe pendejera turned bitter
Prayer: Irete Ika Ifá Mafo Wuoro Oma Ni Teka Adifafun Ila Ateka Lodafun Un Omire Ifá Lorugbo. Maferefun Yalorde Obatalá Ati Eshu.
Ebbo: Aikordie, eyele meyi, 5 güiritos de pasión, ewe pendejera, omi ile, okun lemon, honey, coconut oil, eku, eya, aguado, opolopo owo.
PATAKIN:
On this path, the pendejera plant was very sweet, and all the birds and animals ate it and killed its children. For this reason the pendejera went to Orunmila’s house to ask for help. Orunmila examined her and saw this Ifá, and prescribed an ebbo. The pendejera performed it and grew strong. When her enemies tried to eat her and carry off her children, Orunmila punished them, for thanks to the ebbo he had made her bitter and had given her thorns on her leaves and stem. Whoever touched her was pricked, and then she would say: «I am safe, and so are my children.»
Works and ebbó of Irete Ika
Works of irete ka
- Secret of the sign
- Feed your head, for it runs very hot. If you wish to be well, make ebbo and bathe in the sea three days in a row, and whatever you find there, a stone or a cowrie, place it behind the door.
- Remedy for phlegm or declared asthma
- Take the pendejera, coconut oil and several drops of lemon juice; with all of this an infusion is made, sweetened with oñí, and given to the person to drink as Orunmila determines, and the phlegm will be expelled through whatever channel. Receive Olokun.
- Oparaldo: (three times on the same day)
- One in the morning, one at 12 noon and the other at 6 in the evening. All are osiadie, asho fun fun, dun dun and pupua.
- The first with ewe
- : algarrobo and lamo.
- The second with ewe
- Purple basil, almacigo and mar pacífico.
- The third with ewe
- Guenguere, aberikunlo and pomegranate. The eyele meyi are asked about, whether they are young birds for the illness of the chest. Drink broth of ewe pendejera for phlegm in the chest. The 5 güiritos are placed for Oshún, prepared with sugar pellets and plenty of honey.
Prayers and suyeres of Irete Ika
Liturgical material transcribed from the source manuscripts; it is preserved verbatim.
Prayer: i
rete Ka Om Ni Ateka Adifafun Inure Adifafun Il Ateka Lebo Eyele, Akuko Lebo.
Prayer
Ifá Mafo Wuobo Omani Ateka Adifafun Ila Ateka Odafun Omire Ifá Norugbo. Maferefun Yalorde, Obatalá, Ati Eshu.
Orishas in this sign
The orishas that the letter itself links to this sign, as recorded in the source:
Other important aspects of the sign
Ewé of the sign
Pendejera.
The Eshu of the sign
Eshu Owuanileble.
Irete Ka Ifá Mafo Guobo Omuno Ateka Adifafun Il Lodafun I Mire Il Korugbo.