Yorubas have a lot of beliefs about many things but the beliefs they have about menses, menstruation and menstrual blood will petrify many. Enjoy this piece.


He is the husband,

He is the wife.

Warm like the sun,

Cool like the harmattan.

He builds a house of parrot’s feathers

a wall of darkness

that reaches into the sky.

In this poem above, the iko oode or ikoode are the crimson tail feathers of the African Grey Parrot and they represent the aje (mother) of menses while Oduduwa (who can be male or female depending on the part of Yorubaland you are from): builds a mansion of aje that changes into the uterine calabash of cosmic proportions.


A woman in Yoruba beliefs, is not seen as an object of impurity, either with or without the menses. The female is accorded the greatest sense of respect in Yoruba traditions and that explains why many of the gods and divinities are demonstrated as female entities. Even Oduduwa and Olodumare (Creator God) are seen as females by some Yorubas. Unlike what obtains in some other Middle Eastern religions where a menstruating woman is forbidden from certain acts of worship or even sexual intercourse or in Hinduism where menstruating women are banned from the temples, menstruating does not stop a woman in Yorubaland from carrying out any of her religious duties. As a matter of fact, men become babalawos and almost never an Iyalawo and that is because women are believed to be the source of the secrets that the Babalawos (men) are searching for. That explains why Babalawos often turn to the Iyas and Awon Iyami Oshoronga for help and assistance from time to time. In short, menses does not diminish a woman in any way in traditional Yoruba religions. A woman is seen as the embodiment of divinity and the living manifestations of Olodumare or the Odu.

Menstruating women are not barred from Ifa because they are seen as the sources and activators of the Ifa oracle itself. Like the males, they can take all their time to learn the Odu Ifa with its countless Ese Ifa, medicines and prescriptions of power.

Menstruation is no obstacle for a girl or woman in Yorubaland.

Osun is the root word of irosun, which represents menstrual blood. In Yoruba mythologies, blood is not only necessary and relevant to one’s lineage, it is also an integral part of the destinies of humans. Irosun is also the red powder from the camwood tree that is used to consecrate the pot (Odu) of Ogun, the god of war and iron. Blood in Yoruba mythology is generally seen as a type of fertilizer, which explains why shedding blood to the earth in forms of sacrifices is quite common.

The reason Yoruba men and even other men in some other cultures are afraid of being slapped with a menstrual cloth of a woman is that the woman’s (usually his wife or mother) body is her Apere, representative of the Odu so the fear stems out of respect and reverence and not out of repulsion or hatred. This is based on the deep-rooted belief that a woman’s breasts, menses and her vagina are her actual sources of power as seen in the Igbadu and for a woman to go naked deliberately out of fury or slap the man with her menstrual cloth is seen as the height of anger or disapproval from the woman, something the men do not want. Female sexuality plays a great role in Yoruba cosmogony and that men can see glimpses of heaven through the female sexual organs during coitus means they are objects of intense worship. But it is known among the Yorubas that the same path that can lead to bliss can lead to eternal damnation so when a woman deliberately exposes her nakedness or hits the man with her menstrual cloth, it can derail his destiny forever. To be slapped with the menstrual cloth of the mother is to be rejected by the ancestors and the unborn generations forever. Because men came from women (that is the belief in Yoruba traditional religions and not the other way round as seen in other Middle Eastern religions where the woman is believed to have come from the man), he cannot destroy that which created him (the woman or female body) no matter how much he tries.

Menstrual blood is sacred among the Yorubas.

Yorubas seen the crescent moon as a symbol of renewal, freshness and regeneration. This is why they call the menses nkan oshu meaning ‘sign of the moon’ as oshu (oshupa) means the moon. This is because the women use the waxing and waning of the moon phases as a calendar for their cycles. When the moon is at its highest level of waxing, maidens and new brides pray to it to grant them ‘newness’ (fertility) and the strength to carry a child on their backs. Thus, menstrual blood in Yorubaland does not come with fear, disgust or seen as impure. It is rather seen as a sign of renewal, bounty and fertility. That explains why some priests use menstrual blood of a virgin (or any lady) to do some of the most powerful magic charms eyonu or ogun owo , the charm for fame and wealth. This is because menstrual blood is considered to be sacred and powerful. This belief is also seen among the Cherokee Indians of North America and in various tribes of Africa.

Menstrual blood can also be used in some rituals in Yorubaland. For example, one of the most powerful women in the traditional Yoruba society known as the Iya Lekuleja can prepare one of the most potent medicines by removing her cloth, standing naked before everyone, moving round a circle countless times while reciting incantations quickly then kneeling over a calabash and washing her breasts and vagina (with its menstrual fluid) inside it. This concoction is then given to the subject, usually a son or any male, to drink. By kneeling and assuming the posture of Ikunle Abiyamo, Iya Lekuleja is believed to open access to her sacred Igbadu and her Aje for the subject to tap from the powers within. When the son drinks the potion, he is believed to be a born again as he tasted his mother, via the cleansing waters of her vagina and the omi ero of her breasts.

Some Yorubas hold the belief that a menstruating woman can render the magic or the charms of a native doctor useless.

The Yoruba belief is that menstrual blood has healing powers. Well, this is true and it is confirmed by modern science. The stem cells in menstrual blood have the same powers of regeneration as the stem cells harvested from the umbilical cord blood and the bone marrow. How the Yorubas of the old knew that menstrual blood had regenerative capacities should be a source of curiosity to us all. Scientists are already thinking of how to use menstrual blood stem cells to treat heart diseases, stroke, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and a host of other diseases.

Red, the colour of menstrual blood is also one of the three main colours of the Egbe Iyami Oshoronga (red, black and white) with the red standing for not just the menstrual blood but also the activation and authorization of the ashe (divine order). For the curious, black represents vitality, pure melanin and perfection in Yorubaland while the white stands for the ancestors.

Because of the mystic power attached to menstrual blood, all women are seen as potential members of the Iyami Oshoronga cult as they are all linked through their menstrual blood. So far from being an impurity that will taint the sacred and pure, menstrual blood is seen in Yorubaland as a source of purity and sacredness in itself. This explains why women are not prevented from reaching the highest levels of hierarchy in the traditional Yoruba religions simply because they bleed

4 Hard Truths......

 Money is a hoax

“The Western worldview says, in essence, that technological progress is the highest value and that we were born to consume, to endlessly use and discard natural recourses, other species, gadgets, toys, and often, each other. The most highly prized freedom is the right to shop. It’s a world of commodities, not entities, and economic expansion is the primary measure of progress. Competition, taking, and hoarding are higher values than cooperation, sharing, and gifting. Profits are valued over people, money over meaning, entitlement over justice, “us” over “them.” This is the most dangerous addiction in the world, not only because of its impact on humanity but because it is rapidly undermining the natural systems that sustain the biosphere.” –Bill Plotkin

It is not the more evolved aspect of ourselves that tricks us into thinking that we need money to survive; it’s the less evolved aspect of ourselves that does the tricking. With our advanced technologies we imagine that we know the way the world works, when, for the most part, we have forgotten how everything is connected.

Until we can relearn “a language older than words,” and once again engage in a healthy dialogue with nature and the cosmos, we will continue to be tricked by the less evolved aspects of ourselves. The more awareness we bring to this extremely complicated cognitive dissonance, the more possible it will be to achieve an ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable world.

