Ofún Bíle

The sign at a glance

Order in Ifá

Odù 255 of 256

Composition

Ofun over Irete

Orishas that speak

Orí (Orí Aperé) · Olorun · San Lázaro (Azojuano / Oluopopó) · Obatalá · Oyá · Shangó · Oshún · Ozain · Omó Alá Yegún (Orun)

What Ifá says in this sign

The prayer of Ofún Bíle · Yoruba

Ofún Birete Ofún Aguaté Kabú Adifafún Olosé Ladafún Anegún Inyá Obiní Tontó Ekoé Ayerdiyó Wo Orbó Agután Diyuwó Ayá Lordafún Ariegún Lolá Omó Abarín Kolomó Omó Obiní Ordé Alá Yegún Omó Alá Yegún Yeleshisín Ni Bi Maré.

Súyere
Orún Baterí Orí Obawaó Ofún Awaté Onibá Eggun Omó Yegún Orún.

Ifá says — what Ofún Bíle tells you

• It is the Ifá of the spirit that lasts forever and the soul that does not die: the spirit is to the body in life what wings are to the bird in the sky. It is the Ifá of Orí: Orí is the maker of a person before the world began; my Orí Inú (my spirit head) gave me life and gave me the power to beat death. The Awó has to deal with other people so he becomes known and is not ignored, like Awó Oloshé, who lived pushed aside for not honoring the Eggun. It is the Ifá of Indiscretion (Aigborón, child of Ikú): not being able to listen to advice; rich people tend to die young in the search for more riches, since they stop listening to advice once they get rich. Find out first before doing things, and do everything completely: he must finish the things he starts. Even living under a stone you are not safe: ebbó must be made to get free of Ikú, which the frog did not do. This person has dead ones behind him; for not worshipping bogbo Eggun he loses friendship where he lives: he must be sworn in Orun and then visit everyone in his land. It is an Ifá where the place he has climbed to is envied and people try to destroy him, the way the Orishas plotted against Orí. To make the family greater, food has to be given to Heaven and to Earth, because otherwise the family is lost.
• The okuní must be kind to his wife so he does not fall behind.
• When you deal with matters about women, do not go around joking and gossiping, because among those listening they will say you are a show-off.
• Listen to advice, but do not let anyone rule you: use your own head.
• The mother or the wife must not dress in big flowers or loud colors.
• In this Odù there is a smell that cannot be borne, like the epó and the fats of Miná Popó.
• Money is received through this Odù; something great is gotten through Obatalá.
• You are going to make a Santo or an Ifá for someone who is greater than your head, and you have to orugbó so you do not die; if you are an Awó and have to give a Santo to another Awó or Iyalosha, first you should give obí to your lerí to eat and afterward two etú or two eyelé, and ask whether an obí or a whole raw ishú with epó is to be put for Elegbará, which is afterward thrown away in the market split lengthwise.
• If your mother has died, she is given a jutía.
• You should throw a party for the Jimaguas and receive Ozain.
• You end up in jail and they come looking for you for escaping, like the wild young man in bad company.
• It is important to look after the stomach, because it gets into a poor state: drink liquid from the banana stalk for stomach ulcers.
• You are very lucky, but you have many bad eyes on you; you have had three pieces of luck.
• You dreamed of a dead person who appeared dressed in white and was the one who raised you: they are asking you for food.
• The ewé of this Odù are canistel and filigrana.
• Orí speaks, Orí Aperé (the Head, the Governor) and Orí Inú: Orí Aperé rules over all the Orí Inú, who in turn control the destinies of every being, the Orishas included. Orí Aperé is a sphere that can be of lead, wood, clay, ivory or stone, as Orunmila decides, and it must carry the person's own Odù.
• The sacrifices to Orí speak, in their four kinds: the kola nut (obí) to send evil away; water, snails (igbín) and coconut as «softeners» that work on Orí, whose main problem is hardness; sugar cane (ireké) and ground toasted corn (aadún) to draw good fortune; and the rooster and the duck to win the favor of the community and calm those who were wronged.
• The Eggun Pakunwá Lerí speaks, the one the people of the land of Ofún Awaté fell with when the great shadow of Orun rose.
• The owl who swallowed the cricket speaks: flattery hides the trap.
• The cosmic dust Oshún sends over the Earth speaks.
• The whirlwind of water and fire speaks, in which Wealth lost everything.
• The Orí of every creature speaks: the dog's Orí helps him cut through the brush; the thunder uses Orí to split the Iroko tree; with its Orí, the fish swims through the water with no trouble.

