Ogbe Di

Why Ogbe Di is the one who wakes Orunmila

In ancient times, Orunmila had a secretary who woke him every morning. It was Ogbe Sa, and his duty was to receive the obi of the oracle. Ogbe Sa, however, grew so sure of himself that he stopped calling Orunmila and simply touched him to wake him. One day, Yeyematero, the thinking mother and wife of Orunmila, witnessed Ogbe Sa touching him instead of calling him, which made Orunmila wake up feeling unwell. Yeyematero then thought: «I must find another secretary, for Ogbe Sa is no longer fit for this work.»

One day, Oshún and Oggún came to visit and consult the oracle with Ifá. Yeyematero, who was a close friend of Oshún, told her: «Sister, Ogbe Sa is no longer fit to wake Orunmila.» And she explained to Oshún what was happening. Oshún replied: «In my land of Iyesa there is a very serious and wise awo named Ogbe Di. I will send him to you so you can see whether he will do.» When Oshún returned to her land in Iyesa, she called Ogbe Di and said: «So that you may become great, I will send you to the land of Ifé, where your mission will be to call Orunmila every day at six in the morning to wake him.» She taught him the prayer for waking Orunmila and then told him: «When you arrive, I will be at the door beside Oggún so that your words may be true.»

At six in the morning, Ogbe Di arrived at Orunmila’s house. Yeyematero received him and asked: «Are you the one Oshún sent to wake Orunmila?» He answered yes. Studying him closely, Yeyematero said: «Then wake him.» Ogbe Di knelt before Orunmila and, without touching him, recited the prayer Oshún had taught him. Orunmila awoke in peace, and at that moment Oshún and Oggún knocked at the door. Orunmila answered them: «Iboru, Iboya, Ibosheshe. Who is this young man who knows so much?» Yeyematero replied: «He is the awo Ogbe Di from the land of Iyesa, and from today he will replace Ogbe Sa in the task of waking you, and he shall be the keeper of the knowledge.»

From then on, Ogbe Di became a sage and a great awo, charged with waking Orunmila with his morning prayer. In reward for the knowledge acquired and the favor granted by Oshún, Awo Ogbe Di gave an akuko to Oggún and two adie meyi to Oshún, which were offered at the river. And with this his power and his greatness were affirmed, not only in the land of Iyesa but in all the Yoruba lands.

2.- THE CURSE OF Ozain (OSAYIN).

There were two awós: one lived in the east, at the rising of the sun, and was called Digaga Yayao Awo; the other lived in the west and was called Mugaga Eye Awo. Neither knew the other, and they led entirely isolated lives. They lived at a great distance from one another, in two opposite regions separated by a wilderness that marked the center. In that wilderness lived Ozain with his secrets.

One day the awo of the east, Digaga Yayao Awo, who lived with Oshún and performed osode on himself, had a vision of Ogbe Di, which told him «ire ariku oyale lese Orunmila, shesi ko.» Orunmila marked ebbo misi for him, but the ebbo misi was not made with peregun.

This awo’s wife was a daughter of Oshún and used to gather the eweses for certain things, so he sent her to fetch the eweses for the ebbo misi. The one who lived in the west, Mugaga Eya Awo, had a vision that very same day and also saw Ogbe Di with «ire ariku oyale lese Orunmila, shesi ko.» Orunmila marked ebbo misi for him, but the ebbo misi was made with peregun and ewe dun dun. Since he lived alone, he had to go out and find those herbs for his bath.

The awo of the west set out toward the wilderness in search of herbs, and the apetevi (wife) of the awo of the east headed for the same wilderness to gather those herbs for her husband. In that wilderness lived Ozain with his secrets, and he had all his herbs, sticks and roots. The awo of the west had a great taste for coffee, but he knew neither its plant nor its process. Ozain was lying beneath a cedar tree that stood facing a coffee tree. Oshún reached the wilderness before the awo of the west; both were heading for the heart of the forest, but Oshún arrived first and was astonished to see that tree, which caught her eye with its round red fruits.

She approached the plant without seeing Ozain, who was sitting beneath the cedar tree. Aloud, she said: «I am going to gather these green berries and let them ripen at home, to see if they can be eaten.» On hearing this, Ozain came out from under the cedar tree and said: «Oshún, this tree is mine, and its fruits are not eaten either green or ripe. When they are ripe, they must be roasted and then consumed in moderate amounts, for it is a stimulant, but in excess it can be highly toxic.»

