Okana Sode

Path 1

Arosiyen was a shrewd, resourceful merchant. On one occasion he had to go away on business, so he entrusted his friend Eleire with the care of his wives for three months. Eleire agreed, but three months passed and Arosiyen did not return. Then Eleire began to mistreat the women until they were forced to flee.

By chance, they arrived at the town where Arosiyen was staying, and he already knew of the abuses his friend had committed. Arosiyen threatened to punish Eleire. The people of the town noticed that Arosiyen’s wives were not in his house and asked him whether he had punished them. He answered that it was true, and for telling the truth, they killed him.

What he was saying was a lie, and it cost him his life. The awo of this Oddun must take care never to tell lies.

The Trap Ebbó

Once there was a king who buried his treasure in the forest so that no one in the castle would know of it, not even the queen. Years went by, the king died, and his family was left without a fortune because they found nothing in the forest. In that same forest lived a peasant whose family had died because of the labor of the forest. After several years, the peasant was weary of working and spoke with his wife every day. He told her that his greatest pride was that if he earned two pesos, they went to food, and the rest was for his daughter, so that she would not suffer what he and his family had suffered.

The peasant often had nightmares of evil things and of the dead who wanted to kill him, but in one of those dreams his guardian guide appeared, a black babalawo, who advised him to visit Orunmila for a reading. When he was read, Orunmila told him he had to perform a trap ebbo in order to prosper and to keep the law from reaching him. In this ebbo it was established that he must not deceive his wife, or he would lose the Ashe he found.

The peasant followed Orunmila’s advice, and one day, while working with pick and shovel, he found a buried treasure. Remembering the advice, he did not rush to take it. He marked the spot and decided to come back for it later. The peasant was overjoyed, so he told his wife everything, and she too was thrilled. Although the peasant asked his wife not to tell anyone, she revealed it, and the news reached the ears of the king, who learned that a peasant had found a treasure on his lands.

The king ordered that the peasant be brought to surrender the treasure, but he denied having found it. The king, however, doubted his testimony and imprisoned him. He also sent for the peasant’s wife, who told him everything about the ebbo. Seeing the impossible things she claimed had been asked of him, the king took her for a madwoman and dismissed her. He said that no one could survive on plants and fish alone that were not found in one and the same place. The king therefore freed the peasant and apologized to him, allowing him to enjoy the treasure that Ifá had destined for him.

The Curse of Awo Dide

Awo Dide lived in a house of several stories with glass windows, and he had a foul temper. Because of his character he always shut himself inside his house, and as a result he did not hear the people calling from outside. People realized that he paid them no attention and grew discontented. One day they set fire to Awo Dide’s house while he was inside. He cursed the people for what they had done and told them that from that moment on, they would have more than fire at their backs. At that moment, Eshu, who was at the door speaking with Eggun, took fright, and what Awo Dide had said came true. Since all the people of that land were omo Elegbá, a great deal of evil began to form from then on.

The people, weary of the evil that had arisen in their land, decided to go visit Orunmila. When they arrived, they found him seated, consulting with his Ifá. At that moment Okana Sodde came out, and Orunmila told them: «You are from the land of Layeni, the land Olofin gave to all the Egguns and to Eshu to live in and govern. What you have is Eggun and Eshu at your backs. You complain that Elegbá, your father, does not hear you, but in truth all of you are deaf, and you need another secret in order to live.» Then Orunmila took jío jío meta and iso and cleansed them while singing: «Eshu Layere Omashe Mio Bada Omokishe Jío Jío Eshu Jun Nimu.»

In the land Olofin gave to the Egguns was born the reason why the omo Elegbá who is crowned in Osha must have Oggún and Oshosi. The person who has this Ifá must first tell Eggun about everything they intend to do.

The Lightning Bolt

Notes and Advice

• For the eyele, one asks whether they are given to Oshún or given directly to the river; the herbs are 5 different ones, and one asks whether they are for bathing the aleyo. Care should be taken that they belong to Oshún.
• The lightning bolt always comes with the thunder, but the lightning is seen first, because the power of sight is greater than that of hearing; when it meets obstacles in its path, the impact is more violent.
• Advice: violence without cause always destroys; strength must not be used to destroy, but to build.