Proverbs of Ofún Bíle · Òwe

• “The spirit is to the body in life what wings are to the bird in the sky.”

• “What a blind man he is who explains the road to you.”

• “Rich people tend to die young in the search for more riches.”

• “Those who keep their heads in hard times are meant to enjoy the fresh air of a long life.”

• “Indiscretion and wealth are always at odds.”

• “Find out first and act afterward.”

• “My Orí Inú (my spirit head) gave me life.”

• “Orí is the maker of a person before the world began.”

• “The dog's Orí helps him cut through the brush.”

• “There is something worse than death: the fear of it, since that is what torments you.”

• “The harm we do not know about we cannot get rid of.”

• “Whoever takes care lives, whoever is careless dies.”

• “Whoever lives to feed his appetites is their slave.”

• “A lotus in disguise is still a lotus.”

• “The dead man in front and the shouting behind.”

• “Whoever thinks with his back to Heaven dies facing the ground.”

• “Paper puts up with everything you put on it.”

• “Whoever knows what others cannot see is surely a diviner.”

• “Whoever listens to wicked advice sinks.”

Iré and Osogbo

What is born in Ofún Bíle · Ìbí

• The spirit that lasts forever and the soul that does not die.

  Orí beat death: «I will not die; let all good things belong to me, as the light belongs to Amakisí».

• Orí Inú: the inner head, the destiny.

  Every person and every Orisha, before coming to Earth, visits Ajalá, the maker of heads; the Orí Inú of each being sets what will happen to them next.

• Sleeping epilepsy.

  The daughter cried over her dead mother, fell asleep, and they very nearly buried her by mistake.

• That everything has to be done completely.

  The son of Obatalá only had his head prayed over and gave food to Oshún without making the whole ebbó, and he went through great hardship in Miná Popó.

• That the frog dies for disobeying the word of Orunmila.

  Trusting her stone, she did not make ebbó, and when she came out a man killed her with a thrown rock.

• Indiscretion (Aigborón, child of Ikú): not being able to listen to advice.

  Wealth wanted to buy endless long life from Ikú, and Indiscretion came like a whirlwind of fire: Wealth died going in to save her treasures from the burning house.

• That a fee is charged for everything that is done, so it will come out well.

  From the mother's curse on Afuké Awó: «Just as you have charged me, your own mother, nothing you do without charging for it will ever come out well for you».

• That all the Orishas fell asleep and only Orí got up.

  Ogbón (Wisdom) ordered that honor be paid to the Creator at the break of dawn: only Orí did it, and his sacrifice was accepted.

• That on waking, honor is paid to Olorun.

  From the victory of Orí: you have to get up early and ask God for power and authority.

• Orí Odé (the outer head), the counterpart of Orí Inú.

  The physical head comes out first at birth, as Orí Inú is the first thing created: that is why it is treated with respect and worshipped as Iborí.

• Cosmic dust.

  Oshún sends it over the Earth: whoever has an umbrella is saved; whoever does not, gets covered in it.

What is forbidden · Eewó

Ebbós of Ofún Bíle · The sacrifices that open the road

Works of Ofún Bíle · The workings of the sign

Patakíes of Ofún Bíle · The roads of the Odù

Frequently asked questions about Ofún Bíle