Interpreting Ifa

          I want to start this dialogue by presenting more material from the appendix of my book Egun. In the 1960's science developed highly sophisticated telescopes and discovered that planets in our solar system reflected light in the infrared spectrum from internal energy sources.  Anomalous internal infrared radiation coming from Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune cannot be explained as reflections of solar energy and cannot be explained as heat generated by internal nuclear fusion.  The data shows these planets clearly radiate more energy into space than they absorb from the sun.  For Western science this is another big problem.  In the language of Ifa all the planets in our solar system are producing ase from an invisible link with Orun.

Photography By: Martin Marcisovsky

     Hyper-dimensional physics as currently explained by Richard Hoagland describes inter-dimensional openings that exist at specific places in the structure of every solar and planetary sphere.  In Hoagland's model two invisible three sided pyramids support every circular mass in the visible universe.   One pyramid has its apex at the north pole, and the foundation is at 19.47 Latitude, below the equator, the other pyramid has its apex at the south pole with its base is at 19.47 Latitude, above the equator.  Approximately half the mass of each pyramid overlap.  A two dimensional drawing of this formation creates what is commonly referred to as the either the Seal of Salomon or the Star of David.  An older version of this same symbol is found on some of the stone structures in Luxor Egypt.   There are eight points where the edges of these two pyramids touch the surface of the sphere.  Hoagland identifies these eight points as inter-dimensional windows and the source of the otherwise unexplained energy coming from the planets in the solar system.  The amount of energy generated by these openings is regulated by the relationship between various planets and moons in our solar system.  The gravitational pull coupled with the spiral momentum of the planets affects the inter-dimensional openings.  This means the ecology of the earth is affected by its relationship to the other planets.  It is well known that ancient earth centered cultures all over the planet were extremely sophisticated in their observation of planetary movement in the night sky.  What is less well known is the fundamental reason for this interest.  Ase, or inter-dimensional radiations coming from the eight contact points of the internal grid cover the surface of the earth in a grid pattern called Dragon lines, Serpent lines, Ley lines and various other names.  The place where these lines cross, especially where they cross over underground water systems, were identified by the ancients as power spots, sacred places used for regeneration, healing, and spiritual elevation.  An understanding of astronomy is the indicator of when and where these power spots become activated in the course of various planetary cycles.  In Ifa these power spots are called igbodu meaning womb of the forest.  The Yoruba word that describes the process of understanding the activation of igbodu is called gede. The word gede is an elision of ge meaning female power and de to stand up or arise.  Gede is a reference to the out powering of primal energy from the womb of Creation.  The selection of times for seasonal celebrations for specific Orisa in Nigeria is determined by when the igbodu associated with a particular Orisa is activated.  Perhaps the most well know example is the annual appearance of the Spirit of Osun at the bend in the river near the Osun shrine in Oshogbo.
       
     There is a Mosque in Iraq with a mechanical planetarium attached to a wall.  The planets on the wall move to mirror the actual position of the planets in the night sky on any given day.  Next to the planetarium and attached to it by a series of gears are eight square windows in to vertical rows of four.  The windows expose either a single line (I) or a double line (II) in relationship to the movement of the planets.  This mechanical model produces the eight marks used in Ifa divination.  These marks are used throughout Africa and were preserved in Egypt by the Essenes and the Sufi.  Both the Essenes and the Sufi use these patterns for systems of divination related to their own sacred scriptures.  The Mosque in Iraq is a glimpse into the past and the cosmological principles at the foundation of the symbolism found in African based systems of divination.

     The transference of ase is not limited to large spherical stars and planets, it also occurs on the sub-atomic level.  A clear example of the movement between dimensions occurs when iridium is subjected to extremely high temperatures in a furnace.  At predictable temperatures 56% of the mass weight of any given sample of iridium disappears.  When the iridium cools it returns to its original physical weight.  This can only be explained as an inter-dimensional transference of physical matter.  Western science became aware of this phenomenon at the turn of the last century and quickly suppressed the data.  In the past decade some scientist have cautiously taken another look at the phenomena.

