Having described these influences I would like to visit what I believe are the basic philosophical ideas of Ifa and then show how these ideas impact life on the planet. Theology is not a static discipline. It is the ongoing process of interpreting the transcendent message of a particular prophet and applying that message to the challenges of the current historical moment.
The concept of what Western theological calls God is most closely expressed in Ifa as the concept of Olorun. The word Olorun from the elision Olo orun is commonly translated to mean Owner of Heaven. For that is not the best definition in terms of expressing the actually meaning of the metaphysical principle being expressed by the word. In the Yoruba language olo is literally owner but it implies who who knows or understands the inner essence of a thing. In context owner here means owner of the mystery. To own a mystery is beyond the idea of knowing in a cognitive sense but implies knowing, experiencing and grasping the process needed to manifest the mystery in the physical world. Olo as it relates to an Immortal Source of Creation implies the ability to set the process of Creation in motion. Orun is frequently translated as Heaven, but for me Heaven is an uniquely Christian concept that comes with an entire cosmological set of assumptions that do not necessarily apply to the Ifa concept of Orun. For me a more accurate translation of Orun would be Invisible Realm. This would refer to invisible influences that affect the ongoing process of Creation which could also be referred to as Evolution. Odu Ifa makes constant reference to invisible influences in Orun and I believe the idea of invisible influences is fundamental to an Ifa theological perspective. Any discussion of Source or God begs the question of polytheism verses monotheism. There is a tendency in the West to believe monotheism is good and polytheism is bad. This polarity is the result of a constant barrage of criticism from Christianity that describes anything polytheistic as heresy. To me this is an artificial dichotomy set up by Christians to denigrated Earth Centered spiritual traditions. Christianity rooted in the belief in an eternal conflict between good and evil has earmarks of polytheism meaning more than one Diety at the core of Creation. Earth Centered religions meaning traditions rooted in the idea of living in harmony with the Earth are typically animistic. Animism is the belief that Diety exists in all things. I have to say when it comes to oral instruction from elders in Ifa there appears to be within the tradition more than one view on this topic. On the surface it would appear that Ifa cosmology is clearly polytheistic. There is an entire pantheon of Immortal Spirits called Orisa who room through Ifa scripture as God like Beings in the epic story of Creation. I find the scriptural references to Ori being present in all things more indicative that Ifa is animistic. Ifa clearly teaches all things in Nature have Ori or consciousness and the foundation of the spiritual discipline of living in harmony with Nature is the ability to communicate with nonhuman elements of the World around us.
Ifa scripture is also clear that Olorun is an unknowable mystery and consequently there are no invocations to Olorun, no descriptions of Olorun and no temples for Olorun.
Ifa describes our understanding of Source as an ongoing process it is the process of bringing Ile Ife on Earth in alignment with Ile Ife in Orun. Ile Ife is the Yoruba word for unconditional love so the process for understanding Olorun comes in the ability to manifest unconditional love.
Ire,
Awo Falokun
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