Diego de Oxóssi

Much is heard about the African Odus. I constantly talk about the Birth Odus, Path Odus and Negative Odus; regent Odus of the day, of the year and even of personalities and political events. But do you know exactly what Odus are?

Imagine that you decided to take a vacation trip and for that there are 16 major roads or highways to get to where you plan. On some of these roads the sun shines among green fields; in others, there are rains and scary thunderstorms. There are also those in which, even with the fine drizzle, the landscape is charming and worth getting a bit wet to enjoy it.

Now also imagine that these roads interconnect with each other, creating new paths and allowing one to pass the other until you reach your destination. When you start your trip you organize yourself to follow a certain route, but during the tour you can see a sign indicating some tourist attraction that interests you, or - who knows? - puncture a tire, or decide to take a detour to make a snack. Each turn of these roads, each change of course, brings you new options for travel, new landscapes and new challenges. And as time goes by, even if your final destination remains the same, you discover countless experiences and events you’ve never thought before, simply because you’ve decided to change the original itinerary of your trip.

In life and in the way we live our lives the Odus are these roads.

Stay with me until the end of this text to understand how these destiny pathways are configured in the consultations to the Cowrie Shells Divination and how they can guide you on the best choices for your life !

Odus: Destiny Pathways

The Odus are, precisely, the spiritual roads that interconnect the Órùn (Heaven) and Aíyè (the Earth), serving as a way for you to develop your best abilities and experience the pains and delights of living. Moreover, it is also on these “roads” called Odus that the Orishas and all the spiritual energies communicate with us and influence our Destiny, and through which Eshu - the Orisha of Communication and Movement - receives and takes our offerings to the Gods and bring from there Their blessings to us.

It´s as if each Odu is a range of possibilities of lives, of positive and negative events, of mistakes and successes by which we can pass on our journey through life. Thus, our daily life is formed by a set of these ranges, by the crossing and the combination of these possibilities.

In an objective way: the Odus are the signs of Ifá, the Orisha of Wisdom, symbolized in the falls of the Cowrie Shell Divination of Candomblé. They are divided into two groups, totaling 256 combinations. The top 16 are called Oju Odu; and the secondary 240, called Omo Odu. The names of the 16 major Odus are:

Okaran;

Ejiokô;

Etá-Ogunda or Ogundá;

Iorossun;

Oxê;

Obará;

Odi;

Ejiogbê or Ejionilé;

Ossá;

Ofun;

Owarin;

Ejilaxeborá;

Ojiologbon or Ejiologbon;

Iká;

Obeogundá;

Aláfia.

The Odus bring in themselves advices and orientations of the Orishas for the various situations of religious and daily life.

These symbols, councils and orientations are identified by the Babalawos - priests of the Cult of Ifá, through the opele ifá - or Babaloshas and Iyaloshas - as the priests and priestessess of Candomblé and Santeria are called, through the Cowrie Shell Divination. By interpreting these symbols they identify the situations that passes in the life of those who seek them and point out which energies are interfering in a positive or negative way.

In addition, the great advantage of consulting the Odus in relation to the other existing oracles, either through the Opele Ifá or the Cowrie Shell Divination, is that in addition to diagnosing the problems, they also indicate the solutions and the rituals to be performed for each of these situations. It may be through a change of attitudes, or the correction of some choices in relation to life and the people around them … It can be, also, through the performance of magic rituals and offerings to the Orishas - commonly called by the generic name of ebós.

Ebós: Spiritual Medicine to Please the Gods

For any problem or situation identified during the consultation with the Odus, the Cowrie Shell Divination will always indicate a magic ritual - or rather, an ebó - to seek its solution, as if they were spiritual remedies. In the same way, for every positive and satisfying situation, the Odus will also indicate ebós to give and please the energy that is allowing good things to go the way we want.

On this issue, Babalawo Adilson Martins (Ifaleke Aráile Obi), in his book “O Jogo de Búzios por Odu” (Pallas, 2012), tells us a little about African culture and about its way of seeing life, where the physical and spiritual are always interconnected:

”… a leaf of a tree does not fall unless there is a spiritual predetermination or a religious background.

[…]

The superior forces are always called upon to solve the problems of everyday life, and whatever religion the individual chooses, the practice of magic is always pursued in the search for its solutions, even if this practice is veiled or masked by other names.”

For all this, the consultation to the Cowrie Shells Divination does not make predictions of future. More than that, it uncovers your present, determines the energies that influence your current life, identifies the problems that afflict you, and guides you on the best ways to solve them.

That’s why in consultation with the Cowrie Shells Divination you do not need to say anything or ask questions: Orisha Ifá, aswell as Orisha Eshu, knows exactly what is happening in the heart of those who come to consult and therefore the messages are deciphered by the Babalosha without you having to say anything. Still, of course you can ask the questions you want, for Eshu is the force that reveals the mysteries of the Universe.

