Obara Rete

Also called Obara Irete

nº 119 of 256 · Edited by Ricco Ledesma

Here the ceremony of the Irofá is born, the instrument that strikes the board to call upon Ifá. When the truth arrives, the lie feels ashamed and leaves.

20 patakíes 5 eewó 9 ebbós and works 16 proverbs

First time with an Odù? Learn how to read one →

Obara Rete is Odù number 119 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Obara family. It is also written as Obara Irete. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 20 patakíes (3 in full in plain sight, with their teaching, ebbó and chants), its proverbs, 9 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 119 of 256
Composition: Obara over Irete
Orishas that speak: Ogún · Olokun · Oshún · Shangó · Osanyin · Oduduwa · Obatalá y Yemayá · Eshu

What Ifá says in this sign

Obara Rete, also known as Obara Irete, speaks to a person who can have success and stability if they fulfill what Ifá asks. In this sign were born the ceremony of the Irofá, with which the awó strikes the board to call Ifá, the respect owed between the children of Shangó and those of Oshún, and the purification of fresh water for drinking. Here the truth makes the lie flee. Its ruling: with the sacrifice done, you become firm and what you found prospers; without it, what is rotten inside comes out.

Ogún walks beside you like a shadow and does not miss a single step: attend to him well, because depending on how you live he protects you or punishes you. There are good opportunities for a job or a new business, something good comes into your hands, and although you have enemies everywhere, you outlive them and reach a very long old age. But do not think yourself safe: the gourd that scorned the ebbó sank in the river, and only the one who obeys stays afloat.

«The disobedient gourd sank; the obedient jícara floated and served the world. Choose your vessel.»The pulse of Obara Rete

The osogbo is in the tongue and in infidelity. You may be boastful and tell what you know about your women, and for talking too much you could be hurt. Someone may go and tell your partner what you are hiding, and what is done in secret always comes to light. Do not throw out hints, which bring trouble with the law. You live fighting, and that is why business gets stuck. Oshún is angry because she asked you for something you did not fulfill: fulfill it and cool her with her fan.

In love, the man wants several women at once and neglects his wife, who ends up leaving him or looking for someone else: leave your lover and return to your home. A woman you abandoned curses you and gave you a spell to drink. If your guardian angel is Shangó, with a daughter of Oshún there can only be friendship, and with a brown skinned woman who has the same guardian angel as you, you will not get along. Another woman wants to marry you, and that union goes well if you first attend to Eshu.

In health, what you suffer from is more serious than you believe: do not leave it untreated. This sign speaks of cancer of the throat, the esophagus and the stomach, and of infections in the mouth. Also attend to impotence and back pain. Be careful with operations. Receive Osain, Oduduwa and Olokun, who here bring health, and protect the little ones.

The sign in one line

Keep quiet about your conquests, pay Oshún what you owe her and take care of that illness in time, because the Irofá of Obara Rete calls, and Ifá answers with stability.

The prayer of Obara Rete · Yoruba

Obara Irete Ifá omi retewa adifafun Ashiwita intori awa shuba okurin sini Olokun.

Súyere
Olokun bawao, bawa Orisha bawao.

Ifá says — what Obara Rete tells you

Ailments of the sign: impotence, cancer of the throat or esophagus, disorders of the digestive system, ulcer, gastritis and an infection of the mouth (pyorrhea). The illness is more serious than the person imagines.
A yellow shirt with a trim must be worn (for Oshún). The woman, for seven days, will wear a Prussian blue underskirt with seven white stripes, a sky blue skirt and a white blouse.
You must receive Osain and Oduduwa, and Olokun for health.
For a woman: that if she is a mother, one of her children has already reproached her for her bad way of living.
For health, a thunderstone called odù ará will be placed in the Ifá.
A woman longs to be your wife: agree to marry her once you have offered a goat to Eshu.
It is your place to have your own Ifá and your own Eshu, to avoid incidents with the deaths of children.
You will have several difficulties with your siblings, and you must refrain from having relations with a widow.
Of a boastful person, with the flaw of telling everything that has to do with women; by speaking of what he should have kept quiet about, he may run into serious problems, be wounded or suffer something worse.
Of the man for whom one woman is not enough and who leaves his wife; because of this she leaves him or may even be unfaithful to him.
Of the gourd that sank to the bottom of the river because it disobeyed, and of the jícara that, because it obeyed, floated and was useful to everyone.
That someone has made you drink a witchcraft work: a woman whom you had and left curses you relentlessly.
That you suffer an illness and do not get treated; beware of hot flashes and of the doctor's scalpel.
That discontent reigns in your home, because each person wants something different; take care that a fight does not break out.
That there is a hole in the place where you live; be careful not to fall into it.
That you are in conflict with Oshún, because she asked you to do something and you did not carry it out.
About how you live fighting, and that is why your business is doing badly; stop the hints, or they may bring you a legal problem.

