Ori
by Luiz Carlos Teixeira De Oliveira, Ori'nu Ogunsina

ORI MI O!
SE RERE FUN MI!
MY ORI!
REJOICE WITH ME!

For us to figure out the importance and precedence of ORI between the other ORISA, an Itan of ODU OTURA MEJI, telling the story of an ORI that got lost in the path that was leading form the ORUN to the AIYE, states: "... OGUN came to ORI and asked, "You don´t know that you are the older among the ORISA? That you are the leader of the ORISA?'..." . We can say that, "ORI mi a ba bo ki a to bo ORISA", that is, "My ORI, that has to be worshiped before worshipping the ORISA" and we have an oriki dedicated to ORI that says " Ko si ORISA ti da nigbe leyin ORI eni", meaning, "... There´s no ORISA that supports more the man than his own ORI...".

When we meet someone that, despite facing in life a series of difficulties related to negative actions or cruelties from other people, keeps finding inner resources, extraordinary inner strength, that allows him to survive and, many times, keeping proper results of fulfillment in life, we can say, "ENIYAN KO FE KI ERU FI ASO, ORI ENI NI SO NI", that is, "people don´t want you to survive, but your ORI works for you", bringing, this expression, an important statement that a strong and resistant ORI is able to take care of man and ensure him social survival and other relations with life, despite the dificulties he might have. That is the reason why BORI, a way of praising and strengthening the ORI used in our religion, is done many times, preceding or even substituting an EBO. It is made to the person find inner resources, that inner strength that was stated, related to his or her adjusting to face situations, or related to the strengthening of his or her energy resources and consequent integration with his or her vitality fountain.

It´s important to say that the ORI makes us individuals and, consequently, make us different from the others. This difference is of inner nature and nothing in the physical plane allows us any reference in identifying this differences. To sign this condition, maybe one of the bigger lessons we can receive related to ORI can be extracted from Itan ODU OSA MEJI, that we reproduce in sequence and it is the answer given by IFA to Mobowu, OGUN´s wife, when she was consulting him:

"ORI buruku ki i wu tuulu.
A ki i da ese asiweree mo loju-ona.
A ki i m' ORI oloye lawujo.
A dia fun Mobowu
Ti i se obinrin Ogun.
ORI ti o joba lola,
Enikan o mo
Ki toko-taya o mo pe'raa won ni were mo.
ORI ti o joba lola,
Enikan o mo."

TRANSLATION

"A person with bad ORI doesn´t born with the head different from the others.
No one can distinguish the steps of the mad in the street.
A person that is a leader is not different.
And also is hard to be recognised.
It is what was said to Mobowu, OGUN´s wife, that was consulting with IFA.
The husband and the wife should not treat themselves so badly,
Nor physically, nor spiritually.
The reason is that ORI will be crowned.
And no one knows how the person´s future will be."

For the yoruba, the human being is described as made of the following elements: ARA, OJIJI, OKAN, EMI and ORI. ARA is the physical body, the house or temple of the other components. OJIJI is the human "ghost", it is the visible representantion of the spitiual essence. OKAN is the physical heart, seat fo intelligence, of thoughts and action. EMI is associated with breathing, it is the divine blow. When a man dies, it is said that his EMI has gone.

ORI is the personal ORISA, in all his strength and greatness. ORI is the first ORISA to be praised, particular representation of individual existence (the real essence of being). He is the one that guides, accompanies and helps the person since before birth, during all life and after death, making reference to his or her walk and assisting in the fulfillment of his or her fate.
ORI in yoruba has many meanings- the literal sense is the physical head, simbol of inner head (ORI INU). Spiritually, the head as the higher point (or superior) of human body represents the ORI.

As the personal ORISA of each human being, certainly he is more interested in the fulfillment and happiness of each man and woman than any other ORISA. In the same way, more than anyone, he knows the needing of each human in his or her walking through life, in the success and failure of each one, and has the proper resources and all indicators that permit the reorganization of the personal systems referring to each individual. Reinforcing this matter, we have an oriki that says:

"ORI lo nda eni
Esi ondaye ORISA lo npa eni da
O npa ORISA da
ORISA lo pa nida
Bi isu won sun
Aye ma pa temi da
Ki ORI mi ma se ORI
Ki ORI mi ma gba abodi"

