Aboru aboye aboshishe,
First I will state, the people involved in the initiations that cause all this ruckus do NOT represent all of the YTR/Indigenous Orisa worshippers, and I can't understand why everyone thinks they do. I can only assume this event was used to further other people's political agendas, or in an act of retribution for hurt feelings. Second, it may seem ironic, but I totally agree with the lucumi that it was uneccessary for anyone to "redo" anything.
Last and most important, I will cite the Odu Ogbe Ate in it's entirety in English and Yoruba to show why Ifa (at least) says "re-initiation" is wrong:
Ogbe Ate:
Ogbe, come and be initiated in order to be comfortable
To take a hand of Ifa and then be fully initiated is the pride one has in Ifa
These were the declarations of Ifa for Orunmila
When he planned to initiate his child
Orunmila was advised to offer sacrifice
He complied
When I received a hand of Ifa
My father then performed Itelodu for me
Lack of wisdom
Lack of deep thought
These are what compel people to be initiated repeatedly on three occasions
After being initiated
The issue of Esu Odara needs to be taken seriously
Why must Esu Odara be given extra considerations?
After being initiated
We must not use a worn out twisted rope to climb a palm tree
We must not jump in the river without knowing how to swim
We must not take undue risk which may cost life
We must not snatch the wife of Awo
We must not snatch the wife of medicine man
We must not have ilicit carnal knowledge of a ritualists wife
We must not plan evil against our friends with his wife
We must not lie to our Oluwo
Any matter that had been exhaustively addresses, we must not raise it again
Orunmila was the person who initiated Akoda
He also initiated Aseda
He equally initiated Araba
Only Orunmila Agboniregun
Was the person we do not know who initiated
Now, after I have been initiated
I will complement it with self initiation
All those things that are my taboos
I will surely avoid them
I have been initiated
I will re-initiate myself, by myself...
Yoruba
Ogbe waa te k'ara o ro wa
Mo gba mo te ni iregun Ifa
Dia fun Orunmila
Baba yoo te omo re n'ifa
on ni ko sakaake, ebo ni sise
O gbe'bo, O rubo
Nigbati mo gba
Baba a mi si te mi
Ailogbon ninu
Amiero nikun
Nii mu'nii wo igbdu leemeta
Bi a ba te Ifa tan
Eese ti oro Esu Odara fi ku, Ifa?
Bi a ba te Ifa tan
A kii fi ajaku igba a gu ope
A kii be ludo lai mo we
A kii ri iku nile ka tori boo
A kii fe obinrin Awo
A kii gba aya isegun
A o gbodo mu obinrin abore wole kelekele loo fe
A o gbodo ba obinrin imule eni seke
Oluwo eni kii bi ni loro ka se
Koiko ti erin gberi mo
Orunmila lo te Akoda
O te Aseda
O te Araba
Orunmila Agbonniregun Olojo ibon
Oun nikan soso la o mo eni to tee
Nje bi a ba te mi tan
Maa tun'ra mi te
Eewo ti a ba ka fun mi
Maa gbo
Tite la te mi
Maa tun'ra mi teo
####
You notice a few things, one is this line
When I received a hand of Ifa
which affirms a version of Awofakan in YTR/Indigenous Yoruba practice
and second
Any matter that had been exhaustively addresses, we must not raise it again
Which is the Yoruba version of don't ask what you already know as the lucumi say. BUT, with the very important caveat that it must have first been "exhaustively addressed"
The rest is somewhat self explanatory... We too, do not believe in "re-initiation", For the record, so what is all this nonsense really about??
marcos ifalola
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2 comments:
Alafia. This is interesting. I received Ikofa from a YTR awo, and was read as Esu Odara out of the odu Osa Ogbe. I have no doubt that this Odu and reading were for me, exactly, in both its familiar parts and uncomfortable places. The problem is that the rite took place in less than a day and other than myself and my Oluwo there were none else present, which has thrown the validity of the entire process into question. So, in your opinion, was I initiated, or not? I have been offered the rite to do over again to make it secure and valid. I have since acquired a new teacher and expect that the path forward will be less open to question. But I am curious.
All you received was Ikofa, it's not Itefa, which is a totally different ceremony. Ikofa is a much faster ceremony, and doesn't requite multiple awo to my understanding. No reason to think this wasn't done correctly, but I wasn't there, so I cant say...
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