Odù 216 of 256 · Irete family

Irete Lazo

Where Osun, Orunmila's staff, stands witness to the Itá facing the board: this Odù is called edí — the one who does not see what is in front of him.

Irete Lazo is Odù number 216 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Irete family. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 20 patakíes (3 with the full text), its proverbs, 13 ebbós and works and the signs it shows in the consultation; the detail of iré and osogbo, the eewó and the full recipes open with the Babalawo plan — that locked part is still written in Spanish.

The sign at a glance

Order in Ifá: Odù 216 of 256
Composition: Irete over Iroso
Orishas that speak: Osun · Orunmila · Shangó · Azojuano · Ogún · Elegbá · Eshu · Olofin · Agayú · Oshún

What Ifá says in this sign

Irete Lazo is the Odù where Osun is Orunmila's staff: here it was born that he is set facing the board to stand witness to the Itá, along with his dance and the scoring of Osayin — and here the totem, statues and religious images were born. Its nickname says it all: edí — the one who does not see what is in front of him — you have things right before you and you do not value them.

Osun is your sacred alarm: he is the Santo who warns and takes the bad off the road — when Osun falls, he announces misfortune. That is why the Awó of this odu makes osode every day and sets Osun beside Orunmila: in a sign where you do not see what is in front of you, the one who warns is worth a kingdom.

«They call him edí: the one who does not see what is in front of him — that is why Osun, the one who warns, is the staff of Irete Lazo.»The pulse of Irete Lazo

Its dangers are of fire and of iron: you live surrounded by fire — they work witchcraft on your house, fire included: your house is hot — and there are traps in the places you are invited to. The most serious of all: you can kill someone by accident — games with firearms and blades are forbidden, since here you wound people even in the back without meaning to.

Your heart has a wound already announced: like Awó Obá Tele, you can die of grief from being let down by those around you — and Eshu is after you for not keeping your word: keep it, because you can also die without having settled your accounts. Join with your family, behave well toward your parents, and be careful of whoever you offer your home to.

Its remedies are set out: the work for Elegbá at the foot of the drainpipe for the legs, the guinea fowl with an omiero of sage for the brain, baths of sage and a new towel for the disturbances, and the scoring with a prenda of Osayin. The promise is one of command: a child of this Odù will have authority in the world — if he learns to see what is in front of him.

The sign in one line

Be read every day with Osun at your side, do not play with weapons and keep your word — the child of Irete Lazo will have authority in the world if he opens his eyes.

The prayer of Irete Lazo · Yoruba

BOGBO TIRORO TOLA OTU IFA PORI OLOFIN KOMASHE.

Ifá says — what Irete Lazo tells you

The Ifá of Osun: he is the Santo who warns and takes everything bad off the road; when Osun falls, he announces misfortune. An Ifá of traps: there can be traps in the places you are invited to, fire included. The Ifá of edí: you have things in front of you and you do not see them; you do not value the information right before you. An Ifá of a life alongside the coming of fire: you live surrounded by fire, and a child of this Odù will have authority in the world.
You, or the Awó, can kill someone by accident: games with weapons, firearms and blades are forbidden; you can wound or kill someone in the back by accident.
A danger hangs over both the Awó and whoever is being read.
It marks trouble in the legs: it is settled with the work for Elegbá at the foot of a drainpipe, with a young rooster from the knees down.
You are ill in the brain, or you will be: a guinea fowl is given, washing the head first with an omiero of sage.
They work witchcraft on your house, fire included: your house is very hot.
You die of grief from being let down by those around you, like Awó Obá Tele.
You can die without your accounts being settled: the body did not rot because his accounts were not settled.
Eshu is after you for not keeping your word.
This Odù orders the family to be united and you to behave well toward your parents.
It speaks of obstacles and of not seeing things: you should push yourself, make an effort and rise to new things in order to grow.
Whoever has this Odù should have authority in the world.
The person has to be scored with a prenda of Osayin.
Be careful of whoever you offer your home to.
The Awó of this Odù carries a boat of ácana wood inside his great hand of Ifá.
About the work for osobo: the dove to Osun with the lit charcoal on top, taken straight out to the yard, with honey, cool water and iyefá; with Osun the floor is lifted and cleaned, and the roasted dove is thrown out into the scrub after three days.
About making osode every day and setting Osun beside Orunmila.
About bathing with sage and using a new towel, for the disturbances.
If you are a woman, you should live with an Awó.
The herbs of this Odù: sage (for headache, colds and hoarseness), moruro, hierba bruja and peony.

