Meaning of Otura Yekun in the Diloggún
- The presence of the evil shadow that speaks in this odun.
- The instruction to move the aleyo to a different seat because of the presence of the dead. The preparation of rice pudding to be offered to Baba.
- The origin of the great diabolical power of Eshu, and how it is conferred by feeding Eshu a black hen.
- The birth of the rotting of the bones.
- The importance of receiving Azojanu and Oduduwa.
- The recommendation to keep a sorcerer’s cauldron in order to stand out in life, with the warning that it cannot be abandoned, for the consequences are deadly.
- The prohibition against using playing cards for divination.
- The indication that the devil tried to live in the world in this odun.
- A person who suffers dizziness and weakness, for whom an oparaldo ceremony is performed on a chair.
- The mention of when the devil showed Jesus Christ all the kingdoms of time from the top of the hill.
- The birth of the spirituality of the devil and his possession of a protecting spirit.
- The wearing of a crucifix around the neck as the key to this odun.
- The instruction to move the aleyo to a different seat if this odun comes out in toyale, because of the presence of Oggún.
- A warning of a misfortune that will strike a member of the family.
- The description of a woman in this odun whose life is disordered, who denies her true nature as a woman and has undergone several abortions. She is held to be more devil than the devil himself.
- An odun associated with vices and corruption.
- The consequences of osobo (misfortune, a moment of trouble or affliction) in the person’s life, with the punishment of Elegbara and the possibility of encounters with dogs that end in infected bites, slow to heal.
- The preparation of a güiro with ewe ikoko and other ingredients, whose details are asked in consultation.
- This odun remains in the house for life.
Born in this sign
- The great diabolical power of Eshu.
- The rotting of the bones.
- Obatalá Oshanile.
- The spirituality of the devil.
What this sign indicates
- A wish for everything to turn out well quickly, and the belief that one’s misfortune comes from the opposite.
- A curse that has been cast upon the person.
- Dreams involving the dead, or a possible misfortune in the family. A warning to take care against a dog bite.
- Wide knowledge but a life held back. The possibility of having to take shelter in another house because of wrong decisions. Caution against the arrival of something harmful or the curse of a child.
- The expectation of seeing immediate results. A warning of failure in a project or at a place one plans to go. The mention of a distant woman who suffers from a leg, and her husband, younger than she is, if the sign is not obeyed.
- The presence of a pursuing spirit that must be attended to in order to be freed from its influence.
- A warning about objects or amulets that do not belong to this religion. Care to avoid abortions and not to live in isolation, since someone notices the person’s absence.
- An outstanding debt to someone who has died.
Advice and warnings
The traditional reading of this sign also warns of the following:
- Danger of death in giving back an old protective charm.
Proverbs
- El buey que no tiene rabo Dios le quita las moscas.The ox that has no tail — God drives the flies away for him.
- Más sabe el diablo por viejo que por diablo.The devil knows more from being old than from being the devil.
- Se cambio la sal por el azúcar y Olofin lo aprobó.The salt was exchanged for the sugar, and Olofin approved it.
Patakíes
The pact with Abita
Prayer: Adifafun Abitayolorokun Kokonu Abita, Eggun Layire Niabita Mogua Ade Okuni Nunuru Abita Awolode Belele Eggun Buburu Lordafun Eshu.
Ebbó: Akuko, una ota, eku, eya, awado, epo, oñí, otí, opolopo owo.
There was a man going through great hardship who decided to visit Orunmila. Orunmila revealed this Ifá to him and told him to perform an ebbo with a rooster. He was to offer it upon a great stone in the woods in order to obtain the power to resolve his troubles. He warned him, however, to be careful during the ritual, for a figure would appear before him with whom he was to make the pact so as not to be lost. The man went to the woods with the rooster, the ebbo and the other ingredients. When he arrived, he found a stone to sit on and began to brood over his difficult situation. He thought: «I have offered a rooster to this stone and I do not understand how Orunmila means to solve my problems with it. If I cannot solve them, it is better to die in the state I am in. I am willing to hand over my soul to the devil to try to change the way I live».
As soon as he had spoken these words, Abita appeared and said to the man: «Have you called me?» The man, frightened, answered: «I have not called you». Abita replied: «You have indeed called me, and we shall make a pact». Then Abita took a stone the size of an orange and handed it to the man, saying: «With this stone you shall lack nothing in this world. You will have everything and live many years, but before you die you will give me your soul». The man agreed, and overnight his fortune grew swiftly. He triumphed in everything he undertook, but after each success that stone always demanded the blood of his best slaves, dogs, cats and roosters. The akuko began to trouble him, and he no longer wished to keep the pact.
One day he decided to rid himself of the stone, but he took no care to follow Orunmila’s counsel, nor did he go back for guidance. He went to the woods and threw it away there. Yet when the stone fell among the undergrowth, it turned into a ferocious dog that hurled itself upon him, seized him by the throat and killed him instantly. So Abita kept that man’s soul, and so ended the pact between the man and Abita.
On this day, which marks the diabolical power of Eshu, that power is obtained by placing a black hen with Abita to eat. This ota is Eshu Buburu, who always works with Abita. One goes to the woods and asks him what eyerbale he wants, and then takes him home. This eats together with Abita, from eyerbale to aya ologbo, akuko eyele, and so on. This Ifá indicates that to remove an amulet that causes trouble, one must always deal with Orunmila. It can never be done of one’s own will.
The path of the person’s unsteadiness
Prayer: Otura Yeku Molu Agronika, Adifafun Oniko Oke, Eñaza Odidi Aba Ope Boro Indoko Orun Shonsholo Atosa Akiya, Okutekan Eboni Akuko Iguibo Abari Fogoro, Adifafun Toseno Umbatilo Loweye Eyele Kan Abete Apitin.