TRANSLATION

"ORI is the creator of all things
ORI is the one that makes everything happen, before life happens
He is the ORISA that can change man
No one can change the ORISA
ORISA that changes the life of man with baked yam
AYE*, don´t change my fate
For my ORI not letting people disrespect me
That my ORI don´t let me be disrespected by none
My ORI, don´t accept evil."
(* AYE joint of the forces of good and evil)

As it was said, there´s no ORISA that supports more the man than his own ORI: a excerpt of an adura (prayer) done during the placing of an IGBA-ORI says:

"KORIKORI,

That with the ase of the ORI´s own,
The ORI will survive
KOROKORO

In the same way that the ORI of Afuwape survived,
Yours will survive.
He will be favourable to you.
Everything that you need,
Everything that you want for your life,
It is to your ORI that you must ask.
It is the man´s ORI that listens to his suffering..."

And so what is the ORI, from what nature he is made and what is his role in man´s life? In first place, it is believed tha human body is constituted of two parts: the head and the support- ORI and APERE. It is believed that this body comes to existence when it receives OLODUNMARE´s vivifying blow - the EMI. This blow was the agent of the creation process in its first moment and has been responsible for the generation and continuity of all life in the Universe.

This described model, and of comprehensive understanding to all forms of life, is repeated in the human being. The head and its support, ORI-APERE are formed with the basic elements, while the ORI-INU, interior, represents, in its constitution, a combination of elements, portions of matter-mass that are individualized during the process of modelling of each ORI. He is unique and, because of this, gives existence its individual protion. This "chemical" combination will define part of man´s relation with the supernatural world and religion, as it determinates his ELEDA, ORISA symbol of the cosmic element of formation, wich we call IPORI, of that ORI-INU particularly.

In Brazil we see, often, the ELEDA being called of ORISA-ORI, a simplifyed manner of the relation here exposed. ELEDA according to Juana Elbein dos Santos in "Os Nagô e a Morte" (The Nagô and the Death), "refers to the supernatural entity, to the matter-mass that released a portion of itself to create an ORI, consequently creator of indivdual heads..."

Also according to the author, "The matter with wich are modelled the individual ORI will indicate wich kind of work is more convenient, proportionating satisfaction and permitting each person to reach prosperity. Indicates also the prohibitions - EWO what is forbbiden to eat, because of the elemnt with wich the ORI was modelled".

That is, the EWO represents the prohibition to the individual in "eating" food that contains the same "matter" from wich was taken a portion for modelling the ORI. Not to obey this prohibitions brings an energetic disfunction of extreme negative consequences to the balance of the person in the organic plane, in the emotional one and in the conditions of fulfilling the particular "program" of his or her existence.

We have spoken on the nature and constitution of ORI. Now, what is his role in the life of a man? The concept of ORI is intimetely linked with personal fate and the managing to fulfill this fate. An Itan of ODU OGUNDA MEJI, gives us the exact dimension of the subject when relates the correspindence between the ORI and the man and the relation of cause and effect existant in this correspondence:

"...ORI, I salute you!
The one that is wise,
Was made wise by his own ORI.
The one that is fool,
Was made fooler than a piece of yam,
By his own ORI..."

In the ODU OGBEYONU (Ogbe Ogunda) we´ll find, "...When I wake up in the morning I put my hand on ORI. ORI is source of luck. ORI is ORI!...". An oriki dedicated to ORI, showing the role that ORI has in the life of each person reagrding his or her relations with other people and conditions of fulfillment and progress in all undertakings of life, tells us:

"ORI mi
Mo ke pe o o
ORI mi
A pe je
ORI mi
Wa je mi o
Ki ndi olowo o
Ki ndi olola
Ki ndi eni a pe sin
Laye
O, ORI mi
Lori a jiki
ORI mi lori a ji yo mo
Laye"

TRANSLATION

"My ORI
I scream calling you
My ORI,
Answer me
My ORI,
Come to attend me
For me to be a rich and successful person
For me to be a person who everynoe respects
Oh, my ORI!
To be praised in the morning,
That everyone finds joy with me"

All existence in the universe of Creation processes itself in two planes: the visible world, the AIYE, the concrete universe that we inhabit, and the invisible world, ORUN, inhabited by the supernatural beings and the "doubles" of everything that is manifested in the AIYE. They are not, as it is possible to think, independent worlds or straightly separated. Truthfuly we can say that the AIYE is a "projection" of the essential reality that processes itself in the ORUN.
As says the Prof. Dr. Iyakemi Ribeiro, in his book "Alma Africana no Brasil: os iorubás" (African Soul in Brazil: the yoruba), "For the african the visible is a manifestation of the invisible. Beyond appearances is found the reality, the meaning, the being that through appearances is manifested. Under all living manifestations resides a vital strength: from God to a grain of sand, the african universe is without sewing. (Erny, 1968:19) Universe of correspondences, analogies and interaction, where man and all other beings constitute one net of forces."

