Odù 70 of 256 · Odi family

Odi Osa (Odi Sa)

Resurrection and slavery: Orunmila raises the dead with the horsetails, and Yemayá lifts up the one their own house threw out.

Odi Osa (Odi Sa) is Odù number 70 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Odi family. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 17 patakíes (3 with the full text), its proverbs, 12 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 70 of 256
Composition
Odi over Osa
In the Diloggún
7-9 · Odí tonti Osá
Orishas that speak
Yemayá · Oshún (Oshun Guere) · Osanyin · Olokun · Alubode · Eggun protector · Oya · Elegba

What Ifá says in this sign

Odi Sa is the Odù of resurrection and of slavery: here Orunmila raises the dead with the irukere, the horsetails, and here the bellows was tied to the forge forever for doing a favor. Those two stories are its whole map: this sign can raise anything — but it cannot give itself away.

That is why its first prohibition is a strange one: do not do favors — not because doing good is wrong, but because in this odu a favor enslaves you: someone can tie you down, and afterward there will be no getting loose. Serve within limits, charge a fair price, and be wary of the falseness around this odu: deceit, other people's greed, and witchcraft you have already been the victim of.

«The bellows was left a slave to the forge for doing a favor — Odi Sa helps, but does not give itself away.»The pulse of Odi Osa (Odi Sa)

This is an Ifá of spiritism with a full roster: you have three Eggun that have to be kept in hand — with the work of the three doves — and one protector with a name of his own: the Eggun Francisco, who holds you up along with your dead father's blessing. The «trouble with the mind» in this odu is spiritual work left undone: attend to it and you will see.

Care for your body and for your privacy: this odu marks impotence — it is the Odù of the hanged man — and it warns that they even work on your excrement to make you ill: do not relieve yourself just anywhere. In love there is coldness and half-truths: the woman who married without love, the distant husband — speak plainly, or the silence will do its work. And beware women who can carry a man to his grave: choose with your head.

The tide is turning your way: luck is coming to you off the sea — Maferefún Yemayá: her gelded ram settles the biggest problems, and like Oshun Guere, whoever lets Yemayá lift them up goes from disgrace to reigning. An Efun bath when things are grave, a stripping with purslane and tobacco, and the house kept clean: the one who raises the dead in this odu knows how to raise himself as well

The sign in one line

Do not let yourself be tied down, keep your three dead in hand and let Yemayá lift you up — the luck of Odi Sa comes in off the sea, and it comes big.

The prayer of Odi Osa (Odi Sa) · Yoruba

Odi Sa Odi mayere ayaya lekun leyere yalode mamawa omo iya wayere omo Oshun guere yalode babino, oun loni ara ile Yemaya, ire ashegun ota lese Yemaya.

Súyere
Odi Sa Yemaya omo Yalode Yemayá, Oshun Iya o Oshun Guere.

Ifá says — what Odi Osa (Odi Sa) tells you

Proverbs of Odi Osa (Odi Sa) · Òwe

11 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

6 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 Odi Osa (Odi Sa) · Ìbí

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 Odi Osa (Odi Sa) · The sacrifices that open the road

Beating enemiesPraying to Ogún against the enemies🔒 Babalawo
Beating enemiesThe hawk's ebbó: calm and a steady head🔒 Babalawo
Pushing death awayThe ebbó against the Shishiriku🔒 Babalawo
Pushing death awayA ram for Eggun🔒 Babalawo
HealthKeeping the three Eggun in hand🔒 Babalawo
HealthStripping and Efun bath🔒 Babalawo
LoveA mother's pardon for her daughter (Oshun Guere)🔒 Babalawo
LossInshé-Osanyin for Iré🔒 Babalawo
8 ebbós in this Odù, locked.Each full recipe: ingredients, preparation and where it goes. Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

Works of Odi Osa (Odi Sa) · The workings of the sign

HealthOjun Odisa🔒 Babalawo
HealthThe Inshé of the she-goat's skull🔒 Babalawo
MoneyLamp and rooster for Yemayá🔒 Babalawo
SpiritualThe blessing of the father's Eggun🔒 Babalawo
4 works in this Odù, locked.Each full recipe: ingredients, preparation and where it goes. Written in Spanish for now.Unlock →

Patakíes of Odi Osa (Odi Sa) · The roads of the Odù

1The Shishiriku and the father's advice

A young man on his way to marry disobeyed his father and ate at a crossroads, where a Shishiriku attached itself to him. On the way back with his wife, the Shishiriku tried to steal her; Osanyin beat them by sending them to fill a broken calabash with water, and warned him never to scorn his father's word.

