Odi Rete

Also called Odi Irete, Odi Leke, Oddi Leke

nº 74 of 256 · Edited by Ricco Ledesma

The bull that became an ox because of a favor: binding and favors that enslave, but Oshún chases him with luck, and crowns the hard worker.

18 patakíes 5 eewó 12 ebbós and works 13 proverbs

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Odi Rete is Odù number 74 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Odi family. It is also written as Odi Irete or Odi Leke or Oddi Leke. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 18 patakíes (3 in full in plain sight, with their teaching, ebbó and chants), its proverbs, 12 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 74 of 256
Composition: Odi over Irete
Orishas that speak: Orunmila · Oshún · Olokun · Ibeyis (the twins) · Shangó · Orishaoko · Eshú

What Ifá says in this sign

Odi Rete, also known as Odi Leke, is the sign of the bull who helped the dog carry its ebbó and ended up roped by the horns, turned into an ox and yoked to another man's plow. Here were born the binding spell, castration and the custom of sitting at the table to eat, and here Olofin blessed the ox. It is an Ifá of transformation, and its ruling is twofold: your life is going to change, and a poorly measured favor can leave you bound to someone else's will.

The change can be good. To rise high, you have to work hard, and you are already prepared for a new job that fear will not let you take. Oshún is pursuing you to give you good fortune: if you have not yet prospered it is because she has not wanted it, but she will, and three strokes of luck are coming your way. Like the farmer in the patakí, whom everyone mocked and whom Oshún ended up crowning, those who obey and work reach a high place and keep it.

«The bull ended up an ox for helping the dog: Odi Leke learns to say no.»The pulse of Odi Rete

Now, the danger. You have been bound with hair from your body that someone took in a careless moment, and harm has been done to you. They call you a thief, they laugh at your poverty and they envy you because they believe you hold a position that was meant for them. You lent money that has not been returned. Do not do favors that enslave you and do not tell lies, and be careful with your work tools, which can wound you seriously. Go up and down stairs slowly: a fall could cost you your life.

In love, this is an Ifá of adultery: the man has two women, or the woman two husbands, and a child is going to be born to a lover who still lives with her husband. Be very careful: a jealous husband may come looking for you to kill you. They may also blame you for a child that is not yours. Even if you promise to keep quiet, you tell your partner what Ifá said; do not do it. And do not allow violence in your home, because it ends up breaking the family.

In health, this sign brings illness from overwork, hunger and excessive effort: do not carry more than you can and eat well. Protect the testicles from blows and hernias, and in women, the vulva. Pray to the Ibeyis, who protect the lives of children, and receive Orunmila, so that those who do not take you into account today will come looking for you. With a clean head and the ebbó fulfilled, even the bound ox can be blessed.

The sign in one line

Work hard, break the binding and sit at the table, for Oshún chases Odi Leke with three strokes of luck, and crowns the hard worker.

The prayer of Odi Rete · Yoruba

Odi Leke awari odi olowo ashupua odoloro odiguin lodafun Orunmila orubo, odi ju arapa odi guepe adifafun aupla tiendofe, eyele lebo.

Súyere
Osanyin konko koko wayaese meye sokuta.

Ifá says — what Odi Rete tells you

Reaching high goals requires working hard; for a new job the person is qualified, but fear holds the person back.
By doing favors, the person can end up a slave and suffer situations of binding, like the bull.
It marks a change or transformation in life, which may be favorable or unfavorable.
It is an Ifá of adultery: the man lives with two women and the woman with two husbands.
Those around him feel envy of him and claim that he holds a position that was reserved for one of them.
About castration and problems in the testicles from blows or a hernia; the person may be ruptured.
Of illnesses caused by too much work, by hunger, by a change of head and by excess of strength; one must eat well.
About a mole on the genitals, which the person sees when looking in the mirror.
Of a child the man will have with his mistress, a woman who still lives with her husband, and of the matter coming to light.
Of the person being accused of theft and everyone laughing at her for being ruined.
That, although you give your word not to mention it, when you get home you will tell your spouse what Ifá said.

