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Oshe Kana

Also called Oshé Polokána, Oshé Okana

nº 234 of 256 · Edited by

The need for a companion: the Mamuraye is born, which defeats Ikú. Do not underestimate anyone, because the most humble can get you out of trouble.

17 patakíes 5 eewó 8 ebbós and works 15 proverbs

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Oshe Kana is Odù number 234 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Oshe family. It is also written as Oshé Polokána or Oshé Okana. This page brings together its prayer in Yoruba, 17 patakíes (3 in full in plain sight, with their teaching, ebbó and chants), its proverbs, 8 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 234 of 256
Composition
Oshe over Okana
In the Diloggún
5-1 · Oshé tonti Okana
Orishas that speak
Obatalá · Ogún · Orunmila · Eshu · Egun · Olofin

What Ifá says in this sign

Oshe Kana, also known as Oshé Polokána, speaks to a person who needs a companion in life and calm in their emotions, even for their business to prosper. In this sign the Mamuraye is born, the ceremony of the goat's udders that are placed over Ifá and eaten to defeat Ikú, and Jesus, Mary and Joseph speak, the three children of Oshalofun. It is the sign of the mother who leaves her children for parties, and its ruling is severe: whoever has others in their care and abandons them brings them a fatal end.

Its figure is the crippled man nobody valued: dragging himself along, he planted the corn from the ebbó, caught a flock of parrots and filled Obatalá's house with wealth. That is why appearances deceive: do not look down on anyone, because the one who seems most limited can get you out of trouble. And if you have some limitation, do not give in to it: make yourself useful and necessary, for with your effort you can earn great profits. Eshu protects you.

«The crippled man who seemed useless filled Obatalá's room with parrots. In Oshé Polokána appearances deceive in both directions.»The pulse of Oshe Kana

Its osogbo lies in three enemies who approach you as something good: one with a mouth shaped like a beak, another with a hairy chest and another whose body smells bad. Do not be guided by gossip and be careful with women, because this sign warns that you could go to prison. Keep your promises: for a broken commitment you could suffer public shame and even an attack that leaves you maimed. You have done favors nobody thanks you for, and you carry a sorrow you have not told anyone. Be patient, for everything comes in its hour: the works of this sign show in seven days.

In health, a woman must watch her breasts: here speak blows to the chest, illnesses of the armpits and breast cancer, hidden ailments that come to light. There is a danger of becoming crippled in the arms or legs, and there are stomach problems. If this sign comes out for a sick child, care for the child at once, with a doctor and with Osha together.

In love you are unlucky; with sacrifice you can find company, but it is hard for you to do what you are told. The man of this sign loses his head over a woman's breasts. Do not give yourself over to the easy life. At work, change the partner who does not help you. Take good care of your dog and attend to your dead. If you listen to Ifá and sacrifice in time, you will defeat your enemies and will not lose what is worth most: your children.

The sign in one line

Find yourself a companion, look after your children before parties, and wait the 7 days of the work. The humble one of Oshé Polokána wins where the strong one fails.

The prayer of Oshe Kana · Yoruba

Oshe Karan Lodafun Baba Yelede Orunmila Lobe Owo Medilogun Omoni Tela Ifa Lodo Orisha Omo Meta Obatala Oshalofun, Oshagriñan, Oshanla, Awire Ayaguna Oun Guibanu Lodafun Tinshola Olordumare Wewe Mamuraye.

Súyere
Mamuraye Iku Mapo Senda Eure Mamuraye.

Ifá says — what Oshe Kana tells you

Proverbs of Oshe Kana · Òwe

12 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

  • Thanks to their effort and their wish to serve others, they earn great profits.

  • They achieve success over their enemies if they make the sacrifices indicated to them.

  • If she is a woman, she may become pregnant.

Osogbo · what the sign warns

  • The woman suffers blows and diseases in the breasts, among them breast cancer, and also in the armpits; hidden ailments come to light.

  • They may become crippled in the limbs and have stomach problems.

  • The man loses his head over the woman's breasts.

31 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 Oshe Kana · Ìbí

What is forbidden · Eewó

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

Ebbós of Oshe Kana · The sacrifices that open the road

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

Works of Oshe Kana · The workings of the sign

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

Patakíes of Oshe Kana · The roads of the Odù

1Mamuraye, the mother who abandoned her children

Long ago, a euré was raised by Obatalá Oshagriñán. She lived a reckless way of life: she drank, went to parties, and sought pleasure without limit. She left her three kids with the old man, who worked away from home to support them. When he came back from his daily labor he also had to cook the meal and take care of those little ones who were not his own, because their mother did not look after them.

