Obara Ka

Also called Obara Ika, Obara Kasika

nº 116 of 256 · Edited by Ricco Ledesma

The betrayal of godchildren and appearances that deceive: what it looks like is not what it is, and the slanderer is left looking ridiculous.

13 patakíes 2 eewó 7 ebbós and works 13 proverbs

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Obara Ka is Odù number 116 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Obara family. It is also written as Obara Ika or Obara Kasika. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 13 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 116 of 256
Composition: Obara over Ika
Orishas that speak: Orunmila · Olofin · Ogún · Oyá (Yansa) · Shangó

What Ifá says in this sign

Obara Ka, also known as Obara Kasika, speaks to a person who can be deceived by appearances. In this sign that law was born: what you think you see is not always true, and what you never imagine may be. Here were also born the chalk that Orunmila handed to the mayombero, and the fate of the mouse, who falls into the trap, and of the fish, who falls into the net, because neither wanted to make ebbó. And here Olofin trusted Obara Ka, and he, full of vanity, failed him. The sign asks you not to judge in haste and not to repay trust with betrayal.

A farmer found a letter stained with mud, did not see the answer his wife had written on the back and, blinded by jealousy, killed the king and died at the hands of the wife who was faithful to him. Before you act, check what you see and what you are told. The osogbo of this sign is betrayal: children and godchildren can turn their backs on you, and the people you help may criticize you afterward. Someone is listening to your conversations and gets ahead of you, saying that you lie and steal, so that no one will believe you. An enemy stronger than you is waging war on you, and in an unknown town they are waiting to harm you: do not go without ebbó.

«Nothing is what it seems: what is supposed does not exist, and what is not suspected does; that is the lens of Obara Ka.»The pulse of Obara Ka

But the iré is clear. If you are pushed out of a place because of what was said about you, do not get angry: whoever slandered you will look bad, and from that same place they will call you back. Luck is coming toward you; thank Ogún and Orunmila for it. A person with money will offer you work, and with the rogación you live in peace and avoid the trap, like Orunmila, who escaped the porcupines by climbing the yagruma tree.

In love, you may feel bound, like someone living in prison, and your wife weeps while you think about leaving: look at her before you decide. The woman who wants to marry achieves it, and problems in the couple can be mended. There is a pregnancy now or soon. Your youngest child has the best head in the house: take care of him so he can get ahead.

In money and health, do not hoard your wealth selfishly. The king who refused to share fell ill with a sickness no doctor could cure, and he recovered when he gave to those who served him and the curses turned into blessings. Whoever sows ingratitude reaps it. If you are an awó, people will always need you and will often speak badly of you: serve with fairness and do not answer ingratitude with more ingratitude.

The sign in one line

Verify before you act, endure slander and take care of the youngest child, because Obara Ka is sent for with honors, and the slanderer is left looking ridiculous.

The prayer of Obara Ka · Yoruba

Obara Kasiku legun omodo Olofin Ika lele aramanamana aka tanpo adifafun Oleye adifafun Eshiye omo Olofin agboran limele akati ashoteluwa Olofin, Shangó unbo wa belefun adde Olofin lodafun agungun Orun ni male.

Ifá says — what Obara Ka tells you

Disloyalty on the part of children and godchildren.
That the woman is pregnant, or will be soon.
That you intend to go to a certain place from which you will be expelled, because another person has defamed you, calling you a liar and a thief; do not get angry, since that person will be exposed and ridiculed, and you will be sent for.
That you want to go to a town where you have never been, and there they will want to kill you; whoever is waging war on you is more powerful than you, and to win you must do ebbó.
That someone has done an amarre on you, and you feel just like a prisoner.
That your youngest child stands out among all those in the house and has the greatest talent: take good care of him so that he can progress.
That you will be sent for to do a job: a person with money who keeps the tools of a dead man; the ebbó includes a rod as tall as you, a pipe, a basin of water, the tools of the deceased and yagruma leaves.
That things are not what they seem: what you assume to be is not, and what you do not even suspect is.
That in this place people criticize the Babalawos after the Babalawos have solved their problems.
Of a conversation of yours with a woman who said she was hungry; you answered that you had nothing, and a third person was listening to both of you.
About how your wife is crying.
That you should do a rogación if you want to live in peace and not fall into a trap.

Proverbs of Obara Ka · Òwe

“Appearances deceive.”
“There is no divine justice on earth.”
“The world is unjust because people are.”
“An unjust king's bad name goes before him, and his steps all over the world unsettle him.”
“The marks of smallpox are never erased.”
“In a war that is announced, no one dies.”
“The dwarf cannot win a war in hand to hand combat against the giant.”
“Hunger is the ill of the poor, gluttony the ill of the rich.”
“In the liar's mouth, what is true becomes doubtful.”
“The spots of the leopard keep illness away.”
“When someone faces reality with a lie, sorrow shows him reality.”
“There is no adversity without joy, and no joy without adversity.”
“A beautiful woman without virtue is a flower on manure.”

10 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

A piece of luck comes to them along the way, and they must give thanks to Ogún and Orunmila.
They are sent for from the place where they were slandered, and whoever spoke ill of them is left looking ridiculous.
With the works of Orunmila they free themselves from the law and from the powerful enemy who wants to destroy them.

Osogbo · what the sign warns

Their children and godchildren betray them, and the one who received their trust becomes vain and betrays it.
People speak ill of the priest of Ifá after he solves their problems, and may become his enemies.
The godchild denies food to his godfather on his wife's advice.

