Ifa Odu Explorer
Ifa is the knowledge and divination system of the Yoruba people of West Africa, recognised by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage. A babalawo casts a divining chain (opele) or palm nuts to form an odu: two columns, or legs, of four marks, each single or double. The 16 principal odu (Meji) combine into 256, each linked with a vast body of oral verses (ese).
With respect: Ifa is a living religion and body of knowledge. A real reading is given by an initiated babalawo who recites the ese, sometimes thousands of verses, that fit the person. This page only shows how odu are structured and the general themes published in scholarly works, for learning. It does not replace consulting a knowledgeable practitioner and does not prescribe any offering (ebo).
The 16 principal odu (Meji)
1. Ogbe
light, beginnings, clarity and open opportunity; good deeds bear fruit
2. Oyeku
the enveloping dark, ending in order to begin again, respect for the ancestors, rest and review
3. Iwori
looking beneath the surface, inner wisdom, change from within and patience in learning
4. Odi
enclosure and rebirth, protecting what is valuable, faithfulness to commitments
5. Irosun
roots and lineage, family inheritance, remembering where you come from
6. Owonrin
uncertainty and reversals, flexibility, meeting the unexpected
7. Obara
wealth that comes from humility, the power of words, neither under- nor over-estimating yourself
8. Okanran
words and conflict, speaking the truth with care, choosing words for the right place and time
9. Ogunda
clearing the path and removing obstacles, hard work and determination
10. Osa
sudden change like the wind, adaptation, not clinging to how things were
11. Ika
caution, self-control and using power mindfully
12. Oturupon
endurance, health and recovery, caring for body and mind
13. Otura
peace and spiritual insight, peaceful communication, understanding others
14. Irete
unwavering determination, standing by your goals, victory through perseverance
15. Ose
sweetness and abundance, beauty and good relationships
16. Ofun
creation and purity, cool calm, giving and a clean beginning
Sources: William Bascom, Ifa Divination (1969); Wande Abimbola, Ifa: An Exposition of Ifa Literary Corpus (1976); UNESCO, Ifa divination system (2008).