Obara Juani

Also called Obara Ojuani, Obara Owonrin

nº 112 of 256 · Edited by Ricco Ledesma

Where exile and the lightning rod were born: the person goes abroad and dies there, but the batá drum defeats the enemies.

25 patakíes 5 eewó 7 ebbós and works 17 proverbs

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Obara Juani is Odù number 112 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Obara family. It is also written as Obara Ojuani or Obara Owonrin. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 25 patakíes (3 in full in plain sight, with their teaching, ebbó and chants), its proverbs, 7 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 112 of 256
Composition: Obara over Ojuani
In the Diloggún: 6-11 · Obara tonti Ojuani
Orishas that speak: Shangó · Eshu · Obatalá · Egun · Osun · Ifá

What Ifá says in this sign

Obara Juani, also known as Obara Ojuani and Obara Owonrin, speaks to a person who can prosper greatly or be lost through a rash outburst. In this sign exile was born, when Shangó had to take refuge in a foreign land, and also born here were the lightning rod, the flying yam and the pachanes used to call the Egun. Its ruling puts everything in your hands: if you calm yourself, the prosperity this sign holds for you comes true; if you act without thinking, you fail. And it warns that whoever has this sign may go to live abroad and never return to their homeland.

Your fortune may come to you from what others leave behind: finds and ownerless goods that are yours to receive lawfully, as long as you consult Ifá before touching them. You also prosper through farming and trade. With the batá drum you defeat your enemies, and Shangó defends his child even on the opponent's ground. Soon you will see the money and the child you desire arrive, and the poverty of the beginning can become abundance and company in old age.

«With the sound of the batá drum I defeated my enemies: the war of Obara Juani is won by playing.»The pulse of Obara Juani

This is a sign of traps and betrayal, even harder for someone who is white. There are hidden enemies who want to kill you: do not eat anything offered to you at parties or gatherings. Make sure nobody brings stolen goods into your home, which would cause you a legal problem, and do not go where you have not been invited. Do not deceive anyone, because the one deceived will end up being you, and do not think yourself wise: keep learning from the one who taught you. You live surrounded by people who smother you and do not leave you in peace.

In love, if you are a man, your wife may have someone else, and you should not bring friends home, because she may fall in love with one of them; the best thing is to stay silent and give no reason. The woman has two suitors and must look carefully so she is not deceived. There are two women quarreling in your home and jealousy keeps you restless. If your partner died, their spirit remains at your side: attend to it so that it leaves you in peace. If you lost a child, that grief also asks for attention.

In health, take care of your chest: this sign speaks of the heart, asthma, shortness of breath and heavy colds, and also of convulsions and impotence; see a doctor if you are short of air. Part of your discomfort comes from an Egun: attend to your dead with flowers, food and light. Wear white clothes, which Obatalá rewards with distinction, avoid doing harm and live calmly, because in this sign calm is what brings luck.

The sign in one line

Stay calm, do not eat at other people's parties and give a drum to Shangó, for Obara Juani prospers through someone else's fortune, and your reward is already coming.

The prayer of Obara Juani · Yoruba

Obara Ojuani Obara nife juju omo oluwo atopolo Obara keyele ni Obara ni wani aleyo otori laye osobo. Omi wani keyebekun Elegba kebeyekun Obara ni wani letekun aleyo intori araye ara nile ilekun intori loni obifun Shangó oun lo aleyo onifun Obara oni wani juju omologu atopolo oba fun ole fun lashireo ofeti oyu mofe Obatalá ni wani.

