Owonrin Meji: As Documented by Baba Ayo Salami (Ibae), With Interpretations by Awo Falokun Fatunmbi

Lean on me
Such that I could lean on you
As Nettles do lean on wild grasses
We should learn to lean on each other

Commentary:  Owonrin brings the internal chaos and confusion that leads to personal growth.  Ifa teaches that the ori that creates a problem is never the ori that fixes a problem which is why Ifa extended family stresses the importance of elders.  An elder who has fixed a problem in their life has the medicine to fix that problem form the next generation.  This process is called spiritual guidance.

Cast divination for Siejide;
That would take to commerce as a means of
Livelihood.

Commentary:  the Odu is addressing the issue of clearing away confusion in order to be effective in the process of creating abundance.

Siejide; was however the daughter of the king of Òyó
She specialized in marketing
She had traded and traded
She could not record good sales
She then added two cowries to three
And went to Òrúnmìlà

Commentary:  The client here has resources and opportunity but is not using them effectively.  Adding two cowries to three means the client realized she had a spiritual problem related to her work in an ineffective business so she saved her money and went to the diviner for guidance.

She called on the priests Owon Owo laa na wo; mini
The priests Owon Owo la; na wo pesun
The priests Nto ba won laa pe niyan
That the three of them should cast divination, using
Ìbò for her

Commentary: the client is consulting three diviners stressing the value of solving an internal problem with the assistance of elders.

Siejide, they called her attention
You have traded and traded, you have no sales is
your reason for consulting Ifá
‘Offer sacrifice’, they advised
‘You will record sales in your trade.
Siejide then performed the sacrifice
She finished observing the sacrifice and started
having riches

Commentary: when the verses of Odu Ifa refer to making sacrifice, they are not necessarily referring to the offering.  In this instance the sacrifice is letting go of the ineffective behavior.

She was dancing and rejoicing
She was praising her Babaláwos
Her Babaláwos were praising Ifá
She said it was as her Babaláwos had said
Lean on me
Such that I could lean on you
As nettles do lean on wild grasses
We should lean on each other
Cast divination for Siejide
That would take to commerce as a means of
livelihood
The one that was also the princess of the king of Òyó
Sacrifices is the way out, they had prescribed
Therefore come and buy of the articles of the king’s
child
You should all crowd together to buy the scarce
commodity
Come and buy of the commodities of the child of the king.

Commentary:  These lines are the oriki ire, they re-confirm the idea that the client has the resources to create abundance but was not using them effectively. In a metaphysical sense Owonrin is the source of the confusion that leads to elevation.  The reason we experience confusion in the process of elevation is because embracing good fortune involves letting go of old habits that do not serve us well.  This process is literally the death of the old self and in the human condition the death of the old self frequently meets with opposition.  That is why we have a community of elders who reinforce positive change in our life.

As a topographical metaphor chaos is part of the structure of the universe.  Science teaches us that when something appears to be in  a state of chaos, we can see order in the chaos if we get a new perspective and view the chaos from a distance.  Chaos is simply a state of change and change inevitably leads to resolution.  By viewing chaos from a distance we can anticipate and guide the chaos into a new state of organized complexity.

Ire
Awo Falokun Fatunmbi

Honoring Ivan Van Sertima

“You can not make yourself whole again by brooding one hundred percent of the time on the darkness of the world. We are the light of the world.” 

― Ivan Van Sertima

A Gathering of Resources by Ifasalewa Fagbemi Ogunride

In Honor of Ivan Van Sertima

Ivan Gladstone Van Sertima (26 January 1935 – 25 May 2009)

Ivan Van Sertima was born in Guyana, South America.  He was educated at the School of Oriental and African Studies (London University) and the Rutgers Graduate School and holds degrees in African Studies and Anthropology.  From 1957-1959 he served as a Press and Broadcasting Officer in the Guyana Information Services.  During the decade of the 1960s he broadcast weekly from Britain to Africa and the Caribbean.

He is a literary critic, a linguist, an anthropologist and has made a name in all three fields.  