Proverbs of Obara Rete · Òwe

“When the truth arrives, the lie is ashamed and leaves.”
“Respect so you will be respected.”
“This is the land where they use a hoe to shave their heads.”
“My Irofá strikes to call Ifá's attention.”
“Through disobedience I became a calabash.”
“Whoever admires nobody will never be admired.”
“Olorun's voice is not heard, but his ruling rings out.”
“A sick man cannot trade away his health.”
“The goat eats the grass wherever it is tied.”
“There is nowhere to hide on the surface of the water.”
“He is like the gardener's dog, who neither eats nor lets others eat.”
“Olorun's fire lights up the just and burns the wretched.”
“Better to prevent than to have to repair.”
“The impostor who kills the she-camel rarely goes unpunished.”
“Olodumare made man without misery; one tongue and two lips threw him into it.”
“A good agreement beats a bad lawsuit.”

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

With the sacrifice that Ifá indicates, success and stability come to them.
Good opportunities open up for them in a job or a new business.
Ogún always accompanies them as a protecting shadow and does not lose a step of them.

Osogbo · what the sign warns

Their body and their conduct show rot.
They are unfaithful to their partner, and someone tells the partner, who wants to kill them.
They are boastful and tell what they know about women, and for speaking too much they may be wounded or killed.

48 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 Rete · Ìbí

The ceremony of the Irofá.
It is the piece with which the priest of Ifá strikes the Opón Ifá to call upon the spirit of Ifá while divining; in our country a deer horn is used in place of those carved in wood or ivory.
The mutual respect that should exist between the children of Shangó and the children of Oshún.
Olofin decreed that they can only be friends, because both are his legitimate children.
Singing to the dead person inside the coffin to calm his Orisha.
Olokun calmed his anger only when he ate the duck and heard the songs before his dead daughter.
Making fresh water drinkable by purifying it.
The stones and herbs that Olokun scattered in the sea killed the bugs and bacteria.
That shredding herbs is forbidden.
While Orunmila was chopping herbs, Osain made him ill.
That Ogún be brought out to live alongside Osanyin.

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

You are forbidden to shred herbs.
This task can make you ill: Orunmila chopped herbs and Osain afflicted him with strange illnesses.
Do not live with daughters of Oshún when Shangó is your Guardian Angel.
Olofin ruled that only friendship is possible between them. The sons of Shangó must not hit or mistreat any of the daughters of Oshún, because delays or misfortune come upon them.
Do not do favors along the road.
Orunmila put the blind man on his mare, and the blind man accused him of being a thief.
Do not listen to gossip.
So that you avoid upsets.
Avoid having relations with a widow.

Ebbós of Obara Rete · The sacrifices that open the road

Keeping death awayThe ebbó of Olokun's fury🔒 The Notebook HealthThe ebbó of the waters🔒 The Notebook LoveThe ebbó of Oshún's squash🔒 The Notebook HealthEbbó of the illness🔒 The Notebook HealthThe ebbó of the rotted earth🔒 The Notebook

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

Works of Obara Rete · The workings of the sign

HealthThe attention to Olokun🔒 The Notebook LoveOshún's fan🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesThe dust of the door🔒 The Notebook SpiritualInshé Osain of deceit🔒 The Notebook

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

Patakíes of Obara Rete · The roads of the Odù

1The 480 Plants of the Forest

When the 480 plants of the forest were about to arrive in the world to be trees, an awó called Obara re, re, re consulted them. He told them to offer ebbó. All of them did except Igi eshin, which declined. For that reason it could not grow into a tree, and even today it is the plant of smallest size among all.

If this odu appears in an ordinary consultation, the person is advised to make ebbó, since this keeps away a backache that might appear.

What it teaches

Only those who accept the ebbó they are given grow; whoever rejects it stays small while others rise. Following advice in time is what allows development.

Ebbó to prevent backache

Palm oil (manteca de corojo) mixed with the iyerosun of this sign, to be rubbed over the person's back.

The verses naming the awó who divined for the plants

Obara re-re-re Babalawo igi oko, odifa fun igi oko merin-din-lojo.

2Egbere, the Wife the Oloba Gave Up

When he was still about to descend to earth, Obara Rete went to consult with some awoses, whose name was a phrase: the divining stick is held with care, the brush is worth as much as a bead, and the board is made of gold. They warned him that he must offer a female goat to Ifá, a young goat to Eshu, a rooster to his head and a turtle to Ogún, so as not to have conflicts with women in this world. He did so and came down.