Proverbs of Irete Lazo · Òwe

“Osun spins, but he lands on his feet.”
“Have a mass said for the Egun of the four winds.”
“The body did not rot, because his accounts were not settled.”
“He has things in front of him and does not see them.”
“He is in the town and does not see the houses.”
“The prudent man sees the danger and avoids it, but the reckless one suffers for his blindness.”
“A stranger is asked for guarantees before he is given credit.”
“Whoever lives on his dreams is woken by reality.”
“Whoever lives on lies is killed by his own truth.”
“A greeting shouted at a friend is more insult than greeting.”
“Whoever does not know where he came from does not know his future.”
“Whoever looks the most sees the least.”
“Whoever thinks before he acts does not regret his own acts.”
“There is no surer sword in battle than knowledge.”
“Memory is to a man what gills are to a fish.”
“Quarrelsome company bothers you more than a steady drip on the forehead.”
“Tropicbird on land, storm at sea.”

17 proverb interpretations in this Odù, locked.Every proverb explained: which road it comes from and how it applies. Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

Iré and Osogbo

8 iré and osogbo readings in this Odù, locked.The iré and osogbo of the sign, sorted by subject — health, money, love, death, loss… Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

What is born in Irete Lazo · Ìbí

Setting Osun facing the board, so he stands witness to the Itá in this Odù.
The dance of Osun.
The scoring of Osayin.
Osayin's charcoal, seven flies, corojo butter and iyefá are mixed; three upward cuts are made with a piece of glass on each shoulder blade, praying the Meyi, the Awó's sign and Irete Lazo, and the mixture is rubbed in there.
That Osun is Orunmila's staff.
Osun warned of the fire and of the enemies' cave under Orunmila's house.
The totem, statues and religious images.
From the good King whose uncorrupted body the people worshipped: making statues for the martyrs is born here.
That when Azojuano is given food, Shangó has to be given food too.
That this sign is undone with sage and a guinea fowl.
That Orunmila uncovered the fire.
That the dead were set on the branch of the carob tree (tele).
That Agayú became a Deity.

What is forbidden · Eewó

5 eewó (taboos) in this Odù, locked.What the child of this sign must not eat, do or wear. Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

Ebbós of Irete Lazo · The sacrifices that open the road

Vencer enemigosEbbó of the trap🔒 Babalawo

EspiritualEbbó of Osun's staff🔒 Babalawo

Alejar la muerteEbbó of Olofin (foreseeing the trouble)🔒 Babalawo

DineroEbbó of Teteregun🔒 Babalawo

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

Works of Irete Lazo · The workings of the sign

EspiritualSecret of Irete Lazo by osobo (the charcoal and the dove)🔒 Babalawo

SaludFor the legs (Elegbá at the foot of the drainpipe)🔒 Babalawo

SaludFor the head (guinea fowl and sage)🔒 Babalawo

EspiritualScoring of Osayin🔒 Babalawo

Vencer enemigosInshés of Osayin of this Odù🔒 Babalawo

La pérdidaWork of the snail (to get out of a problem)🔒 Babalawo

EspiritualWork to Osun so the house is not torn down🔒 Babalawo

DineroWork of the crown and the powders🔒 Babalawo

EspiritualEshu Lade Akongo Ruja (the Eshu of this Odù)🔒 Babalawo

9 works in this Odù, locked.Each full recipe: ingredients, preparation and where it goes. Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

Patakíes of Irete Lazo · The roads of the Odù

1Orunmila, with the guinea hen, uncovers the fire

Ifá warned Orunmila of a trap at the party he had been invited to; he made ebbó with a guinea hen and went along cleaning himself with it — the hen landed on a post and cried out «there it is»: Orunmila pushed the post in, the flame leapt up, and his enemies fled.

Orunmila was read in the morning and this Ifá came up, telling him that he had to go to a certain place, but to be careful, because there was a trap.

He had already been invited to a party. Orunmila took a guinea hen (etú), made ebbó and went along cleaning himself with it. When he reached the place he let her go, and the hen landed on a post and began to say: «There it is.» Then Orunmila walked on, pushed the post in, it sank, and the flame of the fire leapt up. Then he said: «TO IBAN ESHU», and all his enemies fled.

2Orunmila lived on a floor of wild cane

The envious dug a cave right under Orunmila's house to work witchcraft on him; Osun kept moving, hot and unsteady, and gave the warning — found out, the enemies gave themselves up, and Orunmila only asked them to make Ifá: that is why Osun is Orunmila's staff.