As a literary critic, he is the author of Caribbean Writers, a collection of critical essays on the Caribbean novel.  He is also the author of several major literary reviews published in Denmark, India, Britain and the United States.  He was honored for his work in this field by being asked by the Nobel Committee of the Swedish Academy to nominate candidates for the Nobel Prize in Literature from 1976-1980.  He has also been honored as an historian of world repute by being asked to join UNESCO's International Commission for Rewriting the Scientific and Cultural History of Mankind.

As a linguist, he has published essays on the dialect of the Sea Islands off the Georgia Coast.  He is also the compiler of the Swahili Dictionary of Legal Terms, based on his field work in Tanzania, East Africa, in 1967.

He is the author of They Came Before Columbus: The African Presence in Ancient America, which was published by Random House in 1977 and is presently in its twenty-ninth printing.  It was published in French in 1981 and in the same year, was awarded the Clarence L. Holte Prize, a prize awarded every two years “for a work of excellence in literature and the humanities relating to the cultural heritage of Africa and the African diaspora.”

He also authored Early America Revisited, a book that has enriched the study of a wide range of subjects, from archaeology to anthropology, and has resulted in profound changes in the reordering of historical priorities and pedagogy.

Professor of African Studies at Rutgers University, Dr. Van Sertima was also Visiting Professor at Princeton University.  He is the Editor of the Journal of African Civilizations, which he founded in 1979 and has published several major anthologies which have influenced the development of multicultural curriculum in the United States.  These anthologies include Blacks in Science: ancient and modern, Black Women in Antiquity, Egypt Revisited, Egypt: Child of Africa, Nile Valley Civilizations (now included within the pages of Egypt: Child of Africa), African Presence in the Art of the Americas, African Presence in Early Asia (co-edited with Runoko Rashidi), African Presence in Early Europe, African Presence in Early America, Great African Thinkers, Great Black Leaders: ancient and modern and Golden Age of the Moor.

As an acclaimed poet, his work graces the pages of River and the Wall, 1953 and has been published in English and German.  As an essayist, his major pieces were published in Talk That Talk, 1989, Future Directions for African and African American Content in the School Curriculum, 1986, Enigma of Values, 1979, and in Black Life and Culture in the United States, 1971.

Dr. Van Sertima has lectured at more than 100 universities in the United States and has also lectured in Canada, the Caribbean, South America and Europe.  In 1991 Dr. Van Sertima defended his highly controversial thesis on the African presence in pre-Columbian America before the Smithsonian.  In 1994 the Smithsonian published his address in Race, Discourse and the Origin of the Americas: A New World View of 1492.

He was also asked by Congress to appear before a Congressional Committee on July 7, 1987 to challenge the Columbus myth.  This landmark presentation before Congress was illuminating and brilliantly presented in the name of all peoples of color across the world.

Soure: http://www.journalofafricancivilizations.com/VanSertima

---

They Came Before Columbus

They Came Before Columbus reveals a compelling, dramatic, and superbly detailed documentation of the presence and legacy of Africans in ancient America. Examining navigation and shipbuilding; cultural analogies between Native Americans and Africans; the transportation of plants, animals, and textiles between the continents; and the diaries, journals, and oral accounts of the explorers themselves, Ivan Van Sertima builds a pyramid of evidence to support his claim of an African presence in the New World centuries before Columbus. Combining impressive scholarship with a novelist’s gift for storytelling, Van Sertima re-creates some of the most powerful scenes of human history: the launching of the great ships of Mali in 1310 (two hundred master boats and two hundred supply boats), the sea expedition of the Mandingo king in 1311, and many others. In They Came Before Columbus, we see clearly the unmistakable face and handprint of black Africans in pre-Columbian America, and their overwhelming impact on the civilizations they encountered.