Oshún — a daughter of this Santo lived very close to a river or creek, and there she lived depending more on the help of others than on her own resources. She was like someone who made her living washing clothes. From this work she received little owo, barely enough to meet her obligations; this situation put her in a foul mood, and at times she wished bad things upon herself because she despaired of ever improving her lot. Every so often, when no one was watching, she wept. This woman had parents who were poor, and the help they gave her was nearly worthless; she also had two children, so much so that one day the daughter of Oshún asked heaven for ikú (death), because she was tired of living.

Her parents counseled her and told her to be patient, that one day things would change, but she did not believe in such things, seeing that much time passed and nothing changed.

One day when it was raining very hard, our woman was caught by that rain, which came with fierce lightning and thunder, and she had no time to return home, for at that very moment she was at the river or creek, preparing her work, just as the rain fell hardest. Since she was obliged to deliver the washed clothes by a certain time, she grew furious that the rain would not let her meet her obligations, and she wished bad things upon herself, for she was a person who despaired whenever she thought she could not fulfill her duties.

She was sheltering from the rain under a leafy tree when suddenly a thunderclap and a lightning bolt struck nearby; the impact threw her into the river or creek. Just then a man on horseback was passing, also hurrying to find shelter from the rain; the man was a landowner, or something of the kind, and had owo and great tracts of land.

Seeing that woman on the point of perishing after falling into the river, he threw himself into the water and saved her; when the rain had passed, he took her to his house and visited her often. He had fallen in love with her, declared his feelings, and when the time was right they married and were happy in the company of her parents; later they moved away and went to live on the rich landowner’s estates.

Note: Transformation through Ifá

The okuni later took the obini to the house of an awo, who performed ebbo for her and gave her ikofa; he too had to receive his own from Orunmila, and that was how she removed all the osorbo from over her.

The Path Where Aya Defeats Ekun

Aya had taken Ekun into his home, and she no longer wanted to work, but Aya did not force her, because he feared her threats and knew how treacherous she was. But one day Aya, weary of it, went to the house of Orunmila, who saw this Ifá for him and performed ebbo with poisoned nails, telling him to keep the nails for when he needed them. One day Ekun ordered Aya to scratch her belly, and at that moment Aya remembered the nails he had kept; with them he scratched Ekun, and in this way he poisoned her, eliminating her, and so freed himself from his enemy.

There Is No Oshún Without Oyá, Nor Oyá Without Oshún

In the city of Oshongo lived Oshún, who was queen of the Amazons, and in Nide lived Oyá, her sister, mistress of the city’s markets. One day Oshún saw in her dreams that her sister was in trouble, and she went to be read by Orunmila. Okana Dodde came out, marking treachery, and he prescribed a rogation with asho mosan, asho aperi, adie meyi, eyele marun, eku, eya, epo, oñi, efun, obi, oti, opolopo owo, and told her to dress afterwards in the asho of nine colors and to send her sister the asho aperi. Oshún did so and sent the asho aperi to her sister Oyá with gunugun, and when Oyá received it she dressed in it. The inhabitants of Nide marveled to see Oyá dressed in Oshún’s asho; they mistook her for Oshún and said:

Truly Oshún and Oyá are powerful — how have they managed to come without being seen? Then the leaders of the rebellion went to be read by Orunmila, and Okana Sodde came out, and Orunmila told them: Oshún and Oyá are okan nani, that is, one and the same heart, for there can be no Oshún without Oyá, nor Oyá without Oshún. Iboru, Iboya Iboshishe. Then he ordered a feast to be held for these female Orishas.

Orunmila Is the Police

Twelve thieves stole a bull and shut it up in their house. They did not feel safe in their hideout and were being hunted by the oba’s warriors. They were desperate to get the efon malu out and sell it. Faced with so many setbacks, they decided to beg Orunmila for help and said to him: «We come on a secret matter.» Orunmila replied: «I am a man who keeps secrets. Come into the house.»

Orunmila handed one of the old men an igbo, and the man asked for counsel. Orunmila took his okpele and said «jun jun jun» — you have come on a very important matter. The thieves muttered among themselves: «Orunmila is an ignorant man, for he has divined nothing.» Orunmila, who had divined their thoughts, cast the okpele and it gave Okana Sodde. He told them: «You are foreigners; you have stolen an efon malu, and you do not know how to get it out of the house and out of the city.»

