Okana Rete

Also called Okana Wete, Okana Irete

nº 134 of 256 · Edited by Ricco Ledesma

The water that defeated its three enemies (clouds, rock, and roots) with Eshu: make a sacrifice against sudden death, as the cockroach did not.

19 patakíes 5 eewó 7 ebbós and works 17 proverbs

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Okana Rete is Odù number 134 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Okana family. It is also written as Okana Wete or Okana Irete. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 19 patakíes (3 in full in plain sight, with their teaching, ebbó and chants), its proverbs, 7 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 134 of 256
Composition: Okana over Irete
Orishas that speak: Eshu · Ogún · Osanyin · Elenini · Olokun / the water divinity

What Ifá says in this sign

Okana Rete, also known as Okana Wete, speaks to a person of good character whom others want to block. In this sign are born the cry of the cockroach calling its babalawo, the warning of the squirrel that gives away the boa, the free path of the water, the eternal superiority of Orunmila over Osain and the kingdom of Akoko. Its ruling is one of victory: three enemies are fighting to block your prosperity, but with your sacrifice everything that holds you back turns to nothing and your fortune blooms, like the water for which Eshu opened a way through the clouds, the rock and the roots.

The main danger is a sudden death if you do not fulfill your duty in time. The cockroach fell on its back and with its cries called the hen; the boa was clubbed to death because the squirrel announced where it was. Be careful about who knows your steps. A small, mocking person can deceive you, and around your home there are those who do not look kindly on you, those who think badly of you and even those who wish for your death.

«The clouds, the rock, and the roots swore to stop the water, and Eshu's ebbó opened a free road for it.»The pulse of Okana Rete

People take you for soft, but you know more than you show, just like Orunmila, who endured seven days locked up while Osain gave up. A young person who believes himself superior will challenge you, and you will defeat him with patience. At work, your prosperity goes hand in hand with Ogún: when the awó of this sign forgot to join him, everything got stuck, and once he had his own Ogún and attended to Eshu he became richer than the one who taught him the trade.

In love and family, the wife may take a long time to become pregnant and people will mock, but the children will come, and many of them. What Ifá asks of you is not always what it sounds like: sometimes it is a place or a path, and it suits you to live near the river or the sea. Do not marry anyone from a royal family, and distrust the woman who swears her love while asking you for what can harm you: that is how an innocent man was nearly condemned for theft. If you travel with someone, prepare beforehand.

In health, take care of your body and your diet, because whoever is well cared for has the means to defend himself, and when Ifá warns you to look after a child, take it very seriously. Be grateful to those who help you and keep your pacts of protection, for in the moment of danger they save your life. If one day the blame for someone else's wrong falls on you, the truth will come to light.

The sign in one line

Clear away your three enemies with ebbó, do not hand over the whole secret, and look closely at your destiny, because the Akoko of your hundred blessings may be where you least expected.

The prayer of Okana Rete · Yoruba

Okan re re re re, Babalawo anyinyan, odifa fun anyinyan. Okon rete rete rete, Awó oka, odifa fun oka.

Ifá says — what Okana Rete tells you

To avoid a sudden death, offer as sacrifice a cane, a rope, fish, rat and hen: it is the ebbó that the cockroach did not perform.
Make the sacrifice to avoid being deceived by a slight and sarcastic person, like the squirrel that gives away the boa.
You have three untamable enemies fighting to block your prosperity. With the sacrifice, all your problems become nothing and your prosperity will flourish.
Make a sacrifice with a ram or a goat and so you will defeat your enemies, especially a young person who considers himself superior to you.
For the man who gets this Odù in the Igbodu, his character will be exemplary and his conduct good. He will leave the place where he received his Ifá and settle in a new place, near the river or the sea.
Serve your head with a guinea fowl; and by the sea offer adimús to the deity of the water, asking blessings for the children and for prosperity.
A man must not marry a member of a royal family, and must be wary of a woman who professes love for him.
Make a sacrifice if you plan to travel, especially if you will be accompanied on the trip.
Of the neighbors: «those who live across the way do not look on you kindly; those on the left side never think well of you; those on the right side always wish you dead.»
About the boa that preferred to hide instead of making a sacrifice: the squirrel gives it away, and the man cuts the club.
About the one who mocks the priest who has no children: yesterday's laughingstock can be the king of Akoko tomorrow.
Of Idagolo, the Awó who wept on seeing his hundred children: this very same Ifá came out for him and he did not know how to interpret the sacrifice. Whoever interprets halfway loses the full blessing.
About the princess of Ifé who used the law to commit murders: her two previous husbands died from her traps of water and fruit.

