Brief Account of the Origins of the Yorùbá Tradition by Bàbá Odùdúwà

Brief Account of the Origins of the Yorùbá Tradition by Baba Odùdúwà

This is the symbolic image that Baba Odùdúwà gave of himself more than 20,000 years ago when he was alive on Earth. The other title of Oduduwa, that is the first name he gave us when he contacted us, he presented himself as "ANDROKIN of RA" (old Egyptian title that Means Messenger of the Divine, Messenger of Ra). Later was the ÒRÌŞÀ Ọ̀ŞUN who under spiritual possession over the Ẹlẹ̀gún (spiritual medium) that told us that he was, in reality, the Great Baba Oduduwa, and she told us part of his Spiritual Mission now.

This drawing is based on his description to the members of his ẸGBẸ́ ÓDÙN ỌLỌ́FIN - The Spiritual Family of ỌLỌ́FIN`s Secret: He said that he was from an ancient tribe called the "ARON", that was placed east of actual Nigeria, he was taken as a slave-soldier by an ancient Egyptian army, he was with his friend ÒGÚN, they became famous warriors until they were liberated. Baba Odùdúwà after that went through a Spiritual Illumination while standing before a Sacred Stone fall from heaven (Meteorite), he gathers 16 Disciples in his travels, they were looking for a promised land, until they reach the area of actual ỌYỌ, and they settle there. To each of his 16 Wise Disciples he gave a piece of land and a kingdom to rule, except ÒGÚN, because he denied that choice, and he decided to fallow Odùdúwà and help him. Ògún was in charge of building the Yoruba Empire, and Odùdúwà became the first King of ỌYỌ. He in his travels started to Initiate people. In those times they were not ÒRÌŞÀ yet. They worship the Irúnmolè, and Odùdúwà connected the people he initiated to the Irúnmolè they were connected spiritually. They established the Oracle of 16 Cowries (Ẹ́rindínlógún), based on the sacred number 16, the 16 Elders and the 16 Divine Universal Principles called ODÙ or ÓDÙN (an ancient term given by Odùdúwà and his spirit messengers). The more esoteric knowledge about 16 is that it refers to the 16 Universal Beings that are around the outside of this universe, that they pronounce the sacred verses that moves and manipulates What happens inside this universe, they are the Ẹ́rindínlógún Aikú Bàbáwa – the 16 Universal Immortals Elders.

Meanwhile in ILÉ IFÉ another great character appears, that is Ọ̀RÚNMÌLÀ, he was son of YEMOYALE (YEMOJA), when he was born, he started to talk and make Divinations and foretell things to the people, he was spiritual son of a celestial Deity known as ỌLỌ́FIN Ẹ̀LÀ = The Pure, who was the First Son of ỌLỌ́FIN Ọ̀RUN, and he spreads the Spirit of Purity and Wisdom throughout the Universe. That is why Ọ̀RÚNMÌLÀ is also known as Ọ̀RÚNMÌLÀ Ẹ̀LÀ, but they are NOT the same. Many of the Great Wiseman are sons of Ẹ̀LÀ or emanations of Ẹ̀LÀ. Ọ̀RÚNMÌLÀ received a corpus of a tradition of Spiritual Charms, Herbology, Sacred Stories, and Folk-Wisdom from a nomad group that has existed 1000 years before Ọ̀RÚNMÌLÀ. He took that knowledge and with his insight, Wisdom and with the knowledge of the Ẹ́rindínlógún (16 Cowrie Oracle) and he develops the IFÁ Oracle as we know it now. Ọ̀RÚNMÌLÀ stared to initiate people, the first one that he Initiated into IFÁ Tradition was ÒGÚN, so he was the First Awo of Ọ̀RÚNMÌLÀ, then came Akoda y Aşeda. Later Baba Odùdúwà and Ọ̀RÚNMÌLÀ meet, and they shared esoteric knowledge, and spiritual transmissions/empowerments, Odùdúwà was initiated into IFÁ by Ọ̀RÚNMÌLÀ, and Ọ̀RÚNMÌLÀ became the First AWONI (Awo-Diviner of the Ọ̀ọ̀ni - King).

There was a Divine Decree from ỌLỌ́FIN Ọ̀RUN, to select 400 people initiated by Odùdúwà that reach the Spiritual Merit to become ÒRÌŞÀ and to rule Humanity and administer the Laws of NATURE. The ÒÒŞÀ Initiates that Odùdúwà consecrated when they died, the ones that acquire the Spiritual Merit to become ÒRÌŞÀ after death became ÒRÌŞÀ. The First One who passes away and becomes ÒRÌŞÀ was ÒGÚN. Then the last two were YEMOYALE who was number 399 and the last one, number 400 was ỌYA. ÒŞUN was going to be the last one, but she was a much-sacrificed woman, and she concedes her place to her sister ỌYA.

After they became ÒRÌŞÀ, the blood descendants of a specific ÒRÌŞÀ were initiated to that ÒRÌŞÀ, example, the blood descendants of ÒGÚN were initiated as Sons of ÒGÚN (Ọmọ ÒGÚN) and so on. he ÒRÌŞÀ that didn’t leave blood descendants, nobody was consecrated on initiated to be a priest of that ÒRÌŞÀ, like what happened to YEWA, that she was the Daughter of Baba Odùdúwà, but she was a Virgin, and she didn’t leave blood descendants.

When they died (the ones that became ÒRÌŞÀ), they didn’t that like regular people, at the moment of Death, they Disintegrated and became Light, only ashes remained.

Later ÒŞUN saved Humanity from the WRATH of ỌLỌ́FIN Ọ̀RUN, who was going to destroy Humanity for their Degeneration, Depravation and Evil ways. But ÒŞUN who was an ÌYÀÁMI ÀJẸ̀, and she knew how to transform magically into any bird or animal she wanted to, she knew all the rituals and the herbs as ingredients needed, she used to transform into an IGUN (Vulture) type of bird, and she flew away to find the Heavenly Palace of ỌLỌ́FIN Ọ̀RUN, she took 40 days and night to reach there, and finally she made it. She went to talk to ỌLỌ́FIN and ask for forgiveness in name of humanity, and ỌLỌ́FIN accepted because of ÒŞUN. ỌLỌ́FIN told ÒŞUN to never say a word of her intervention, and that she had to go back to Earth, so she did. Meanwhile, all the followers of the different ÒRÌŞÀ were saying that Humanity was saved because of the intervention of their ÒRÌŞÀ, so the followers of ÒGÚN said that Humanity was saved because Ògún, so the same thing happened with the rest of the worshipers of the different ÒRÌŞÀ. ÒŞUN was fed-up, because she knew the Truth, so one day she Screamed to the Four Corners of the planet that she was the one who saved Humanity, at that moment the heavens opened and the Voice of ỌLỌ́FIN Ọ̀RUN said to ÒŞUN, "Remember I told you not to say a word about your intervention, form this moment on you will become the last ÒRÌŞÀ, the number 401, and you will be the only ÒRÌŞÀ that will be completely Neutral".

This is the Ìtan (Story) that Odùdúwà and his messenger spirits have told us many times about ÒŞUN.

This is a condensed story of the beginnings of the tradition in ancient times, this was revealed by Odùdúwà through his ẸLẸ̀GÚN / Medium.

By AWO IFALENU, based on the Oral teachings given by Baba Odùdúwà through his Medium / ẸLẸ̀GÚN and his emissaries; the Fon Spirit Tata G, and Tata Abel.