About the Fifetu ceremony and the Knife ceremony and in relation to the Ada Òrìṣà-machete.

About the Fifetu ceremony and the Knife ceremony and in relation to the Ada Òrìṣà-machete.

Ẹgbẹ‌ Ódùn Olọ‌fin - The Spiritual Family of the Secret of Olofin.

Awo I; If I am going to give 2 or 3 four legged animals (goat, ram, pig) on another occasion that is not an Orisha initiation ceremony, Should I have to do the Fifetu ceremony when giving one or two four legged animals (goat, ram)?

Odùdúwà: The Fifetu ceremony that comes in the Ifá sign of Ògúndá Irete. It is only performed when there is a consecration. There is consecration ceremony when someone is consecrated in Òrìşà and it comes explicit in the patakí-history of that sign, where it speaks of the Awo, the diviner to the son of Ògún, who is possessed by Ògún and cuts off the head of “Agana Eri” - the daughter of Ọlọkun. There, Ọbàtálá determines that only Fifetu will be done when an Òrìşà initiation is performed.

And there is an indication that only the Babalawo is the one who can sacrifice the animals for the initiation of Òrìşà. When you give four legs; goat, ram to the Òrìşà without consecrating anyone to Òrìşà, it is not necessary to perform the Fifetu ceremony. Is that clear? It is only done when there is an Òrìşà initiation. In Ifá there is also a somewhat similar ceremony.

Ifalenu: Can you tell us a little bit about that ceremony of Òrìşà in comparison with the ceremony of Ifá to appease.

Awo I: And there is a ceremony that is similar to the one done in Òrìşà with Òrìşà. So you are going to comment on that. Of the similarity or difference of the one done in the ceremony of Òrìşà with the one done in the ceremony of Ifá, at the end of all the sacrifices.

Odùdúwà: In the ceremony of Ifá, something that can be considered similar, it is not the appeasement of the Obe - the knife or of the Adá - of the machete, it is to remove something negative from the entrails of the new diviner. Within some verses of Ìṣẹṣe, as well as the Lukumi tradition of Ifa, one of the Ifa signs that talks about this is Osa Meji. Synthesizing the part of Ìṣẹṣe and the Lukumi, some ceremonials are performed to call the Being that eats you from within, that eat your entrails. In Ìṣẹṣe it is known to be Iya Odù, the wife of Ọrúnmìlà.

In the case of the Lukumi tradition, which is very similar to Ìṣẹṣe, one seeks to draw out the spirit that feeds from the entrails of the Awo (the Ìyáàmi Àjẹ, Ìyá Odù). Some preparations are made, and even cooked, depending on what Ifá reveals. The materials are not always the same, and these are offered in the Igbodù, after all the offerings made for the consecration, where it can even be determined that the Awo should be fed with the udder of the she-goat that was given to Ọrúnmìlà. Depending on certain parameters that Ifa determines within the Igbodu, and that what it does is that it appeases the negative aspect of all Awo, of all Ifa diviners.

We must remember that in the tradition, hypocrisy has no place. What I am going with this?

It is that Ifá recognizes, the Òrìşà recognizes all the Fun fun (merciful) and Pupa (severe) aspects of the people, What they bring good and not so good.

The problem arises when the Òrìşà is idealized. To be Òrìşà he/she did not have to have gone through all the positive aspects of the human condition. The Òrìşà became Òrìşà by having gone through both the positive and negative/Severe aspects of the human condition.

One of the reasons why such ceremonials are performed is precisely to appease the Negative/severe Aspect that the person might attract. And in the same way, the appropriate keys are repealed so that the person who was initiated in Ifa can appease his Severe Aspect, and can correct the frictions in his path and in his destiny. Is that clear?