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1.  Y ou must never abandon Ifa for any other religious faith :  This is because Ifa has  been  giving you support and elevation on so many occasions and Ifa believes that you should follow the religion that has supported you to overcome your obstacles and to gain success.   2.  You m ust never tell lies :  Ogunda bede abhors lies and as advises all its initiates never to tell lies. In the same vein, you must never move with those who are dishonest and those who cheat others . Failure to abide by this may bring forth unconsummated fortune.   3.  You m ust never pay good with evil :  In other words, Ogunda bede children must never be an ingrate. Paying good with evil may lead to your  downfall, and in most cases, slow and painful disaster.   4.  You m ust never steal :  Deter yourself from any act of stealing as Ogunda-bede frowns upon it. Indulging in this kind of anti-social act may incur the wrath of the divinities....

You probably must have noticed an Ifa/Orisa practitioner offering a piece of food to ile before eating, and then you wonder why they indulge in such act.. Yes, your mind is right... it has spiritual attachment.   This practice is called   “iyanle” , an act of pouring or offering a particle of food or some liquid before consumption. As Ifa/Orisa devotees, we believe is a form of sacrifice. Sacrifice to who right? sacrifice to Ile, mother earth.   Then you ask yourself, why is it important to do this?   Well, Orunmila, the witness of destiny, mandated it for all his followers to indulge in this practice. This is evident in the sacred verse of Ika di when it says:   Kalankadii Agagaiga Ojo nla ni takiti leyin abuke Adifafun Ile Tii seru akora Barapetu Adifafun Orunmila Baba ji, baba n fomi Oju sogbere Ire Gbogbo aworo ope, E jeka ma yanle ka to jeun Gbogbo aworo ope, E jeka ma yanle ka to mu   Translation : Kalankadii Agagaiga It is the heavy rain that stumble...

There are many names that can be given to a child related to abiku. Some of which were listed and explained in the part one of this term. Another 10 are listed and translated below: Kòkúmó (male/female) [This child] will die no more, this child has come to stay. This particular name is given to a child whose parents are sure that the spiritual work done to stop him/her from dying is potent and is effective. Kòsọ́kọ́ (male) No hoe/shovel [to dig a grave]. No one is willing again to dig a grave for the child if he chooses to die. Májẹ̀ẹ́kódùnmí (male) Minimize my sorrow. This is a resignatory statement from the parents of the child urging him to die if he chooses to die, without wasting their time and/or giving them false hope of living be cause of the uncertainty that surrounded his previous births. Since it is believed that the same child has previously been born, again and again and into the same family, and has died each time, the trepidation is that he might die again ...

In Yoruba land and Africa in general, we have for so long allowed others to define our reality from their own sociocultural perspectives. Nowadays, our perception of reality is skewed towards the definer's worldview. Our ancestral ontological and epistemological ways of knowing and defining reality are undermined due to the systemic band of menticide we have jumped on. Our values and belief systems are gradually being relegated to the background.   This has not only created a misconception and mind control by the colonialists but also eroded the African philosophical and cultural standpoints which had helped to shape the reality of our ancestors. Religion was introduced to us during the sub-Saharan/trans-Atlantic slavery and colonization.  These foreign religions came with the baggage of a master-god mentality who sits high in the sky and the servant-humans who live down below and are expected to serve and obey him. This was evident in the way and manner the slave mast...