Ifa Orisa Training Course: Overview

by: Awo Falokun | Egbe Iwa-Pele

Article Creative Design by: Mark Anthony Designs

Ifa-Orisa is the traditional spiritual discipline of the Yoruba people from Southwest Nigeria. This tradition has spread throughout the Diaspora and has countless manifestations and variations. In the past our ancestors taught Ifa-Orisa through oral instruction and observation. In recent times there has been an increase in the availability of instructional material in written form. Written material referring to spiritual growth and ritual process has some inherent challenges. This course is designed to address some of those challenges. The course provides detailed written material in conjunction with video demonstrations of the application of the written material in the practice of our faith and of our spiritual discipline.

In order for this course to be effective we still need communal support and guidance from elders. This course is meant to supliment and not replace communal support and guidance from elders.

The content of our faith or belief system has been discussed at length in a series of books available at Ifabooksinc.com. This course is focused on teaching the mechanics of the spiritual discipline and the ritual process used by traditional elders of Ifa-Orisa ­­to support the development of spiritual consciousness. In simple terms spiritual consciousness is the development of good character called iwa-pele in the Yoruba language.

Because the purpose of Ifa-Orisa spiritual discipline is to develop good character it is important to have some sense of what good character looks like from an Ifa-Orisa point of view. Liturgical Yoruba words, meaning words used in religious texts, are typically shortened versions of a simple sentence that expresses the meaning of the word. In the science of linguistics the process of making a word from a sentence is called making an elision. The word iwa-pele ­­comes from the elision iwa ope ile meaning I come to greet the Earth. In traditional Yoruba culture a student always greets their teacher first. To say I come to greet the Earth is to say I was born to learn how to live in harmony with the Earth. Living in harmony with the Earth also includes taking responsibility for living in harmony with those who share living on Earth with us. From the point of view of ancestor reverence there is a connotation that I come to learn from the Earth and that I have a spiritual obligation to leave the Earth in better condition than I found it. The basis for this obligation is the idea of atunwa from the elision a otun iwa meaning I come from the right. In the symbolic language of Ifa-Orisa coming from the right means I am physically reborn through the process of reincarnation. It is the belief in atunwa or reincarnation that is the basis for the Ifa-Orisa moral admonition to male the world a better place.

The liturgical references to iwa-pele suggest certain guidelines for behavior that will elevate our consciousness. There is a Ifa-Orisa ­proverb that says; ayanmo ni iwa-pele, iwa-pele ni ayanmo, meaning destiny is good character, good character is destiny. Ifa-Orisa spiritual discipline is based on placing a person in alignment with their destiny. Because Ifa-Orisa­ spiritual discipline is based on the idea that destiny is good character the purpose of all Ifa-Orisa ­ritual is to place the individual, the family and the community in alignment with destiny in the form of good character. Ifa-Orisa scripture teaches that we choose our destiny between incarnations before returning to Earth. It also teaches that being in alignment with good character is always a manifestation of destiny.

The guidelines for good character in Ifa-Orisa are simple and straight forward. Speak with integrity, make no judgements, make no assumptions, take nothing personally, accept that you are always doing your best, never call a person out of their name and honor the taboo against gossip.

This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of the fundamental tools used by Ifa-Orisa ­to place an individual, a family and a community in alignment with their highest destiny. In my experience there is a wide range of spiritual practice and variation of practice within the Ifa-Orisa global community. Unfortunately these variations have led to endless arguments over the right way to do things. This is a pointless debate. The only issue of relevance is whether or not the work is effective and this is only apparent when we look at the goal of creating good character.

If our interaction as people living Earth is a reflection of the basic principle of good character I do not care how you were initiated and I do not care what you believe. Action and interactions define who we are.

There is a common, non-traditional, belief that Ifa-Orisa is a magical tradition created with the intention of getting you whatever you want and of manifesting the ability to control and manipulate others. Both of those ideas are in fundamental contradiction to the idea that Ifa-Orisa is about the development of iwa-pele. In order for any ritual to be effective in the elevation of consciousness, the person receiving the elevation must take full responsibility for the conditions of their life. That means it is taboo to blame anyone for anything. We choose how we respond to the world and that choice is always a question of personal responsibility.

By teaching the fundamentals in the context of the development of good character the information in this books can be used as a foundation for providing spiritual guidance to self, family and community while keeping the door open to regional and lineage variations. In other words once you understand the reason a ritual is done and once you understand the desired affect you are trying to create, there is room for a wide range of variations based on oral instruction from within a particular lineage.

I am making no claim that any of the material in this course is the only way to practice Ifa-Orisa. I am saying it is a way to practice Ifa-Orisa and will give the serious student of Ifa-Orisa ­the fundamental tools needed to provide guidance for them self and others. Once you have a firm foundation in the basics you can make personal alterations and integrate lineage variations into your spiritual practice. The key is to maintain a perspective of critical self-evaluation or the ability

This course has been developed to provide training to anyone who has been initiated into either Ifa or Orisa. In order to be effective I encourage students to study this material in conjunction with an elder who can check progress and provide guidance based on personal experience.

The course of study will include the Ifa-Orisa prayer cycle, divination with our cowries, obi abata, sixteen cowries, opele and ikin. The study of divination will include teaching the mechanics for determining orientation, making ebo (offerings), the effective use of prayers and invocations used in making offerings and the keys to interpreting sacred scripture. The course will also include instruction on how to perform a naming ceremony, how to make an Ori pot, how to make an ancestor pot, how to make Ebora (warriors) and how to make omolawo (one hand of Ifa). Students who finish this course of study will be eligible to learn how to do full Orisa initiations and Tefa.

Tap here to: Register for Egbe Iwa-Pele Ifa Training Course One Visit: Egbe Iwa-Pele Website

Ire, Awo Falokun | Egbe Iwa-Pele

**Posted by: Fasalewa Fagbemi Aworeni*