Ifá says — what Obara Juani tells you

That the person had a child murdered: when a medium receives the deceased, he is covered with a white cloth and so he will be able to say all he wishes; otherwise, the envuelto he carries will prevent him from speaking.
That the person lives with people who smother him or her: they do not let the person be at peace and have taken everything that is his or hers.
Be careful of a theft or of someone bringing something stolen to your house, so as to avoid trouble with the law: make ebbó.
Be careful at parties or gatherings, so that no one feeds you something dead: do not accept any food that is offered to you, because hidden enemies want to kill you with witchcraft.
Man: it is possible that your wife has a lover. Woman: you are thinking of moving and you have two suitors; look carefully so that you are not deceived.
Be careful of an embarrassment: do not go where you are not invited: «Did you bring the bones?».
That the person will go to live in another country and die there, since he or she will not return to the homeland: whoever leaves does not come back.
Illnesses of the sign: respiratory system, heart disease, asthma, convulsions and impotence; the person suffers from suffocation and shortness of breath. See a doctor.
That health is broken down by an Egun: if the spouse died, he or she is still living with the person and that is the source of the illness. A mass is ordered at the church, followed by a spiritual mass with prayers, food, flowers and candles.
That, even if this Odù gives a good outlook, one must act with caution.
That it is not wise to bring friends home: your wife could take an interest in one of them, or one of them in her. Do not tell your wife anything, since she will not understand; these are astral matters that you must live through.
About your wife being in love with a friend whom you have favored, although he does not return her feelings: do not say anything to either of them.
That you want money and to have a child, and that you came very close to winning the lottery, the top prize: soon you will see your aspirations fulfilled.
That you are jealous and that in your home two women are quarreling.
About the suffocation you feel coming out of your body being a bad cold.
That you may end up alone: you live without company because your spouse left or because you never married.
Of the tree of the Anis, known as the night jasmine, and of religious sects.
Of doing a work so that everything stays covered up.

Proverbs of Obara Juani · Òwe

“The one who left his land and never came back.”
“With the sound of the batá drum I beat my enemies.”
“By deceiving, I came out deceived.”
“I will prosper through someone else's fortune.”
“Only with calm will I get anywhere.”
“The agbé bird has the voice of the one who does harm.”
“Whoever gets no benefit from their own effort does not know how to work.”
“Envy is a form of slavery that tears you down.”
“Deceit and lies put us in front of the judge.”
“Without good government no nation gets ahead.”
“A tiger does not have to announce how fierce he is.”
“If your eye stings, it is because you have been eating garlic.”
“Wit defeats the charge of any buffalo.”
“Whoever sows wind reaps storms.”
“Whoever loves only the goods of this world is ungrateful to Olorun.”
“When the earth shakes, the butterflies scatter.”
“There is no worse executioner for the head than the head itself.”

14 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

They have the potential to prosper, and if they calm down they achieve success.
They become rich legally through the fortune of others: finds and ownerless goods come to them, as long as they consult Ifá before touching them.
Their fortune lies in crops, especially yams and corn, and in trade.

Osogbo · what the sign warns

There is a trap and betrayal against them: hidden enemies want to kill them and place Egun on all their paths.
At a party or gathering they may be given witchcraft in their food in order to kill them.
They suffer a failure, and act irrationally and without thinking.

36 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 Obara Juani · Ìbí

Exile (banishment).
Shangó had to take refuge in another land, and his followers suffered humiliations and calamities.
The lightning rod.
The flying yam.
Because of him, Obatalá rejected the earth, and that is why yam is offered to Eshu.
The consecration of the pachanes (cujes) of Egun.
That eleven odu ará be placed for Shangó, two of them inside the wooden bowl.
That, in order to win, a drum ceremony be offered to Shangó or to one's Guardian Angel.

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

Do not bring friends to your house.
Your wife could fall in love with one of them, or one of them with her.
Do not go where you are not invited.
You will go through an embarrassment.
Do not eat anything they give you at parties or gatherings.
They can give you the dead or witchcraft to kill you.
Never say that you know, and do not lean on what you know.
Keep learning: the one who gave you the prenda knows more than you.
Never cheat anyone.
You can be the one who is cheated: for cheating, I came out cheated.