His wife had a difficult character, and her children used to die of convulsions. Obara Rete called other awoses to consult at his house. This time the advice was: Eshu would receive a young goat, which he had to eat without company; Ifá, a female goat; the head, a rooster; and Ogún, a turtle. He did everything and no other child died. He began to get ahead, but that progress, though small, brought him enemies.

In those days Egbere, the wife of the Oloba of Oba, felt an attraction to him that she could not control. Obara Rete tried to please her without managing to make her stop. He asked Ifá how to act, and Ifá indicated that he give a goat to Eshu. Once the offering was made, he began a relationship with her. The Oloba raised no objection and handed her over; he also made him a great chief.

What it teaches

Carrying out each time the ebbó that Ifá indicates protects the children and opens the way to prosperity. Success attracts enemies, and attending to Eshu in time resolves even a delicate matter with another man's wife.

Ebbó before the descent

For Ogún, a turtle (jicotea); for the head, a rooster; for Eshu, a young goat; and for Ifá, a female goat. It serves to avoid conflicts with women.

Ebbó to stop the death of the children

For Eshu, a young goat (which he must eat without company); for Ifá, a female goat; for the head, a rooster; and for Ogún, a turtle (jicotea).

Ebbó for Egbere's interest

A goat for Eshu.

If this odu appears

In the Igbodu: ebbó to keep away the death of children, avoid disputes with a woman and secure prosperity. In an ordinary consultation: there is a woman who wishes to marry the person, and the person must accept after giving a goat to Eshu.

The verses of the awoses who divined for Obara Rete before he came down to earth

UROKE MI EGE, URANKE MI OKUN, IDASI MI OGERE. ADIFA FUN ORUNMILA BABA TI KOLE ORUN BOWA SI KOLE AYE. (Mi garrote de adivinación se toma con cuidado, mi escobilla es tan preciosa como un abalorio y mi tablero de adivinación es de oro)

3Onitiide, the One Who Outlived Everyone

When Onitiide was about to spend a long time in the world, he was consulted by some awoses whose name was a phrase of two images: a land where the hoe is used to shave the head, and a field hoe that strikes the ground with its edge without being damaged. They told him to offer a ewe and a goat.

When he was born, he had problems of every kind and his enemies beat him on every side. In spite of this, he outlived them all and reached a very long life.

What it teaches

Whoever completes his or her ebbó sees enemies fade away and enjoys many years, even if problems do not stop. Difficulties do not decide the ending.

Onitiide's ebbó

A ewe and a goat.

Onitiide's divination verse

ETUTU NIMU OKO YERI EGERE GERE. OGIGI LO FI ENU IRAN SOLE. ADIFA FUN ONITIIDE OMO KANGO OJU ABETON TI KOLE ORUN SI KOLE AYE. ALARINI IKU KO NGIRA.

4Eshu and the two hundred divinities🔒 The Notebook 5Sick Shangó and the loyalty of Osun🔒 The Notebook 6Agbonniregún and the good that reaches your hands🔒 The Notebook 7Orunmila makes a sacrifice to stay on high🔒 The Notebook 8Akintelú and the town he founded🔒 The Notebook 9The disobedient gourd🔒 The Notebook 10The daughter of Olokun🔒 The Notebook 11The fool who could divine🔒 The Notebook 12Obara Rete deceives a daughter of Oshún🔒 The Notebook 13When the waters were purified🔒 The Notebook 14When Babalú Ayé made Dada sick🔒 The Notebook 15When the trees were born rotten🔒 The Notebook 16When Obara Rete brought the Irukere and the Irofá🔒 The Notebook 17The blind man who wanted to keep the mare🔒 The Notebook 18The nine daughters of Ikú🔒 The Notebook 19The second chance🔒 The Notebook 20The shame of lying🔒 The Notebook

17 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 Rete in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Obara Rete

What does the Odù Obara Rete mean in Ifá?

Here the ceremony of the Irofá is born, the instrument that strikes the board to call upon Ifá. When the truth arrives, the lie feels ashamed and leaves.

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

Obara Rete is Odù number 119 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Obara family.

Which orishas speak in Obara Rete?

In the Odù Obara Rete these orishas speak: Ogún, Olokun, Oshún, Shangó, Osanyin, Oduduwa, Obatalá y Yemayá, Eshu.

What is a proverb of the Odù Obara Rete?

One of the proverbs of Obara Rete says: «When the truth arrives, the lie is ashamed and leaves.».

Unlock the 256 Odù See all the Odù See something to correct? Write to us with your source

← Obara Tura Index Obara She →