It is necessary to understand that AIYE and ORUN constitute an unity, as expressions of two levels of existence, are undivided and complementaries. This unity is symbolized by IGBA-ODU, a bowl formed of two halfs where the lower part represents the AIYE and the upper one the ORUN. Inside, the "elements needed to individualized existence". It could be represented by a figure and its image reflected in the mirror there is full identity between them, one is just an inverted image of the other.

We can say in this situation that the AIYE is the image reflected from ORUN. This analogy probably explains the situation known about the ODU, that when they came from ORUN to the AIYE, they had their order inverted. That is, despite the fact that in the AIYE it is considered that EJIOGBE MEJI is the most ancient of the ODU, every Babalawo salutes OFUN MEJI, or ORANGUN MEJI as it is also known, in its royalty, saying: eepa ODU!, praising its ancientness and effective precedence.

We have so that the whole existence in the AIYE reflects a situation precedant in the ORUN. The existence in the AIYE implies in processing a "modelling" before into the ORUN, from wich portions of mattter-mass that constitutes the basis of generic existence are taken in particular fragments and will constitue the manifestation of this individualized existence in the AIYE.

This elemnts produce, by conseqüence, double existence: one present in the ORUN the other one giving vitality or formation to different parts that form individualized "reality" of life. To this particular fragments taken from the genitor mass we call IPORI and it is him, IPORI, that will determinate the ORISA that each person will cult in the AIYE, conditioning also the particular ways in the relation with life the possible list of choices that the person may do.

It is important to reinforce that ORUN doesn´t have the same meaning of heaven, as AIYE doesn´t have the same represantation of earth. ORUN - AIYE give us very different concepts than just heaven-earth, concepts that we got used with because of the sincretic conditions of ORISA religion in Brazil. To the pair heaven-earth correspond the concepts of SANMO - ILE.

REGARDING HUMAN FATE
We can realize that the understanding of the role that ORI plays in the life of each man is deeply related to the belief of predestination that the acceptance that the succes or failure of a man depends a lot on the personal fate that he brings from ORUN. This personal fate is called KADARA or IPIN and it is understood that the man receives it in the same moment that he freely chooses the ORI with wich he will come to earth.

ORI plays na important role to the followers of IFA. In it we believe that we choose our own destinies. And we make it through ORISA IJALA MOPIN. The sphere of action of IJALA is toghether with OLODUNMARE and it is him that sanctions the choices of fate that we make. This choices are registered by deities called ALUDUNDUN. A verse of IFA explains this question:

"You said that you went to take your ORI.
You knew where Afuwape took his ORI?
You could have gone there to take yours.
We took our ORI in the domains of IJALA,
This way only our fates differ."

IJALA is responsible for modelling the human head, and it is believed that ORI and the ODU regent sign of the fate that we choose, determinates our fortune or atribulations in life. IJALA, although notable in his ability, isn´t much responsible and, because of this, many times he models defective heads: he can forget to put some finishings or unnecessary details, or he can, when taking them to the oven to burn, let them for a too much long or short time. Such heads became potentialy weak, incapable of accomplishing the long journey to earth without damage. If, unfortunately, a man chooses one of this bad modelled heads, he will be destined to fail in life.

During its journey to earth, the head that hasn´t stayed enough time in the oven or stayed too much, could not resist to the effects of a strong rain and will get there even more defective. Every effort to obtain success in earthly life will have a considerable part of his effects diverted to fix such defects.

But, if the man has the luck to choose one of the really good heads, he will became prosperous and well succeeded in life, once hois head gets there untouched and his efforts results in real construction of everything he deicded to fulfill.

The hard work will bring, to the man fortunated in his choice, excelent results, since nothing of his efforts are needed to fix his head. So, to enjoy the potential success that the choice of a good ORI brings, the man shall work hardly. Those, however, that has chosen a bad ORI have few hopes of progress, even that they keep on making efforts.

