Ifa as a means of guidance and counseling

Ifa can simply be defined as the esoteric word of Olodumare which was used to create the universe and its fullness in the beginning and which hitherto still remain binding.  The esoteric word consists of sacred element which is forever constant and eternal.  

That sacred element is no other thing but the “Truth” which must be upheld by all men and regarded as sacrosanct in order to live according to the Will of Olodumare.  This sacred word of the beginning also became a body of knowledge and databank into which all the knowledge of life is encoded for humans to make use of. 

Guidance and counseling deals with the process of helping individuals discover and develop their educational, vocational, and psychological potentialities and thereby achieving an optimal level of personal happiness and social usefulness. It helps an individual to mould his destiny in a way that will not only serve his own interests but also the interest of the whole society.

The main purpose of guidance in Ifa can be categorized into three viz:

(i)             Finding one’s destiny

(ii)           Following one’s destiny

(iii)         Fulfilling one’s destiny

(iv)          Spiritual elevation

 

Finding:

To find one’s destiny involves knowing exactly what one has come to this earth to do rather than meandering endlessly in darkness by means of trial and error methods. Through finding, one is able to find solutions to various other problems, which may have become sources of worry for quite some time. 

Some of such problems include childlessness/infant mortality, ill health, financial incapability, victory over enemies, longevity, business concern, domestic problems, etc. This information can only be passed to an individual during, Ikosedaye (third day divination of a baby’s birth), at Ifa initiation and random Ifa consultation. 

Moreover, there are some people who have chosen a particular career or profession in heaven but on getting to earth, they decided either by error of commission or omission to choose a career that contradicts their virtues and components of their destiny. When things begin to go wrong for them, such people may at random Ifa consultation or Ifa initiation be advised on the possible professions or career in order to put them back on track.

 

Following:

To follow one’s destiny means living and doing things that are in consonance withthe workings of the dynamic forces within an individual with a view to leading the right path and

having the right connection. Ifa says that the person who is not following his divinely chosen

path is like an idiot who is just wandering in the wilderness and who may end up his/her life in

shambles or in an unpleasant situation. 

Derailing from the right path is going off track and such a person will only have him/herself to blame in the end.  In a stanza of Owonrin Ologbon

(Owonrin-Iwori), Ifa has this to say:

Akindanidani Awo ode Egba

Odanindani Awo ode Ijesa

Eese ti e f’oju ona sile ti e nto igbe

Awo ode Otunmoba                                                   

Dia fun won lode Ilolodi

Nibi Egungun-Araba gbe n pa won tibi-tiran

Ase bayii le go le gunnuta

Enikan o gogoogo

Bi ara Ilolodi                                                             

Ase bayii le go le gunnuta

 

Translation

The idiots of Egba-land

The imbeciles of Ijesa land

Why do you leave the right path?

And choose to tread in the wilderness,

The people of Otunmoba

These were the declarations of Ifa to the inhabitants of Ilolodi

Where the white silk cotton tree (Araba) was killing them and all their descendants

So this is how foolish you are

No one can be so foolish

As to surpass the inhabitants of Ilolodi

So this is how foolish you are

 

At initiation, an initiate should be able to identify from his/her Odu what type of personality and character traits are within him/her, potentials and values including his likes and dislikes. This will enable him/her to increase his/her strength areas; reduce weakness; eliminate threat areas; and to take advantage of opportunities. For a student, Ifa will guide him in choosing a Career or Vocation. On the other hand, Ifa says that one who refuses to listen to the dictates of his/her destiny or fails to verify the appropriate steps to take in life will only find himself to blame at long last.

 

As a Source of Wisdom and Divine Guide

Ifa gives wisdom and guides people to the right path. According to Ifa, any step taken wrongly in one's life can have a devastating effect on the life of such person. Ifa  knows the origin and destination of everybody on earth, hence it is capable of guiding people rightly. Failure to have Ifa  in one’s life is like groping in the dark without any specific direction. It is the light that guides and shows which direction one ought to take. Let us examine the following areas where Ifa guidance can be applied:

.         

      1.  Business

      2.   Travel

      3.   Marriage> Mate Selection

      4.   Friendship

      5.   Inter-Personal relationship

      6.   Health

 

 

 

1.     Business

The success of any business depends on planning and making of feasibility studies before embarking on it. Part of the feasibility studies which is considered to be most important is divine consultation.

Unfortunately this aspect is always forgotten or ignored and therefore considered unimportant by most people. It is true that the physical feasibility studies will tell the viability of such business venture, but there are also certain inherent factors that cannot be seen or detected physically. This divine consultation of Ifa; will reveal: 

(1) The viability of the business 

(2) The spiritual compatibilities or otherwise of the person and the type of business or compatibilities of the persons involved in the business. 

In this case, Ifa; will tell if the business is in tune with the destiny of such person(s) or not. Ifa; also teaches strategies and policies that could be applied for the smooth running of a business.

 

Travel

Ifa; is also significant here when one intends to embark on a journey. Ifa is consulted and divine guidance is required on an intending trip. After consultation, Ifa will foresee the nature and outcome of the journey. 

Ifa will also advise if the journey is worth embarking upon or not. And if there is any probable difficulty to be encountered, Ifa  will prescribe what to be done in terms of behavioural attitude and or ritual to be performed before proceeding on the journey. In some Odu Ifa we have seen quite a number of times whereby Orunmila or a Babalawo had to consult Ifa for guidance before embarking on a journey. And he never at the end of the day had any course to regret when all the prescribed ebo had been offered, instead he was always full of praises to Ifa and Olodumare.

 

Marriage and Mate Selection

Marriage is a lifelong union between two families in accordance with the norms and regulations of their environment. In the past all marriages were contracted between families and it became their responsibilities to ensure that the marriage worked. Part of these responsibilities included investigation, divination and marriage rites after the grooms or brides families might have selected the mate.

Unfortunately these days, these values and practices are being de-emphasized and perhaps regarded as primitives. Hence, young men and women now choose and contract marriages without taken into consideration the above marriage practice and even without the consent and blessing of their families. 

As a result, there are many broken homes, single parents with the products of such homes engaging in all forms of social vices. Conversely, children must be raised by both the father and the mother in an atmosphere of peace and harmony except in a situation when one of the parents is deceased. 

The importance of Ifa guidance as far as marriage or mate selection is concerned cannot be over-emphasized as Ifa will reveal all the hidden intricacies of the family life of the would-be couple. The intricacies are viewed by Ifa from four perspectives: that the marriage is good or fruitful; that the marriage is good but with conditions; that the marriage is bad but can be mended; and that the marriage is not propitious and is likely to spell doom on the couple and families involved.

This is where Ifa promises that tomorrow will be better than today for the person who follows its wise guidance and counselling. 

Consequently, Ifa affords one the opportunity of expecting greater and better things in future. The implication of this is that Ifa gives us hope to cling to and moves us away from despair and desperation. Ifa is the arrow pointer that shows us the way to a proper and better way of life.

Aboru Aboye

Fakunle Oyesanya

Akoda Awo