- Amazon.com

---

Ifasalewa Fagbemi Ogunride
ADE Enterprises, LLC
Egbe Ogun Si Wa

Obara Meji As Documented by Baba Ayo Salami (ibae), with Interpretations by Awo Falokun Fatunmbi

Osolo the priest of Awòn
Casts divination for Awòn
On the day he was going to wash his Orí of wealth in
the river

Commentary:  Obara is the Odu that incarnates humility in the struggle with arrogance.  For those who are struggling to find abundance cleaning away the negative effects of arrogance is the first step towards accessing your ability to create abundance.

Would it be easier for me? He asked
They told him that it would be easy for him
But he was advised to perform sacrifice to Òsun

Commentary:  Osun as the wife of Sango creates a balance between the strong leadership skills of Sango that can lead to arrogance and the generosity of Osun which is rooted in a genuine concern for others.

He offered the sacrifice
Life then pleased him
He started having children
He afterwards took all his children to Òsun
‘Death must not kill the child of Awòn’, they
Instructed.

Commentary: The word Awon means them, it is a reference to being a part of a community.  Taking your children to Osun implies teaching your children the value of generosity and concern for others.  This is a fundamental step in the process of building healthy community.

Life pleased them so much
Òsun took good care of him and his children
And also petted them all

Commentary:  The word petted is not the best translation the inference here is that Osun loved and nurtured her children which again is the foundation for creating community.

He was dancing and rejoicing
He was praising his Babaláwo
His Babaláwo was praising Ifá
He said it was as his Babaláwo had said
Osolo; the priest of Awòn
Casts divination for Awon
On the day he was going to wash his Orí of wealth in
the river
Osolo; is here really
He is the priest of Awòn
Don’t you all know that good Orí is what Awòn washes in the river

Commentary:  This is the oriki ire and it asks for the ori to be cleaned so it can return to its original state of being blessed by Creation.

Obara as a topographical metaphor is the ability of the world around us to transform itself based on evolving conditions.  It is the idea that the universe is a living thing constantly creating new dynamics and new information.  The blessing of Ifa is that it teaches how to communicate with the Universe in a language we understand.

Ire,
Awo Falokun Fatunmbi

Ogbe'Sa: Those Whose Turn It Is To Rule The World

ORÍKÌ / ORIN OWONRIN MEJI

ORÍKÌ OWONRIN MEJI
(Invocation for Good Fortune)

Owonrin Meji,  Owonrin Meji,  Owonrin Meji,

The Reversed Head, the Reversed Head, the Reversed Head,

mo be yin,  ki eso ibi de rere fun mi ni gbogbo ojo aye mi,  ki emi - re s'owo, ki emi mi gun ki ara mi kiole,  ki nma ri ayipada di buburu lojo aye mi ati beebee.

I beg you, turn evil to good throughout all my days on earth, that I might be rich, that all my life will be lengthened and that my health will always be good, and that turning from good to bad may not reach me in all my days in the world.

Owonrin Meji.  Ase.

The Reversed Head. May it be so.

---

ORIN OWONRIN MEJI
(Song for Good Fortune)

Owon mì jó, Owon mì yó, Owon ti mí ota oye b'ofò.

Owon day dance, Owon day be joyful.  Owon has brought the staff of hi chieftancy from the sea.

Owon mì jó, Owon mì yó.

Owon day dance, Owon day be joyful.

---

ORIN OWONRIN MEJI
(Song for Good Fortune)

Òlógbò dúdú ese,  gòòlò ma se lo,  gòòlò ma se bo.

Black cat, sluggish I will go, Sluggish I will come back.



Shop Ifa Books Inc: http://ifabooksinc.storenvy.com

Ire,
- Awo Falokun

ORÍKÌ / ORIN IROSUN MEJI (Invocation for Good Fortune)

ORÍKÌ
IROSUN MEJI
(Invocation for Good Fortune)

Irosun Meji,  Irosun Meji, Irosun Meji,
The Sounding Osun, the Sounding Osun, the Sounding Osun.
Mo be yin, kie jeki awon omo - araye gburo, mi pe mo l’owo l´owo pe mo niyi, pe mo n'ola, pe mo bimo rere ati beebee.
I beg you, let the whole world hear of me, that I am rich, that I have honor, that I have prestige, that my children will be good.
Kie jeki won gbo iro mi kaakiri agbaye,  Irosun Meji.  Ase.
Let them hear around the world that I am a good and blessed person. The Sounding Osun.  May it be so.

