IFA VERSES & STORIES YORUBA VOCABULARY ARTISTIC & CREATIVE ACTIVITES PRACTICAL APPLICATION FOLLOW UP EXERCISES

ORUNMILA'S FOUR

BLESSINGS

ODU STUDY

GUIDE

SCHOOL OF ORISA STUDIES

04Ej iOgbe

The Odu Study Guide is designed to help you follow up on

your  interest in learning the sacred texts of Ifa. You don't

have to be a babalawo to enjoy Orunmila's wisdom. All you

need is to get familiar with some of the stories and their

symbolism.

ALWAYS refer to the Odu Study Guide and complete the

activities before you listen to the story. It is filled with

activities and best practices for planning your study.

The activities are not done until you complete the FOLLOW

UP exercises. This is where you will make the connections

with others and the study becomes meaningful.

SIX LEVELS OF TRAINING

School o f Orisa Studies

Salt of the Earth: Reflection & vocabulary building

Copper: Visual & creative expression

Brass: Psychological, social & cultural implementation

Silver: Prayers & spiritual exercises

Gold: Affiliated orisa, rituals & offerings

Amethyst: Medicines, charms and preparations

For each main lesson, there is a particular set of educational

exercises. These exercises correspond to the various

CLASSES within the School of Orisa Studies:

Get trained before you get initiated... Obafemi Origunwa, MA

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDEorisa l i fes ty le .com

School o f Orisa Studies

JOURNALS

Having a special Odu

Studies Journal is a

perfect place for you

to accumulate

drawings, ideas and

questions. I suggest

you start an exclusive

Odu Studies journal

and fill it with your

learnings.

FOLLOW

UP

Once you have

completed the

exercises and

activities, share your

experiences with the

community. See the

back page for

sharing instructions.

O R I S A L I F E S T Y L E . C O M

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE

Pre Activities

Odu Main Lesson

Class-Specific Exercises

Salt of the Earth

Copper

Brass

Silver

Gold

Amethyst

1.

2.

3.

4. Follow up Activities

.

There are six classes within the School of Orisa Studies, each with its own

focus. When you enroll in the Amethyst Class, you have access to ALL

educational resources within the School of Orisa Studies. As you move from

Amethyst to Salt of the Earth, you have less access.

All participants will be able to complete at least FOUR learning objectives

associated with the Odu Study Guide:

02

BEFORE YOU STARTRead the Story Summary and Main Themes for an overview of the

most important ideas . You may discover others as well .

s t o ry s u m m a ryOrunmila went to consult I fa was told

to appease Esu with one rat and 160

cowries and to stay home for seven

days . Orunmila stayed home but

refused to appease Esu , in spite of his

wife 's insistence . Every day , Esu went

to Orunmila 's house to demand the

offering , only to be denied .

Unbeknownst to Orunmila , FOUR

blessings were looking for him . Every

day , Esu changed form and told the

blessings Orunmila was away from

home . Finally , on the 6th day ,

Osunfunleyo convinced Orunmila to

appease Esu .

MA I N T H E M E S

Follow instructions fully

Be open to good advice

Be still to receive blessings

Adherence

Teachability

Withdrawal

Be willing to ask more than once

What you seek is also seeking you

You will not keep all that you get

Tenacity

Belonging

Acceptance

Complete this activity

before listening to the

Main Lesson.

This activity is designed

to build curiosity and

familiarize you with the

symbols and characters

in the story. It will also

enable you to use what

you already know in order

to learn more about the

wisdom of this particular

verse of Ifa.

I N T R O D U C T I O N

DEFINITION: Adherence is following

directions fully. What is your first response to

obeying instructions? How do feel about

being directed? On a scale of 1 - 10, how

comfortable are you with adherence? Under

which circumstances are you most likely to

adhere to rules? When are you most likely to

disober instructions?

List everything in your Odu Studies Journal.

A D H E R E N C EEXPERIENCE: Recall a specific

time when you refused to follow

directions that would help you

accomplish something you

wanted to accomplish. Maybe it

was in a romantic relationship or

an athletic team or in your

spiritual practice. How did you

manage the experience?

TIP: It could be a positive or

negative experience.

S C H O O L O F O R I S A S T U D I E S

OR I S A L I F E S T Y L E . COM

L I S T E N T O

T H E S T O R Y

S C H O O L O F O R I S A S T U D I E S

OR I S A L I F E S T Y L E . COM

EXERCISESSchool of Orisa Studies

Odu Study Guide

orisali festyle .com

School of Orisa Studies Odu Study Guide

EXERCISE 1

If you had to pick out one message to be learned from this verse,

what would it be?

