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

ORUNMILA TAKES  

 A CROWN    

ODU STUDY

GUIDESchool o f Orisa Studies

05OturaElej i

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

https://www.facebook.com/groups/orisalifestylehttp://orisalifestyle.com/

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 was sent to Oyo kingdom to

upgrade his practice . At the same

time , the King of Oyo lost his dog .

Upon arrival , Orunmila was falsely

accused to taking the dog and was

sentenced to death . At the last

moment , Esu released the king 's dog ,

revealing the king 's hasty mistake . The

king tries desperately to compensate

Orunmila . But each offer only makes

matters worse for the kingdom .

Eventually , he awards Orunmila half of

the kingdom . Finally , Orunmila takes

the crown and balance is restored .

MA I N T H E M E S

Continue to upgrade your life

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

Decision making implies errors

Improvement

Risk taking

False accusation

Give thanks and count yourblessings

Demand compensation forwrongdoing or injustice

Gratitude

Compensation

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: What does compensation mean

to you? What comes to mind when you think

of compensation? Do you believe

compensation is necessary?

List everything in your Odu Studies Journal.

C O M P E N S A T I O NEXPERIENCE: Recall a specific

time when you were compensated

fairly or unfairly. How did you feel

about the situation and the people

involved? Maybe it was in your

relationship, at work or in your

family. How did the experience

shape your values or perception?

TIP: It could involve money or any

other medium of exchange.

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

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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 Esu make the dog disappear and then reappear?

Why did the king respond with such haste?

Do you think that Orunmila was fairly compensated?

QUESTION:

Record your responses in your Odu Studies Journal

Alaafin - King of Oyo

Oyo - Yoruba Kingdom

Ade - Crown

VOCABULARY

Awo - Priest

Aafin - Palace

Ilu - Kingdom

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

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., Crown, King, Dog, 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 dog represents LOYALTY and the Alaafin represents

POWER, explore the relationships between LOYALTY and POWER.

School of Orisa Studies Odu Study Guide

EXERCISE 3

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 birds arm is just a bit bigger that its thigh

Cast Ifa for Ori, the offspring of Atete-niran

Offspring of the one who quickly supports someone in the presence of Oosa

The wealth I have today

It is the work of my Ori

It is Otura-Oriko

Spouse, children and all the good things of life that have today

It is the efforts of my Ori

Thanks to Otura-Oriko

- Holy Odu OturaOgbe

Recite it 8 times a day for 16 days

Pray for the gift of support from your destiny

Memorize this verse

White candle

Red candle

MATERIALS

1.

2.

School of Orisa Studies Odu Study Guide

EXERCISE 5 Do this ritual first thing in the morning

When you awaken, touch your head to the floor

and give thanks to Olodumare for your destiny.

Recite: To wake up early in the morning/And give

destiny its due/This was Ifa's message to the

person who will meet with luck/It is I who give

destiny its due upon awakening in the

morning/Therefore, it is I who will meet with luck

on earth today and tomorrow/It is I who give

destiny its due upon awakening in the

morning/Therefore, it is I who will meet with luck

on earth today and tomorrow/It is I who give

destiny its due upon awakening in the

morning/Therefore, it is I who will meet with luck

on earth today and tomorrow

RITUAL:

Write this ritual in your Odu Studies Journal

1.

2.

3.

You can also keep

fresh water beside

your bed to drink

after reciting the

prayers

TIP

School of Orisa Studies Odu Study Guide

EXERCISE 6

Peel bananas and eggs

Place them neatly onto white plate

Pour honey onto materials

Recite: Iré ija mo njá/Cast divination for Alaba owó

(hut full of money)/the son of Òsun gbedu/When

she was crying because of money/She was asked

to make sacrifice/She complied/Òsun pèlé, Òsun

you dig holes to keep the money

Place contents with Orisa Aje or take to orita meta

MEDICINE FOR PROSPERITY

Write this medicine in your Odu Studies Journal

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

8 Small bananas

8 Boiled eggs

Honey

Palm wine

Ekuru funfun

White plate

Orisa Aje

MATERIALS

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

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