As it stands, however, the Federal Reserve is a house of cards guarded by a red herring. Money is the opiate of the masses, and the masses are too busy spending it on worthless crap to get to know each other as healthy individuals, let alone as a healthy community. We have become Pavlov Dogs, and money is our dinner bell. But money was never meant to be horded, or even amassed, it was meant to circulate as a way of uplifting the community. And yet here we are, hoarding and amassing, while our communities are in unhealthy disarray. It’s high time we abandoned the force-fed shibboleth that having more money makes us better people. It doesn’t. Being healthy, compassionate and moral is what makes us better people.

2) Debt is fiction

“There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. One is by the sword. The other is by debt.” –John Adams

Unfortunately our nation has been enslaved by debt. Our current system is not an economic system at all, but an ecocidal system; an intrinsic obsolescence of conspicuous consumption. It’s a grave misfortune that efficiency, sustainability, and preservation are the enemies of our socioeconomic system. This has got to be the most bizarre delusion in the history of human thought, a retarded Ponzi scheme en masse.

But it’s difficult to get people to understand something when money, and especially debt, prevents them from understanding it. Instead of ownership, give us strategic access. Instead of equity, give us equality. Instead of one-track-minded profit, give us open-minded people. Instead of unsustainable monetary-based economics, give us a sustainable resource-based economy, which is basically the scientific method applied to ecological and social concerns.

As tough as it is to hear, nature is a dictatorship. We can either listen to it and fall into harmony or deny it and suffer. Ask yourself this question by Fleet & Lasn: “When the economic system fails, will we know how to behave, how to act, how to appreciate, how to value, how to survive, how to be and how to love in a world that no longer defines relations by money?”

3) Media is manipulation

“Any dictator would admire the uniformity and obedience of the U.S. media.” –Noam Chomsky

Media has always been an effective method for manipulating people. We are social creatures who are also psychological creatures. This combination makes us unwittingly vulnerable to the power of suggestion. As it stands, media has been our Achilles Heel. These days the “news” we receive from corporate media is more likely to be disinformation. Skepticism is a must when reading or viewing the information provided by these outlets.

Defenestrate your TV set!

The key: Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. Analyze the Kool Aide before you swallow it. Even then, be prepared to vomit it back up at the first sign of deception. Remain circumspect and question all authority. They don’t have our best interest at heart. They only want our money, and to remain powerful.

Like Wendell Berry wrote in the Unsettling of America, “People whose governing habit is the relinquishment of power, competence, and responsibility, make excellent spenders. They are the ideal consumers. By inducing in them little panics of boredom, powerlessness, sexual failure, mortality, paranoia, they can be made to buy virtually anything that is “attractively packaged.””

We are slowly becoming more aware of corporate media lying to us. But they know we know they’re lying to us. And we know they know we know they’re lying to us. With enough inertia, this debacle of a process just continues until we are eventually lying to ourselves. And here we are. Like the great Baruch Spinoza once surmised, “The supreme mystery of despotism, its prop and stay, is to keep men in a state of deception, and cloak the fear by which they must be held in check, so that they will fight for their servitude as if for salvation.” And here we are, unless we decide to wake up.

For it is seeking you

4) Government is a corporation

“The end of democracy and the defeat of the American Revolution will occur when government falls into the hands of lending institutions and moneyed incorporations.” –Thomas Jefferson

Here’s the thing: we do not live in a democracy, and we probably never really have. A prestigious Princeton study recently concluded that we live in an oligarchy: rule by a few individuals. And these individuals just so happen to be plutocrats, making this particular flavor of oligarchy a plutocracy: rule by the rich.

The problem is that money itself has become an immoral agent within an otherwise amoral system that praises itself as moral. Ask yourself: do you wish to live out harried lives of nine-to-five slavery, giving up your days to heartless corporations that don’t give a damn about anything except making money, or do you wish to live a happy life of loving compassion, doing what you enjoy, in spite of plutocracy, oligarchy, and tyranny?

The Occupy Movement succeeded in shifting the tenor and shape of debate in the world, but we must not rest on our laurels. Trickle-down economics DOES NOT WORK! Austerity economics DOES NOT WORK! Corporations are NOT people. Money does NOT equal speech. It’s a trap. If we don’t get big money out of politics then everything we want to do will be hopeless. We need to be smarter with our mobilization tactics for the change and allocation of power within our society. So far the security and surveillance state has boxed us in, like the great MLK Jr. said, “Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.”

The trickster is an alchemist.......

The trickster is an alchemist, a magician, creating realities in the duality of time and illusion.

In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. It is suggested by Hansen (2001) that the term "Trickster" was probably first used in this context by Daniel G. Brinton in 1885.

The trickster deity breaks the rules of the gods or nature, sometimes maliciously (for example, Loki) but usually with ultimately positive effects. Often, the rule-breaking takes the form of tricks (eg. Eris) or thievery. Tricksters can be cunning or foolish or both; they are often very funny even when considered sacred or performing important cultural tasks. In many cultures, (as may be seen in Greek, Norse or Slavic folktales, along with Native American/First Nations lore), the trickster and the culture hero are often combined. To illustrate: Prometheus, in Greek mythology, stole fire from the gods to give it to humans.

He is more of a culture hero than a trickster. In many Native American and First Nations mythologies, the coyote (Southwestern United States) or raven (Pacific Northwest and coastal British Columbia) stole fire from the gods (stars or sun) and are more tricksters than culture heroes. This is primarily because of other stories involving these spirits: Prometheus was a Titan, whereas coyote and raven are usually seen as jokesters and pranksters.

Frequently the Trickster figure exhibits gender variability, changing gender roles and engaging in same-sex practices. Such figures appear in Native American and First Nations mythologies, where they are said to have a two-spirit nature. Loki, the Norse trickster, also exhibits gender variability, in one case even becoming pregnant; interestingly, he shares the ability to change genders with Odin, who despite being nominally the chief Norse deity also possesses many characteristics of the Trickster.

The Trickster is an example of a Jungian Archetype. The Fool survives in modern playing cards as the Joker. In modern literature the trickster survivors as a character archetype, not necessarily supernatural or divine, therefore better described as a stock character.

In later folklore, the trickster is incarnated as a clever, mischievous man or creature, who tries to survive the dangers and challenges of the world using trickery and deceit as a defense. For example many typical fairy tales have the King who wants to find the best groom for his daughter by ordering several trials. No brave and valiant prince or knight manages to win them, until a poor and simple peasant comes. With the help of his wits and cleverness, instead of fighting, he evades or fools monsters and villains and dangers with unorthodox manners. Therefore the most unlikely candidate passes the trials receives the reward. More modern and obvious examples of that type are Bugs Bunny and The Tramp (Charlie Chaplin).

The trickster is an important archetype in the history of man. He is a god, yet he is not. He is the wise-fool. It is he, through his creations that destroy, points out the flaws in carefully constructed societies of man. He rebels against authority, pokes fun at the overly serious, creates convoluted schemes, that may or may not work, plays with the Laws of the Universe and is sometimes his own worst enemy. He exists to question, to cause us to question not accept things blindly. He appears when a way of thinking becomes outmoded needs to be torn down built anew. He is the Destroyer of Worlds at the same time the savior of us all.

The Trickster lives inside and outside of Time. He is of our world, yet not of our world, so our laws will not always apply. Other symbols, associated with him include keys, clock, masks, infinity among other mythological images

Trickster is a creator, a joker, a truth teller, a story teller, a transformer linked to the spiritual frequency changes humanity is experiencing at this time.

