Ofún Gándo

The sign at a glance

Order in Ifá

Odù 244 of 256

Composition

Ofun over Iwori

Orishas that speak

Shangó · Elegbá · Odduduwa y Babá · Orunmila · Egun · Oshósi

What Ifá says in this sign

The prayer of Ofún Gándo · Yoruba

Rezo arará: Fuñi Gagbo Woli Kañi Gara Azofuwe Jebu Busifa Tajua.

Ifá says — what Ofún Gándo tells you

• It is the Ifá of the silk glove: Olofin gave the Awó his power in his hands, with all the feeling in his fingertips. It is an Ifá of rank and of leadership: when you take a position you must know how to organize the work of the people under you, because they tend to push you out of the post and can even bring death on you. It is an Ifá where a man brings his own downfall by telling his secrets: that is why it is an Odù of osobo ashelú, since the talk brings the law watching. It is an Ifá of wars over position — over an object, a work or a possession — with agreements that look like peace and end like the War of Troy. This Odù announces the death of an Awó: the Awoses fall into fighting out of envy, and one can bring death on another through ogú. Shangó was named King of the Heavens and of the Earth and has no rivals; he has four spirits who go with him: Lubayemí, Omuhí Lowó, Agbó Eggún Kafó and Afinjú Elegbá.
• This person acts without judgment: loss of mental powers from an inshé ogú.
• They go through many hard times and many wants, and when the blessing comes and they get famous and rich, they bring their own downfall by disobeying and telling the secrets of how they got to the top.
• Children who are not theirs are nursed here, but they tend not to be treated well and can even be made sick; the woman can be attacked, killed or enslaved with a knife, a bow or a stick.
• Common gossip is a curse on her: the ones who look like friends are after her downfall, because they envy her position and her place.
• The woman cannot have children: she must do the works Ifá lays out, trusting that she will give birth — usually to girls — and ask a great deal of Olofin.
• This person suffers from the kidneys, from weakness in the body and from the eyes, to the point that he can go blind if he has not already; the men tend toward impotence.
• It is an Odù of having many obiní, and that brings on envy, ogú laid on this person, and spells.
• This person should build his working life in the arts.
• You work for nothing and someone else gathers the harvest of what you do, because you doubt what Ifá lays out, like the machete Kañiké.
• He had a red-haired woman who did him harm because she believed he left her for another: she lit candles upside down for him.
• She has had or has an illness of women: cure it properly, because it can do her serious harm; sometimes he feels impotent.
• There may well be twins; the numbers played are 5 and 3.
• The silk glove speaks: the power of the hands and pressure-point healing.
• The machete speaks: the adá made ebbó and that is why it cuts; the spirit of the machete is named Kañiké, but he did not make ebbó, and that is why someone else gathers the harvest of his work.
• The parrot speaks, with its strong hooked beak, which talks and sings songs; the gray one with the red tail is the cleverest.
• The eagle of the stage speaks (the little eagle), inside which Orunmila played the violin.
• The white bird speaks, who changed his two-colored clothes for white and was not recognized: he sang and danced, and was the pride of the party.
• The War of Troy speaks: the cause looked like a woman, but the main reason was position; the agreements that look like peace — the Horse Ship of Odysseus — hide the trick.
• The ewé of this Odù are: melon, jack bean and basil.

Proverbs of Ofún Gándo · Òwe

• “When two Kings get into the same boat, one of them does not reach the goal.”

• “When you do not know the ground, you look first before you step on it.”

• “A man brings his own downfall by telling his secrets.”

• “Someone who was not allowed to gather the harvest of his own work.”

• “Every single thing he does fails to end well.”

• “They blame the blind man before the judge.”

• “Whoever has money does whatever he pleases.”

• “If we are kind, children will love us.”

• “When the doctor cannot cure the illness of the body, the cure is looked for in the spirit.”

• “A woman in love saves; a woman scorned kills.”

• “Whoever carries weapons means to use them.”

• “Truth is more needed than air.”

• “A smile costs nothing, but it is worth a great deal.”

• “Calling on the Orisha is the key that opens every door.”

• “You never know who you are working for.”

• “The thief's partner does not confess, even when he hears curses.”

• “When two kings get into the same boat, one of them does not reach the shore.”

Iré and Osogbo

What is born in Ofún Gándo · Ìbí

• That warehouses fill up just as easily as they empty out.

  Ofún Shokú did not make the sacrifice of the ewe to Egun in the kingdom's warehouse, and the drought used up every reserve: Igando was left barren land.

• Rank in the workplace, in religion and in ordinary life.

  The two chiefs with no rowers drowned in the boat: Olofin ordered that chiefs be given servants; there always has to be someone in charge.

• That with money anything can be done.

  With the beggar woman's eagle and the violin, Orunmila proved his sign true and won the hand of the King's daughter.

• That the elder, by twisting the upbringing of the younger one, causes the death of the younger one.

  The King's pitiless son put his hand into the bag with the snake his own father had given the beggar.

• Respect for people with disabilities.

  They blamed the blind man before the judge, and the Awó showed who was really guilty: do not meddle with people who have disabilities.

• The parrot.

  It is born in this Odù: the bird with the hooked beak that talks and sings.

• The souring of the stomach from ogú that is drunk, and the loss of your mental powers from an inshé ogú.

  From the road of the white bird, whose head they tried to blow powders on so he would forget the sign.

• That when this Odù comes out in an Atefá, in the middle of the yard an akukó is given to Elegbá without delay.

  A rule of this Ifá: the head goes in the ebbó (umbeboro).

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

• You cannot eat melon, and you cannot wear clothes with ovals on them.

  From the road of the blind man who gathered melons; you must dress in white.

• Do not put your hands into anything dark, or into anything that gives you doubts.

  The King's son put his hand into the bag with the snake and died.

• Do not carry weapons on you.

  Rule of this Ifá.

• Do not do harm to anyone.

  It can fall back on you, like the King who poisoned the beggar's bag.

• Do not mistreat people with disabilities, including your own relatives.

  Here is born respect for people with disabilities: the blind man was blamed unjustly and was set free.

• Do not raise your hand against a woman again.

  That is why you have a very big war.

• Do not put obstacles with money, and do not argue stubbornly.

  Keep in mind that with one small coin you cannot do many things.

• Do not let the Sun beat on your head.

  Put on a white handkerchief or a cap.

• Do not tell the secrets of how you got your good luck.

  You have lost your good luck by talking about how you got it, like the hunter of the little pods.

Ebbós of Ofún Gándo · The sacrifices that open the road

Works of Ofún Gándo · The workings of the sign

Patakíes of Ofún Gándo · The roads of the Odù

Frequently asked questions about Ofún Gándo