Meaning of Obara Koso in the Diloggún
- This was where Obatalá went out to visit the houses of the Anai.
- This was where Azowanu infected Dada Banani with leprosy, and for that reason he was cast out of the Lucumí land.
- Here the illnesses of Azowanu were healed.
- San Lázaro comes to fight with the people.
- This Ifá determines that all children born this year are in danger of dying, and that many of them, at the moment of birth, will take their mothers with them.
- Ifá of the marañón (cashew tree), about which people wondered what mystery it held, for it changed color from one day to the next: green, yellow, red.
- The marañón was lost through pride, disobedience and too much talk.
- The person lacks faith and changes their way of thinking quickly.
- The protective eggun are Arará.
- One cannot be a quimbisero.
- The different religious sects speak here.
- The tree of the Anai is the galán de noche.
- The person is the child of two mothers.
- The king in need speaks here.
- This Ifá indicates that an eggun lives shut inside an ikoko of San Lázaro and can cause impotence; to counter that action the person must go to the bush, find a fallen trunk, sit upon it and perform a rogation on his member with whatever Orunla has marked.
- The awo of this Ifá must receive pinaldo quickly so that he may prosper.
- Elegbara is given 3 marañón seeds.
- Ayale may not be eaten.
- The owner of this Ifá cannot receive San Lázaro until his godfather dies, for the yarara that Obara Koso must keep is the one he inherits from his godfather.
- Here the Ozain always goes wrapped in tiger skin.
- Here is born the rule that the omo Azowanu wear a crown of tiger skin.
Born in this sign
- The crown of Dada Banani.
- That the omo Azowanu wear a crown of tiger skin.
What this sign indicates
- That you had a dream that has left you in a state of unease.
- Your luck has turned against you; that is why things are going so badly for you.
- San Lázaro intends to pay a visit to your home; there is something bad there.
- Santa Bárbara is angry with you.
- Eshu is pushing you to carry out a bad deed you are already thinking about; do not do it, because they mean to have you arrested.
- You live near a river.
- You must feed the Jimaguas and San Lázaro, because in your house there is a person who may come down with smallpox; clean your house well.
- You lead an unquiet life; someone you have not seen for a long time will appear at your house.
- You must give a fish to Orunla.
- Obatalá will also pay you a visit.
- Move at once from where you live.
- When you go out, do not say where you are going.
- Bad things have been buried at your door.
- Search the corners of your house thoroughly, even the ashes of the hearth.
Advice and warnings
- Be careful: a trap is being prepared to catch you.
The traditional interpretation of this sign also warns about the following:
- Be careful with the abiku and with your daughter.
- Be careful with fire, for there will be a blaze in your house. You will be blamed for setting it deliberately; that abiku in your house takes the other people away. Even if the trouble is in your own house, perform ebbo so that this misfortune, and another that stalks you, come to nothing and turn into good luck, and so you do not pay for the faults of others.
- You must look carefully into what Osun wants; death has turned against you.
Proverbs of Obara Koso
- Virtud hay una, maldad hay muchas. There is but one virtue; wickedness comes in many forms.
Patakíes of Obara Koso
Oba Alara, the son of Shangó
Prayer: Obara Koso Agou Ibode Ni Shangó Awo Oba Alara Omo Oba Oluo Popo Koye Bi Osobo Leyebe Inle Shangó Obariye Oba Ashe Omo Okun Agba Ishe Omo Saguashe Ni Omo Ashe Okokono Okun Ibashe Ni Shangó.
Ebbó: Un akuko fun fun, un akuko jabao, una etu, juju guagun, bogbo ileke osu de distintas partes, un pedazo de asho de okun, ewefa lehera, hierba. De la vieja, aye, eku, eya, epo, okan, crico, inle de distintas partes de la ciudad, akofa meta, opolopo omo.
On this path, Shangó had a son called Omo Oba Alara, whom he always dressed in leopard skin. He always carried a rod of gold in his mouth on account of his great teeth. Shangó was very proud of his son, who held great influence with the Omo called Omo Saguashe.
One day, Shangó called his son and gave him an ewe leaf with eyebale of etu, and told him he would grant him all his powers if he moved to the land of Oluo Popo. Obaiye also had a son called Kayebi, who lived in poverty and dressed in buzzard hide. Kayebi did not know how to speak or divine, and his land was in a difficult situation.
When Omo Alara arrived in the city, he began to sing: «Oba She Ni Shangó Omo Alaba Oba Ekun Oba She Ni Shangó Omo Alaba Oba Ekun«. The townspeople who heard his voice came out into the street, knelt down and paid homage to Omo Alara. Kayebi, ashamed before the elegant appearance of Omo Alara, climbed a tree to hide.
Omo Alara sought out Kayebi and sang to him: «Obanibade Guademu, Ibabu Dade Ewedemi Aburo Kaye Lore Aboa Omo Alara, Aguo De Foribale«. Kayebi had no choice but to come down from the tree. Then Omo Alara brought out clothing identical to what he himself was wearing and put it on Kayebi. He made a cap out of the clothing Kayebi had been wearing, then placed his hand on Kayebi’s head and gave him Ashe. At that moment, Kayebi was mounted by San Lázaro and began to divine. The people knelt down and paid homage to Omo Alara.
Shangó, who stood at the entrance of the town, told Omo Alara that he had sent him to that land to govern, because of his deed. Then Shangó handed Orunla over to Kayebi to make him a slave of Ifá. Shangó returned to the land where Kayebi was and placed him in Osorbo. He told him that, however much he might come to know, he would always have to send for Omo Alara.