In addition, it is also possible to identify other influences of the Odus in your ways and in various aspects of your life, about which I will treat better in the next texts. But to advance the subject a little further, through African Numerology we can, for example, identify and analyze:

Birth Odus Assessment: is the Orishas Birth Chart, which identifies the Odus and energies that rules yours temperament, personal evolution, career and opportunities, emotional body, relationships and the challenges of your destiny since birth and throughout their life;

Odus of Love and Relationship: by combining the Birth Odus of two people, it is also possible to determine the energies that define the positive and negative aspects of the relationship between them; which factors from the outside world influence the success of this relationship; how the dynamics between them works and the emotional aspects that need to be considered for the good coexistence; what are the challenges of this union and how is it possible to overcome them;

Financial and Business Odus: an important tool of spiritual guidance and consulting in the business world, this type of analysis identifies the energies that govern a company and its partners. By analyzing the Odus that rules the inauguration and business life of the company, we can understand and define the best market positioning in relation to it´s competitors; the forms of service and delivery of services to more effectively reach your target audience; the challenges to financial growth and public recognition of the brand in the market, among many other issues.

The challenges of the 21st century make life seem more and more rapid, giving the impression that there is never enough time to fulfill all our goals and commitments, much less to plan and accomplish what truly gives us pleasure, doesn´t it? Most intriguing, perhaps, is that this hallucinatory routine seems to repeat itself in all phases of life.

It doesn´t matter if you are 20, 30 or 50 years old … Ever since we “fell into the world” and assumed the responsibilities of adulthood, it seems we never had the opportunity to look inside ourselves, to listen to our hearts and to take care of our interior garden.

I speak from my own experience: at the age of 20 I lived alone (actually sharing an apartment with friends) and spent almost all of my time building the first steps of my IT career, studying for college degree and paying the accounts of early adult life. Step by step I was gaining better positions in market until, five years later and already with a well structured career, came the demands and professional commitments - after all, I had struggled and asked for it!

Little did I know, however, that by reaching those first goals, new and greater plans would emerge, and with them new and greater demands as well. And looking at the side, watching the life and routine of my friends, I noticed the same happened with all of them. We had big dreams, we had big plans, and every year it seemed like there was less time to get them. The days were filled with the routine: to complete the studies, to study even more, to raise the children, to pay the bills, to build a good marriage, to take care of the house … And every day, new choices, new decisions and new doubts. Well … I think you know what I mean, right?

In the midst of it all, how many times have I - and you! - felt at a crossroads, not knowing which path to choose? How many times do we look up to the skies and ask “oh my Gods, what is my destiny”? How often, with a lump in our throats, do we yearn to hear a single divine word that would indicate how to move forward and, even with so many challenges, to find a moment of peace and happiness?

Until one day I finally heard that word… I heard that voice… The first time I went through a Cowrie Shell Divination I could feel clearly the presence of the Orishas. It was like listening to them by my side. They called me, talked to me and helped me choose the best way forward. They taught me how to become a better person on a daily basis, and when the pains and dangers of the world approached me, I could really feel they reaching out for me and performing their protection magic.

For all this, I became Babalosha. When I heard the voice of the Orishas for the first time, I realized that I had a mission of life and that mission was as simples as to take Their words and Their comfort to those who wished for it.

After all, what is the Cowrie Shell Divination?

The Cowrie Shell Divination is the voice of the Orishas - African Gods of Nature. Through it, the Orishas priest will identify your Birth Odu (something like a Horoscope Sign), your regent Orishas, which other Orishas bless your spirituality and which energies of the universe are interfering in a positive or negative way so that you can reach your desires and goals.

The consultation to the Cowrie Shell Divination reveals your wishes, your dreams and life goals, the perspectives for your future, the ways to follow a path of victories or the reasons why you have not yet reached whom you would like to be. In addition, it is also a portrait of the world around you and the way the outside energies affects your life.

From cowries interpretations, the Priest also identifies the right ways to correct problems and to potentiate solutions to all kinds of bodily and soul evils: health, career and work, personal evolution and challenges, love and relationships, and many other issues.

Unlike other oracles, in consultation with the Cowrie Shell Divination you do not have to ask any questions or say anything: Ifá - the Orisha of Wisdom and Destiny - along with Eshu - the Orisha of Communication and Movement - know exactly what it passes in your heart and your life and so the sacred messages are deciphered without saying anything.

Yet, as a powerful and powerful personal guidance and counseling tool, during the consultation you can ask any questions you may have about any subject and area of ​​your life, for Eshu is the God that reveals the mysteries of the Universe.