We seem most accessible to the synchronistic gifts of the Trickster when we ourselves are at or near boundaries or are experiencing transition states, periods of major life transitions seem to be occasioned by an abundance of meaningful coincidence. Personal growth sees not only to facilitate synchronicity, but in turn to be facilitated by it. As an archetype, the Trickster, the boundary dweller, finds expression through human imagination and experience.

The Trickster as an Alchemist

Shamanic aspect that transforms or evolves

We live in a dual reality, opposite polarities, yin /yang, male/female, good/ evil, God/Devil or Trickster. Our reality is created by electromagnetic energy fields, the poles (North and South), positive and negative energy. This is much like a game. In order to win the game you must create balance. You can beat the trickster if you ignore that which he brings as challenges.

Our soul spirals its consciousness into a physical body to experience different roles and emotions. The trickster 'stirs the pot' and creates the drama, to that end.

When you abuse someone, that is the trickster in you, showing itself. When you allow yourself to be abused, playing the victim, and remain stagnant in your life, the trickster aspect of you is in control.

The trickster seems to have supernatural powers which help him perform his tricks. He lives, dies, comes back, shape shifts, all sorts of magic as our reality is nothing more than an illusion. It is the mythology of our reality, birth, death, and rebirth from the ashes, the flame of creation.

There are times the Trickster brings lessons that we came into this experience. Trickster is almost always portrayed as male. In the duality he represents the lower emotions, lower chakras, that which gets us into mischief. This represents the aggressive side that deals with the lower frequency emotions, fate, jealousy, anger, self destruction, rage, depression and goes to mental illness.

Trickster is the emotional body, our Inner Child or wounded soul, who evolves in our lifetimes as it spirals back to higher light.

The concept of the Trickster is as much a part of humanity's history as the concept of God. All creational myths deal with polarity, good god vs. bad god, the duality of our nature and with each of us. To be emotionally challenged, is to listen to the voice of the trickster and live in a space of drama and negative emotions. To create balance is to live in the so-called 'god aspect' of who we are.

Physical reality is a game in which the Trickster challenges us at every turn. That is his role in the duality of this bio-genetic experiment in liner tome and emotion.

Trickster is the teacher, when you attract lessons into one's life. With his lessons, he awakens us to who we are and allows us to explore the true purpose of our soul's journey in the holographic experience through which we experience consciously at this level of awareness.

His energy allows us to break out of old stereotypes, whether they've been imposed by ourselves, our families, our culture, or circumstance. This is the energy that opens the world of limitless possibilities and it behooves us all to work with it before it destroys us, to touch the Trickster as he touches us.

Trickster is a teacher, survivor, hero, always traveling, outrageous and cunning, foolish and wise, mischievous and often doing good despite himself. He is a metaphor for the evolution of consciousness in the alchemy of time.

Trickster Roles

Eshu

African people have tales about tricksters (hare, spider, tortoise, etc.), which slaves brought to the New World.

In Yoruba mythology, Eshu is an Orisha, and one of the most respected deities of the tradition. He has a wide range of responsibilities: the protector of travelers, god of roads, particularly crossroads, the deity with the power over fortune and misfortune, and the personification of death, a psycho pomp.

Every magical ceremony or ritual began with an offering to Eshu; failure to do so guarantees failure in the intent of the ceremony. Within the Orisa'Ifa, Santeria/Lukumi religion developed by the descendents of enslaved West African, Eshu was identified with Saint Anthony or Saint Michael, depending on the situation.

He is identified by the Colours red and black, or black and white and his caminos, or paths (compare: avatar) are often represented carrying a cane, shepherd's crook, as well as a pipe.

Eshu is a trickster-god, and plays frequently tempting choices for the purpose of causing maturation. He is a difficult teacher, but a good one. As an example, Eshu was walking down the road one day, wearing a hat that was red on one side and blue on the other. Sometime after he departed, the villagers who had seen him began arguing about whether the stranger's hat was blue or red. The villagers on one side of the road had only been capable of seeing the blue side, and the villagers on the other side had only been capable of seeing the red half. They nearly fought over the argument, until Eshu came back and cleared the mystery, teaching the villagers about how one's perspective can alter one's perception of reality, and can be easily fooled.

(In many versions of this tale, the two tribes were not stopped short of violence; they actually annihilated each other, and Eshu laughed at the result, saying "Bringing strife is my greatest joy". Eshu is thus a prototype of the atheistic view of God's nature.)

Amaguq

In Inuit mythology Amaguq is a trickster and wolf god.

Japanese Culture

Kitsune

In Japanese folklore, the kitsune are often presented as tricksters, sometimes very malevolent ones. The trickster kitsune employ their magical powers to play tricks on people; those portrayed in a favorable light tend to choose as targets overly-proud samurai, greedy merchants, and boastful commoners, while the more cruel kitsune tend to abuse poor tradesmen and farmers or Buddhist monks.

Susanoo

Nezha

Nezha is a deity, the enfant terrible Trickster of Chinese mythology. Nezha is often depicted flying in the sky with a wheel of fire under each foot, a golden hoop, The Cosmic Ring around his shoulder, and a spear in his hands. Nezha is usually depicted as youth and rarely as an adult. As the third son of a military commander called Li Jing, a military leader in Chentangguan Fortress, his birth was peculiar. When his mother got pregnant, she waited for three years to deliver the boy, but unfortunately a meat ball was born. His father got so angry that he split it with sword, thus finally Nezha jumped out with full figure and grew rapidly, even though his mind and temperament were that of a child. He flayed and disemboweled himself after committing several crimes in the eyes of the Heavenly Court but was brought back to life by a Taoist priest who used lotus blossoms to reconstruct a body for his soul to inhabit. Some traced his origins to the Vedic god Nalakuvara, and the legend goes that he was born in the Shang dynasty, and he is also identified with the Japanese god Nataku.

Krishna

The World Magician, tricking all men and gods by his playful ruses as an incarnation of Vishnu, Lord of the World.

Loki Norse Mythology

Greek Mythology

Eris, Prometheus, Hephaestos, Hermes -- Hermes Trismegistus -- Odysseus (example of a human trickster, who manages to evade dangers thanks to his wits. The Cyclops Polyphemus is an example of this)

Reynard The Fox

Reynard the Fox, also known as Renard, Renart, Reinard, Reinecke, Reinhardus, and by many other spelling variations, is a trickster figure whose tale is told in a number of anthropomorphic fables from medieval Europe.

He seems to have originated in French folklore. An extensive treatment of the character is the Old French Le Roman de Renart from around 1175, which sets the typical setting. Reynard has been summoned to the court of king Noble, or Leo, the Lion, to answer charges brought against him by Isengrim the Wolf. Other anthropomorphic animals, including Bruin the Bear, Baldwin the Ass, Tibert (Tybalt) the Cat, and Hirsent the She-wolf, appear to give testimony against him, which Reynard always proves false by one stratagem or another. The stories typically involve satire whose usual butts are the aristocracy and the clergy, making Reynard a peasant-hero character. Reynart's principal castle, Maleperduys, is available to him whenever he needs to hide away from his enemies. Some of the tales feature Reynard's funeral, where his enemies gather to deliver maudlin elegies full of insincere piety, and which features Reynard's posthumous revenge.

