Irete Ka

Also called Irete Iká, Irete Kaba

nº 222 of 256 · Edited by Ricco Ledesma

The struggle of the water and the sand, where Olokun with a rogation reached the shore: arm yourself with thorns, because a soft heart is what finishes you.

19 patakíes 7 eewó 8 ebbós and works 16 proverbs

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Irete Ka is Odù number 222 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Irete family. It is also written as Irete Iká or Irete Kaba. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 19 patakíes (3 in full in plain sight, with their teaching, ebbó and chants), its proverbs, 8 ebbós and works and the signs it shows in the consultation — with the full eewó in plain sight; the rest of the iré and osogbo and the full recipes open with The Notebook, in English.

The sign at a glance

Order in Ifá: Odù 222 of 256
Composition: Irete over Ika
Orishas that speak: Olokun · Elegbá · Eshu · Ogún · Yemayá · Shangó · Obatalá · Osain · Azojuano (San Lázaro)

What Ifá says in this sign

Irete Ka, also known as Irete Iká, is born from the quarrel between the sea and the sand. Here Olokun, stopped by a wall of reefs, worked without pause with the tools Orunmila told him to use until he turned the rock into sand and reached the shore once more. Also born here are the fig tree, the art of meditation and the promise that Ifá never leaves the awó who fulfills his duty without work. Its ruling is one of perseverance: no obstacle is so hard that it will not give way to daily effort and an ebbó done in time.

You will be called from many places to work, you will win the disputes of everyday life and you may inherit a house or a piece of land. But nothing comes to you without sweat: rising in position will cost you, as it did the king of Benin, who had to climb a palm tree to govern without stumbling. Manage money well. If you find something in the sea that catches your attention, place it behind the door, for that is where luck comes in.

«With a soft heart they finish you: Irete Ká arms itself with thorns like the pendejera, and the sea brings luck to its door.»The pulse of Irete Ka

Your worst enemy is your own temper. You are very stubborn, and much of what happens to you is your own fault. In this sign a farmer rudely refused Elegba a rooster, lost his harvest and, blind with rage, finished destroying his farm with the machete and wounded his foot. Never refuse Elegba what he asks of you, and do not let anger put a weapon in your hand. Watch your tongue, for here gossip brings everything down.

In love and in friendship, be reserved. A heart that is too soft is your downfall: the plant of this sign was sweet and everyone mistreated it, until Ifá made it bitter and full of thorns and its young were kept safe. Do not tell your partner all your secrets, do not be anyone's confidant and watch the intrigues around your relationships, because you may be accused of raping young girls, and for that reason you must watch your conduct and your company. There are always eyes on you. Your children bring you sadness, because you cannot raise them as you would like.

In health, the sign is delicate: take care of your heart, your breathing (the sign speaks of asthma and tuberculosis), your stomach, your gallbladder, your kidneys and your nerves, and be careful of accidents to your arms and legs. Stay away from drink, which is your failure, and from obesity; boil the water you drink and respect rivers, beaches and swimming pools. Keep your home clean: bad smells, which the sign attributes to the houses of the monkey, the black man and the hutia, bring disputes and illness. A woman should take great care of her pregnancy. A very old Egun can cling to you and make you overeat: tend to him. With perseverance, discretion and faith, you reach the shore just as the sea did.

The sign in one line

Do not gossip, do not trust all your secrets to anyone and keep your house spotless, for Irete Ká never lacks work and wins disputes with faith.

The prayer of Irete Ka · Yoruba

IRETE KA IFA MAFO WUORO OMA NI TEKA ADIFAFUN ILA ATEKA LODAFUN UN ONIRE IFA LORUGBO MAFEREFUN YALORDE, OBATALA ATI ESHU, KAFEREFUN OLOKUN.

