Imori is a divination ritual performed for children or adults seeking further spiritual and material advancement via initiation into the mysteries of a particular deity, secret society, or religious path.

Esen’taye identifies and reports one’s genetic composition, while Imori provides further analysis of the esoteric spiritual dimensions of an individual’s genetic composition.

Imori focuses on revealing the specific earth spirits, deified ancestors, deities, and religious practices that a person must follow in order to enjoy a prosperous life on earth and in the afterlife. Imori emphasizes the messages, desires, and needs of a person’s astral (Ori), ethereal (Emi) and physical (Ara) identities. Read the rest of this entry

Esen’taye is a divination ritual and naming ceremony for newborns

By means of Esen’taye, newborns are given their formal names. These names reflect the newborn’s hereditary characteristics, predestined future, and metaphysical relationships with guardian or patron earth spirits, deified ancestors, and/ or deities.

For example, the male name Ogundiipe literally means “one who grants support.” It can also be transliterated to mean “one who has taken on the burden of providing relief to the grieved and afflicted.” An infant with the name Ogundiipe signifies, among other things, that the child will be a hot-tempered, deep-thinking, and physically strong male who is blessed with the special patronage of the god of iron called Ogun. To attain happiness and prosperity, Ogundiipe should lead a meditative, contemplative life. This child must live in a remote rural or suburban area and practice the solitary professions of blacksmith, sculptor, or metallic jewelry designer in adulthood. Read the rest of this entry

What does an Ifa initiation endow you with? I often get similar questions regarding the various initiations of our way of life, but for the most part what they are really asking is what kind of good fortune will the initiation bring to their life.

One does not go to Ifa with hands extended; folded like a bowl, in supplication of good fortune. To the contrary, one goes to Ifa offering one-self as an offering. It is in this spirit of giving that we receive. However, the biggest misunderstanding is in what Ifa is all about. To this, I want to share a few thoughts. Read the rest of this entry

At Ile Ifa we have adopted a way of bringing people who wish to practice Ifa back into the tradition. Members of the Egbe (Extended Family) wishing to grow within Ifa must go through several rites of passage. These passages are as follows: Read the rest of this entry

In traditional Yoruba culture, Ifá refers to a system of divination and the verses of the literary corpus known as the Odú Ifá presented in the course of divination. Orunmila is the Orisa of Ifa divination. In some instances, the name Orunmila is used interchangeably with the word Ifa. However, Orunmila is the person who brought the system of Ifa divination to the world.

In Yoruba cosmology, Orunmila is known as Eleri Ipin, the Witness of Creation. Orunmila was the one who had witnessed our own destiny on earth and recorded it, just as He also recorded the destinies of all the other life forms on earth. In such that Orunmila having known all of life to the extent that he will even know us better then we know ourselves, because He will know where we come and where we ought to go in life to fulfill our rightful purpose here (destiny). Read the rest of this entry

Have you ever said to yourself “I know I can do more with my life, but what?” It is a very disheartening place to be… knowing you have the yearning to be more than you are, but don’t know what that is.

Many cultures throughout this manifestation (Earth) have some technology threaded into their culture which empowers them with the resources to answer this very important question “What was I born to do in this life?” Yet our western mode of thinking prefers to exploit all forms of scientifically based plethora of battery test designed to ascertain your skill sets and aptitudes by presenting questions and scenarios; which based on what you have learned in school, and your social economic status has exposed you to, you will get the answer to your life long question. And with this scientifically proven method you are told that you are perfectly suited to be Life Insurance sales person or a Mortician. Both are very honorable professions, but are either of those careers really you? Read the rest of this entry