Proverbs of Odi Rete · Òwe

“The ox, for doing the dog a favor, was tied by the horns.”
“Make yourself worthy of every favor, but neither do one nor accept one.”
“To reach anything high, you have to work hard.”
“Misfortune is born of ill will, not of destiny.”
“A breeding ram fears no challengers.”
“The hoe that works never rusts.”
“When the donkey turns wise, the fool will listen to reason.”
“There is more strength in good judgement than in the champion's arm.”
“A frightened ram is saved by his fear.”
“Better to keep quiet than to speak without care.”
“Whoever loses their temper at good advice harms themselves.”
“The careless one lets out the secrets of their heart and puts their orí at risk.”
“Dishonor and insult always keep the unbeliever company.”

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

With hard work they reach very high goals, and they are capable of a new job.
Their life is going to change and transform, and the change may turn out to be favorable.
Oshún pursues them to give them a stroke of luck: if they have not gotten ahead, it is because she did not wish it, but they will.

Osogbo · what the sign warns

Fear keeps them from taking a new job, although they have the ability to do it.
By doing a favor, they may become the slave of the one who receives it and suffer bindings.
They have been bound with their own hairs, from above and below, which someone took from them at a certain moment.

37 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 Odi Rete · Ìbí

That the bull, for helping the dog, ended up tied by the horns and made into an ox.
The farmer saw the strength of his horns and roped him to plow the land; it is an Ifá of transformation.
The binding.
In this Odù the binding is made with hair and intimate body hair that someone took from the person at a certain moment.
Sitting down at the table to eat.
Orunmila lives on a raised platform (barbacoa) and eats on top of the table; for that reason eating standing up is forbidden.
That Olofin blessed the ox.
He decreed that every important religious consecration carry ox horn, charged and sealed, and that all the secrets of the Orishas be closed with ox horn and palm heart.
Castration.
It points to ailments of the testicles, caused by blows or by a hernia.
That the cat, when it relieves itself, digs a hole and covers it over.

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

Do not eat standing up: always sit at the table to eat.
Orunmila eats up high, at the table.
Do not do favors.
By doing a favor you can end up a slave and bound, like the bull.
Do not be intimate with a woman who has her genitals shaved.
That takes away your potency.
Go up and down the stairs with care.
A fall can be fatal, and you can wound yourself with your work tool.
Do not lie, because it harms you, and do not tell your spouse what Ifá says to you.

Ebbós of Odi Rete · The sacrifices that open the road

LoveWork to break bindings🔒 The Notebook LoveTo get loose from the binding, with Eshú🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesBraid of dog rope and ox rope🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesProtection with Ogún on the hill🔒 The Notebook HealthWork to Olokun (Fonolokun)🔒 The Notebook HealthPraying the head with quail🔒 The Notebook LossHutia and fish at the corners🔒 The Notebook Keeping death awayEbbó with the tools of your trade🔒 The Notebook

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

Works of Odi Rete · The workings of the sign

HealthThe ox horn of the consecrations🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesTo break it apart🔒 The Notebook MoneyOshún's gourd at the waist🔒 The Notebook HealthThe necklace that reaches the private parts🔒 The Notebook

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

Patakíes of Odi Rete · The roads of the Odù

1The dog and the ox

A dog was going through a bad time and his friend the ox recommended that he consult Orunmila. The two went to his house. On consulting, Orunmila got this Odu and ordered the dog to make ebbó. The dog complied, and the ox went with him to throw the ebbó far away.

The dog went with the ebbó between his teeth. The ox spoke to him, but the dog could not answer with his mouth full. Then the ox suggested: “Friend, let me carry it on my horns; that way we will be able to talk.” The dog placed it there, although the mass was very sticky. When they reached the place where it was to be left, next to a tree, the ox began to butt the trunk with all his might to loosen the ebbó. A farmer was nearby, watched the scene and thought: “I never imagined that the ox's horns were so strong.”

At once the farmer went for a rope, lassoed the ox and tied him by the horns, since his strength came from there and he could use it for plowing and for pulling the cart. For having done a favor, the ox ended up enslaved.

In this Odu, then, whoever does favors can end up a slave and suffer bindings.

What it teaches

A favor done without weighing its consequences can cost the one who offers it his freedom. Helping is good, but care is needed that the help does not expose one's own strength to someone who can take advantage of it.

