The Creation,
Yoruba Position
And The Myth.

The traditions says that those divinities that failed to do sacrifices when they left heaven, as well as Obatala, were all plagued with problems and difficulties , hence , the single habit of Orunmila to do sacrifices and helping the oldest of the divinities (Obatala) gave him the opportunity of abundant inheritance of wisdom and fore-knowledge ,of everything in this mysterious world . The gifts of wisdom he was given is what brought into existence the ancient mystery of our time, Ifá;.

Ifá is a medium of spiritual communication endowed by Orunmila to find solution to every problem of man and divinities. Tradition tells that it was the Orisa Ogun who was the first of the divinities to come for divinations. He came to Orunmila because he had no food to eat and nothing to drink. Orunmila then divined for him, and he was asked to sacrifice animals and cowries ( in the olden days , cowries were used as money) Ogun heeded the advice and did the sacrifice. That is how Ogun started to receive the blessing of God. Indeed. The odu that came out for Ogun was Okanran-ka. Later, Sango came for divination and also he was recommended to make ebo. Sango made the ebo and his life started to take turns for the better. And in such way all the Irunmoles, from the youngest to the oldest came to Orunmila for divination and all of them did the ebo prescribed and thus gained the blessings of Olodumare, harmony and happiness.

We should at this point speak more in depth about who Orunmila is and what Ifá; is.Orunmila is a spirit and one of the greatest divinities that left heaven together with the 401 Irunmole. Tradition tells us that Orunmilas first city on earth was Usi Ekiti in Eketiland. Usi ekiti is in present day a part of Eketi state but used to be a part of Ondo. This city happens to be the birthplace of Chief Adewuyi. Tradition tells that it was here Orunmila established his first cult and shrine and later moved to Ado Ekiti to finally settle in Ile Ife. Ile Ife is the spiritual home of all Yoruba and all worshippers of Orunmila. Orunmila traveled a lot and visited many cities and villages and touched the life of many settlements and people. As a consequence his cult was established and his shrines raised and because of this we salute Orunmila with ara usi (he who dwells in usi), ara ado (he who dwells in ado), ara ijeesha (he who dwells in ijehsa). Today Orunmila is worshipped throughout the world, his disciples are found everywhere and this makes him a universal king, indeed. People have faith in Orunmila and Ifá; as the divine oracle. Orunmila was blessed and endowed with special wisdom and fore knowledge to rectify all problems associated with human destiny , hence the attribute of Orunmila includes eleri ipin – ‘the witness of destiny’ or ‘the advocate of destiny’. For he is the witness of all the secrets connected with mans destiny and he is in the position to plead with Olodumare on behalf of man so that an unhappy lot may be averted and rectified and a happy lot gained. Another attribute of Orunmila is Okitibiri a ji pojoku da, meaning ‘the great changer who alters the date of death’. The message in these attributes is carried out by the system of divination we call Ifá;.

Ifá; is not an Orisa or Irunmole, but a spiritual medium divinely sanctioned to Orunmila Baba Agbonmiregun to help him carry out his spiritual duties and offer solution to mankind’s problems, these being of a physical, mental or spiritual nature. The word it self, Ifá; means I – FA to pull or attract or conjure good fortune. It denotes the power of Orunmila’s divine gift to attract blessings, prosperity, wealth, health, riches and happiness to whomever who chooses to walk the path Olodumare laid out for him or her. By doing this you will defeat all misfortune that threatens your happiness.   

Ifá; according to E.A. Odumuyiwa is a geomantic form of divination applied by Orunmila to bring into manifestation the source of comfort. It is an oracle that gives the answers on the questions asked so that the proper offerings and petition can be presented in order to secure good fortune.  Traditions tells that Orunmila is a linguist and that he understands every language spoken on earth , hence it is easy for Orunmila to understand, communicate and give counsel to all people, no matter race, religion, sex and colour. Actually, ethnic issues should not be any issue at all. Orunmila is not a racist, but a universal spirit. As the proverb tells us:

´´ONI LARI AORI OLA, LO MU BABALAWO NDIFA ORORUN´´

IT MEANS THAT:  ‘IT IS TODAY WE SEE. WE DO NOT SEE TOMORROW HENCE THE IFA PRIEST CONSULTED THE ORACLE EVERY FIFTH DAY’

We have mentioned that Orunmila came to earth with 401 Irunmole - let us mention a few of them:

