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Categorically and assertively, the word or term ìyánífá is never a new one; it is as old as the word or term known as Babaláwo or Ifá, but certainly, it is not the opposite of or synonymous with Babaláwo. But, sadly, the etymological meaning and the actual definition of ìyánífá is being badly altered and influenced, presently, by many pseudo Babaláwos (both in Yorùbáland and in the diaspora), objectively to promote Western values and ideas; and to also massage the ego and adress what they identified as "identity crisis" being faced by the so called "emerging" female Ifá Diviners and the ever rising number of female Ifá Devotees in Western world and Diaspora in general. Traditionally, Ìyánífá refers to any woman (irrespective of age or spiritual background) married to any practising Babaláwo (Ifá Diviner /Priest) commonly called "Apẹ̀tẹ̀bí aya Awo" choosen by the Babaláwo for the singular purpose of serving as Ìyánífá (Godmother) during the "Ìtẹ̀f...

Apetebi & Iyanifa The issue of Iyanifa and Apetebi has been on the deck for quite some time now. A lot had been written and said about these two concepts.  The last two times I checked my blog queries, Apetebi and Iyanifa made the list. The shows how people in the community are in dire need of valid information as it relates to both terms.   However, a few years back, I have blogged about Apetebi , which I believe put some light on the term to some extent.   In this article, authored by Chief Fakunle Oyesanya (Akoda of Ibeshe land ), enough light is illuminated on what seems to be the grey areas on both concepts. Read below:   Before we dwell on the subject, it will be good to know who an Apetebi is and who an Iyanifa is. It is after we have a clear understanding of these two concepts that we can really appreciate what they stand for.   Who is an Apetebi? A lot had been said and written on this subject. Most of the materials deal extensively o...

                           To become a Babaláwo (father of secrets) is not an easy task and never going to be an easy task. It takes some ten years of serious learning and process to become a prolific and highly versed one, it takes some 20 years, it even takes some five years depending on how fast and sharp your intellectual ability is to learn and even for such long years of practice, they still learn more from colleagues, friends because Ifá learning is dynamic and never has an end.     The training of a Babaláwo goes beyond reading E-books, books, manuals, websites, blogs even beyond this current write-up you reading. It is best learned practically at an already made fully-fledged Babaláwo who also had learned from a skilled Babaláwo. It however requires total devotion, attention, and time of the trainee because having 256 Odù(verses) with at least five per-verse is not that funny...

Every community or society has social norms which can be descriptive or injunctive in nature. Norms can refer to what is commonly done or what is commonly approved and disapproved. The practice of Ifá entails living and doing things in accordance with the tenets and norms of Ifa. It involves the application of Ifá teachings as contained in several verses of the 256 Odù Ifá, which are used to problem solve and exhibit such teachings in thoughts, speeches, and actions.  These teachings include morality, ethics, philosophy, sociology, general human behavior, and character building. It is normative as an Ifa practitioner to continue to align himself/herself with what is commonly approved and/or expected in Ifá practice, as “conformity to the norm” and avoid any acts which may cause an individual to deviate from the normal Ifá course, whether it be in thought, action, and/or experimentation.    The word “perversion” is derived from the Latin pervertere, which means “to tur...