Ebbó: One jutia, 3 roosters, a chair, a hat, a light brown eyele, an osiadie, gbogbo tenuyen, $16.80.
Inshe: The person is taken and seated on an old chair on which Otura Yeku is drawn. The head is prayed over with a light brown hen, the head is covered, the hat is placed on it, and the person leaps out of the circle; an offering is then made upon the chair. Afterwards the chair is broken and everything is carried where it is indicated. With the osiadie and the remains of apotín, the person must make a rogation to Obatalá with rice pudding, together with the rogation of the head. The following day the head is washed with ewe abori fogoro, which is the capulí, the sacred plant of Ifá. Three days later the person washes at the foot of the palm: a small hole is opened among the roots and the person stands there. Then the blood of the hen is offered from the knees down to the toes. Afterwards the root of the palm that lies to the east and to the west is taken and the person is brought back to the house. There the legs are washed with boiled water and the husks are dried. If the person has pemphigus or psoriasis, mercurial is applied urgently and the area is dusted with isale ope, toasted turtle shell and sulphur until it heals.
Inshe akiya: This is an inshe that must be carried out with Otura yeku to break the strength of an enemy. To prepare it one needs: a black rooster with its head and heart, sulphur, palo vencedor, the head of the kuekueye bird, cambia rumbo, pierde rumbo, earth from the entrance and the exit of the town, root of yana and of capulí, which are the forces of Eshu for destroying the enemies of Elegbá. All of this is wrapped in black and red cloth. The inshe eats on Fridays with dry wine, 3 grains of ataré and the smoke of omotoba. It eats every 6 months with the head of a shashara black rooster.
In the land of Shonsholo lived Omolu Agronika and Toseno, who were children of Oniko, the chief of Obatalá’s messengers, who lived in Oke. Oniko had many enemies. This was a very close family, but their enemies set to work to divide them, and the members of the family began to distrust one another. Oniko began to suffer swelling and sores in his legs. In that state he could not deliver Obatalá’s messages, and this angered Obatalá, who had him chained. Oniko began to sing: «Baba emi Orunmila otorun wagbemi odidi odidi baba odara dara.»
Hearing this song, Elegbá came to his side and ran to fetch Orunmila. When Orunmila arrived, he saw that Oniko was in chains. He called Obatalá and Oniko’s children, Omolu Agronika and Toseno, and ordered them to take off the chains that held him bound to the palm. Then they made osode and saw the sign Otura yeku, which told them that Alosin protected Oniko while he looked out upon the world. Orunmila performed the great consecrations and ceremonies to restore his health and prepared an inshe akiye so that Oniko could live among his fellows without being defeated, giving strength to his legs.
Here the person has unsteadiness in walking and feels dizzy spells.
The cook
Baba’s oldest cook was greatly envied. He went to consult Orunmila, who marked this Ifá for him and prescribed ebbo, efun, atare, eku, eya, hillo, hillobo. He placed it all along his path and left a hillodo (sugar) in the woods. His enemies, who were hillo, that is, the salt, threw all the salt into the food. Obatalá found the food better than ever, and so the trap was uncovered.
On this path rice pudding is offered to Obatalá, and the person concerned prepares it himself.
Works and ebbó
Works of otura yekun
- Inshe Ozain
- The awó of this sign must bury an inshe Ozain in the town or neighbourhood where he lives in order to achieve full mastery there, and an identical one in his house. It is loaded with three different kinds of igui, asked in consultation, and includes 4 small stones from the four corners, a small stone from the woods, the hairs and bones of felines, hairy spiders, a scorpion, a macao, an egg of eya tuto, one of ologbo, one of aya, one of ayapa, one of aparo, the head of an akuko, of a wiwi and its entrails, the head of a zun zun and of a kestrel, the remains of a horn of mead, earth from the middle of the railway track, a sea urchin, three ikines and a small piece of odu-ara. The paste is prepared with palm oil, and eru, obi kola, obi motiwao and iyefa of the sign Otura Yekun are also added. To this paste one offers ayapa, a snail, and an akuko opiti (a rooster with no feathers on its neck, or plucked). With the remains of these animals and the igui a pocket inshe Ozain is made. It is built in cement in the shape of a head and three door nails are set into it. Before burying it, it is cleansed and it eats a rooster of the shashara (crested) breed and ayapa.
- Ebbo
- Eure lebo, owo medillogun, a rooster, a hen.
- Ebbo
- Akuko, etu, the heart of a malanga leaf, $8.40.
- Ebbo
- A güiro that afterwards must be kept in the house until the person dies or loses it, a rooster, two adie, a she-goat and $16.80.
Prayers and suyeres
Liturgical material transcribed from the manuscripts of the source; it is kept literal.
Prayer
Malu Aguonica Adifafun Onica Akuko Lebo Aguibo Abaricoco Ogo Adifafun Aquí Umbatinlo Loguo Bala Allelegan Lebo Oguntan Eyele Etu Lebo. Ifá Oyaguo Llaguo Afiñari La Owo. Opallere Cogollo De Hioco.
Orishas in this sign
The orishas that the letter itself links to this sign, according to what the source records:
- Eshu — – The great diabolical power of Eshu.
Other aspects
Ewé of the sign
Iroko.
Otura Yeku Malu Awonika Adifafun Onika Akuko Lebo. Aguiboaburi Keke Ogo Adifafun Aki Unbatinlo Lowo Vala Yeleggunlobo Agutan, Eyele, Etu Lebo.