character and sacrifice

7/29/2019 Character and Sacrifice

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Character and sacrifice

Aboru aboye aboshishe.

I have seen the wicked go to Ifa, to make sacrifice so that they may succeed in their wicked ways.

I have seen the Ifa priest, accept that empty sacrifice duped by the veil money has laid upon their eyes.

I have seen the people of my faith expect their problems be solved by throwing sacrifices at them without

for one moment thinking about the role they play.

I have seen person and priest alike sling mud so that their dirty clothes might seem brighter

What good is it all without character?

Ifa says in the Odu Irete Oyekun:

Orifusi, father of Elu, was searching for a way to avoid death

So that death would no kill him, his children and his wives

They said: If you want to avoid death

You must sacrifice and follow the teachings of Ifa

Ifa will teach you the conduct and character

Which will enable you to avoid death

They said when you sacrifice, you should begin doing good from this day on more then ever before

For your sacrifice is in vain, if your character is deficient

Therefore, you should take the sacrificial pigeons and chickens home

You should release them

You should not kill them

You should give them food if they come to eat at your houseAnd you must not kill anything whatsoever from this day on

For one who does not want death to kill him

Should not kill anything whatsoever

Orifusi baba Elu nwa ibi a ba ye iku

Si ki o ma le pa oun omo re ti aya re

A niki bi e ba wipe ki iku ma le pa eyin

Ki e rubo ki e si wa te Ifa

Ifa yoo ma ko eyin, ni ise ati iwa
http://ifalola.blogspot.com/2008/04/character-and-sacrifice.htmlhttp://ifalola.blogspot.com/2008/04/character-and-sacrifice.htmlhttp://ifalola.blogspot.com/2008/04/character-and-sacrifice.html


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Ti kii jeki a ku

Won ni bi e rubo

E beresi rere-ise lati oni lo ju ti atehin wa.

Lasan ni e rubo, bi e ba din iwarere

Ki e ko awon eyele ati adiye lo si ile eyin

Ki e ko won dasile

Ki e ma se pa won

Ki e maa fun won ni ounje bi won ba je wa ile

E ko gbodo pa ohunkohun lati oni lo

Nitori eniti ko fe ki iku pa oun

Ki o ma se iku pa ohunkohun si.

Clearly Ifa tells us that it is character that can trump any sacrifice made, and that no matter the amount of

money, food or goods offered to the Orisa, if one does not have character, that sacrifice is made in vain.

Characterless existence is the doom of those whos tongues breed hate, whos hearts breed distrust and

whose hands work only for their own furtherance, and not that of the community. Without character, we

will only be eaten by our own greed and avarice, and if we surround ourselves with these things, whether

in our choice of friends, our choice of clients or our own actions, in the end, we will be outcast, with no

remedy to make right that which is wrong.

Ifa says in Okanran Oworin

Letting people practice cruelty supports the cruel person

Allowing people to do evil sustains the evil person

The was the teaching of Ifa for those who would not listen

Who said that Orunmila was giving too many warnings about wrong doings

And that they would do what they wanted

They were doing evil

They were committing acts of cruelty

And things in life were going well for them

People went to report this to Orunmila

Orunmila said that regardless of how long it may be, the one who rewards and punishes will come around

again and again

He will relieve people of their burdens in the end

He will go about his work quietly

And when he comes, all of them will run

They said we should sacrifice


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So that permissiveness towards cruelty and allowance of evil

Might not get an opportunity to become a part of us

And so that our companions and peers might no deride and show contempt for us in the end

Jeko Seka ngbe osika

Jeko Seka ngbe asebi

A difa fawon afoigbo

Ti wipe Orunmila nkilo oran ju,

Ti inu awon li awon maa se

Won nse ibi

Won nse ika

Ohun aye ndara fun won

A lo wi fun Orunmila

Orunmila ni: bobapetiti elesan nbowa ayika gbirigbiri

O tumo leru kale

A se jeje sise

Bi o ba de gbogbo won a sa

Won niki a sebo ki Jeko Seka ati Jeko se bi

Ma le raye bosi ikun eni

Ik awon egbe ati ogba ma ba fi wa rerin eleya ni igbehin

Ifa clearly warns us of the age-old adage Quien con perros se echa, con pulgas se levanta (sleep with the

dogs, and youre going to get fleas). Slowly and insidiously, if you surround yourself with evil and cruelty,

it will inevitably affect your mind, your decisions and your life. Character is something to be thought about,

contemplated and nurtured. Without this attention, it will slowly die, and in the end leave us without

community, and without recourse, since without character, our sacrifices remain empty offerings.

So if character is our responsibility, and we know that if we surround ourselves with evil and corruption,

we will eventually become corrupt, is it not important for us to understand who our true friends are, so that

we may create a community around us that will support us equally in sunny or stormy weather? Certainly

Ifa tells us in Ogbe Ate:

Let us close our eyes and pretend to be dead

So that we may know who will mourn for us

Let us walk unsteadily and pretend to stumble

So that we might see who will express concern

It would not be a bad thing, even if we could count on only one person


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But who will remain is difficult to determine

This was the teaching of Ifa for Orunmila

When he was going to make people think that he was dead

So that he might know who were his true friends

He was advised to offer sacrifice

He heard and complied

Orunmila who was said to be dead, was not dead after all

He discovered that their mourning was a mourning for themselves

And their fasting in sorrow was a fasting for themselves

Only his true friends remained to mourn him and help his family

Ka diju, ka pe a ku

Ka meniti yoo sunkun eni

Ka burin-burin ka kose danwo

Ka mo eniti yoo seni pele

Ko ni buruburu bi ko ma kenikan pere mo ni

Sugbon eniti yoo ku la o mo

Difa fun orunmila

Nigbati o nfi iku tan won je

Ki o mo eniti nbe ore oloooto re

Won niki o rubo

O gbo; o rubo

Orunmila ni e pe a ku ko ku mo o

O wa rip e ekun ara won ni won nsun

Pe aruwe ara won ni won ngba

Awon ore oloooto re nikan ni nbe lehin ti nsunkun ati tin ran awon ara re lowo

Ifa tells us without good character, nothing is sustainable. Without good character, sacrifice is empty.

Without good character, we are meaningless.

Aboru Aboye Aboshishe

Marcos Ifalola Sanchez

character and sacrifice

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