In the Ifa Tradition of Yorubaland, West Africa, the attributes of
the Source of All Things are personified as the sentient Beings called
Orisa. In the Sacred Oracles of Ifa, the text and oral tradition of
the faith, there are 256 of what westerners would likely refer to as
Chapters. From the standpoint of Ifa, these 256
Odus are not merely divisions of the text, but instead
represent the wisdom of 256 of the 401 Irunmole (Divine Attributes
of Olorun, God). Some of the 401 Orisa have been lost in the
diaspora, but there are many who have survived and are worshipped by
practitioners around the world in various African based spiritual systems.
There are 8 Priniciple Orisa who are considered to be the Spiritual
Forces that can 'crown a persons head' (i.e., be our link to home and
our guide and protector in the marketplace.)
The brief descriptions, prayers, and quotes sited
in this section
are excerpts from Alufa Sharif's unpublished manuscript entitled,
"SOS Planet Earth: Thinking in the Cosmology of Yoruba Ifa"
Soon to be available by special order.