	Obatala He is the oldest of the divinities. He is the great or arch divinities, father of all Orisa.
	Orunmila The diviner or the lord of wisdom and knowledge.
	Esu The law enforcer and the one who carries out justice.
	Ogun  The warrior, lord of iron and weapon.
	Sango The lord of Thunder and justice.
	Ela The precious son of Olodumare, Lord of miracles and wonder (ela omo Osin).
	Iyaami The mysterious mother of the universe, whose origin is shrouded in secrecy.
	Ibeji The mysterious Twins and Orisa for blessings and fertility.
	Oya The female divinity, wife of Sango, the goddess of river, thunderstorms and tornadoes.
	Osun The mysterious female Orisa for blessing and goddess of river.
	Osumare The Lord of rainbow and light.
	Ossosi The great hunter and brother of Ogun the warrior, gifted with great intelligence.
	Ologunede Orisa in the family of Ogun,  a god of iron and a blacksmith.
	Ewa A female deity reputed for her support and courage during times of frustration, She was married to the same husband, Lagbonna, as Osun, Oba, Yemoja and Aasa, However rivalry made them turn into rivers and they have since been helping people with their curative powers and characteristics.
	Oba A female deity associated with the spirit of the river. She is a spirit of blessing and prosperity. There is a river in Nigeria name after her called Odo Oba.
	Yemoja A female divinity believed to be the mother of fishes in the literary sense. She is also the goddess of blessings, prosperity and productivity.
	Obaluaye Some call him Soppona (that is the negative manifestation of his energy). He is also called Omolu and Babaluwaye (denoting positive aspects of his energy), the spirit of Omolu is associated with sickness, small pox and illness and cure to diseases. Omolu is the god of small pox and infectious disease.
	Obalufon Many associate Obatala with this Orisa  and they even believe that Obalufon is Obatala, but even being of the same family they are not the same. Obalufon is the Orisa and the king of Ifon. He was Obatala’s successor to the throne.
	Osalufon He is also called Sasalufon and is of the same family as Obatala.
	Olokun The goddess of ocean and the goddess of richness, prosperity, wealth and the power of the powerful wind and strong waves.
	Olosa The goddess of sea associated with prosperity and fertility.
	Orisa –oko She is also known as Erinle, a female Orisa for productivity, fertility, blessing and procreation, protection of family and properties.
	Egungun The collective spirit of ancestors.
	Igunnuko The ancestral spirit of ancient times.
	Oro                             He is an ancestral spirit that is used to drive out evil in the families, towns and villages. He was one of the oldest Irunmole, so brave and so strong and courageous that he is said to have snatched the igba iwa (calabash of creation or character) from Obatala.  He was reputed for being devoted to make rituals and offerings through the help of the other Irunmole. When he conspired to steal the igba iwa from Obatala it was retrieved with the help of Esu and Orunmila.
	Jakuta He is a deity of the Sun. Jakuta means to destroy stones or one who fight with stones or one who hurls stones to create thunder and lighting. From Jakuta comes the prohibition against stealing, falsehood and poisoning.
	Osainyin A male divinity for healing, god of herbs, roots, leaves and shrubs. He is called the doctor of the divinities.
	Aganju He is the brother of Sango Olukoso.
	Abiye The divinity for protection of children and pregnancy.
	Nana Buruku A female Orisa from the Fon people who married one of the Orisa in Yorubaland. Tradition tells that she married Obaluwaye and that her water provides healing for those infected by his diseases.
	Yemowo She is a female Orisa and the first wife of Obatala. She was the first woman to marry in this aye akamara (mysterious world).
	Agemo An invisible spirit that transforms into many different forms. He is the progenitor of the people of Ijebu in Yorubaland.
	Obanta The legendary founder of the awujale dynasty in Ijebu ode and Ijebu remo.
	Tami The oracle and priest of the soil.
	Oloko The lord of the land and plant.
	Sungbo She is the wife of Oloko. Some people associate her with queen Sheba of Ethiopia. She was a great woman and used to travel periodically between Ijebu remo and the land of Judah. She did not die but at old age she disappear at Oke-eri.
	Oduduwa He is also known as Olofin and is the legendary founder of the Yoruba race and dynasty.
	Lamurudu He was the father of Oduduwa, he was from the land of Judah.
	Aasa She was one of the wives of Lagbonna. The other wives were Osun, Yemoja, and Oba. Competition and jealousy resulted in hatred and annoyance whereupon they were turned into water and their spirit merged with the river.

We have many other Irunmole, such as Ayelala, Orosun, Aiku, Abiku, Olu-Iwa, Ajebu, Olode, Onile, Eyo and many others, but for not it will suffice with those mentioned to demonstrate the richness of powers accessible to Orunmila. All of these divine spirits were created to make life meaningful and good to the glory of Olodumare. Like a president of king can be approached through his ministers, in the same way can Olodumare be approached through his Irunmole and Orisa.