Then Orunmila marked a rogation with 7 mats of many colors and other ashe. He instructed them to wrap the efon malu well in the mat and tie it with three black cords, then hang it from a pole. He and three others would be the bearers, and they would paint their right arm and leg white, the left ones black, and their head green. They were to set out in the middle of the night and follow his instructions carefully. On the way they would come upon three guard posts, to whom they were to explain what they carried. When they reached the first post, they cried out: «Ikú umbo» (death is coming) — it is a leprous odete we carry. The chief ordered the guards to let them pass.

When they reached the second post, they did the same and were allowed through. But when they reached the third post, a dispute arose. The post commander demanded to see the corpse, and the oldest thief pleaded with him: «Let us pass; this is the body of a leper that has gone unburied for three days, and we are carrying it to its native land.» At last the commander let them through, and the thieves, full of confidence, celebrated the power of Ifá.

They continued on their way, and suddenly they came upon a troop of soldiers led by Elegbá. When the thieves told the same story, Elegbá ordered his men to surround them and display the leprous corpse in the city. We have orders to carry the body to the temple of Shakuana, high on the mountain.

Elegbá ordered his warriors to seize the bundle and throw it to the ground; they did so, and the bellow of Efon Malu was heard — it had broken loose. The twelve thieves were captured. Elegbá, the chief of the soldiers, declared: «It is impossible to fake an odete that has been dead for three days.» The thieves, for doubting Ifá, were arrested, for Okana Jun is the law in Ifá.

The Path of Prison

In the land of Okaran Ilu lived Eloire, for whom his personality was essential to survival. He was fond of arguing and courted the enmity of others; though he had good feelings, his manners did not show it. This brought him to the point of feeling alone and having to leave the town. One day he met a man who turned out to be Eshu, who asked him how things were in that land. Eloire answered: «Good for some and bad for others — that is why I am leaving town.»

Then Eshu Betima said to him: «Look, you had better go see Orunmila, because the king has grown angry and has ordered everyone to perform ebbo, and if they do not, he will kill them.» Eloire answered: «I will do no ebbo, nor anything else,» and kept walking. Eshu Betima came upon the king’s soldiers and told them: «Look at that man over there — he is the leader of the band of bandits.» At once the soldiers pursued him and took him prisoner. Eloire died of sadness and loneliness in jail.

Orunmila Advises Obatalá

Obatalá went to see Orunmila for a reading, and Orunmila told him that if he did not perform a rogation, he would suffer a humiliation. He asked him to take four coconuts, split them in half, and carry them to the foot of a palm tree. The monkey, who envied Baba, began to spread slander and lies about him.

Baba went out to pay visits, and when he arrived at a house, the door was shut in his face. He was told that he seemed a serious person but was in truth responsible for bringing corruption into the world, spreading vice, drink, gambling, and every sin. It was then that Baba realized he had been slandered for disobeying Orunmila. Beware of this path.

The Faithful Dog

On this path, Orunmila did not work and slept a great deal. He had a dog which, like him, was suffering great hardship, to the point that it had no strength left to bark. One day the dog left the house, and in the forest it came upon a goat. With its claws, the dog was able to kill the goat, and it began to bark to alert Orunmila. But Orunmila thought the dog was barking out of mischief and threw a stick at it, breaking one of its legs. When he drew near, however, he understood that the dog had been barking to ask for help with the goat. The secret of this Ifá is to keep the nails long, to make an Ozain with a ham bone, and to offer a goat to Elegbá.

The Three Counsels

There was a man of about 50 who, in his youth, had lived his life but had not been happy. In his maturity he managed to amass a great fortune. One day he made a vow: «If I find the woman of my life, I will marry her.» After three days strolling through the town, nearly all of which he owned, he saw a girl of about 16 at the door of her house and fell madly in love with her. He spoke with her parents about his wish to marry, and the parents accepted. At last the wedding took place.

They went to live in his mansion, full of luxuries and comforts. Several days passed, and after a week the girl missed her mother’s house and hoped things would change. But one fine day the husband told the young woman that he would be away on business, though she should not worry, for there would always be someone at home to keep her company and look after the affairs during his absence.