Till Eulenspiegel

Character who originated in Middle Low German oral tradition. In the folk story, he is presented as a trickster who played practical jokes on his contemporaries. Although craftsmen are featured as the main victims of his pranks, neither the nobility nor the pope are exempt from being fooled by him.

Br-er Rabbit, Tar Baby

The tar baby was a trap made of tar used to capture Br'er Rabbit in a story which is part of American plantation folklore. Br'er Fox played on Br'er Rabbit's vanity and gullibility to goad Br'er Rabbit into attacking the fake and becoming stuck. A similar tale from African folklore has the trickster god Anansi in the role of Br'er Rabbit. The story was originally published in Harper's Weekly by Robert Roosevelt of Sayville, New York. Years later Joel Chandler Harris wrote of the tar baby in his Uncle Remus stories.

Coyote

The trickster is teacher, survivor and fool, coyote has inhabited this land we call America much longer than the later arriving humans from Asia, who have only been here about 10,000 years or so. The European refugees who started showing up around 500 years ago and who now act as if they own the place, do not pay as much attention to Coyote as do their indigenous predecessors. The small prairie wolf known as coyote mostly attracts their interest in a long standing, unsuccessful effort at extermination; but this creature with a perpetual bounty on its hide resembling a medium-size dog with a narrow face, tawny fur and a bushy tail, is only one aspect of what native American peoples have called Coyote, Coyote Man and Old Man Coyote.

In some Native American traditions, Coyote impersonates the Creator, making humans out of mud and bringing into being the buffalo, elk, deer, antelope and bear. In these myths, Coyote-Creator is never mentioned as an animal, though he can and does meet his animal counterpart, coyote; and they walk and talk together, addressing the other as "elder brother" and "younger brother." In these traditions the spiritual and corporeal are brothers who always walk and talk together.

While coyotes (the animal) are certainly responsible for destroying some domestic livestock, they are important to the larger environment as scavengers and destroyers of rodents. They are omnivorous feeders; they prey on small animals, eat plant matter, carrion and garbage, and they sometimes though not regularly team up to hunt larger animals. They are an invaluable part of a healthy ecology and environment, which sustains all life, including that of domestic livestock.

That the livestock industry has waged a brutal, unrelenting and environmentally irresponsible slaughter (most of it at taxpayer, not industry, expense) of coyote for more than 100 years is as shameful and scandalous as it is unsuccessful, unnecessary and expensive. That coyote has persisted, prospered and expanded, both in numbers and range, since the livestock industry put a price on his head is an indication of why Old Man Coyote continues to live in the mythology and dreams of native America and in the literature and imagination of its more recent arrivals. Coyote Man is the primordial trickster/teacher of American lore.

Carl Jung, The Trickster Archetype, Coyote

A primitive cosmic being of divine-animal nature, on the one hand superior to man because of his superhuman qualities, and on the other hand inferior to him because of his unreason and unconsciousness. The more civilized we become, the more we will blame a "shadow" for our misfortunes. Like the trickster of old, the shadow represents a quality that isn't accepted into the awareness. It can 'pester' us unmercifully but always has a gift for us, a missing quality, an attitude needed to cope, or self-realization.

Kokopelli

Kokopelli is a fertility deity, usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player (often with a huge phallus and antenna-like protrusions on his head), who is worshipped by many Native American tribes in the Southwestern United States. Like most fertility deities, Kokopelli presides over both childbirth and agriculture. He is also a trickster god. Because of his influence over human sexuality, Kokopelli is often depicted with an inhumanly large phallus. Among the Ho-Chunk, this penis is detachable, and he sometimes leaves it in a river in order to have sex with girls who bathe there. Among the Hopi, Kokopelli carries unborn children on his back and distributes them to women (for this reason, young girls are often deathly afraid of him). He often takes part in rituals relating to marriage, and Kokopelli himself is sometimes depicted with a consort, a woman called Kokopelli-mana by the Hohokam and Hopi.

Manabozho or Hare of the Algonkian peoples

His father was Earthmaker, who sent Hare to be born of a virgin as a human being in order to destroy evils threatening mankind.

Cin-an-ev

The Ute are a tribe of Native Americans from the western United States. Siats is a cannibalistic clown monster. Cin-an-ev is a wolf trickster and culture hero. The Ute especially venerated a bear spirit, who occasionally went on killing sprees. Sunuwavi, a Ute hero, once rescued his people from this by finding the qumu, the bear's fire medicine (spiritual power), and covering it with water, thus ending the spirit's power.

Mannegishi

The Mannegishi (singular the same) are a race of trickster people in Cree folklore. They are described as semi-humanoid, being sexdactylous humans with very thin and lanky arms and legs and big heads minus a nose. According to one Cree schema of the mythology, there are two humanoid races, one being the familiar human species and the other being the "little people", i.e. Mannegishi. These people are said to live between rocks in the rapids. One of their biggest delights -- a completely non-heroic form of trickster behavior -- is to crawl out of the rocks and capsize the canoes of people canoeing through the rapids, spinning them to their death. The Mannegishi is also known as the gahonga. The Mannegishi has gained interest in recent years due to its possible cryptozoological connections. It is believed by some that the Dover Demon is what the Cree saw when they told stories of the Mannegishi.

Raven

Raven is famous among the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest. Raven assumed the divine trickster role, similar to Coyote in other parts of the country. The divine trickster could play the fool and the joker, but the intent of doing so was to teach. Raven is also credited with sheltering the first humans, and with placing the sun, moon, and stars in the proper places in the sky. He was an expert in magic, and brought revelations from the spirit world to those who needed them.

Tonenili

Navajo trickster rain god whose name means 'water sprinkler'.

Bamapana

In Australian Aboriginal mythology (specifically: Murngin), Bamapana is a trickster hero who causes discord. He is obscene and profane and once committed incest, thus breaking a strict taboo.

Tezcatlipoca

In Nahuatl mythology, Tezcatlipoca ("smoking mirror") was the god of the night, the north and temptation. He owned a mirror (Itlachiayaque, "Place From Which He Watches") that gave off smoke, killing his enemies. He was the antithesis and rival, and eventually, the twin of Quetzalcoatl. He was a god of beauty and war.

Attributes of Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl originally came from older traditions than the Aztecs: the Olmecs and the Toltecs. The Aztecs assimilated them in their religion, and the two deities were equated and considered twin gods. They were both equal and opposed.

Thus Tezcatlipoca was called "Black Tezcatlipoca", and Quetzalcoatl "White Tezcatlipoca".

In one of the Aztec accounts of the creation of the world, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca joined forces to create the world. There was only the sea, and the monster of earth Cipactli. To attract her, Tezcatlipoca used his foot as bait, and Cipactli ate it. The two gods then captured her, and distorted her to make the land from her body. After that, they created the people, and people had to offer sacrifices to comfort Cipactli of her sufferings. Because of this, Tezcatlipoca is depicted with a missing foot, and the bone of his leg exposed. There are several nahuas accounts of how gods made self sacrifices to help humanity.

Tezcatlipoca kidnapped Xochiquetzal, the goddess of flowers, because he felt that he deserved her more than her husband, Tlaloc. He was also said to be married to Xilonen.As Mixcoatl, Tezcatlipoca invented fire by rotating the heavens on its axis as a drill. Omacatl and Titlacahuan, Tezcatlanextia, were also aspects of Tezcatlipoca.

