COMMENTARY
We continue in our series of the Ifa Creation Story with Stages 4 and 5 which completes the stages. Stages 1, 2, & 3 can be found in previous blog posts. What is interesting about the Creation Story is that it is very detailed and covers all aspects of known creation. Every stage of creation has its origin in a Holy Odu, meaning that stage of creation was birthed or activated from the energetic essence of the odu. We continue with Stages 4 & 5 of creation.
With divine blessings,
Rev. Mignon Grayson (aka The Empress Ming)
STAGE 4:
The world was now full of water and Olodumare decided to rebuild the planet. This time, Olodumare decided to send Obatala down again to make the planet habitable with his ases. A chain he used to descend down to Earth, sand he used to create solid land, palm nuts to plant and grow palm trees, and maize to grow corn. Utilizing clay, Obatala created and formed humans. This process was going well until Obatala decided to drink some liquor and enjoy himself. Doing so he failed to accomplish his assignment. because when he sobered up, he realized he created some humans that were deformed and was devastated. This is why Obatala's taboo is no liquor and to not let any stain (both physical or metaphorical) touch his white cloth. This is also why Obatala is not only the owner of all humans, but especially the guardian to those who have disabilities and mental illnesses because of his recklessness.
Olodumare ordered Oduduwa to pick up Obatala's slack and to make the world habitable. He went to Orunmila for Ifa divination first and the holy odu, Okanran Owonrin was revealed.
Yoruba
Okanran Ajagbule
Onile lo l’aare
Ajeji o m’ese ile e to
Dia fun Oodua
Nijo ti baba nr’aye omi
Ebo ni won ni ko waa se
O gbebo, o rubo
English
Okanran Ajagbule
The owner of the land is always right over the land
A stranger knows now how to walk on the land
This was the declaration of Ifa to Oodua (Oduduwa)
When going to the earth that was covered with water
He was advised to offer ebo
He complied
Oduduwa successfully rebuilt the planet using the basket of sand that Akamara used to create solid earth, he then lowered the waters and grew the plants.
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Stage 4: 1b
Meanwhile, Aye (the owner of the planet and the solar sysem) gave birth to a child called Ayin. And Ayin was worthless, during his time of mischief and misbehaviour, he sold the solar system from his mother to Oduduwa! Not even for a good lump sum of money, but for a skull of an animal. In the Odu of Okanran Ajagbule, Ifa states that Oduduwa added two more planets to the solar system just to complement the male energy in Oduduwa
Okanran Ajagbule
Otito awo Aye
Dia fun Aye
Aye nsunkun oun o bi’mo
Ni’wonran ola, ni’bi ojumo tii mo
Ebo ni won ni ko waa se
O gb’ebo, o ru’bo
Igbati yoo bii
O bi Ayin
Eni to bi’mo to gbon
Lo r’omo bi
Eeyan to bi asiwere
Lo p’adanu omo
Dia fun Ayin
Ti yoo ta’le fun Oodua
Nitori akokoro ori eran gbigbe
Ayin to ta’le ni won n le kiri
Eyin o mo pe Ayintale omo lasan ni?
English
Otito, the Truth, the Awo of Aye
He cast Ifa for Aye
When she was lamenting her inability to beget her own baby
She was advised to offer ebo
She complied
When she would give birth
She begot Ayin
Those who give birth to children endowed with wisdom
They are the ones who have children
Those who gave birth to fools
They are the ones who lost the opportunity of having children
These were the declarations of Ifa to Ayin
Who would the lands to Oduduwa
At the price of the skull of an animal
Ayin who sold the land was the one being chased about
Don’t you know that Ayin who sold the the lands was a worthless child
The solar system became from seven to nine, but the name of the solar system still remained Ile Aye because it was sold without Aye's consents.
Stage 4: 1c
Olodumare decided to create a different type of life called "Human Beings" which are also called Eniyan (tonal marks ènìyàn, making the first beings and humans spelled the name with different accents).
Olodumare created the first humans by herself--naming the first human Ninibinini (or Eni-bi-eni), meaning the one in our likeness. The first human was a woman and Olodumare brought her to Earth by herself and passed her through Odo Aro and Odo Eje. Finally, handing her over to Oduduwa who had the assignment of populating the Earth as wife. She later would give birth to eight sets of twins, making a total of 16 children. Oyeku Logbe states:
Yoruba
Paa l’akisa n gbo
Oodun ogede ni o fa ya paara-paara bi aso
Dia fun Olodumare
L’ojo to n gbe Ninibinini bo wa’ye
Ebo ni won ni ko waa se
O gb’ebo, o ru’bo
To ba k’eni-k’ola dede
K’aye Olufe o baje
Omoniyorogbo a si t’aye Olufe se
English
With ease does a rag tear
A fresh banana leaf cannot tear into two like a cloth
This was the declaration of Ifa to Olodumare
On the day that he was carrying Ninibinini into the world
He was advised to offer ebo
He complied
If it remains a day
For the world of Olufe to spoil
Omoniyorogbo will intervene and mend the world of Olufe
Stage 4: 2a
When the time passed on and the children were going through puberty and maturity, they started to look at each other in a sexual way. An irunmole named Omoniyorogbo noticed this and informed Olodumare in order to avoid incest. Olodumare ordered Esu Odara (Esu, the Magical One), Ogun, Obatala, and Orunmila to create more humans so they could procreated with the first 16 Children.
The first human beings created from sand were black in color. They created 2000 human beings to begin with, but Olodumare decided that it would not be enough to truly cover the planet--so he ordered the same Irunmoles to create more. But instead of sand, they used parts of animals, plants, trees, etc to create 2000 more. They later created other groups which were yellow and then red in color.
One of the members of Obatala's group named Oluorogbo with the help of some other members of Obatala's group decided to create even more humans. They are the ones who created the white group or white people.
During the process of creating the black, yellow, red and white groups---one of the members of Obatala's group named Edun Beleje (the Ape) is the one who was really responsible for causing deformities. We blame Obatala, but it wasn't Obatala's direct doing. We shifted the blame because when a member of the group does something wrong, the leader is held responsible.
Ifa stated that the ground on the Earth was united, basically it was Pangaea, and all the humans lived together during this period. When the ground began to spread and break apart, groups also separated as well.
STAGE 5:
We are currently still in the 4th Stage of creation and quickly moving into the 5th State. Ifa stated that during this 4th stage of humanity, we'll be doing the same thing that the first Eniyans did. Basically, killing each other and destroying the planet with our technologocal advancements and other powers. Many wars will commence and many will die. This will reach to the point that the only way for true survival is going back to tradition. Remembering our roots, our practices and sacred ways of nourishing the Earth and ourselves. We will have to move into this way of life by force. Ifa says that although not everyone will want to live traditionally, many others will do it.
Aboru Aboye Abosise!
MY PERSONAL CONCLUSION:
We have choice and free will. We all made up of the essence of The One Supreme and expressed through and guided by Odu. How our next stages of evolution unfolds is left up to us. We have at our disposal the lessons of histoy left to us by our ancestors, ancient wisdom to draw upon and incredibile spiritual technologies from all the world's wisdom traditions to help us. I believe that taking responsibility to develop, elevate and cultivate our spirits is key to living on this planet in harmony not only with other people of the world but with Mother Earth.
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Contents Courtesy of:
Interpreted and Combined By: Baba Solagbade Popoola
Narrated and Revised By: Iya Ehime Ora