Warning of the Odu

For the person who does favors, slavery and bindings are a threat.

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

2The machete and the jealous husband

A woman came to consult Orunmila. He saw this odu in her and was imprudent enough to tell her everything he perceived: that she had shaved the hair on her body, that she suffered disorders with her period, that she girded her waist with a strip and that her husband was involved with another woman.

The woman went back home, related it all to her husband and affirmed that the divination was true. He let jealousy blind him. He imagined that she and Orunmila were having an affair, took a machete and went out determined to kill him.

Meanwhile, Orunmila was in the loft of his house, hitting his head with two bananas. The husband tried to climb the ladder, but he slipped on the blood and fell off the ladder. The machete he himself was carrying wounded him, and he died. For this reason, in this odu what Ifá says is not spread around, and stairs are climbed with caution.

What it teaches

Saying too much, even when it is true, can put the speaker in danger. Whoever lets jealousy drag him along without checking anything ends up wounded by his own weapon.

What Orunmila was doing

He was in the loft of his house, hitting his head with two bananas; this is how he got free of the jealous husband.

Advice of the odu

Do not spread what Ifá says, and climb stairs with caution.

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

3The farmer who became King

A farmer went to Orunmila because he was in great need: what he planted bore no fruit. Orunmila consulted the oracle, saw this odu and indicated an ebbó for him. When the man performed it, Orunmila gave him a gourd that he was to wear tied at his waist while working the land.

His fields faced the road that led to the town, where a great celebration was being prepared: a new King was going to be crowned. Nobody knew for certain who would rule. The travelers who passed by, eager to know who it would be, saw the farmer and shouted at him: “Hey, friend, the one with the ball,” among other jokes. He did not answer them and went on with his work.

When everyone was gathered at the celebration, Orunmila appeared, since it was his role to announce who would be King. He ordered: “Go along the road, look for the man who is working the land, bald and with a gourd at his waist, and bring him. He will be the King.”

Then they remembered the farmer they had ridiculed and went to find him. He resisted, because he thought they would kill him, and they took him by force amid his cries that they should not take his life. When they presented him to Orunmila, he declared to the people: “Here is your King, master and lord of his lands.” And they crowned him.

The farmer thanked Orunmila, who answered: “The thanks are also for your obedience and your effort, because Oshún granted you this wealth.”

What it teaches

An ebbó fulfilled, with obedience and steady work, can transform a life of scarcity while others mock. What caused laughter was exactly the sign by which the farmer was recognized. Wealth and position came as a gift from Oshún to the one who followed his path with constancy.

The ebbó and the gourd

Orunmila indicated an ebbó for him, whose elements the story does not give. Once it was done, he gave him a gourd to wear tied at his waist while working.

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

4Arisemase and the sacrifice to work without fear🔒 The Notebook 5Awerorogbola, the one who would become king🔒 The Notebook 6When the yearling tied up his own mother🔒 The Notebook 7The woman who never laughed🔒 The Notebook 8The farmer who denied lodging to Eshu🔒 The Notebook 9Eshu's trap for Odi Leke🔒 The Notebook 10The marriage never consummated🔒 The Notebook 11A beggar's wishes🔒 The Notebook 12The mother who took advantage🔒 The Notebook 13When Ogún lost his vigor🔒 The Notebook 14The ashé of Osain's ewe🔒 The Notebook 15The two Franciscos🔒 The Notebook 16False devotion🔒 The Notebook 17Having a friend there🔒 The Notebook 18The riders who saw only the stone🔒 The Notebook

15 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 Odi Rete in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Odi Rete

What does the Odù Odi Rete mean in Ifá?

The bull that became an ox because of a favor: binding and favors that enslave, but Oshún chases him with luck, and crowns the hard worker.

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

Odi Rete is Odù number 74 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Odi family.

Which orishas speak in Odi Rete?

In the Odù Odi Rete these orishas speak: Orunmila, Oshún, Olokun, Ibeyis (the twins), Shangó, Orishaoko, Eshú.

What is a proverb of the Odù Odi Rete?

One of the proverbs of Odi Rete says: «The ox, for doing the dog a favor, was tied by the horns.».

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