Saci

The Saci (pr. sah-SEE) is the most popular and bizarre character of Brazilian folklore. He is a one-legged dwarf, with holes through the palms of his hands, who smokes a pipe and wears a magical red cap which enables him to disappear and reappear wherever he wishes. Considered an irritating prankster in some parts of the country, and a dangerous and malicious creature in others, he will nevertheless grant wishes to anyone who manages to steal his magic cap. There are actually three types of Saci: the best-known Saci Perere is black as coal, the Saci Trique is mulatto and more benign, and the Saci Sacura has red eyes.

An incorrigible prankster, the Saci will not cause major harm, but there is no little harm that he won't do. He will hide children's toys, set farm animals loose, torment dogs, and prevent chicken eggs from hatching. He may suck the blood of horses, like a vampire bat, and tie knots in their manes.

In the kitchen, the Saci may spill the salt, sour the milk, burn the bean stew, or drop flies into the soup. If a popcorn kernel fails to pop, it is because the Saci put a spell on it. Given half a chance, he will dull the seamstressÕs needles, hide her thimbles, and tangle her sewing threads. If he sees a nail lying on the ground, he will turn it with the point up. In short, anything that goes wrong, in the house, or outside it, may be confidently blamed on the Saci.

Besides disappearing or becoming invisible (often with only his red cap and the red glow of his pipe still showing), the Saci can transform itself into a Matiapere, an elusive bird whose melancholic song seems to come from nowhere. A Saci will not cross water streams, lest it will lose all his powers, a fact that will be undoubtedly useful to people who find themselves being pursued by one. If that happens, the victim should drop ropes full of knots; the Saci will then be compelled to stop and undo the knots, thus allowing his victim to escape. One can also try to appease him by leaving behind some cachaa, or some tobacco for his pipe.

He is fond of juggling live coals or other small objects and letting them fall through the holes on his palms. An exceedingly nimble fellow, the lack of his right leg does not prevent him from bareback-riding a horse, and sitting cross-legged while he puffs on his pipe. Every dust devil, says the legend, is caused by the spin-dance of an invisible Saci. One can capture him by throwing into the dust devil a rosary made of rosary bead plant seeds, or by pouncing on it with a sieve, reinforced by two crossed bamboo strips. With proper care, the captured Saci can be coached to enter a dark glass bottle, where he can be imprisoned by a stopper with a cross marked on it.

Kappa, Maui God of One Thousand Tricks

An ugly, excitable, but quick-witted half-divine, half-mortal trickster who was covered in tattoos. If he didn't like the ways things were, he changed them. And there were many things Maui didn't like. For example, the sun.

Every day, Maui watched human beings scramble to work, or plant, or cook, or make bark cloth in the few precious hours between sunrise and sunset. There was never enough time, the sun moved too fast, the people suffered. They had no choice but to eat their food raw.

Maui grabbed his rope and his grandmother's magic jawbone. With a quick flick of the rope, he lassoed the sun and beat the sun-god with the jawbone, until the golden one agreed to move more slowly across the sky. Then Maui looked closely at the sky itself. It hung way too low. With a mighty heave, Maui shoved the firmament up higher.

The Maui went fishing. His brother wouldn't share their bait, so Maui punched his own nose and used his blood to fish. He hauled in catches so big they became the Polynesian islands.

In mythology the pranks of the trickster seemed almost a compulsion, something they could not control. The trickster was usually blessed with a curiosity that led them into trouble, but also had a cunning wit to get them out of trouble. He played the Game! Humans would forgive the trickster, knowing that when the gods were plagued by the trickster's wit and arrogance, with the side effects sometimes beneficial to humans. We recognized that at the heart of the trickster was a savior. So even if Coyote caused a great flood because of a theft, he did lead the human race to a better world.

In oral traditions worldwide, a story of deceit, magic, and violence perpetrated by a mythical animal-human trickster. The trickster-hero is both creator god and innocent fool, evil destroyer and childlike prankster.

Trickster is at the same time, creator and destroyer, giver and negator, he who dupes others and who is always duped himself. He possesses no values, moral or social, is at the mercy of his passions and appetites, yet through his actions all values come into being. Many of the Trickster's traits were perpetuated in the medieval jester, and have survived in the Punch-and-Judy plays and in the clown.

Few mythological figures have such a remote origin in time and broad distribution among cultures as the one called Trickster. This character has long puzzled its commentators, largely because Trickster defies any purely rational or intellectual analysis. In fact, anyone who has studied any particular trickster story can testify to its disturbing undertones of perplexity and provocation.

Trickster contains a transcendent nature whose epic qualities are truly awesome. We can think, for example, of when Maui, the Polynesian Trickster, snares nothing less than the sun. Yet with all his enormous power he is enormously stupid, the fool of the ages, the epitome or personification of human absurdity.

In world mythologies Trickster's guises are legion; so much so that Joseph Campbell, has called him The Hero With A Thousand Faces.

This outlandish, yet remarkable being in human form, learns, grows in understanding, changes, and at a certain point in his adventuresome blunders, is transformed. Until that moment, however, Trickster keeps changing shape and experimenting with a thousand identities, including shifts in sex, in a seemingly never-ending search for himself.

During all this he inflicts great damage on those around him and also suffers innumerable blows, defeats, indignities, and dangers resulting from his thoughtless, reckless forays. On entering upon existence he is first seen as a blurred, chaotic, hardly unified being, having no self-knowledge or life-knowledge, despite his divine parenthood. It is only later on in his travels that Trickster emerges as a culture hero, demigod, and savior of peoples. But this occurs only after his transformation or self-integration takes place, and brings to the fore the great and epic qualities initially given him by his divine progenitor.

The unity of Trickster with Hero-Benefactor is clear in a great number of the mythoi. The hero must trick the gods of their wealth, steal it, and in some manner make it available to humankind. This heavenly treasure usually is "fire" or is related to it. Raven steals the gods' fire sticks. Maui goes against Mahu-ika, the guardian of fire, to get it and bring it back to the people. In Greek myth it is Prometheus who does this. The many references to the sun-snaring feat of Trickster-turned-Hero extend illustration of this development (Katharine Luomala, Oceanic, American Indian, and African Myths of Snaring the Sun, Bernice P Bishop Museum Bulletin 168, Honolulu, 1940; reprinted by Kraus Reprint Company, N.Y, 1971). The hero who deceives, slays, or by his "wiles" appeases the gods, is honored as a savior of the world.

Trickster's hero qualities were present from the very beginning. But they lay dormant, in seed, until he decided to exercise them, which he did only after a long and painful process of trial and error, growth and metamorphosis. For in all of his manifestations Trickster remains a primordial being of the same order as the gods, despite his prolonged sojourn in the human condition.

No matter how often scholars have analyzed this myth in the attempt to reduce it to any strictly rational value, it endures in all of its polyfaceted and multileveled grandeur. To restrict understanding of it merely to one or two of its features would be to rob us of its unusually important meaning. For serious reflection upon the myth in all of its world variety brings a conviction that it can refer only to the evolution of human consciousness and the full range of phases and multiple colorations which this implies. Yes, the evolution of our consciousness, but from a gigantic perspective and nothing less, one which carries us back to the fabulous illo tempore: into the night of time millions of years ago to the magic moment of first creation, that, dawn time "when first the world was born" and we "walked with the gods."