Ifá says — what Irete Ka tells you

Gossip leads to everything being ruined.
The misuse of bladed weapons must stop; it comes from bad temper, anger and violence without thought, like the farmer who ruined his own farm.
Disputes arise over houses or properties; here the inheritance of homes speaks.
One must work hard to overcome obstacles and do the impossible to rise in rank, like the King of Benin climbing the palm tree.
She does not raise her children: your mother did not raise you and you were taken in at another house.
You should not tell your partner all your secrets; you must be wary, like the old monkey with the jutía.
You must arm yourself with thorns, because those with a soft heart are destroyed, like the pendejera.
Avoid being a confidant: it could cost you your life, as happened to Obatalá, who was gagged.
Drinking alcohol leads to failure: it is wise to guard against obesity, not to consume alcoholic beverages, and to boil drinking water.
Be careful in rivers, beaches and swimming pools.
Problems in farming because of carelessness.
The very old Egun brings on arrhythmia, breathing difficulties and weak legs; the person eats a great deal because the old Egun eats together with her.
You could be falsely accused of serious offenses against women; be alert to the scheming behavior of people close to your intimate life.
Danger of miscarriage for the mother, and of dying in childbirth; there is suffering of the nerves: take passionflower.
He keeps weapons because of a tangled matter he has on his hands; 7 sticks from good timber trees must be placed on them and baths taken with 7 leaves.
Of bringing home something found in the sea, such as a stone or another object of religious value, and placing it behind the door: that is how luck will come to you.
Of bathing in the sea for three consecutive days.
About using Castile soap on the head and then baths with siguaraya, collecting the water to throw it into the sea.
About managing your finances well.
Of treating elders with deference and recognizing their authority.
Of repairing and maintaining your home and furniture, and following the rules of cleanliness: the monkey’s house smells bad, the black man’s house smells bad and the jutía’s house smells bad.
Illnesses of the Odù: bronchial asthma, tuberculosis, stomach ulcers, gallbladder problems, surgical operations, accidents affecting the arms or legs, blood infection, kidney diseases, miscarriages, and also of the heart and breathing (arrhythmias).
Herbs of the Odù: pendejera and fig tree.

Proverbs of Irete Ka · Òwe

“Not everyone knows how to play the game of guacalote.”
“Believe in God, but keep your power safe.”
“The river that rises fast does so with dirty water.”
“It is a great vice of man to betray the one who trusts in him.”
“Whoever makes himself honey, the ants eat him.”
“One hangs himself with his own rope.”
“The one who can do the least always speaks.”
“As the bird, so is the nest.”
“Oil and vinegar do not dissolve into each other even when mixed.”
“Such a pretty cage and such an ugly bird.”
“I give you a finger and you take the whole hand.”
“Take the frying pan by the handle.”
“Whoever gives what does not belong to him seems generous.”
“One rotten potato rots the whole sack.”
“The birds are shooting at the shotgun.”
“Where you least expect it, a hare jumps out.”

13 proverb interpretations in this Odù, locked.Every proverb explained: which road it comes from and how it applies.Unlock →

Iré and Osogbo

Three iré and three osogbo of this sign, open to everyone.

Iré · what the sign brings

What he finds when he bathes in the sea is his luck, and placed behind the door it brings him fortune.
He comes out the winner in everyday quarrels, and work does not fail him if he offers sacrifices and keeps his faith.
Ifá always guarantees work for the awó: he is called from everywhere to work, and he reaches prominence and success.

Osogbo · what the sign warns

He has children he cannot raise well, and that saddens him.
As a child he was not raised by his mother but by another person.
He is very stubborn, and much of what happens to him is his own fault.

34 more iré and osogbo readings in this Odù, locked.The rest of the iré and osogbo of the sign, sorted by subject — health, money, love, death, loss…Unlock →

What is born in Irete Ka · Ìbí

The fig tree.
The art of meditation among men.
From the very old Egun who saw the stones turn into sand.
That the okra plant does not grow taller than whoever plants it.
It speaks of angry compadres.
The struggle of water against sand.
The sea, with the offering, destroyed the mass of reefs that oppressed it and was able to reach the shore.
The removal of the kneecap.
The violent farmer wounded his foot with his own machete.
Receiving Olokun.
Doing 3 Oparaldos in a single day: at 7 in the morning, at noon and at 7 at night.
Making a resguardo with a bat.
It is also used for eye problems.
Why Oká, the majá, dominates the jutía conga.
The old monkey, faced with her ingratitude, gave her the advice that ruined her: to stare at the majá.
That Ifá always guarantees the Awó his work.
That the pendejera, who was sweet, turned bitter and grew thorns.
He grew stronger with the ebbó of Orunmila: "I am safe, and my children too!"

What is forbidden · Eewó

The full eewó of this Odù, open to everyone — with the road each ban came out of.

Eggplant is not eaten.
Do not eat fish (in this reading).
Do not kill mice.
Do not meddle everywhere.
Do not refuse what they ask of you, especially when it is a boy who asks.
The one who denied the quimbombó and the rooster to Elegbá lost his harvest.
Do not be a confidant and do not talk too much.
It can cost you your life; Obatalá was gagged for knowing a lot.
Do not drink.
Drinking is failure.