Being this pressuposed, we make the questions: How to know if the choice of the own ORI was good or bad? Can a man know the potential of his own head or of the head of someone else?

The divination game of IFA gives the knowledge of the commandements of the own ORI and allows the person to know his ORISA or IRUNMALE that shall be worshipped and to know his or her EWO - prohibitions regarding the consumption of food, using of colors and moral behaviour.

Many references are made to the relations between ORI and personal fate. The fate described as IPIN ORI ORI´s fate can be divided in three parts: AKUNLEYAN, AKUNLEGBA and AYANMO.

AKUNLEYAN is the request that you made in the domains of IJALA what you would like in your period on earth: the number of years that you would like to pass on earth, the kinds of success that you hope to obtain, the kinds of relatives that you wish to have.

AKUNLEGBA are those things given to someone to help in the fulfilling of this desires. For example: a child who wishes to die in infanthood can be born in a time of epidemic to guarantee his or her death.

AYANMO is that part of our fate that cannot be changed: our genre (sex) or the family in wich we were born, for example.

Both, AKUNLEYAN and AKUNLEGBA can be modified for good purposes or bad ones, depending on the circumstances.

So the fate described as IPIN ORI ORI´s fate can suffer diversions as consequence of actions form bad people called ARAYE sons of the world, also called AIYE the world or yet, ELENINI - relentless (bitter, sadic, inexorable) enemies of people.

Between them you´ll find the AJE female witches - and the OSO male witches - the poisoners and everyone that spend time on evil practices wishing to spoil any opportunity of human success.

Sacrifice and ritual can help to improve the unfavourable conditions that can be results of such unpredictable evil works.

Every ORI, despite created good, is subject to changes. We saw that witches, bad people and the own behaviour can badly modify the ORI, being sign of this change an unfinished net of misfortune in the life of a man, despite his efforts to improve his life.

The ORI, entity partially independant, considered a deity in himself, is worshipped among other deities, receiving offerings and prayers. When ORI INU is well, the whole being is in good conditions.

As it was said, our spiritual ORI are by themselves divided in two elements: APARI-INU and ORI APERE - APARI-INU represents the caracter (nature), ORI APERE represents fate.

A person can come to earth with a wonderful fate, but if he or she cames with a bad caracter (nature), the possibility of the fulfilling of this fate is severely compromised.

The fate also can be affected by the person own personality. A good fate has to be sustained by a good caracter.

It is just like the deity: if well worshipped it gives protection. So, the human fate can be ruined by man´s action. IWA RE LAYE YII NI YOO DA O LEJO, that is, - "Your caracter, on earth, will give sentence against you".

In the ODU of OGBEOGUNDA, IFA says:

"A grinder makes three works
It grinds yam
It grinds indigo plant
It is used as a lock behind the door
It was done a divination game to Oriseku, Ori-Elemere and Afuwape
When they were about to choose their fates in the domains of IJALA MOPIN
They were told to make rituals
Only Afuwape done the rituals requested
He, consequently, became much fortunated
The others lamented, they said that if they were where Afuwape would choose his ORI,
they would have gone there to choose theirs. Afuwape answered that, despite their ORI
being chosen in the same place, their fates would differ."

The question presented is that only Afuwape has shown good caracter. Respecting his belief and doing his sacrifices, he brought the potential blessings of his fate to effective fulfillment. His friends Oriseku and Ori-Elemere had failed in showing good caracter in refusing to make their rituals and, because of that, their lives suffered the consequences.

The name IPIN is equally associated with ORUNMILA, known as ELERI-IPIN - the Lord of Fate and that is the one present in the moment of creation, knowing all the ORI, helping men in the fulfillment of their fate, in everyone´s goals in the coming to the AIYE, in the particular program of the development of each human being and his or her actions to fulfill this program.
ORUNMILA knows all human fates and looks for helping men to walk their true paths. We have, so, one of the most important roles of IFA related to men, besides being the interpreter of the realtion between the ORISA and men, is to be the mediator between each person and his or her ORI, between each man and the will of his ORI. Only as registration, it is needed to understand that ORUNMILA has the same role in the relation with the ORISA, being the mediator between each one and his or her ORI. And ORUNMILA himself consults with IFA!
In the moments of crisis, the consulting with the oracle of IFA allows access to the instructions regarding the desirable proceedings, being considered good proceedings the ones that don´t disagree with ORI´s purposes.