Proverbs of Okana Rete · Òwe

“The squirrel shouts out the boa's whereabouts.”
“It is too early to shout.”
“The master keeps 142 plants.”
“Carry in your bag what the road is going to ask of you.”
“The bird he was looking for was a town.”
“One succeeds not when one wants to, but when one deserves it.”
“Movement dissolves the sugar at the bottom of the glass.”
“All the birds eat rice and the totí carries the blame.”
“Revenge is man's justice; forgiveness is Olorun's justice.”
“The impulsive person acts without thinking; the thoughtful person thinks before acting.”
“Whoever kills out of passion kills for pleasure.”
“It is easier for an ant to carry a mountain than to move those who rule.”
“It is better to stop a madman than to push a fool.”
“The rich man is never satisfied; the poor man knows contentment.”
“Whoever falsifies measures in his own favor is like one who sows stones to reap bread.”
“The rich man never lacks friends; the poor man is hated by everyone.”
“Dog does not eat dog.”

14 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 made in time, they are freed from a sudden death.
With the sacrifice, three enemies who seemed invincible are reduced to nothing and their prosperity flowers.
They defeat their enemies, above all a young person who feels above them.

Osogbo · what the sign warns

A sudden death threatens them if they do not make the sacrifice.
Without the sacrifice, an unexpected blow leaves them fallen and defenseless, and their cries attract the one who finishes destroying them.
They may die from being beaten with a club: someone announces their whereabouts and that attracts their worst enemy.

44 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 Okana Rete · Ìbí

The cockroach's call to her Babalawo.
She fell on her back, spinning in circles and crying «Okan Re Re Re Re»; those cries caught the attention of the hen, which ate her.
The squirrel's warning against the boa.
God chose her to shout out the whereabouts of the many colored boa, «Oka Ka Ka Ka», warning men and animals.
The water's open way.
It beat the clouds, the rock and the roots with the ebbó and Eshu's hand.
Orunmila's lasting supremacy over Osanyin.
He endured the seven days of Elenini and refused to go out to the room: «the seven days had not yet been completed».
The reign of Akoko.
The childless priest reached the town inhabited only by women: in three years, close to a hundred children, and the crown.

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

The bird called Akoko is forbidden to you.
Do not marry anyone from a royal family.
The princess of Ifé led her husbands to death with her traps.
Do not pick fruit and do not look for water while you are travelling.
That was the trap on the road to Ifé: carry your own things in your bag.
Do not hide instead of sacrificing.
The boa trusted its hiding place, and the squirrel gives it away to this day.
Do not celebrate victory too soon, and do not give up before the time is over.
Orunmila kept his mouth shut until the seventh day; Osain cried out on the third, and lost supremacy forever.

Ebbós of Okana Rete · The sacrifices that open the road

Keeping death awayThe cockroach's ebbó🔒 The Notebook MoneyThe water's ebbó🔒 The Notebook Overcoming enemiesThe ebbó of supremacy🔒 The Notebook LossThe ebbó for Oyekunle's journey🔒 The Notebook LoveAkoko's thanksgiving sacrifice🔒 The Notebook

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

Works of Okana Rete · The workings of the sign

SpiritualYour own Ogún🔒 The Notebook LoveThe guinea fowl for the head and the adimús at the sea🔒 The Notebook

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

Patakíes of Okana Rete · The roads of the Odù

1The Cockroach That Did Not Make the Offering

The cockroach's Awó, called Okan re re re re, read her destiny and warned her that she must make an ebbó to avoid a sudden death, with sugarcane, a rope, a rat and a fish. She did not fulfill it.

One morning, the maid of the house was cleaning and found the cockroach with her young. With the broom she killed several of them, and the mother was thrown outside, on her back. A cockroach fallen on its back cannot fly, and so she only spun around herself while she called out loudly to her Awó. With all that noise the hen came, finished her off and ate her.

In an ordinary consultation, an ebbó is advised so that sudden death does not arrive, with a hen, a rat, a fish, a rope and a sugarcane.

What it teaches

Ignoring an ebbó marked against sudden death leaves a person defenseless when danger arrives, and then it is too late to put things right. The warnings of the Awó are heeded in time, not when danger is already upon one.

Ebbó against sudden death

Sugarcane, a rope, a rat and a fish.

What is advised when this path comes out

An ebbó so that sudden death does not arrive, with a hen, a rat, a fish, a rope and a sugarcane.

The cockroach's cry, calling out to her Babalawo

Okan re re re re

Prayer of this path

Okan re re re re, Babalawo anyinyan, odifa fun anyinyan.