Shangó and Oluo Popo
Prayer: Azojuano Oluo Popo, Adifafun Wara Arun Inle, Lodafun Shangó Bolele Obara Oluopopo.
When Shangó came to the land as a virtuoso of war, he passed a rubbish heap on the outskirts of the town of Osa Yeku and saw a ragged, sick old man who could not speak. He then ordered his aide Aire to give him water and food and to wait for him there, because he would take him to a town where he would be king.
After leaving his immense troops in the town of Obara Koso, Shangó went to the place where the old man Azojuano was. He led him to the entrance of the gorge and told him to take water and food. On leaving the gorge, he would find a cape of tiger skin that he was to put on. He would also find a boy who would give him water and point out certain herbs to heal his sores and other ailments. The boy was Elegbá, and the herbs were cundiamor, aguedita, zarzafrán, red mangrove and hierba de sangre, among others.
While Azojuano endured many hardships to reach the place Shangó had indicated, Shangó arrived in the land of Arará and began to gather all the Arará, who were scattered because of the war and the loss of their king, whom they had loved dearly. When Shangó reached the tribe of the Anai, he told them that their new king was coming along the road and through the gorge (the road of Nana Buruku). This new king would heal all their illnesses and lead them under a new rule, for the Arará land, with its capital Dahomey, was full of the sick. Moreover, the king would come wearing a tiger-skin cape as a token of his powers.
On hearing this from the mouth of Shangó, who was respected and loved, they went to await the arrival of their new king at the entrance of the town. Azojuano, who had reached that point, lay down in a grove because his strength failed him, and he saw every nation gathered, paying reverence to Shangó, who had stayed behind. With his great virtue and power, Shangó hurled a lightning bolt at the crown of a tree, bringing down that cape (the rods of the ja of Azojuano, the corojo) without any harm coming to Azojuano — who, before this happened, had remarked: poor Shangó, my brother, look at everything he is doing for me, even going so far as to lie. When he made that remark, not even he himself knew the developed power of his healing spiritual entity. He began to heal with the ewe that Elegbá had given him, speaking and giving proof of his healing power, whereupon the Arará people carried him to the throne and crowned him king of the territory of Dahomey. Shangó took his leave of Oluopopo, who at that moment was eating abo, since it was then his favorite meat, and Oluo Popo said to Shangó:
In gratitude, for as long as the world is the world, let the abo be respected, for I hand it over to you; you shall eat before I eat, in homage and thanks for what you have done for me. Shangó, who at that time ate goat, answered him with great gratitude: for as long as the world is the world I shall respect the goat, and I grant it to you — and so he took his leave of Oluo Popo.
Works and ebbó of Obara Koso
Works of Obara Koso
Ebbo of Obara Koso
Un akuko, 1 adie, 3 eyeles, asho timbelara, añari, okun, eyetuto keke, 1 new brush, 1 piece of charcoal, amala ila, 1 eleguede, 3 small bundles of firewood, ashe fun fun, ashe arolodo, ashe akueri, ashe pupua, two itana, omi odo, omokun, 1 piece of broken tile, 1 eko, 1 hand of oguede mariwo, 2 obi, 9 bars of gofio, 9 balls of ash, 1 agbona, 1 malaguidi of the person’s measure, eku, eya, awado, epo, oñí, efun, otí, atitan ilé from inside and outside, atitan erita merin, earth from the shoes.
- Ebbo
- Eure, adie, ekru, aikordie, cloth of every color, akuko and $16.80.
- Ebbo
- Akuko, 2 adie, white, black and red cloth.
- Work for stealing
- Ifá of ole, where the person goes to rob a place of much money, and for that an ebbo is made with: akuko meta, adie meyi. The first akuko when the reading is done, the second akuko when setting out to ole, and the third akuko on returning from ole. All to Elegbá, and the adie with the third akuko to Orunla, giving thanks.
- To resolve problems with enemies
- An ebbo is made with a brooding adie, a small arrow washed with holy water, eku, eya, awado, otí, epo, juju of akuko.
Prayers and suyeres of Obara Koso
Liturgical material transcribed from the source manuscripts; it is preserved verbatim.
Prayer
Obara Koso Ifá Dura Ifanire Ireku Kaferefun Orunla Kaferefun Eshu Kaferefun Shangó Oma Obini Acuebaba Oba Awo Alara Adifafun Alara Intori Belu Aure Lebo Adie Ere Erebe Reloguo Adifafun Eyele Tinchosa Olokun Ello Ewe Ibanari Tomate Cimarrón Adie Eku Lebo. Ifanire aricu kaferefun Orunla y Olokun.
CALL TO SHANGÓ:
Obashe ni Shangó omo alara Oba Ekun
Obashe ni Shangó omo alara Oba Ekun.
Orishas in this sign
The orishas that the letter itself links to this sign, according to the source:
- Elegbá — Elegbara is given 3 marañón seeds.
- Eshu — Eshu is pushing you toward a bad deed.
- Obatalá — Obatalá will also pay you a visit.
- Babalú Ayé — San Lázaro comes to fight with the people.
- Orunmila — You must give a fish to Orunla.
Other important aspects of the sign
Ewé of the sign
Marañón, tomate cimarrón, escoba amarga, hierba lechera, hierba la vieja, ewe ayo, ceiba and bejuco madrina.
The Eshu of the sign
Eshu Afra (lives in the air; agboran with 24 cowries).
Obara Koso Ifá Duro Ifá Nire Ireku Kaferefun Orunla, Eshu Ati Oggún.