The talk spread so far that Olofin heard of it. He sent Ogún to give the euré the punishment she deserved, and ordered him to tell everyone that he was going to cut off her udder. Ogún found her in the park and held her down. He declared before the people that he was carrying out an order from Olofin and that his action would serve as a lesson to the other euré who had gone astray, to put an end to the disorder in which they lived. Then he cut off her udder and shared it among those present so that each one would taste it, explaining the reason to them.

What it teaches

A person who receives the care of her children and abandons them for a life of pleasures answers to everyone for her wrongdoing. This path warns against abandoning children and says that it has public and serious consequences.

Ebbó of the story

For Ogún, a euré with ekú, eyá, epó, and money.

What is done with the udder

This path has a procedure of the awó for the udder; it is in the complete treatise.

What the odu says

It speaks of women who have gone astray, who abandon their children and think only of parties, work, and new conquests. By a curse of the Devil, the goat's udder symbolizes Ikú, and eating it is the way to defeat him. It also mentions ailments in the armpits, the legs, and the throat, and heart trouble (heart attack).

Prayer of this path

Oshe Kana Lodafun Baba Yelede Orunmila Lobe Owo Medilogun Omoni Tela Ifa Lodo Orisha Omo Meta Obatala Oshalofun, Oshagriñan, Oshanla, Awire Ayaguna Oun Guibanu Lodafun Tinshela Olordumare Wewe Eure Mamuraye.

The súyere of the path

Mamuraye Iku Mapo Sendaure Mamuraye

2The Ungrateful Goat and Her Sick Udders

Obatalá tried to impose some rules on the goat so that her milk would improve. The goat responded with ingratitude and devoted herself to a life of disorder. After some time her udders grew so large that they brushed the floor, and they ended up sick. Then anyone could milk her.

This story alludes to breast cancer and to hidden ailments that in the end come to light. It also points out that men are dazzled by a woman's breasts.

What it teaches

Whoever rejects guidance that would help him improve, and gives himself to disorder, answers with ingratitude the one who wanted to support him. The damage that such conduct leaves in the body ends up becoming visible to everyone.

Offering to Obatalá

An offering to Obatalá with raw milk or euré served in a gourd bowl.

3Ogún punishes the goat that did not nurse

According to this Ifá, in a town lived Obatalá, a lady with three children. She fell ill and her breasts stopped giving milk, so her children grew weaker and weaker without her being able to feed them.

One day she was walking along a street, distressed and seeing no way out, and she met a goat who was nursing her kids. Obatalá stopped, told her about her suffering and begged her to nurse her children too, to save them from dying of hunger. The goat told her to go ahead to her house, that she would catch up with her later. But the goat was vain and fond of parties: she spent her days among the male goats, showing off and flirting with one and another, never finding a moment for what she had promised. The days went by, and Obatalá's children died for lack of food.

When Obatalá saw that the goat had not done what she promised, she sent for Ogún and asked him to bring her. Ogún did so, and Obatalá addressed the goat: her children had died because of her lack of seriousness, and for that she condemned her. Then she ordered Ogún to kill the goat and cut off her udders, so that the goat's kids would not have milk either. Ogún did so: the goat died and was left without udders.

Obatalá decided that those udders would be kept for the ceremony of Itá Somá, which is also called Mamuraye.

What it teaches

Promising to take care of another person's children and not doing it, because of giving oneself to amusement, can cost lives. Failing to keep one's word does not go unpunished.

When this path comes out

The person whom Obatalá protects in this path is offered goat's milk (leche de chiva) in a glass.

14 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 Oshe Kana in Spanish →

Frequently asked questions about Oshe Kana

What does the Odù Oshe Kana mean in Ifá?

The need for a companion: the Mamuraye is born, which defeats Ikú. Do not underestimate anyone, because the most humble can get you out of trouble.

What number is Oshe Kana among the 256 Odù of Ifá?

Oshe Kana is Odù number 234 of the 256 in Ifá, part of the Oshe family.

Which orishas speak in Oshe Kana?

In the Odù Oshe Kana these orishas speak: Obatalá, Ogún, Orunmila, Eshu, Egun, Olofin.

What is a proverb of the Odù Oshe Kana?

One of the proverbs of Oshe Kana says: «Appearances deceive.».

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