Ifa Priesthood

1. Oluwo:

This is a man who has studied and practiced Ifá as a priest for many many years and has not only seen Òrìṣà Odù but owns Òrìṣà Odù (Olodu: owner of Odù) and works with this deity. The Oluwo is the only person who can initiate men into Ifá (Itelodu style). Itelodu is a male Ifá initiation where the men see Òrìṣà Odù as part of their Ifá initiation. And of course, he is the only one who can give someone Òrìṣà Odù.

2. Babaláwo:

This is a man who has been initiated into Ifá through Itefa. That rite is what makes him Babaláwo. Before it he was Omo Awo, and how long he studied as Omo Awo was set by his Oluawo, not by any fixed term. He may or may not have seen Òrìṣà Odù.

1. If a male has gone through Ifá initiation in which they saw Òrìṣà Odù, this type of Ifá Initiation is called Itelodu. These Ifá Initiates if they decide to be practicing priests (Babaláwo) can participate in any type of ceremony where Òrìṣà Odù is being used.
2. If a male has gone through Ifá initiation in which they didn’t see Òrìṣà Odù, this type of Ifá Initiation is called Itefa. These Ifá Initiates if they decide to be practicing priests (Babaláwo) cannot participate directly in any ceremony where Òrìṣà Odù is being used. They are not allowed in the room if Òrìṣà Odù is being propitiated and worked with but they can do other things that do not pertain to Òrìṣà Odù during a ceremony. These are the Babaláwos known as Awo Elegan.

Note: Depending on the region, everyone does things a bit differently. Some regions make all male Ifá Initiates see Òrìṣà Odù while some regions select only a few chosen men. The reason behind allowing only certain men to see Òrìṣà Odù is something I haven’t investigated yet but these regional differences are real.

3. Ìyánífá:

This is a woman who has been initiated into Ifá through Itefa. That rite is what makes her Ìyánífá. Before it she was Omo Awo, and the length of that study was set by her Oluawo.

Note: By default, all women Ifá initiates who are practicing Ifá priests (Ìyánífá) also fall into this category of Awo Elegan because women under no circumstance can see, work with, or possess Òrìṣà Odù. The reason for this is beyond the scope of this website.

Note: There are many regional differences in existence around women being Ifá Initiates and/or Ifá Priests:

1. Some areas do not allow women to be fully initiated into Ifá at all and the women only go through a ceremony called Isefa which is the ceremony of Owo ifa kan (One hand of Ifá) or another ceremony called Isode (Where the woman receives the Ide of Ọ̀rúnmìlà and must marry a Babaláwo and then becomes an Apetebi)
2. Other areas allow women to be initiated into Ifá (Itefa) and allow them to become Ìyánífá one day but they only allow them to cast Ifá with Opele.
3. Then you have other areas in which women are initiated into Ifá (Itefa) and they cast Ifá with both ikin and opele.

However; after research conducted around Yorùbá land and surrounding areas, I have found that there is no odu in existence that prohibits women from casting Ifá with ikin.

4. Awo Atemaki:

These are men initiated into Ifá (Itelodu or Itefa) and women initiated into Ifá (Itefa) who after Ifá Initiation decide that they do not want to take on an apprenticeship and be Ifá Priests (Babaláwo or Ìyánífá). These are the people who initiate into Ifá to simply receive their full destinies.

These people can go on to practice as Olorisa priests, Egungun priests, Oro priests, etc… if they so desire or some can decide not to be priests at all but just worshipers.

Olorisa:

• They must learn all the taboos and praise names of the Òrìṣà they are initiated into.
• They must know how to feed (Akunlebo) and take care of their Òrìṣà.
• They must know how to prepare and give their Òrìṣà to others.
• They must know how to initiate others into their Òrìṣà.
• They must know how to greet their Òrìṣà.
• They must know how to solve people’s problems effectively through their Òrìṣà, help people in their community, and be role models of character to others.

Non Priests:

• They should perform the 5/5 day Ose Ifá ritual.
• They should be initiated into Ifá to at least have their full Destiny. These are the Awo Atemaki.
• They must pray every morning before starting their day to Olodumare, Orí, the Irunmole, the Òrìṣà, and the Egungun.
• They must act with good character and teach their children the same.

Code of Conduct for Priests and Non-Priests

Within our tradition; the display of good character is essential but what is good character? Following are the four areas of character which Priests and Non-Priests need to be displaying in their lives 24/7.
Remember… There are consequences for acting without character. Esu is always watching… Olodumare is always watching…

I – Honesty:

According to Ifá, Honesty means thinking, speaking, and acting in truth without bitterness, deceit, or hidden agendas. Being honest also means being able to recognize our limitations, having the courage to accept our guilt or misdeeds, and the ability to refuse to reap the rewards of others’ hard work. Basically, you must be open-minded, rational, and realistic to yourself, others, nature, and to Olodumare. Ifá says that Olodumare sent human beings into this world to do good and nothing more and this is how human beings will be judged.

II – Patience:

In Ifá patience means perseverance, endurance, and being level-headed. Perseverance is the power of showing care and close attention to work or a situation that proves difficult or tiring.

Endurance is the power of bearing pain or discomfort without complaining. Level-headedness is the ability to wait for something calmly for a long time and the ability to control oneself when angered, especially at slowness or foolishness. In Ifá, rushing into things or looking for magical instantaneous solutions to any problem is out of place. One must be patient at all times.

III – Humility:

An Ifá follower must never behave as if all their achievements in life were from self-effort alone. They must recognize that all their achievements were through Olodumare and the deities. No knowledge or power was brought into this world from heaven. We all acquired such knowledge and power through formal observation, imitation, and learning from others. Because of this, there is no room for any Ifá follower to display arrogance or look down upon others. We all learn from each other and no one is self-taught anything and this is why humility is so important.

IV – Hopefulness:

In Ifá being hopeful means having the belief that tomorrow will be better than today. The belief that no matter how bad the present situation may be, it is just temporary and the painful situation will soon give way to peace, joy, gains, and prosperity. Ifá followers must be hopeful at all times and realize that heaven is home and the world is the marketplace, so one must always be prepared to confront obstacles in one’s life and realize that we can overcome and learn from all obstacles.