Ebbós of Obara Juani · The sacrifices that open the road

Overcoming enemiesOsun's doves🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesThe foundation drum🔒 The Notebook LossEbbó of the red clothes🔒 The Notebook Keeping death awayThe sheet and the nine cujes🔒 The Notebook

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

Works of Obara Juani · The workings of the sign

SpiritualThe pachanes of Egun🔒 The Notebook HealthThe rainwater🔒 The Notebook SpiritualThe white cloth of the dead son🔒 The Notebook

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

Patakíes of Obara Juani · The roads of the Odù

1Other People’s Fortune

Obara Lila was about to leave heaven for the earth when two awoses did divination for him. Their names said that a gift given with good will announces no danger to the one who receives it, and that he would prosper through the fortune of others. Three animals were assigned to him: a she goat (Ifá’s), a goat (Eshu’s) and a hen (his mother’s), with everything needed to cook it. He carried out every sacrifice, gained clarity with the help of his Angel and went down into the world.

There he was a merchant and also a farmer. He did well very soon, and that brought him envy and trouble with the people around him. His business began to go badly, so he consulted. The answer was to repeat what came before, this time with a hen for his mother’s head, besides Ifá’s she goat and Eshu’s goat. His priest of Ifá carried out the sacrifices and assured him that wealth was waiting for him in his business.

One day some bandits left their loot hidden next to his farm. As he passed by, Obara Lila saw it: there were treasures of different kinds, bundles of cloth, beds, elephant tusks, money, and eagle and parrot feathers. He did not even touch it. Once home he consulted Ifá, who informed him that those bandits had been captured and executed.

The next morning he moved everything to his house and became very rich. To give thanks, he gave the priests of Ifá a bag of money, a she goat and several pieces of cloth. They announced to him that another hoard would still come into his hands.

He used to sell in the market of Oja Ajigbomekon Akira. One morning he found on his stall elephant tusks and other very valuable pieces. He learned afterward that a thief had been caught that day. The market gradually emptied and nobody claimed anything. Obara Lila asked Ifá again whether he could take those objects. With them his wealth grew further and his prosperity became immense. Once more he gave thanks to the awoses who had done the divination and the sacrifice for him: each awó received from him an elephant tusk, a white cloth and a bag of money.

So his destiny was realized, which was to grow rich indirectly through the fortune of others.

What it teaches

Obara Lila prospered because he fulfilled his sacrifices before being born and did them again when problems came. Faced with an abandoned treasure he took nothing until he consulted Ifá, and for that reason what he received was lawful wealth. His luck lay in what others left behind, but he reached it only through patience and obedience.

Sacrifice before being born

Ifá would receive a she goat, Eshu a goat and his mother a hen, with the seasonings needed to cook it. Before going down, he also managed to see the path clearly with the help of his Angel.

Sacrifice repeated when business declined

The same was asked, and the hen was this time for his mother’s head. His priest of Ifá did it, and they assured him that fortune was waiting for him.

Payment of gratitude to the priests

After the first hoard, to the priests: a she goat, a bag of money and pieces of cloth. After the second, to each awó: an elephant tusk, a white cloth and a bag of money.

Announcement in Igbodu

His fortune lies in planting, especially yams and corn, and in trading. He will grow rich lawfully through the fortune of others, and he must place an elephant tusk on his Ifá altar.

If it comes out in an ordinary reading

A man must receive Ifá; a woman must marry a babalawo.

The verse with which the awoses marked Obara Lila as he left heaven

EBUN OFE KII JE RA LOWO EYAN ORE OLORE NI MO MA FILA AWON LONDIFA FUN ORUNMILA NI JO TI O KOLE ORUN SI BO WA KOLE AYE. (Una donación libre no pronostica peligro en las manos del recipiente. Yo prosperaré a través de la fortuna de otros.)

2The Chief Who Guessed the Three Containers

A man became an important chief in his town, and over the years he added wealth and a good name. Even the Obá, the king of the place, learned of his prosperity. One day the king sent for him so that he would perform a divination, and the man answered that at that time he was not practicing the priesthood of Ifá.