On this road, Orunmila, for his wisdom, was envied by many people, who did everything they could, by means of sorcery, to make him disappear or to kill him.

Orunmila lived in a house whose floor was made of wild cane stalks. One day, making osode, this sign came up and, looking at Osun, he noticed that he was moving, that he was very hot and unsteady. What was happening was that his enemies had dug a cave that reached right under Orunmila's house, and that was where they worked their witchcraft to bring him down.

Orunmila marked himself ebbó and several other things; he poured cool water on Osun and, as the water fell on the ground, he saw that his enemies were there. The enemies, seeing that they had been found out, gave themselves up to him, saying that, since he had uncovered their cave, he could do what he liked with them. And Orunmila told them that all he wanted was for them to repent and to know as much as he did: that is, to make Ifá. TO IBAN ESHU.

From that moment on, Orunmila understood that Osun is a Santo whose task is to warn of all the bad that can happen to a person. For that reason, this sign lays down that Osun is Orunmila's staff.

3The fire trap for Orunmila

The arayés dug a tunnel to Orunmila's room, propped up the floor where he sat, put in firewood and set it alight; Osun moved from the heat, the osode said «trap by fire», and Orunmila put it out with buckets of water, broke through the floor with a bar and was saved.

Orunmila lived in a wooden house, but he had many arayés. And they, seeing that Orunmila knew everything, that he was a diviner, agreed to burn his house down, since they could not get the better of him.

From the street door to Orunmila's house they dug an underground tunnel without his noticing. They brought the tunnel as far as the last room, which was Orunmila's. Through the gap in the floor they watched where he sat every day to make osode. The enemies set four very strong crossbeams under the floor, so it would not give way, and put in a great deal of rubbish and firewood, and afterward set it alight.

Osun, who was on Orunmila's right side, moved from the heat he felt and, when Orunmila saw that Osun was moving, he set him facing forward. And the osode told him that there was a trap by a great deal of fire (iná). Orunmila fetched many buckets of water and began throwing them until the smoke filled the whole place, and through the cracks he saw the fire. With a bar he broke through the floor and was saved.

The arayés had to leave the place and gave themselves up to Orunmila, saying he could do what he liked with them. Orunmila told them: «All I want is for you to make Ifá, so you know what I know.»

Orunmila understood that Osun was a Santo whose task was to warn of and to take away all the bad on his road, which is why this Odù lays down that Osun is Orunmila's staff.

4Awó Obá Tele🔒 Babalawo

5The birth of the totem, of statues and of religious images🔒 Babalawo

6Eshu steals the corn🔒 Babalawo

7The Awoses and the snail🔒 Babalawo

8Olofin strikes Osun🔒 Babalawo

9Shangó wounded Osun in the back🔒 Babalawo

10Osun comes down in the Iroko tree🔒 Babalawo

11Irete Lazo divined Ifá for Olofin🔒 Babalawo

12Why Shangó eats with Azojuano🔒 Babalawo

13The leri of Oke🔒 Babalawo

14The leopard and the gazelle🔒 Babalawo

15The rib and the plate🔒 Babalawo

16The donkey and the dog🔒 Babalawo

17The hare and the heron🔒 Babalawo

18The devil's playing cards🔒 Babalawo

19The mad prince🔒 Babalawo

20The right of the agbón🔒 Babalawo

17 more patakíes in this Odù, locked.Read every road in full with the Babalawo plan. Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

Before you subscribe: everything you read on this page is in English, but the locked part of the treatise — the full text of the other patakíes, the recipes for the ebbós and works, the iré and osogbo readings and the eewó — is still written in Spanish. We are translating it. · This page is also available in Spanish: See Irete Lazo in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Irete Lazo

What does the Odù Irete Lazo mean in Ifá?

Where Osun, Orunmila's staff, stands witness to the Itá facing the board: this Odù is called edí — the one who does not see what is in front of him.

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

Irete Lazo is Odù number 216 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Irete family.

Which orishas speak in Irete Lazo?

In the Odù Irete Lazo these orishas speak: Osun, Orunmila, Shangó, Azojuano, Ogún, Elegbá · Eshu, Olofin, Agayú, Oshún.

What is a proverb of the Odù Irete Lazo?

One of the proverbs of Irete Lazo says: «Osun spins, but he lands on his feet.».

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