Take a deep breath, relax… Now answer honestly to yourself:

If you knew the ways and challenges of your relationship or marriage…

If you knew the ways to avoid and fix the errors before they even happened…

If you could guarantee a more affectionate and harmonious coexistence with your partner, finding out how to deal with the moments of difficulties in your relationship…

If you could live a truly full and happy love…

How would your life be? Does it look like fantasy?

Trust me when I tell you: this is possible! Come with me…

In the last texts, “Odus: Life and Destiny on Cowrie Shell Divination” and “Personal Odus: the Orishas Birth Chart”, I told a little about what the Odus are, how they serve as a way for communication between humans and the Orishas and how they relate to all areas of our lives and influence our personality and the choices we make.

The Odus are related and intertwined with everything that happens to us, the people and the situations around us. Therefore, when we make a decision, when we change our path or start a new journey in our lives, new energies are formed and begin to influence and modify one another.

This also happens when two people decide to stay together, date or get married… When two people decide to start a partnership or a new business… Or when you decide it’s time to leave the parents’ house and share a new one with your friends , for example. We dress according to the people with whom we live; we speak the same slang and expressions, we go to the same places and sometimes we even act and feel like them - and they, believe me, also dress, talk, act and feel alike and influenced by us!

On human nature and conflict resolution

Human coexistence is essential and necessary for our spiritual and material evolution, and it is impossible to remain oblivious to this: no man is an island. However, living together does not always mean living in peace. People are complex, with their different formations, cultures and moods; past and stories that make them who they are and make them act and react the way they do

How many dating and marriages that had everything to go right, for example, you have seen ended by failures in communication between both parts or simply because the way they communicate their love is different and opposed to how the other expects to receive it? How many friendships ceased to exist because the one way of expressing and counseling, more direct and objective, was different from the way the other hoped to be counseled, sweeter and more patient? How many profitable companies and societies were broken because the management and leadership of one was incompatible with the other? How many families separated… How many employees fired… How many abandoned loves…

Self-knowledge is the first step…

Knowing yourself and the people around you, being able to understand your desires and fears, and the right ways to act with each one of them is fundamental to harmoniously living together. Every meeting of two people is a relationship, either it´s in a loving, social, family or professional matter… And every encounter is subject to the differences between its parts.

Through African Numerology it is possible to identify the energies that rules this encounter and to understand in detail how one person will affect the other, what are the positive and negative aspects between them, and how to correct the mistakes and reconcile the conflicts of that relationship even before they happen.

For this, we must first understand how Birth Odus affect our personality and individuality. So let’s quickly remember which Odus define our personality, our paths through life and the challenges that Destiny reserves for you?

Odu Ori: defines our identity and personality;

Oju Ori: governs our temperament and intellect;

Ikoko Ori: guides our personal evolution;

Apa Otun: defines our rational aspects and professional development;

Apa Osi: governs our emotional and sentimental aspects;

Osogbo Ori: determines the challenges to overcome during our existence.

Now imagine that in a relationship it is necessary to identify and analyze this set of Odus for each people involved, separately. After that, we must then correctly combine their regencies, to identify which energies are formed from this combination, and to understand how this new energies can be beneficial to you - after all, good love should add to our life and make us grow and happy!

With this, from the combination and identification of the energies that rules each one of the members on this new relationship it is possible to define six new Odus that will determine the success and the challenges of this relation. Take a look:

Relationship Identity (Odu Okolayà): it is the energy that defines the spiritual combination between you and the kind of relationship you will live - after all love, passion, friendship and fellowship are completely different;

Horizons and Objectives (Odu Olóbirin): it is the Odu that determines how your plans and goals are developed together, the desires and the horizons to be reached side by side;

Relationship Evolution (Odu Óna): it is the energy that rules the evolution of the relationship, the transformations that you will live with the passage of time, the growth toghether and the duration of that encounter;

External Influences (Odu Ehin-Ode): this is the Odu that points out how the public dynamic of you happens in front of friends, family and the outside world, as well as indicating the external influences that will affect the stability of the relationship;

Intimate Life (Odu Ídaiyafo): is the Odu of sensuality and intimacy, which governs how you relate when you are alone and how the feeling between one and the other develops with the evolution of the relationship;

Dangers and Challenges (Osogbo Ìfé): is the portrait of the negative aspects of the relationship and influences all the other Odus of your regency. This energy determines the dangers and challenges to be overcome in the pursuit of a lasting and true relationship and the main focuses of attention for the harmonious coexistence between you.

By establishing the regent Odus of your relationship - be it loving, family or professional - and assessing the positive and negative influences of each one of them, it is possible to prepare for the difficulties and challenges that coexistence with both of you.

By doing this, you learn the best way to act and deal with the person who is by your side and also to understand the positives that can and should be stimulated and potentialized between the two of you. In this way, you avoid repeating patterns of behavior that hinder and prevent you from demonstrating and receiving love the way you want and are more likely to live in balance and harmony with your partner.