30 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 Ka · Ìbí

That appearances deceive.
The farmer read only half of the Obá's letter (his wife's reply was covered by mud) and killed over an infidelity that did not exist.
That Orunmila handed the chalk to the mayombero.
On this path the mayombero fought against the Awó or against the godchild; that is why mayomberos work with chalk, and the Awó with the circle of chalk and cascarilla.
That the mouse ends up caught and the fish inside the jamo.
Neither of them wanted to do ebbó; the jamo together with the water flower did it, with a rooster.
The herbs of this sign: water hyacinth and yagruma.

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

Do not be blinded by what you see.
Appearances deceive: check the back of the letter before you pick up the machete.
Do not get angry over the slander.
The one who spoke badly of you will end up looking bad and made a fool of.

Ebbós of Obara Ka · The sacrifices that open the road

LoveThe fish of the marriage🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesThe circle of cascarilla🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesThe mayombero's circle of chalk🔒 The Notebook Keeping death awayEbbó of the trap and the mouse🔒 The Notebook

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

Works of Obara Ka · The workings of the sign

Overcoming enemiesThe nine akará on the roof🔒 The Notebook MoneyThe wheel of the two hens🔒 The Notebook HealthThe infusion of this sign🔒 The Notebook

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

Patakíes of Obara Ka · The roads of the Odù

1Appearances Deceive

An Obá employed a farmer whose wife was of great beauty. The Obá, without the husband knowing, tried to win her over, and she always rejected him.

The farmer visited Orunmila to consult. Orunmila interpreted the sign and warned him: do not let yourself be blinded, since what is seen is not always the truth. The man paid no attention.

Later, the Obá wrote to the woman announcing that he would arrive that night to stay with her. She sent the message back with the same messenger, after noting a threat on the back: if he came, she would kill him. The messenger lost the letter in a muddy stretch without noticing. The farmer passed by there, found it and picked it up. He pulled the sheet out of the envelope and read it, but his wife's reply was on the back and the envelope was full of mud, so he saw only the words of the Obá.

Maddened, the farmer grabbed a machete and hid behind a palm tree near the path that led to his house. At nightfall the Obá passed, and the farmer killed him with the machete. Then he ran to his house, determined to kill his wife too. He arrived furious, without announcing himself; the house was dark, the woman, taking him for the Obá, plunged a knife into him. On hearing him cry out she discovered that he was her husband. He explained to her that he was going to kill her because the letter from the road had made him believe her unfaithful.

She asked him whether he had not read what she herself had written on the back, where she threatened the Obá with death in case he showed up. He answered that he had not, because the envelope was covered with mud. She burst into tears, but he said to her calmly: “Do not cry. I die content, because now I know that you truly love me.”

What it teaches

Judging by only part of the truth leads to destroying what one loves most. Jealousy and haste blind a person, and whoever does not heed the warning of Ifá walks unseeing toward disaster.

2Orunmila Climbs the Yagruma and Escapes

Once, Orunmila was walking through a certain region when many porcupines came out in his path, and on seeing him they ran toward him intending to devour him.

In a hurry, Orunmila saw a yagruma tree and climbed it. From above, the porcupines could not reach him and he was saved. Maferefún the yagruma. For that reason this plant belongs to this odu.

What it teaches

Facing a great danger, salvation may be very close and one must see it in time. What served as a refuge deserves gratitude and respect.

Bath with Yagruma

This odu has a yagruma bath for whoever fights inside the circle; its detail is in the full treatise.

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

3The Fish and the Mouse

Orunmila asked the mouse to make ebbó, but the mouse refused it: it claimed that inside its burrow it was very happy. Then Orunmila looked for the fish with the same request, and the fish refused it too.

For that reason the mouse is caught with a trap and the fish with a fishing net. The net and the water flower, on the contrary, did complete an offering, which was a rooster. That is why the net captures and the water flower floats on the water. Whoever offers the ebbó sets the trap, and whoever does not offer it falls into it.

What it teaches

Being too comfortable to listen to a warning leads to falling into the trap of that same comfort. Ebbó protects, and whoever rejects it is left at the mercy of whatever comes.

The offering of the net and the water flower

A rooster.

The odu's ebbós for this story

This odu has an ebbó with a trap and a mouse, and another with a large fish and a piece of fishing net; they are in the complete treatise.

4How Orunmila and his wife got food🔒 The Notebook 5The enemy who moved first🔒 The Notebook 6Yansa and Orunmila's enemies🔒 The Notebook 7Orunmila cures the king🔒 The Notebook 8Idolatry accepted as an act of faith🔒 The Notebook 9From drop to pearl🔒 The Notebook 10The power of the ewe and the eye🔒 The Notebook 11The farmer and the swindler🔒 The Notebook 12Self-sufficiency🔒 The Notebook 13Orunmila feeds a whole town🔒 The Notebook

10 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 Ka in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Obara Ka

What does the Odù Obara Ka mean in Ifá?

The betrayal of godchildren and appearances that deceive: what it looks like is not what it is, and the slanderer is left looking ridiculous.

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

Obara Ka is Odù number 116 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Obara family.

Which orishas speak in Obara Ka?

In the Odù Obara Ka these orishas speak: Orunmila, Olofin, Ogún, Oyá (Yansa), Shangó.

What is a proverb of the Odù Obara Ka?

One of the proverbs of Obara Ka says: «Appearances deceive.».

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