     The spiritual technology of Africa has preserved an understanding of the process of inter-dimensional transference of physical matter for many thousands of years.  The original name for the region now known as Egypt was Khemet meaning the Black Land, a reference to the fertile soil deposited by the Nile River.  This soil is rich in iridium.  When Akhenaton was deposed as Pharaoh of Egypt, he took his family and supporters to live at the base of Mt Sinai where he built a huge furnace to process iridium into white powder.  The powder was used as medicine to elevate human consciousness and was used as a key element in the transformation of precious metals.  Historically the process of making white powder from iridium is called Alchemy from the root words Al Khemet meaning Light from the Black land.  In traditional Egyptian religion the white power made from iridium was ingested for thirty days followed by a ten day fast as part of an initiation process.  At the end of the forty-day ordeal, the novice was described as having the ability to see God in a burning bush.  The reference to a burning bush is a symbolic description of the bright light that emanates from an inter-dimensional opening.  The ability to create these openings is an integral part of the initiation process in virtually every earth-centered culture on the continent of Africa.  Discussing phenomena that occurs during initiation is not divulging secrets (awo) because the phenomenon has already been described by a number of authors.  Discussing how to produce the phenomena is (awo) and remains a closely guarded secret.

     Anyone with a Western education was taught to believe that Alchemy was "occult foolishness".  Egyptologists know that most of the gold found in Egypt was artificially produced and carries a different atomic signature than gold found in nature.  The Russians have perfected the process of using alchemy techniques for making gold from base metals.  The reason the price of gold remains stable is to keep the cost under the price of artificial production.   Another example of objective science subordinating itself to a political agenda.
       
     The Egyptian Book of the Dead translated by Budge contains the following passages:

"It says, I am purified of all imperfections, what is it? I sin like the golden hawk of Horus, what is it? I pass by the immortals without dying, what is it? I come before my father in heaven, what is it?"

     The Hebrew word Mana means what is it?  Mana is the white powder produced from iridium.  The historian Laurence Gardner makes a convincing case that Ahkenaton was the model for the mythical figure of Moses.  Maybe, maybe not, the fact remains alchemy is one of many technological gifts from Africa that historians attempt to denigrate for political reasons having nothing to do with available information.  The important point related to the Yoruba Creation Myth is that inter-dimensional openings can be created through the use of ritual. They also occur spontaneously at certain places at specific times of the year.  In Yoruba these power spots are called Igbodu from the elision igbo odu meaning womb of the forest.  The timing of annual festivals marks the window when these power centers are activated.  Some Igbodu make use of meteorites (benben stones) as sacred symbols of spiritual power (ase), iridium is a major component of most meteorites.
       
     Some readers will find the material in this article difficult to believe and possible unfamiliar to their understanding of Ifa.  There is an unfortunate tendency in the rapidly growing Ifa community in the United States to believe the notion that initiation makes a person wise.  Initiation is merely permission to study, the integration of information and experience is the foundation of wisdom.  There is also a tendency in this country to dismiss the value of elders and to dismiss the need for formal training.  There are even Ifa communities who negate the value of Yoruba culture and the need to integrate formal prayers and traditional songs into the Ifa ritual process.  This painful manifestation of ignorance seems to be predicated on a lack of understanding of the purpose and function of traditional African spiritual training.  It also reflects a total lack of understanding of the tools needed to access Orun.
       
     Malidoma Some in his book Of Water and the Spirit (page 225-226) states clearly the reasons for embracing the wisdom of the ancestors.

"What we see in everyday life in not nature lying to us, but nature encoding reality in ways we can come to terms with under ordinary circumstances.  Nature looks the way it looks because of the way we are.  We could not live our whole lives on the ecstatic level of the sacred.  Our senses would soon become exhausted and the daily business of living would never get done.  There does, however, come a time when one must learn to move between the two ways of "seeing" reality in order to become a whole person.
Traditional education consists of three parts; enlargement of one's ability to see, destabilization of the body's habit of being bound to one plane of being, and the ability to voyage transdimensionally and return.  Enlarging one's vision and abilities has nothing supernatural about it, rather it is "natural" to be a part of nature and to participate in a wider understanding of reality.
       
Overcoming the fixity of the body is the hardest part of initiation.  As with the seeing exercise, there is a lot of unconscious resistance taking place.  There is also a great deal of fear to be overcome.  One must travel to the other side of fear, crossing the great plains of terror and panic to arrive at the quiet one feels in the absence of fear.  Only then does true transformation really begin to happen.  It feels strange to not be afraid when one thinks one should be; but this is the condition for the voyage to other worlds.  This metamorphosis cannot happen as long as the body is weighed down by heaviness.  One must go through a process of relearning, enforcement of these lessons, and the consolidation of new knowledge.  This kind of education is nothing less than a return to one's true self, that is, to the divine within us."

Awo Falokun

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

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