Why did Orunmila refuse to appease Esu?

Do you agree with Esu's response to Orunmila's refusal?

What do you think Enini, the dew represents?

QUESTION:

Record your responses in your Odu Studies Journal

Aje - wealth

Okun - beads

Omidan - lovely lady

VOCABULARY

Enini - dew

Agbonniregun - alias of Orunmila

Esu - divine messenger

School of Orisa Studies Odu Study Guide

EXERCISE 2

Recall the way the story unfolded. If it were a movie or a play, how

many major parts or scenes were there? Now, recall the most

memorable portion of the story. What happened? Who were the

characters? 

Draw a detailed picture of the most memorable scene.

QUESTION:

Make entries in your Odu Studies Journal

1.

2.

Use pencil first

Take your time

Focus on visualizing the scene, not on realism

TIPS

School of Orisa Studies Odu Study Guide

EXERCISE 3

Divide the story into four parts as follows:

Setting: Where does the story start?

Development: What happened to create uncertainty?

Culmination: What happened to shift the dynamics?

Solution: How did the story resolve?

QUESTION:

Record responses in your Odu Studies Journal

1.

a.

b.

c.

d.

2. List the major symbols in each part of the story (e.g., Iku, Eggs, Earth, etc)

3. What does each symbol represent to you, personally?

4. Review the ways in which the various symbols interact in each part.

If, for example, the eggs represent LIFE and Obatala represents

ARTISTRY, explore the relationships between LIFE and ARTISTRY.

Do not use outside resources when assigning meaning to the symbols

Try mapping the story on paper to show relationships in each part

TIPS

School of Orisa Studies Odu Study Guide

EXERCISE 4QUESTION:

Transcribe this verse in your Odu Studies Journal

The fire burns and burns And goes to the sea shore to rest

The sun shines and shines And goes to the riverbank to set

The breeze sweeps the plane and forestAnd returns to the ocean to recess

These were Ifa's declarations to Aje, wealth The offspring of Ibini, Edo Kingdom

And to Okun, beads The offspring of Irada

And to Omidan, the lovely damsel The offspring of Ikopa

When they were going to reside in the home of Orunmila, My father,

Agbonniregun

They are advised to sacrifice

- Holy Odu OgbeOgunda

Recite it 8 times a day for 16 days

Pray for the capacity to work collaboratively and create win/win outcomes

Memorize this verse

School of Orisa Studies Odu Study Guide

EXERCISE 5

Do this ritual first thing in the morning

Pour honey onto a white porcelain plate

Mark OgbeOgunda onto the honey

Recite: An uncontrolled temper creates nothing

good for anybody/Patience is the father of

character/The elder who has patience has all good

things/Like someone tasting honey

Pray, Ifa, let my life be as sweet as honey. Ase!

Breathe 3X over the plate

Lick the honey

RITUAL:

Write this ritual in your Odu Studies Journal

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Only pour a dallop of honey, the sixe of a quarter

TIP

Water

EjiOgbe

MATERIALS

1.

2.

School of Orisa Studies Odu Study Guide

EXERCISE 6

Spread osun on your left palm

Mark Ejiogbe on the camwood

Stand on your left leg

Recite the incantation below

Lick the camwood

Blow the remainder into the wind

BLACK SOAP FOR GOOD FORTUNE:

Write this ritual in your Odu Studies Journal

Complete on Saturdays/Thursdays

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Recitation: No leg of mine will lead me to death/No

leg of mine will lead me to sickness/With one leg at a

time, I stepped into the world/I become prosperous/I

become fulfilled/Ifa was cast for the offspring of River

Eri/When coming into the world/So, with each step, I

(........................), follow the same path/I become

prosperous/I become fulfilled/I become rooted in

multiples

Osun (camwood)

EjiOgbe

MATERIALS

1.

2.

FOLLOW UPO P E N I N G T H E S T OM A C H

The sacred text of Ifa is filled with

wisdom that facilitates mental,

emotional and spiritual healing.

Traditionally, once the babalawo has

shared the messages of Ifa, he will

say, "Ifa has opened his stomach for

you. Now, it is time for you to open

your stomach to Ifa.

"Opening one's stomach" is what

African American Christians call

testifying. It is when you share how

the message resonates with you and

speaks to your condition.

Opening your stomach is an integral

part of the healing process.

What does this story mean to you?

Why do you believe this story

revealed itself to you at this

particular time?

If there was one lesson you

learned from this story, what

would it be?

What is one thing you can do

immediately in response to this

lesson?

INSTRUCTIONS

Make a 3-5 minute video response to

the following questions:

Share the responses at:

facebook.com/groups/OrisaStudies