---

ORIN
IROSUN MEJI
(Song for Good Fortune)

Emi won,  emi won è le pa 'Àpéni.  Ìdárí oró ki pa oró.
Their mouth, their mouth, cannot kill l'apeni.  Idari the Smith cannot kill the Smith.
Emi won,  emi won èle pa 'Àpéni.
Their mouth, their mouth, cannot kill l'apeni.

---

ORIN
IROSUN MEJI
(Song for Good Fortune)

Baba ma je nikan je nikan je.  Iyán ti mo gún.  Baba ma je nikan je.
Father don't let me eat along.  I have prepared soup.  Father don't let me eat alone.
Obè ti mo se. Baba ma je nikan je.
I have my knife.  Father don't let me eat alone.

- Awo Falokun

Irosun Meji As Documented by Baba Ayo Salami (Ibae), With Interpretations by Awo Falokun Fatunmbi

Eji Ìrosùn did not fast.

Commentary:  to say someone does not fast is to imply they are spiritual evolved and have no need of taking extraordinary measure to continue to grow and evolve.   They are in alignment with their destiny.

Casts divination for Oni;
The child of the clan Onisin ikô of Kolojo
On the day he was crying because of children
They told him that he would have many children
That his life would be better
And that all good things would stand by him
But he was advised to offer sacrifice for children

Commentary:  when the Odu is asking for a blessing of children there is an implication here of requesting children, a healthy relationship and the means to take care of a family.

Oni; then offered the sacrifice
Life so pleased Oni;
He then was dancing and rejoicing
He was praising his Babaláwo
His Babaláwo was praising Ifá
He said it was as his Babaláwo had said
Eji Ìrosùn did not fast
Casts divination for Oni;
The child of the clan Onisin ikoô of Kolojo
On the day he was crying because of children
They told him that he would have many children
But should perform sacrifice for children
He that used Isin as sacrifice
What do we call such a person?
The mother of Moôjesôin
The father of Moôjesôin
It is Moôjesôin that brought children into this world in multitudes

Commentary:  These lines are the oriki ire.  In liturgical Yoruba the word irosun refers to menstrual blood.  Due to the influence of Christianity in the Diaspora menstrual blood is often viewed as something that is spiritually unclean and necessitates keeping menstrual blood away from sacred objects.  Irosun from the elision I ro Osun meaning the spirit of Osun descends.

Osun is the spirit that protects the ori and it makes the journey from Orun to Aye at the moment a child is conceived.  Menstrual blood is essential to the procreation process and is the medium for cleansing the womb as the receptacle of genetic inheritance.  The use of red camwood called Irosun as an ase (substance with spiritual power) in making some Orisa, is I believe a substitute for menstrual blood.  The use of camwood powder can be looked at as a request to the ancestors for their blessing.

In the cycle of life, death and rebirth ogbe is the first expression of life.  In irosun we have life that becomes manifest as a result of rebirth and rebirth creates the process we call evolution.

Ire,
Awo Falokun

ORÍKÌ ODI MEJI: Invocación A La Buena Fortuna

Odi Meji, Odi Meji, Odi Meji,

Odi Meji, Odi Meji, Odi Meji

mo be yin,  kie bami di ona ofo, kie bami di odo ofo,  kie bami di ona ejo, kie bami di ona ibi,  kie bami di ona Esu, 

Le pido que me cierre el camino de la perdición, ciérreles el camino de la perdición a mis hijos, a mi compañero/a y a mi familia, cierre el camino de las luchas contra mí, cierre el camino de la negatividad contra mí, cierre el camino de la ruptura con Esu

Ni nri'di joko pe nile aye.  Kiema jeki nba won ku - Iku ajoku. 

Permita que me siente tranquilamente en el mundo. Permita que no muera en una epidemia

Okan ewon kiike.

