To Give . . .

Aboru aboye aboshishe,

A recent conversation claiming that only Africans and African descendants were allowed to practice Ifa left me a bit sad. On reading Odu this morning, I came across this Odu which hit me deeply and left me feeling heavy.

Oworin Odi

Gba ohun iye; danii
Gba lailewu
Bi a ba bi eni
K'a fi ohun naa fun olohun
Ire ni aigba fun ara eni
Won ni: t'o a ba ri won
Eniti nfi ojun fun olojun
Ko ma yee ni lowo

Accept a thing of value and hold on to it
Keep it safe
and when we are asked for it,
we should give the thing to its owner
Goodness lies in not keeping it for ourselves
they said: May we see our ancestors
and that anyone who returns things to their owner
Will never be empty handed.

Orunmila gave Ifa to all the people of the world, so that they may always have a way to fix their problems and align themselves with their destinies. May those of us that have been given Ifa to hold, keep it safe and give it back to the people, that we and they never be empty handed or left without a way to help themselves.

Aboru Aboye Aboshishe
Marcos Ifalola Sanchez