Ebbós of Irete Ka · The sacrifices that open the road

MoneyEbbó for iré🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesEbbó of the farmer🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesEbbó of the snake and the jutía (receiving Osain)🔒 The Notebook HealthEbbó of the pendejera🔒 The Notebook

4 ebbós in this Odù, locked.Each full recipe: ingredients, preparation and where it goes.Unlock →

Works of Irete Ka · The workings of the sign

LossThe rogation of the tools (Olokun)🔒 The Notebook SpiritualThe three Oparaldos on the same day🔒 The Notebook HealthResguardo of bat (for the eyes)🔒 The Notebook HealthCastile soap and siguaraya🔒 The Notebook

4 works in this Odù, locked.Each full recipe: ingredients, preparation and where it goes.Unlock →

Patakíes of Irete Ka · The roads of the Odù

1The seller who refused okra to Elegba

A man grew okra. A boy came and asked him for three pods; the man said no. The boy lowered the request to two and got another refusal. In the end he asked for only one, and they did not give it either.

He left without arguing. That boy, however, was Eshu; three days later the crop was found destroyed. The owner went to his field and found nothing standing. He went at once to see Orunmila. When this sign came out, the diviner questioned him about any request he might have turned down. The man admitted it: a boy had asked for okra and he had refused.

The awó had the boy brought, and it was Eshu. As soon as he saw him, the man exclaimed: “It is him!” Then the awó explained that he was obliged to give him okra, since that young man was Elegba; the remaining okra had to serve for an ebbó.

What it teaches

Whoever refuses a simple request does not know to whom he is saying no. Repairing the fault requires giving what was refused and performing an ebbó with what is left of the field.

Work ordered by the awó

Give okra to the boy, who is Elegba, and perform an ebbó with the rest.

This path keeps 1 awó secret in the complete treatise.🔒 The Notebook

2The farmer who refused Elegba a rooster

Elegba once came to a farmer of terrible temper to ask him for a rooster. The farmer refused rudely, saying that his possessions were his own and he did with them what he pleased.

Elegba told Ogún, and the two of them, in agreement, spoiled the man’s crops.

Seeing the disaster, the farmer lost his head from rage and despair. He grabbed his machete and he himself finished laying waste to his farm. In such fury, he seriously wounded one foot.

What it teaches

Refusing with arrogance what is asked, without thinking of the consequences, brings losses, and the rage that follows makes the harm to oneself worse. Whoever cannot give or control himself ends up destroying what he had.

What this path announces

Here is the origin of the operation to remove the kneecap. It also points to ailments of the breathing and of the heart.

This path keeps 1 awó secret in the complete treatise.🔒 The Notebook

3Eshu and Ogún trick the farmer, who destroys everything

Eshu asked a farmer for a rooster, and the farmer refused with bad manners. Elegba then ran into Ogún and told him about the slight. Together the two made a plan to make a fool of the farmer, and they went to see him.

They told him a lie: that by the King’s command he had to hand over his lands and everything they yielded. The man listened, did not stop to reflect, and wiped out everything himself; to make matters worse, he hurt his foot.

What it teaches

Anger and haste make deception easy. Whoever acts without examining what he is told ends up doing the harm to himself with his own hands; thinking first prevents it.

Main ebbó

What is taken to the manigua (the wild bush), a trap, a rooster or young cockerel for Elegba, and a basket with fresh water, coconut and fruits.

4The houses that stink🔒 The Notebook 5The sea that turned the reefs into sand🔒 The Notebook 6The old Egun who attached himself to Irete Ká🔒 The Notebook 7Yemayá let down by her son🔒 The Notebook 8When the snake ate the conga jutía🔒 The Notebook 9The pendejera turned bitter🔒 The Notebook 10The turtle that spied on Shangó's offering🔒 The Notebook 11Obatalá gagged🔒 The Notebook 12Ifá always guarantees the Awó his work🔒 The Notebook 13The King of Benin climbs the palm🔒 The Notebook 14The cycles of destiny🔒 The Notebook 15The man and the ayapa🔒 The Notebook 16The virtues🔒 The Notebook 17The lion and the hare🔒 The Notebook 18Osain teaches Ogún to heal🔒 The Notebook 19The pair of ajapa🔒 The Notebook

16 more patakíes in this Odù, locked.Read every road in full with The Notebook.Unlock →

The full treatise is in English. With The Notebook, the whole sign opens on this page in English: the full text of every patakí, the recipes for the ebbós and works, and the iré and osogbo readings. · This page is also available in Spanish: See Irete Ka in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Irete Ka

What does the Odù Irete Ka mean in Ifá?

The struggle of the water and the sand, where Olokun with a rogation reached the shore: arm yourself with thorns, because a soft heart is what finishes you.

What number is Irete Ka among the 256 Odù of Ifá?

Irete Ka is Odù number 222 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Irete family.

Which orishas speak in Irete Ka?

In the Odù Irete Ka these orishas speak: Olokun, Elegbá · Eshu, Ogún, Yemayá, Shangó, Obatalá, Osain, Azojuano (San Lázaro).

What is a proverb of the Odù Irete Ka?

One of the proverbs of Irete Ka says: «Not everyone knows how to play the game of guacalote.».

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