Un eslabón en una cadena no hace una cerradura

Kie se - Odi agbara yi mi ka,  Ki owo mi ka'pa omo araye bi omo Odi tiika'lu. Ase.

Rezo para que usted se ponga voluntariamente a mí alrededor, de la misma manera que pusimos un jardín alrededor de un patio.

- Awo Falokun

Irosun Meji by Ayo Salami - Commentary by Awo Falokun

Irosun Meji as Documented by Baba Ayo Salami (Ibae), with Interpretations by Awo Falokun Fatunmbi

Eji Ìrosùn did not fast.

Commentary:  To say someone does not fast is to imply they are spiritual evolved and have no need of taking extraordinary measure to continue to grow and evolve.   They are in alignment with their destiny.

Casts divination for Oni;
The child of the clan Onisin ikô of Kolojo
On the day he was crying because of children
They told him that he would have many children
That his life would be better
And that all good things would stand by him
But he was advised to offer sacrifice for children

Commentary:  When the Odu is asking for a blessing of children there is an implication here of requesting children, a healthy relationship and the means to take care of a family.

Oni; then offered the sacrifice
Life so pleased Oni;
He then was dancing and rejoicing
He was praising his Babaláwo
His Babaláwo was praising Ifá
He said it was as his Babaláwo had said
Eji Ìrosùn did not fast
Casts divination for Oni;
The child of the clan Onisin ikoô of Kolojo
On the day he was crying because of children
They told him that he would have many children
But should perform sacrifice for children
He that used Isin as sacrifice
What do we call such a person?
The mother of Moôjesôin
The father of Moôjesôin
It is Moôjesôin that brought children into this world in multitudes

Commentary:  These lines are the oriki ire.  In liturgical Yoruba the word irosun refers to menstrual blood.  Due to the influence of Christianity in the Diaspora menstrual blood is often viewed as something that is spiritually unclean and necessitates keeping menstrual blood away from sacred objects.  Irosun from the elision I ro Osun meaning the spirit of Osun descends.
Osun is the spirit that protects the ori and it makes the journey from Orun to Aye at the moment a child is conceived.  Menstrual blood is essential to the procreation process and is the medium for cleansing the womb as the receptacle of genetic inheritance.  The use of red camwood called Irosun as an ase (substance with spiritual power) in making some Orisa, is I believe a substitute for menstrual blood.  The use of camwood powder can be looked at as a request to the ancestors for their blessing.

In the cycle of life, death and rebirth ogbe is the first expression of life.  In irosun we have life that becomes manifest as a result of rebirth and rebirth creates the process we call evolution.

Ire
Awo Falokun

ORÍKÌ ODI MEJI: Invocation for Good Fortune

Odi Meji, Odi Meji, Odi Meji,

The Seal, the Seal, the Seal,

mo be yin,  kie bami di ona ofo, kie bami di odo ofo,  kie bami di ona ejo, kie bami di ona ibi,  kie bami di ona Esu,

I beg you, close the way of losses to me, close the way of losses for my children, my mate and my family, close the way of litigation against me, close the way of negativity against me, close the way of disruption from the Spirit of the Trickster.

Ni nri'di joko pe nile aye.  Kiema jeki nba won ku - Iku ajoku.

Let me sit quietly in the world. Let me not die in an epidemic.

Okan ewon kiike.

One link in a chain will not make a lock.

Kie se - Odi agbara yi mi ka,  Ki owo mi ka'pa omo araye bi omo Odi tiika'lu. Ase.

I pray that you will rally around me, in the same way that we put a garden around a yard. May it be so.

Awo Falokun

---

Awo Falokun is available for Ifa / Orisa Initiations and Workshops. Call: 775-741-0188 or email: awofalokun@ifabooksinc.com for more information.

Shop IFA BOOKS INC.

www.ifabooksinc.storenvy.com
Free Shipping, Wholesale Pricing for study groups and organizations available.
Email: admin@ifabooksinc.com for more information.