From the initial dimness of a consciousness newly-born, lacking any real integration of its components, and having forgotten his divine mission, we follow Trickster as his awareness steadily comes forth in ever greater measure. We watch as the self-knowledge of this inchoate entity develops, bringing with it strength, remembrance, and a firmer sense of identity, all this until, at a certain point, by capturing the fire of inner illumination from the gods, he gains a full measure of self-consciousness or self-recollection, and can act to benefit mankind. To use Jungian terms, the Unconscious within himself has been transmuted into the Conscious, bringing lucidity of spiritual vision of self and the universe.

Planet Saturn and the Trickster

Saturn, the grim reaper, rules responsibilities, restrictions, limitations, and the lessons you must learn in life. He does not deny or diminish imagination, inspiration, spirituality, or good fortune, but he does demand that these things be given structure and meaning. The karmic lessons we have come to experience and overcome in this lifetime are expressed by Saturn. Saturn is a great teacher if you allow it to be so. If you resist, then you feel like you have been dealing with the Trickster. It takes spiritual maturity to move beyond the challenges of the Trickster and to embrace Saturn the Teacher.

Trickster Gods

Trickster Goddesses

The Trickster weaves the Patterns of Reality and illusion of TimT

Ela the spirit of manifestiation......

The Ifa Prayer Cycle

In traditional Ifa the purpose of Ifa initiation is to give the initiate an experience of going into possession with Ela.  Possession is invoked through the use of Oriki Ela.  After initiation the initiate is expected to repeat Oriki Ela every four days for the rest of their life as a way of enhancing our connection to Spirit.  From a traditional perspective possession is considered connection with iponri meaning the higher self.  In simple terms possession does not occur from the outside in, it occurs from inside out.  We live in a holographic universe, meaning every fragment of Creation contains the blueprint for all of Creation.  This blueprint is inside of us and it is the connection with iponri that brings the ability to glimpse portions of this blueprint.

The first step in connecting with the higher self is placing the head and heart in alignment.  The purpose of divination is to discover personal rituals that will assist those who come for divination in the process of placing the head and heart in alignment.  A conflict between the head and the heart means our conscious thoughts are in opposition to our feelings.  According to Ifa this conflict occurs when are conscious thoughts are in opposition to our essential nature.  Ifa teaches that everyone is born a good and blessed person (omo rere) who comes to earth to develop good character (iwa-pele).  According to Ifa placing the head and heart in alignment occurs when a person embraces good character (iwa-pele) and as a consequence of this decision places themselves in alignment with their destiny.  Ifa is rooted in the idea that the human soul (emi) reincarnates, and chooses a destiny between reincarnations.   Ifa teaches that every emi between incarnations on earth chooses a destiny to embrace good character.  There is a Yoruba proverb that says if you are not sure what your destiny is in the moment choose good character and your destiny will manifest.  The consequence of embracing good character is placing the head and heart in alignment and the consequence of placing the head and heart in alignment is receiving a blessing of children, abundance and long life.  Virtually every verse of Ifa scripture promises one or all of these blessings called ire omo, ire owo, and ire agbo ato.

The process of putting an initiate into possession is not difficult.  The person leading the initiation goes into possession first then stands close enough to the initiate for the initiate to feel the spiritual energy (ase) coming from the person leading the initiation.  This is the secret of every pre-Christian initiation in every culture in the world.  The more people who assist the process by going into possession during the initiation the easier it is for the initiate to access their iponri. Buddhist calls this process darma, meaning the enlightenment that comes as a result of sitting with an elder.  When I was initiated there were thirty awo (initiates) present and they all went into possession at the same time.   The effect on me of this collective shift in consciousness was I felt like I was hit by train.  I was literally knocked off my feet and it took me a week to fully recover control of my ability to walk and talk.

Think of the human spirit having a spherical ball of energy surround the body from head to foot.  Using the model of Odu the three sided pyramid facing up has its base at the knees and the three sided pyramid facing down has its base at the chest.  During normal consciousness the upper pyramid spins to the left and the lower pyramid spins to the right.  The tension caused by opposite directional spin keeps our consciousness grounded in the dimension Ifa calls aye meaning life on earth.  The purpose of Ifa divination is to place each individual in a state of Eji Ogbe which translates to mean the first gift from spirit.  When a person is in a state of Eji Ogbe the verses of Ifa scripture say the person is in perfect alignment with their destiny.

In Eji Ogbe all the portals from the two three sided pyramids are open.  This creates an infusion of ase (spiritual energy) from Orun (invisible realm) to the ori (consciousness) of the person experiencing alignment with destiny.  When all eight portals are open both pyramids spin to the left.  This in turn causes all the atoms of the body to shift from a bipolar spin to a mono atomic spin.  In the state of mono atomic spin the penal gland secrets melatonin.  This hormone is known to enhance perception, increase energy, extend stamina, and increase the health benefit of our immune system.  That is why the penal gland is called the “Seat of the Soul” and “the Third Eye.”  In the symbolism of Egypt the drawings of the mystic eye includes exact proportions which are measurements for the way melatonin is released in the blood system and effects elevation.  In Ifa the area around the penal gland is called the iwaju meaning I look at my character.  The reference to looking at my character is affirmation of the Ifa idea that alignment with Eji Ogbe is a manifestation of perfect alignment with destiny.

The human body has receptors along the spine commonly referred to as chakras.  In traditional Ifa each of these power centers is associated with a specific Odu.  These receptors absorb the ase that surrounds the human body when the body is in a state of Eji Ogbe.  The absorption process is restricted when there is tension in the body.  Tension is the body is usually caused by unexpressed emotion.  This is the reason why dance is an essential component of initiation; dance can function as a way of releasing restrictive emotions.

The entire corpus of Ifa scripture is to prescribe rituals and cleansings designed to place the head and heart in alignment and discharge unexpressed emotion as a foundation for guiding the person towards Eji Ogbe.  Nicolas de Vere, who I consider to be an authority on altered states of consciousness, describes normal consciousness in his book The Dragon Legacy published by The Book Tree.

Within the mind are a host of barriers, many of which are caused by the brain’s chemical and physical inability to communicate efficiently with itself.  This cause a sense of confusion and isolation which encourages the spectrum of various forms to appear, from attachment to comforting delusions.  Sovereignty over selves is attained by accepting the selves for what they are.  In so doing the individual, dispensing with the energy-consuming need to erect and maintain defensive mental routines, allows the truth to prevail instead, without regret and without judgement.  In this manner the mind becomes detached and observant.

page 243

De Vere is describing the brain function that creates what Ifa calls elenini.  He goes on to describe the consequence of breaking down the barriers created by elenini as a result of the infusion of melatonin that occurs during altered states of consciousness.

The energy formally used to sustain defensive mechanism and constellations of delusory complexes is freed from its shackles and can be used to enhance alertness and perception.  In focused attention, there is discovered above all else – harmony and harmony is transcendence.

page 243

What de Vere is describing here is the effect of entering the altered state of consciousness Ifa calls possession by Ela.  The consequence of possession by Ela is not only an increase in melatonin sent to the brain there is also an increase the synapse that are connected within the brain.  As a result of this increase the person in the altered state of consciousness is able to glimpse the blueprint of Creation, which in Ifa is coded into the symbolism of Odu.  This process is a key aspect of Ifa initiation.  During Tefa (Ifa initiation) the elders go into possession with Ela and invoke the meji Odu, meaning the Odu in which the right and left Quadra gram are identical.  This is followed by the invocation of the Odu Ose‘tura.  The function of Ose’tura is to cause the meji Odu to copulate in the head of the initiate.  This is a symbolic expression of the idea that the elder is opening all the portals that allow ase to enter the human body and it is the basis for increasing the synapse connections that increase brain function.    According to Ifa metaphysics the entire corpus of Odu re-emerge at every stage of evolution including the birth of human consciousness.  That is why the initiation process at the point where Ose’tura is invoked is called Elerin ipin meaning witness to Creation.