An old father wanted his son to marry before he died, and advised him that on the journey to find a wife, when he was hungry he should not eat where roads crossed, but somewhere out of the way. The young man, reaching a stony spot that looked ideal, was not convinced by it and ate right at a crossing of two roads. There a Shishiriku, on seeing him, said he was on his way to marry as well, and went along with him until, in the bride's town, he vanished. The young man married and, on the way back, ate at that same crossroads again.

Then the Shishiriku appeared to him with a great many others, trying to steal his wife. Osanyin passed by, heard the whole ordeal and how he had disobeyed, and said: «I will settle this». He sent one of the Shishiriku to bring him water from the river in a calabash, but the calabash was broken and would not fill; one by one, seeing it could not be done, they fled in terror, until only Osanyin, the woman and the man were left. Osanyin gave him some powders to blow, and fixed it in his mind: «If you want a long life, do not scorn your father's word or an old man's advice». And that is how he lived for the rest of his days.

2When Yemayá took Oshun Guere in

Oshún threw her daughter Oshun Guere out over her free-and-easy ways. Weeping, she was taken in by Yemayá, who had her bathe and left her to look after her house for five years. When she came back, Oshun Guere was a woman people respected, and Yemayá left her the house and made her queen of the fresh waters.

Oshún had a daughter, Oshun Guere, of a very free-and-easy nature, on friendly terms with everyone; over the way she carried on, Oshún one day threw her out. Oshun Guere went off weeping over what she had lost and the shame of it, singing as she went; Yemayá heard her, came out to meet her on the road and, learning what had happened, took her to her little stone house beside the lagoon. She told her: «You are being talked about from head to foot; stay with me and take five baths of these herbs». Then she asked her to look after the house while she went to the land of Ife Awado, and to say «Modupue» when anyone called out «Iyá», because they came for water.

Yemayá was five years coming back. On her return they held a magnificent welcome for her; Shangó played his Baatá and Yemayá danced her stamping dance for the first time, while Oshun Guere stayed on her knees. Yemayá saw a different Oshun Guere: her hair long and loose, more beautiful, turned into a woman people respected and who had earned the town's regard. She told her: «Daughter, take possession of my house for the rest of your life; I will live in the town. For as long as the world is the world, you will be queen of all the fresh waters». Then she took two brown hens to Oshún so she would forgive her daughter, reminding her that children do not come out the same as their parents.

3The dead wife and the treasure

A man loved his wife, who was only with him for what she could get. When she died he wanted to die too, and called Ikú so often that she taught him to call his wife back with two horsetails. The dead woman confessed she had never loved him, asked him to make a new life, and left him a treasure.

A man lived deeply in love with his wife, without realizing that she was only at his side because he was doing well. When his wife died, he buried her in his own house in a costly tomb, and, unable to live without her, he decided to die, living on nothing but cassava root and calling on Ikú at all hours so he could join his dead wife.

He called her so often that death appeared to him and said: «That woman you are grieving over never loved you; leave her in peace». But he insisted on seeing her, and death told him: «Take one white horsetail and one black one, and herbs, and call her at midnight». The man did it, and the woman appeared: «I never loved you; let me rest, and make a new life with a woman who loves you. Forgive me for deceiving you all those years, and to make up for it I will leave you a fortune». She pointed out a place in the house and vanished; the next day, the man searched there and found a great treasure.

4The monkey and the tiger🔒 Babalawo
5The hawk in the trap🔒 Babalawo
6The thief and the mayombero with the ox eyes🔒 Babalawo
7The blacksmith and the bellows🔒 Babalawo
8The blessing of the father's Eggun🔒 Babalawo
9Oya's curse on the mother🔒 Babalawo
10When they were looking for Odi Sa🔒 Babalawo
11The woman who lived as a man🔒 Babalawo
12The fire of hatred🔒 Babalawo
13The fangs and the dagger🔒 Babalawo
14The wise man and the ignorant one🔒 Babalawo
15The sharp one and the fool🔒 Babalawo
16The one who raises the dead🔒 Babalawo
17The punishment of the Allada (Arará)🔒 Babalawo
14 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 Odi Osa (Odi Sa) in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Odi Osa (Odi Sa)

What does the Odù Odi Osa (Odi Sa) mean in Ifá?

Resurrection and slavery: Orunmila raises the dead with the horsetails, and Yemayá lifts up the one their own house threw out.

What number is Odi Osa (Odi Sa) among the 256 Odù of Ifá?

Odi Osa (Odi Sa) is Odù number 70 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Odi family.

Which orishas speak in Odi Osa (Odi Sa)?

In the Odù Odi Osa (Odi Sa) these orishas speak: Yemayá, Oshún (Oshun Guere), Osanyin, Olokun, Alubode, Eggun protector, Oya, Elegba.

What is a proverb of the Odù Odi Osa (Odi Sa)?

One of the proverbs of Odi Osa (Odi Sa) says: «What went away comes back.».

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