To see into the eyes of Ifa
is to look upon the suffering of mankind
a condition only understood
after having truly suffered.
To be an Awo
is to have suffered and
still believe in the capacity for good.
All the while
maintaining balance and clarity
so as to guide others with the wisdom
of the middle path.
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4 comments:
My dear friend has asked me to acompany her to see her Balalawo. What type of gift can I bring to express my thanks to the Babalawo? I have some beautiful salt from Spain that I was thinking of giving them, as this is a typical gift for my type of shaman, but I am not sure this is appropriate for the Babalawo.
Thank you for your help.
Dear Carmen,
Babalawos are normal people. There is no real protocol for visiting them or the giving of presents other than what is normal for that culture. ie. if the babalawo is cuban, than do what you would do when visiting a cuban family's house. If Nigerian, do what you would do when visiting a Nigerian's house.
That said, practitioners of Nigerian (Traditiona)l Ifa might bring an offering of Obi Kola nut. But this is not mandatory, especially if you are not a practitioner. To be honest, personally, I don't expect anything from anyone coming to my house, especially if I'm doing a reading, as they will already be paying for the reading.
That said, when I'm invited to dinner to someone's house, I usually bring wine or desert, but that's for dinner. If I go to a Tambor, and it's someone's ocha birthday, sometimes I will bring a small cake or sweet. But if you're just going to accompany someone, a gift really isn't necessary.
Ifalola
Thank you, Marcos.
Thank you, Marcos.
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