The science of this process was clearly described by Isegun in a post on the awostudycenter discussion board.

The Homo Sapien brain is at its base, Reptilian. Study the anatomy of the brain and the anatomy of reptiles and you’ll see the direct, indisputable relationship. The reptilian brain is very powerful and is the direct connection to the spinal column. For land-based vertebrates the reptilian brain is the starting point.

The Mammalian brain is a direct growth from the reptilian. The difference being, the mammalian brain is larger and has more component parts, i.e. more ways to gather and express information, vibrations or whatever you wish to call it.

The brains of primates are slightly larger and more complex than other mammals, although, I don’t think primates are any more intelligent than dogs or dolphins and whales. The difference between primates and the other, however, is due to climate geography and other factors, both internal and external. Primates and later hominids began the long series of growths and mutations that eventually laid the foundation for the homo sapien to be born.

But the mammalian and reptilian brains never went anywhere. In fact, they remain the basis for our basic brain and bodily functioning.  And in some instances, they provide the doorway to more all-encompassing states.

The much praised but little understood “Third Eye”, the Pineal Gland, was once a literal Third Eye on the back of several species of Lizards. Gradually, this Eye moved inside and became another, albeit very distinct organ.

In Homo sapiens, the Third Eye is able to open the door to more complete and circumspect realms of consciousness.  But only because of the much larger amount of information the human brain is able to collect, sort and synthesize. One instance of this is “possession”.

Chimps, however, cannot do this. But the Pineal gland serves the same basic functions in lab rats as it does in humans. It secretes four basic and critical neurotransmitters – Serotonin, Melatonin, Norepinephrine/Noradrenaline, and Histamine. Through the secretion of these four, and possibly more, neurotransmitters, the Pineal Gland regulates many bodily functions, in concert with the Hypothalamus and Pituitary Glands, both of which sit tucked under the Reptilian Brain. The frontal lobes of the human brain, and the left and right hemispheres, gather the information, but it is the connection of the two that brings everything together.

Guess what sits directly in the middle of the left and right hemispheres of the brain?

Yes, the Pineal Gland. It sits directly on the corpus callosum, the bundle of nerves and tissue that connects the left and right hemispheres, but very close to the spinal column, the eyes, and the other endocrine glands.

The Pineal Gland is a very, very sensitive organ. It is a theory of mine that there exists a direct relationship between Cancer and Pineal Calcification, because the Pineal works directly with the immune system through the secretion of histamine and serotonin. The modern lifestyle of artificial light, overcooked food full of poisons, and other factors, are very harmful to the Pineal.

Serotonin itself does so many different things in the body that it almost has a field of study devoted to it alone.

Thus, a human cannot be a human without being, as you say, “reptilian”. The so-called “higher states” would not be possible WITHOUT the reptilian in us.

. . . Why do people behave in a low-life, base, disgusting, and small-minded, short-sighted fashion? Because with the homo sapien, for the first time, a form of life on earth is free of the constraints and natural checks and balances of their environment. FIRE, as the Greeks understood, was the beginning of the Homo Sapien. Nothing else happens without it, internally or externally. Fire, and the ability to cook food, may have even provided the nutrients for the human brain to grow. The primate vegetarian diet provides nowhere near the amount of protein necessary to form a human body/brain. Try to live on bananas alone for a week and see how you do, especially if you’re at all active, like our ancient ancestors were.

Thus, the human, in giving up the strengths of speed, acute sight, scent and hearing, teeth and claws, acquired the ability to grow in ways utterly and completely impossibly for any other form of vertebrate life. But this is a double-edged sword, as Esu so clearly teaches us.  With the door open, anything can come through. Without the natural checks and balances of their environment, any type of human can emerge, low and base, lofty and noble, all together, often at the same time. And with such a huge range of possibilities, it is less likely for the noble and strong to emerge, simply because of the chances, the averages.

This possibility is why the Ancients developed systems like Ifa, the I-Ching and others. This is why in healthy societies, the accumulated wisdom and experience of the Ancients, Ancestors and esteemed Elders set the standard for the people and country.

Ase

Isegun

The collective invocation of Ela in traditional Yoruba culture is an effort to keep communal focus on the transcendent aspect of human development.  In my experience in Ode Remo when the awo go into collective possession with Ela there is a hallo effect around their head as a consequence of the infusion of ase that comes as a result of being in alignment with Eji Ogbe.  This light not only has a transformative effect on the mental, physical and spiritual health of the awo, this light can by projected onto others affording them the same benefit.

There is in the Diaspora a popular belief that Ifa initiates do not go into possession.  Ifa is based on the teachers of the prophet Orunmila.  From the perspective of traditional Yoruba culture, Orunmila is an ancestor (egun).  The Spirit who guided Orunmila is called Ela.  Those men and women who are mediums of Ela are considered sons and daughters of Orunmila.  An examination of the Oriki used to invoke Ela clearly requests possession as part of the invocation process.

ORÍKÌ ELA

(Invocation for possession by the Spirit of Destiny)

Ela omo osin.

Ela Omo Oyigiyigi ota omi.

Spirit of Light, child of the Ruler. Spirit of Light, child of the offspring of the Stone in the Water.

Commentary:  Ifa teaches that everything is a manifestation of light and light carries primal consciousness.  The stone in the water is the center point of Creation which exploded to create hydrogen atoms.  The cloud of hydrogen atoms at the first moment of Creation is symbolically referred to as omi Orun or the heavenly waters.

Awa di oyigiyigi.

A ki o ku wa.

We ourselves become manifestation. The stone that birthed the Spirit of Light will never die.

Commentary:  this is a reference to the eternal aspect of human consciousness that is accessed through prayer and the development of good character.

Ela ro a ki o ku mo, okiribiti.

Ela ro (Sokale) Orunko Ifá.

The Spirit of Light has descended to Earth, we die no more.  This is the name we give to Destiny.

Commentary:  in Liturgical Yoruba the word ro is used to invoke possession or to place consciousness in an altered state.

Entiti ngba ni l’a.

Nwon se ebo Ela fun mi.

He is the one who saved us. We have made offerings to the Spirit of Light

Commentary:  Salvation in traditional Ifa comes as a result of accessing our full potential.  Accessing our full potential comes as a result of developing good character which in turn supports access to altered states of consciousness.

Ko t’ina, ko to ro.

He is of no substance. He is too small to be thought of.

Commentary:  The transcendent component of human consciousness is immortal and invisible.

Beni on (Ela) ni gba ni la n’Ife, Oba – a – mola.

Yet He delivered the Immortals from all trouble, the Chief for whom to know is to be saved.

Commentary:  This is saying that the transcendent element of human consciousness also exists in the consciousness of Spirit and that salvation is a consequence of accessing the transcendent.  In other words all consciousness is linked to a higher consciousness called Iponri and within the Grace of Iponri all consciousness becomes One.

Ela, Omo Osin mo wari o!

Ela meji, mo wari o.

The Spirit of Light, Son of the Ruler, I praise you.  The Spirit of Light, the Spirit of Light, I praise you.