The awo of the west reached the wilderness shortly after Oshún, but he hid behind a nearby palm tree to listen to the conversation.

When the conversation ended, Ozain said to Oshún: «Go gather your herbs and go home.» When Oshún had left, the awo came out of his hiding place and approached the coffee tree in great excitement, for he had discovered the secret that would satisfy his craving. Seeing him, Ozain said: «You were listening to my conversation with Oshún about the coffee tree. The only thing that can save you now is to promise me you will never drink coffee again, because if you do, I will kill you.»

The awo made that promise to keep Ozain from killing him. But Mugaga Eya Awo had not noticed that his cat, called Olotenshe, had followed him. As the awo was about to answer Ozain, Olotenshe transformed into the spirit of Iya Tobi, who told him: «I have always been in your house watching over you, and what Ozain says is true. You must make him a sincere promise that you will never drink coffee again.»

The awo made that promise to keep Ozain from killing him, and Ozain said: «Look, I will give you another secret so that you may live.» He then showed him the guinea pepper tree (igi atayeye) and said: «You must always gather its fruits to offer obori, and so you will never lack the means to live. You must also care for your mother, for her spirit will always be in your house in the form of Olotenshe, and so you will live well. To Iban Eshu!»

That is why the owner of this sign of Ifá does not drink coffee, because it kills him slowly, without his noticing. Here was born the secret of ateyeye, the guinea pepper, for praying over the head when the awo is ill or without strength. The leri is prayed over with 16 atare yeye (guinea pepper) to gain strength and preserve health. Ozain forgave Oshún because every time she gathered the herbs she brought him his derecho.

When Oshún was sick in her stomach

Oshún was ill in her stomach and went to the house of Orunmila, who saw this Ifá for her and sent her to find certain herbs to cure her. Oshún set out and soon came upon a coffee grove and began to pick coffee. Ozain, who was sleeping with his arm over his head, awoke at the noise, saw her, and said: «Do not take from that one, it is poisoned.» But her husband, who had been following her, witnessed the scene, and Ozain, noticing him, called him over and said: «You have seen everything, but since you caught her by surprise, you may not speak of this.»

The person catches someone at something, or is caught themselves.

The man who wanted to die (this was a man who wanted to die and kept a güiro hanging)

Around his neck he carried the secrets that Olofin had entrusted to him so that he would share them here on earth. One day, sensing that he was going to die, the man went into the wilderness and lay down there. At that moment an image appeared to him: Olofin, who asked him: «Do you wish to die?» Yes, the man answered. Then Olofin said: «I gave you the secrets you keep in that güiro so that you would share them with the people, and you have not done so. When you finish sharing the last of those secrets, you may die.»

The person knows more than they should, and at times wishes for death. They see shadows.

The man who shared out the power

Once, in heaven, the man who held the knowledge in his power appeared before Olofin and said: «Look, my father, I have brought the knowledge here and have left nothing on earth.» Olofin answered him: «I sent the knowledge to earth for the good of all, and now you come to me with this. Very well: return to earth once more and make good use of that power.» The man went back to earth deeply disappointed, for he believed he had done something great. Once he arrived on earth, he shared the knowledge among all men.

This is where death has its throne and its crown. This is where death is sovereign.

Ifá knows all the things of the world

In the land of Niger, when the ancestors died, one had to go and see Borokatón, a sorcerer who trafficked with the dead like an oracle-woman. They used an earthen jar said to hold the secret of heaven. When a man died, the family would go to the sorcerer with two hens; he would work, and the voice of the deceased would come out of the jar. Likewise, when a child was born, the same was done to learn its protecting spirit. But there was a man named Gogo who told the oba of that land that a man named Mokobi knew a system called Ifá that could divine everything.

In those years a great natural disaster occurred. No rain fell, and no sorcerer could remedy it. So they summoned that man, Mokobi Awo, who saw this Ifá for the oba and marked the necessary ebbo, and the rain fell, proving that Ifá is a true diviner. One day he was summoned to court to explain his knowledge. He said the first thing to be done was to present children (whether girls or boys) to the awo at three months of age, to divine who their guardian angel and protecting guide was.

He explained that Ifá had 16 secretaries of Olodumare. When He is going to create something, He uses those 16 secretaries, and each secretary has 16 subordinates, each with a distinct function. Each Ifá is master of its own language. Ifá knows all the histories of the world, of heaven and of earth; he governs the sacrifices and opens the gates of heaven to reveal the truth. Everything that is happy on earth was happy first in heaven, thanks to Elegbá and to Ifá.

