The Usefulness and types of Prayer (Iwure) - Ifa's view

Prayers are the expression of desires we sincerely and seriously wish to manifest. To pray therefore means to communicate our desires to or commune with, the Deities to lend us a hand in ensuring that our desires come to pass as we intend.

Not many people know how to pray for such entreaty to have effect. Some people just "pray" mechanically and expect results. Unfortunately, results may not come in a very long time. In the history of man, prayer is one of the simplest but least understood aspects of his activities. It takes thorough understanding of the working of prayers for us to appreciate how to make prayers work for us.

Ifå recognizes three types of prayers: Socio-religious prayers, precautionary prayers and occult-esoteric prayers. Each of these prayers has it functions and usefulness. These are briefly discussed below:

(I) Socio-Religious Prayer

This type of prayer is the commonest among the three. It is usually used by religious leaders, elders and those showing appreciation to those who showed them favor or needed their favor. Those seeking favors also apply this type of prayers.
Such prayers are said during naming ceremonies, during important occasions such as weddings, burials, morning devotions and so on.

When someone is opening a new house, they have just purchased or constructed, people will come and share the joy of this achievement with the lucky person. The priest in charge will pray for those present for the gods to extend the same luck to everybody there. When a person gives birth to a new baby, during the naming ceremony, the priest in charge will pray to the Deities to extend this luck to everybody present. When a couple is getting married, the officiating priest will pray for everybody for the gods to extend this joy to all those present. When a youth dies, the officiating priest will pray to the gods to put a permanent end to untimely mortality. Everybody present will shout "Ase", may it be so. But everybody who shouted this important is aware of the inadequacy of these prayers.
Everybody knows that all the people cannot be lucky. Everyone in this world will not be able to own a house, everyone will not bear children, everyone will not formally get married, everyone will not live to old age.
Also, when a person seeks favor from another, We person seeking favor will pray to the gods to bless would-be benefactor(s). When the would-be benefactor(s) is/are able to meet the expectations of the person seeking the favor fully or in part, another round of prayers will be showered on the benefactor(s) for his/her kind gestures. The one seeking favor urges the gods to bless the benefactor(s) and make them greater than ever before.

This is very common among beggars and all those living mendicant lives. Such prayers may or may not come to pass. This notwithstanding, both the person who uttered the prayers and those who received them are happy.
On some other occasions, a person may do something great or timely for the society or for an elder in the society. The recipients Of such deeds may be so moved and appreciative that they will pray for the person who had done it for him or her to receive the blessing and kindness of the Deities.
Everyone involved may shout "Ase", for the prayers to come to pass.

Those who cannot be paid for any favor done in cash or those who will not accept any reward in cash are usually
'remunerated" with Socio-political prayers which may be backed with honors, medals, certificates and so on. Heroes, community leaders, those who had brought a society to the fore, youths who attain recognition through selfless services to the society can be given 'special prayer services" in appreciation of such deeds to the society. Also, this prayer may or may not come to pass.
In spite of this shortcoming however, Socio-religious prayers have an extremely soothing effect on all the recipients of these prayers. This type of prayers is not back up with any force or energy to enhance the manifestation of such prayers. On a practical note, even without this type of prayer, those who shall succeed shall definitely succeed and those who shall fail shall do so.

Precautionary Prayers

This is the type of prayer people offer regularly and the same time back it up with practical physical steps to ensure its manifestation. It requires more than mere entreaties to the Deities for favor.
A person praying for success must work hard to achieve this success; a person praying for children must marry, copulate, find remedies to gynecological problems, if any, and hope for the best; a person who wants to live long must be careful with life, take care of ealth, eat good and have a well balanced diet and pray for the best, etc. These are the keys a success which all Ifå followers are expected to follow. In Osé-Méji, Ifå states that all those planning to succeed must be hardworking and dedicated.

Those who wish to live long will do more than offering lengthy prayers to the Deities. They will also ensure they do not do what will cause their untimely death. They must also avoid attracting what can cut short their lives.

Occult/Esoteric Prayers

This is the type of prayer which is backed up with both physical and a metaphysics force and energy. This is the type of prayer which harbors all the secrets of life. The more of these prayers one knows and masters, the greater one becomes. It has been discovered that if one understands the workings or mechanisms of any part of nature, one can use the knowledge to perform wonders for oneself or the society one finds himself/herself.
In this type of prayer, several methods are used to extract power from all the objects around us, animate or inanimate. People use plants, shrubs, barks of trees, roots, leaves, animals or parts of animals, insects, rats or parts of rats, fish, water, soil and so on to energize their prayers in order for such to manifest the way they wish. People also use the name of Deities, gods, demi-gods, spirits, ghosts, ancestors, winds, sun, moon, meteors, etc. and the power of the spoken words to energize their prayers.

Prayers bring hope. They make people appreciate the value of wishing for and waiting for things to change for the better. 

Prayers make people move closer to their Olodumare and the Deities. Prayers are good rewarding, challenging and interesting.
All the things created by Olodumare and Åkåmarå can be manipulated (including man himself) by man to facilitate the manifestation of prayers. The more we know about the working of the forces surrounding all the elements of Nature, the more power we have and the more leverage we have over our daily lives and existence.
Prayers are however best when offered by the person in need of the prayers himself or herself. Man can get the best result on his own. No other person can communicate as effectively as the person involved in any matter.

We do not need a contractor or a lawyer to solicit for us when it comes to prayers. Some people used to say that they do not know how to pray. In spite of this, they are still in the best position to tell Olodumare exactly what they need as they see it. If others are given the assignment to pray for the result will be inferior to what we would have gotten had it been that we did the prayer on our own. It is therfore wise for us to start to practice to pray and get results through our prayers.
We may however employ the services of adepts in the area of manipulating various elements in order to make our prayers work. But when it comes to the areas of reciting the prayers, they are best done by the people involved.

Culled from IFA: The key to its understanding