Commentary:  The reference to Ela meji means the spirit of Light is Immortal.  In the Yoruba language when you repeat a word you are suggesting the eternal essence of that word.  Ela meji or the Spirit of Light Twice would be spoken Ela Ela meaning Ela exists forever.

Ela mo yin boru.

Ela mo yin boye.

Ela mo yin bosise.

Spirit of Light I beg you to lift my burden.  Spirit of light I beg you to lift my burden from earth.  Spirit of Light I ask you to present my burden to the Immortals.

Commentary:  This is a traditional greeting to the Spirit Light when it becomes manifest through possession by the mediums present when the invocation is spoken.

Ela poke.

Eni esi so wa soro odun.

Odun ko wo wa sodun.

The Spirit of light has appeared. The friend has returned for this year’s festival. The celebration returns.

Commentary:  Once a year the Spirit of Ela is invoked and appears as a beam of light emerging from the floor of Igbodu or the sacred grove.  This mystery is the fundamental ritual process that was the basis for building the great stone temples that cover the earth.

Iroko oko.

Iroko oko.

Iroko oko.

I come Iroko oko. I come Iroko oko. I come Iroko oko.

Commentary:  The Iroko tree is used in traditional Yoruba communities as an ancestors shrine.  Oko is the power of the shrine to influence future generations.

Odun oni si ko.

Ela poke.

Ela ro.

Ela ro.

Ela ro, ko wa gbu’re.

The celebration has returned.  The Spirit of Light has appeared.  Holy Spirit descend. Holy Spirit descend. Holy Spirit descend, prayers to accept.

Commentary:  This phrase announces the presence of Ela through the mediums.

Ela takun wa o.

Ela ro o.

Eti ire re.

Ela takun ko wa gbu’re.

Holy Spirit with string descends.  Holy Spirit descends. Be the ears of our prayers.  Holy Spirit with string descends to accept our prayers.

Commentary:  String is the Ifa symbol for the idea that all things are inter-connected.

Enu ire re.

Ela takun ko gbure.

Oju ire re.

Hear the lips of our prayers. Holy Spirit with string descends to accept our prayers. Hear the eyes of our prayers.

Commentary:  Once possession occurs the medium uses the spiritual energy of the altered state of consciousness to pray for the good fortune of the community.

Ela takun ko wa gbu’re.

Ela ma dawo aje waro.

Ela ma d’ese aje waro.

Holy Spirit with string descend to accept our prayers. Holy Spirit with lips of blessing embrace us.  Mighty Spirit with lips of blessing embrace us.

Commentary:  After the medium prays for the community Spirit answers those prayers by responding to them through the medium.

Atikan Sikun ki oni ikere yo ikere.

From door to door remove the hinges.

Commentary:  Removing the hinges from the door is a symbolic reference to the idea of removing those artificial boundaries that separates humans from one another.

Ipenpe’ju ni si’lekun fun ekun agada ni si’ekun fun eje.

He who removes the hinges opens the eyelids for tears.

Commentary: Removing boundaries enhances empathy and this in turn allows us to share the pain of others as the foundation for healing.

Ogunda’sa, iwo ni o nsilekun fun Ejerindilogun Irunmole.

The Spirit of Iron, the Spirit of Wind, the Spirit who opens the door for the Immortals.

Commentary:  Ogunda’sa is a verse of Ifa scripture that invokes opening the portals between the Invisible Realm and earth.

Ela panumo panumo.

Ela panuba panuba.

Spirit of Light resounding.  Spirit of Light rebounding.

Commentary:  This is a reference to the idea that the Spirit of Light is accessible in every moment.

Ayan ile ni awo egbe ile, ekolo rogodo ni awo ominile.

Near the crack in the wall where the elders meet, Peace ascended to Heaven and did not return.

Commentary:  A crack in the wall refers to a place where a person can ease drop on matters that do not concern them.  This suggests that spying on others is a source of disruption in the community.  It also suggests that everyone has a place and function with the community and maintaining our person responsibility is more important than arrogantly trying to take more responsibility they we are prepared for.

Eriwo lo sorun ko do mo.

O ni ki a ke si Odi awo Odi.

Upon blockade the Priest of Blockade is called to Earth. He asked us to call upon the Priest of Peace.

Commentaries:  Every day life involves the need to separate the ori from the ipoinri.  The invocation is asking us to make this separation in a spirit of peace.

O ni ki a ke si Ero awo Ero.

O ni ki a ke si Egún osusu abaya babamba.

Upon the shrub thorns he asked us to call. Upon the blockade we call the Priest of the Blockade.

Commentary:  shrub thorns are used as protection in certain shrines, so again the invocation is asking us to set up boundaries in a spirit of peace.

A ke si Ero awo Ero,  ke si Egún o susu abaya babamba a ni eriwo lo si Orun ko de mo, won ni ki Ela roibale.

Upon the thick shrubbery thorns we call, to the Realm of the Immortals we calmly ascend.  Holy Spirit descend.

Commentary : We use protection to guide us to a place of unity.  This is an adminotion against using ritual to harm others.

Ela ni on ko ri ibi ti on yio ro si o ni iwaju on egun.

The Peace of the Spirit of Light said; “I have nowhere to descend.”

Commentary:  This is a reference to the idea that in order to be an effective medium of Light we need to surrender or sacrifice our personal ego to make room for effective possession.

Eyin on osusu agbedem ‘nji on egun osusu, awo fa ma je ki’iwaju Ela gun mori on tolu.

I find the front filled with thorns, I find the rear and the middle filled with thorns.

Commentary:  The reference to front and rear is a reference to resistance in the past and in the future.

Òrúnmìlà ma jeki eyin Ela gun mosi Olokarembe Òrúnmìlà ma jeki agbedemeje la gun Osusu.

The humans appealed to the Spirit of Destiny to pray to the Great Spirit of light.

Commentary:  This is a reference to the idea that Orunmila the historic prophet of traditional Yoruba culture was a medium or Ela.

Ela ro.

Ifá ko je ki iwaju re se dundun more on tolu.

Spirit of Light descends. Remove the thorns from the front and rear.

Commentary:  The invocation is asking us to remove our resistance to possession.

Ela ro.

Ifá ko jeki eyin re se worowo.

Spirit of Light descends. Remove the thorns from the middle.

Commentary:  The invocation is again asking us to remove our resistance to possession.

Ela ro.

Ela ni ‘waju o di Odundun.

Spirit of Light descends. At the front place of Peace, the Spirit of Light becomes manifest.

Commentary:  This is a clear statement that possession is a consequence of alignment of the head and heart which results in a state of inner peace.

Ela ni eyin o di Tete.

Ela ni agbedemeji o di worowo.

At the rear place of Peace, the Spirit of Light becomes manifest. At the middle place of Peace, the Spirit of light becomes manifest.

Commentary:  The removal of ego allows for the higher self to overwhelm normal consciousness.

For me, the clarity of this Oriki establishes the process of possession as an essential component in Ifa spiritual discipline.  In Ifa ritual the Oriki for Ela is preceded by Kiki Orunmila.  In the Yoruba language Oriki means praising the consciousness of a specific Force in Nature.  It is a reference to the ability to invoke various forms of consciousness or possession to access information outside of our direct personal experience.  In the Yoruba language the word Kiki means to praise.  In Ifa we praise Orunmila as the prophet of our faith and we invoke Ela to access the mysteries of Odu.

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