Orunmila became master of the city

Orunmila arrived at a city where he was met with gunfire, so he had to flee in haste. On reaching his house, he performed osode and saw this Ifá, where he marked an ebbo with akuko, drums and other ingredients. He was instructed that, once the ebbo was finished, he should take the drum and go to that city and begin to play it. When Orunmila entered the city playing the drum and the people heard it, they began to dance and to open their doors, making Orunmila the master of the city.

Obatalá’s trade

Obatalá had a business but could sell nothing, for his enemy, who had stolen those very goods from him, had set up a similar business near his own, taking away all his customers. A son of Babá who witnessed what was happening wished to take revenge with his own hands, but the enemy, learning of this, prepared a trap. When the son of Babá went to punish his father’s enemy, he fell into the trap and was killed.

When Oshún had to acknowledge Orishaoko

Orishaoko was older than Shangó (the two were brothers). They set out together to travel the world, but Orishaoko injured a leg and Shangó carried him. Since Shangó had to go to war, he left Orishaoko in the land of Irawo and departed for battle. Orishaoko devoted himself to planting and making his prendas, offering ishu, awado, epo and so on to Oyá, the mistress of the marketplace. The abundant harvests made it possible to supply Shangó’s army, which won him great admiration and many followers.

The time came when Shangó had no more lands to conquer and had to put an end to the war. The people of the town, whenever Shangó arrived, would say: «Watch out, war is coming again,» and would hide. One day Shangó came to the town of Irawo, and a great tribute was being held in the marketplace. He thought it was in his honor, but it turned out to be for Orishaoko. Yemayá, who hated Orishaoko because he had rejected her for being a witch and had killed her adie oriya (grey hens), which were the foundation of her spells, began to incite Shangó against Orishaoko.

In the middle of the tribute, Shangó arrived, and on seeing Orishaoko he said to them: «You pay homage to this weakling. I had to carry him all the way here.» Orishaoko answered: «Do not insult me, brother. First, because I am older than you; and second, without the food I sent to your army you could not have won your wars.» Shangó, furious, raised his hand and knocked Orishaoko down with a blow. Then Ogbe Di, who was the awo of that town, said to Shangó: «You are unjust. You carried Orishaoko not because he was weak, but because of a wound in his heel and knee, from an ebbo he had not made.» After you left him, he made the ebbo and received his ancestral staff from Osun. Then he fought for you, working day and night to feed you, your people and your army.

Shangó, ashamed, embraced his brother, asked his forgiveness and said: «So that it may be known that you are my equal, strong and powerful, I give you this.» And stamping his foot on the ground, a thunderbolt fell, granting Orishaoko an oduara as a token of power and alliance. Since then, Shangó acknowledges Orishaoko, and Orishaoko uses the oduara.

SECRET METHOD FOR CURING A SUDDEN AND SERIOUS ILLNESS.

In this case the Babalawo takes 16 atare, puts them in his mouth and, while chewing, recites the following prayer:

• Akeleya akeleya: A spirit that grips a man by the throat and cuts off his breathing.
• Akele bossa: A spirit that causes sickness of the eyes.
• Akuto barun: A spirit that torments the sick.
• Amuro fashoguere: A spirit that torments people, known as anyonu, which causes delirium.
• Amulo pasheye: A spirit that causes severe pains in the belly.
• Ojobo loro: A spirit that causes serious headaches.
• Abillete asho romuyanayan: A spirit that carries sharp blades in its clothing and causes back pain.
• Asantete mofarapa: A spirit seen at night in white clothing, also known by the name erobo. It afflicts children.
• Alomo aro niyeye eshuku: She is the mother of the malignant ones; she does no harm herself, but she is invoked because her children all bear their mother’s name.
• Arun pashe ireke: He is the husband of the previous one and father of the malignant beings. If he is not invoked, the sick person dies. He is also invoked when needed for the harm done by his children.
• Ishuku den leyemi: Evil, depart from my back. When this one is invoked, the malignant spirit leaves the sick man’s body.
• Bi eburania bede eti omi apeyenda: He is the great malignant one, who comes to the riverbank and follows the person. He is the master of the masters of all malignant beings. If he is called by the other spirits, he comes to the farthest banks of the river arenkenken, which is called the river of heaven. If he passes near the sick man, the man dies. When the awo finishes the invocation, he takes the atare and places them on the leri of the sick person.

In Ogbe Di, Shangó protects the person freely, asking nothing in return. An inshe Ozain is made with Shangó’s favorite bird, the mayito.