In his private rooms, the king kept three containers: one held cascarilla, another held cowrie shells, and the last held alligator pepper. He demanded that the man name what each one contained. The man went back to his house to prepare.

Then Eshu stepped in without delay. He turned into a girl with several objects in her hands and gave him cascarilla, a cowrie shell and alligator pepper. Back in his house, the man asked Ifá about the meaning of those gifts, and Ifá assured him that they were exactly what the king's containers held. He took the three samples, presented himself at the palace and informed the sovereign of what was in each container.

The king asked why he ran from the priesthood of Ifá, and the man explained that he was not destined to practice it. Right there the king appointed him Shasere of the town, asking him to assist in the government of his kingdom.

What it teaches

The man did not try to take a place that was not his, and for that reason he received another position just as high. Preparing calmly and consulting Ifá allows help to arrive, even in unexpected ways such as the one Eshu used.

3The Forked Pole and the Knife of Caution

When Orunmila consulted Obara Owonrin, the sign recommended moderation to him and forbade him to decide anything in a hurry. The ebbó consisted of three things: a circumcision knife, a forked pole and a dove. Orunmila did it, and from that day on those two tools always traveled with him.

On one occasion he was going through the forest and came to some kola trees loaded with ripe fruit. The owners had nothing to reach it with. Orunmila lent his forked pole, and thanks to it they harvested everything. Then he lent the knife to open the nuts. When they finished, they separated the fruit into three piles and handed him one. Orunmila left with his share, sold it and obtained a good sum. In this way it is seen that patience, when accompanied by preparation, bears fruit along the road.

What it teaches

Calm and foresight yield more than haste. Generously lending what one has at hand to someone who needs it can bring a share of the profit.

Orunmila's Ebbó

A circumcision knife, a forked pole and a dove. The knife and the forked pole were kept to carry on every journey.

Prohibition

The sign asked for moderation and forbade deciding any matter in a hurry.

The sign's verse when it asked Orunmila for restraint

EBARA WONRIN KOSO NI SHE OWO IMOLE. ADIFA FUN ORUNMILA NI JO TI BABA MAASHE OWO IMOLA LAA.

4The bird of fortune🔒 The Notebook 5The hunter, his wife and the parrot🔒 The Notebook 6Olobara, the one who ate yam without soup🔒 The Notebook 7The dancer and the poisoned horse🔒 The Notebook 8The prayer of the year of wealth🔒 The Notebook 9Obara Juani saw the trap and did not go to the meeting🔒 The Notebook 10The one who asked for broth without bringing the bones🔒 The Notebook 11Shangó's exile🔒 The Notebook 12The curse of the two awó🔒 The Notebook 13Obara Nifa and his brother: the failure🔒 The Notebook 14The drum in the enemy's house🔒 The Notebook 15A thief who robs a thief🔒 The Notebook 16The bear and the firefly🔒 The Notebook 17Shangó's children and Ifá's knife🔒 The Notebook 18The language of the trees🔒 The Notebook 19The married woman who asked for the bonfire for another woman🔒 The Notebook 20The yam, the earth and Obatalá🔒 The Notebook 21The earthworm and the ants🔒 The Notebook 22The kingdom of the osorbos🔒 The Notebook 23Shangó's disguise🔒 The Notebook 24The nine Oba ni Ara Onu🔒 The Notebook 25Satan's altar🔒 The Notebook

22 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 Obara Juani in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Obara Juani

What does the Odù Obara Juani mean in Ifá?

Where exile and the lightning rod were born: the person goes abroad and dies there, but the batá drum defeats the enemies.

What number is Obara Juani among the 256 Odù of Ifá?

Obara Juani is Odù number 112 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Obara family.

Which orishas speak in Obara Juani?

In the Odù Obara Juani these orishas speak: Shangó, Eshu, Obatalá, Egun, Osun, Ifá.

What is a proverb of the Odù Obara Juani?

One of the proverbs of Obara Juani says: «The one who left his land and never came back.».

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