The man left, and a few days later the young woman went out to walk her lands. She was surprised to find a hut on her property that she had not known of. Peering through a window, she saw a young man. Though her dress was elegant, her beautiful figure as an attractive woman showed through. When she asked the young man who he was, he answered.

When she returned to her house, the young man was captivated by the woman’s beauty, and she felt the same for him. From that day on, a passionate love was born that was hard to stop. Giving themselves over to the pleasures of life, they never realized that the man’s servant, through the cracks in the hut, saw everything they did and heard everything they said.

When the man returned from his journey, the servant told him everything that had happened in his absence, but the man did not believe him and dismissed his servant, despite trusting him completely. Nevertheless, he began to keep watch, arming himself with a knife, and caught his wife with the young man as they gave themselves to their pleasures. He said to the young man: «I should kill you, but I will not. And you, woman, will find no freedom until I find someone who does not meddle in what does not concern him.»

Then, at the very moment the man pronounced this curse, a very rich man lost his entire fortune at gambling. This man began to walk for nine days and nine nights, without bathing, sleeping, or eating. At last he came to a place where many men were working, and he asked one of them what was done there.

The worker, pointing to an old man with a white beard, told him: «Go to where he is, and tell him your trouble.» And so he did. The old man said to him: «Do you see those three doors over there? At the first they will give you water to bathe, at the second they will give you food, and at the third a bed to rest. Before the sun rises, come see me to speak about the work.»

Before sunrise, Okana Sodde rose and went to see the old man with the white beard. He said to him: «Do you see those men working over there? They do so on the basis of a pact with me. — What is the pact?» asked Okana Sodde. «You will work for me for nine years, and I will give you three counsels,» the old man answered.

Okana Sodde said: «I do not accept,» but then he thought of his 14-year-old son and accepted the pact. He worked the first three years and received the first counsel: «Do not leave the road for the shortcut.» Okana Sodde, discontented, went on working the next three years and received the second counsel: «Do not meddle in what does not concern you.»

Okana Sodde went on working until he had fulfilled his pact and received his third counsel: «Do not act on first impulse.» After giving him the third counsel, the old man handed him a chest and some gold coins for the road, telling him not to open the chest until he reached home.

Okana Sodde began to walk, and after a long stretch he saw a shorter path, but he remembered the counsel he had been given and kept to his road. Later he found a house where food was sold, and being hungry, he went straight in. But great was his surprise when he saw a woman chained to a post, completely naked, even relieving herself right there. When the master of the house arrived, he realized it was the man whose wife had betrayed him. He had told his wife she would find no freedom until he found someone who did not meddle in what did not concern him.

The servant asked Okana Sodde what he thought of that spectacle, to which he replied: «I do not meddle in what does not concern me.» The man went to serve him his food, and when he had finished, warned him not to leave by that door, for it would cost him his life. He showed him a great pit of crocodiles, then sat on a wall signing some papers, which he handed him in a sealed envelope, telling him not to open it until he reached his house. After freeing the daughter of Oshún before Okana Sodde’s eyes, the man threw himself into the crocodile pit.

Okana Sodde continued on his way and reached his house in the early hours of the morning. But being distrustful, instead of knocking at the door he looked through the window, and was shocked to see his wife caressing and kissing a young man of about 24. His first impulse was to hurl the chest at his head, but then he checked himself and remembered the counsel he had received: «Do not act on first impulse.»

Then he knocked at the door, wondering what his wife would say after what he had seen. When the woman opened the door, she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him and weeping with joy. She said to the young man inside the house: «Come and meet your father, whom you have not seen in so long.» But before telling him what had happened in those years, the young man’s mother told him that it was his son who had supported her all that time, for he worked in a bakery and had just come home from work at that very moment.

The man opened the chest and found that his fortune, lost nine years before, had multiplied. He opened it nine times and discovered that the man who had taken his own life had named him universal heir to all his properties. Okana Sodde gave thanks for the three counsels he had received and said that the sacrifice had not been in vain.

This patakin also appears in the Oddun Ogunda Juani under the title «The Three Counsels of Orunmila.»

Note for Okana Sodde

• 1ST. Path of impotence.
• 2ND. Gambler and bohemian.
• 3RD. Obedience.