The one that fulfills completely the IPIN-ORI (ORI´s fate), get mature to death and, receiving the proper funeral rites, reaches the condition of ancestor while passing from the AIYE to the ORUN.There is the belief in the existence of two areas occupied by spirits of the dead: ORUN RERE the "good heaven", inhabited by deities and ancestors, and ORUN APAADI the "heaven of many unhappiness", inhabited by the unhappy that suffered bad luck and by the evil people, judged by the Supreme Being, according to their caracter. These last ones keep damned to loneliness and oblivion, without the right of memory or appearance in dreams and visions they die completely.

ORUN RERE, in the other hand, is full of pleasure and serenity, where the spirits are organized in a community made of parents and friends. They can also remain toghether with their relatives and interfere in their daily activities, being permitted to them to reincarnate in some child born in the familiar ambient.

Regarding the ORI, we have to remember that he is a personal deity, the most interested one in the well being of his devotee. If the ORI of a man doesn´t sympathize with his cause, that thing that he desires cannot be given nor even by OLODUNMARE, nor even by the ORISA.
In the same manner if the caracter of someone is bad, his choice of fate cannot became reality. If our situation is really of bad fate, and it is not the consequence of our caracter or behaviour, so our ORI-APERE needs to be calmed down.

Offerings prescribed or rituals should be done to bring us back a healthy alignment.

It is considered vital to every man to come to IFA, a divination system to consult with ORUNMILA, from time to time to know what pleases and what displeases the ORI. While mediator between the person and the deities (between them the own ORI ) , IFA doesn´t only informs the divine wishes but also conducts the offered sacrifices to the deities for them to play their role: help the ORI to conduct people in fulfilling their own fate.

If the things are going wrong in your life, before pointing an accuser finger to the witches, spells or friends, examinate your nature. If you have the habit to ill-treat people or not to consider their feelings, don´t look for any happiness or luck in your life, doesn´t matter how well succeeded you may be in your material life. If, on the other hand, you help the others and give happiness to them, your life will be full, not only of richness but also of joy and happiness. However, remember, it is definitely easier to change your fate than change your nature.

"For everywhere ORI may be prosperous, let me be included,
For everywhere ORI may be fertile, let me be included,
For everywhere ORI may have all good things in life, let me be included.
ORI, put me in a good situation in life,
That my feet lead me to where the things are favourable to me.
To where IFA is taking me I never know
It was palyed to Assore in the beginning of his life.
If there is any condition better than the one I am in the present,
That my ORI cannot fail in putting me into it.
My ORI, help me!
My ORI, make me prosperous!
ORI is the protector of men before the deities."

BORI (BO ORI)
BORI is the ritual of "giving food" or feeding the ORI (bo ORI). Must be always preceded of a divination game that defines its necessity, and at the same time, give directions to the priest concerning the particular proceedings for the case, the ingredients to be used in that situation and the proper directions to be given to that necessity.

So, a BORI can be done only with one or two obi and water or with a whole joint of food and praising of symbol-objects specially made sacred to that occasion.

It is important to understand that always that you praise any kind of food in the ORI of someone you are making the feeding of that ORI. The BORI can made itself necessary in the following situations:

• as a process of relinking the ORI with its double in the ORUN,
• as an answer to conditions of "stress" or weakening of the psychological structures of the person resultant from particular situations of life,
• as proper ritual to supplement an ebo,
• as proper ritual of initiation processes,
• as answer to a spiritual necessity resultant from a spell or fate,
• as indication of an Odu (IFA), through the interpretation of the conditions related to the mythical character that presents itself in an Itan correspondant to the Odu.

It can be stablished, in almost all situations, a basic ritual to be followed, not meaning that the priest or priestess should understand this basic ritual as limitating of his or her action or formula to be followed in all cases and situations.

It is important to remember always that the using and combination of the elements should count the exciting properties (gun) or calming ones (ero) of each element that is being used.

LUIZ CARLOS TEIXEIRA DE OLIVEIRA ORI'NU OGUNSINA - The author is Economist and Babalorixá. He is founder and current vice-president of IOC - ORUNMILA Institute of Culture. He is also vice-president of FITACO - International Federation of the African and Learned Tradition to ORISÁ.

Reprinted with kind permission of the author. Please visit Ile Ase Marabo website for more articles and information.

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