2The boa and the squirrel

The Awó consulted for the boa and told it that it must make an offering so as not to end up beaten to death by men. The boa ignored it and preferred to hide. It did not know that God had already given the squirrel the mission of revealing its whereabouts with a shriek, so that the rest of the animals would know of the threat. That is why the squirrel sings its song when the boa is near.

That song warned people and animals that the colorful snake was prowling around. The animals moved away, but the cry also drew its worst enemy, man. On hearing it, he cuts a stick and goes after the boa, and generally defeats it, because it does not escape from danger. It moves only when an unlucky intruder steps on its tail, and often the careless one dies for it.

What it teaches

Hiding without making the sacrifice does not free one from danger, because there is always someone who announces where one is. The ebbó protects better than hiding, and helps one not fall for the trick of someone who speaks with mockery.

When it appears in an ordinary consultation

The person must make an offering so as not to be deceived by someone small and mocking. The boa should have done the same so as not to die by beating, and it did not.

Divination verse for the boa

OKON RETE RETE RETE, AWO OKA, ODIFA FUN OKA.

The squirrel's song when the boa is near

Wa wo oka o elewu obobo. Oka re o elewu obobo. Oka wa mbi elewu obobo. Oka ka ka ka ka ka

3The Three Enemies of the Water

An Awó consulted for the water so that it could overcome the three enemies who wanted to see it dead: the clouds of the sky, the rock and the roots that stick out of the tree trunks. The three had sworn an oath to end it by stopping its advance. The water, more and more blocked, filled with fear and one day went to see Orunmila to learn how to be rid of those obstacles. Orunmila indicated a band of cloth, a goat, an axe, bean pudding without fat, ekó, doves, a hoe and a machete. The water offered it at once.

In those days a great drought reigned, since Eshu was holding back the rain. On eating his goat, Eshu let it fall: it rained for three days without stopping, with a downpour never seen before. With the machete from the ebbó he opened the clouds, and the dry rivers ran again. For the rock, Eshu took the hoe from the ebbó and opened a passage along one of its sides. With the same hoe and the axe he loosened the roots of the trunks that were allied against the water; so, with Eshu on its side, the water tore out by the roots the trees that blocked its way. From then on it flowed without obstacles.

In an ordinary consultation: the person has three strong enemies, determined to block his progress. He must make an ebbó so that his problems are reduced to nothing, and then his prosperity will open up.

What it teaches

Even against several enemies at once, an ebbó fulfilled without delay puts Eshu on the person's side. With him, what blocks the way is split, avoided or pulled out by the roots, and the road opens again.

Ebbó of the water

Doves, ekó, bean pudding without fat, a band of cloth, a goat, an axe, a guataca (hoe) and a machete.

What is advised when this path comes out

Make an ebbó when the person has three strong enemies determined to block his progress, so that his problems are reduced to nothing.

Prayer of this path

OKON RE RE BABALAWO OMI. ODIFA FUN OMI OLOJO TI AWON META MBA OMI SHE OTA. OKELE GE GE RE GE MAYE OTA OMI LON SHE. OTA PETE, OTE OMI NI ONSHE. GBONGBO IBI MOLE SEGEDE SI ONA, OTA OMI NI O NSHE.

4Osain's challenge to Orunmila🔒 The Notebook 5The one who forgot to join with Ogún🔒 The Notebook 6The town of Akoko🔒 The Notebook 7Oyekunle and the princess of Ifé🔒 The Notebook 8Abi Awó and the dolls of the abikú ibeyi🔒 The Notebook 9Seven days shut in with Osain🔒 The Notebook 10The dolls that learned to move🔒 The Notebook 11The jumper🔒 The Notebook 12Agbeyami and Tolo Tolo🔒 The Notebook 13The road where Oyá beat Awó Oggon🔒 The Notebook 14Ayakua Tiroko, the diviner of the bush🔒 The Notebook 15The obini's betrayal🔒 The Notebook 16Osain, Oyá, and the squirrel's warning🔒 The Notebook 17The turkey poisoned the river and the totí was blamed🔒 The Notebook 18Dog does not eat dog🔒 The Notebook 19The monkey, the fox and the hare🔒 The Notebook

16 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 Okana Rete in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Okana Rete

What does the Odù Okana Rete mean in Ifá?

The water that defeated its three enemies (clouds, rock, and roots) with Eshu: make a sacrifice against sudden death, as the cockroach did not.

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

Okana Rete is Odù number 134 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Okana family.

Which orishas speak in Okana Rete?

In the Odù Okana Rete these orishas speak: Eshu, Ogún, Osanyin, Elenini, Olokun / the water divinity.

What is a proverb of the Odù Okana Rete?

One of the proverbs of Okana Rete says: «The squirrel shouts out the boa's whereabouts.».

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