Ibori - Learn How To Feed Your Ori

 

Ibori

– Learn

How to Feed your Ori

Ibori is a very simple but powerful ritual that can be done to connect with your Ori while ritually cleansing and feeding it.

The ritual presented below has been presented in basic form. When Ibori is performed by a Babalawo or Orisa priest, it i t often becomes a much more involved endeavor endeavor..

However,, for the However th e sake of simplicity, the basic ritual has been presented here. It is also important to note that the ability to divine is an important part of performing Ibori, as you can determine:   Whether an Ibori needs to be performed?

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  What specific offerings your Ori needs?

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  Whether your Ori has accepted the offerings after they have been made?

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IFA Divination: One can determine this thi s by learning the 16 major Odu IFA positions using

Opèle or Ikin as they provide p rovide very deep and super clear from IFA. 

The Ikin or Opele must be b e fully consecrated before being engaged for IFA divination.  NOTE: Consult a renowned Babalawo to consecrate your Ikin or Opele.  

Ebo and Offerings

There are many basic offerings to one’s Ori. Obviously, Obviously, it is best if th these ese are determined via divination whenever possible. The following questions may be asked through casting IFA:     Does my Ori need to receive an offering at this time?

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  Does it need to receive (insert individual in dividual items until you find what it i t wants?

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  Are there any other offerings that my Ori requires at this time?

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Some materials often used to feed one’s Ori are:   

 

Omiero

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Cool water (omi tutu)

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Honey (oyin)

 

Dry gin (oti)

 

Dried fish (eja aro)

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Bitter kola nut (orogbo)

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Kola-nut (obi abata)

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Sugar cane (ireke)

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Red palm oil (epo pupa)

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Efun (native chalk)

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Shea butter (ori)

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Coconut milk

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Meat

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Fruits

Some of the above offerings are given for the following reasons:

  Cool water – to cool, calm and refresh, especially to ease a “hot” situation 

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  Honey – to sweeten and bring joy  

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  Dry gin – to bring pleasure and strength     Kola-nut  – to stimulate, give life, avert problems and bring wisdom. Kola-nut is a very

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important component! 

  Bitter kola – good for ase, also protection and longevity 

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  Sugar cane – to bring sweetness and ire 

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  Palm oil – to smooth, sustain & ease, also used for abundance 

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  Shea butter – to protect and soothe 

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  Coconut milk – to offer a very strong cooling energy 

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  Meat – to offer strength 

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  Fruits – to make one’s destiny fruitful and add nourishment to ones destiny 

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The simplest offering is pure cool water. water. Even when nothing else is available, we always have cool water and this can be used to cool the Ori, to ease the mind and to remove the “heat”

from our heads.

Often the head (ori) is also washed in a specially prepared Omiero made by a Babalawo or Olorisa. Omiero, as most people know it, is water with certain herbs, the combination determined by the use in question. It may also include blood from an animal.

In Africa, depending on area, Omiero refers to snail blood or snail blood in water or snail blood in water with ewe ero.

 

Omi-ero; “Omi” is the word for water and “ero” is a plant. pl ant. Snail blood is white whi te and is Obatala’s favourite offering.

It is the most powerful cooling and tranquillity inducing compound you can use on your Ori.

It also imparts the wisdom of Obatala. Ero is a powerful plant or ewe for its cooling and calming properties as well as its attraction of ire (good fortune). fortun e). We bring the qualities of Obatala and Orunmila into our heads when doing ibori.

One of the best and most powerful omiero for this specific task is one made with:   Spring water

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  Snail blood

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  Ewe ero

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  Coconut water

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  Soft meat

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  Efun (white native chalk)

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  Ori butter (shea butter)

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Any combination of these products will do, if you don’t have all of them. Ewe ero can be found at any botanica.

If you can find African snails in your area great, gr eat, if not, local ones will do. You cut open the snail and squeeze out the blood into the water. water. Get a fresh green coconut and add its water to your water water.. You can chop up the soft meat and add it to the omiero or use it to place on top of your head later, later, under your head wrap.

Add some ori butter and efun. Both are easy to get. If you have a Babalawo who can make it for you, that is optimal.

If not, state your intent as you add each ingredient and why you are adding that ingredient. This omiero can also be used as a bath.

 

One’s Ori is very sensitive and one should always be careful what they are placing on their Ori.

The importance of this cannot be stressed enough. enoug h. This is why divining to determine what one’s Ori requires is very important.  

There are times that one’s Ori will be stimulated “heated” but this should only be don done e after

one has been properly trained because one must know the proper way of cooling the Ori after it has been stimulated.

What time to Perform Ibori  

Ibori is best performed in the morning, before talking to anyone but then you would have to spend the rest of the day indoors, which is not practical for many people so you can do it in the evening, at a time when you will not have to leave the house again for any reason. r eason. You should also make sure that you will be relatively undisturbed after the ritual takes place, as you will need to remain “cool” for the rest of evening.

Before starting the actual offering, take a bath or shower. shower. If you have any consecrated black soap (highly recommended), you may use that to cleanse your head of any negative energy that may have accumulated.

Another reason why it is best to have divination done is that you may need to do some work to remove negative energy before you do Ibori.

Relax and wash away the physical dirt, but also try to release some of o f the emotional/spiritual dirt that we all pick up each day day..

Take as much time as you need for this part, as it is very important to be relaxed when you begin working with your Ori.

After your bath or shower, shower, dress in the lightest li ghtest color clothing you can find – ideally an all white outfit, including under garments.

Avoid anything very bright or dark. Go to t o the area you have designated for the Ibori ceremony. Some people choose to do this thi s before their Ancestral shrine, if they have not ritually received Igba’Ori. 

 

Wherever the ritual is performed, it is important that the area be neat and clean and free from any disturbances for the duration of the ritual itself. The space should be consecrated with Holy water.

Performing Ibori Washing – sprinkle the water around and say; omi tutu (cool water), Ile tutu (cool earth), Esu

tutu (if you have an esu sprinkle it), Egun tutu (ancestors), Ire Orunmila, ire, ire, ire o!

 Anointing – the tongue or mouth is the source of ofo ase – the power of the word. Most of the

time, ataare pepper, pepper, palm oil or kola is used. In this case, you would use the one for Obatala, which is efun. Just lick it. I like li ke to say this oriki when I do anointing: Ase Orisa enu u mi o. Ase Orisa enu u mi. Eyi ti mo ba ti wi. N’Irunmole o gba. Ase Orisa enu u mi. The ase of Orisa in

my mouth. The ase of Orisa in my mouth. Whatever I say, is what the divinities will sanction. The ase of Orisa in my mouth.

 Invoking – Chants and prayer are an important part of any Ifa ritual, no matter how simple or

how complex. Before beginning the formal ritual itself, one should chant iba (homage), oriki and in this case chants to Ori.

Feeding – offer the sacrificial items listed above to your Ori. Reading – cast IFA using Ikin or opele to verify acceptance of offerings. 

We must say our “Iba’se” (homage) which are used to start all ritual.  

Iba’se – Ifa

Prayer of Praise

Ope ni fun Olorun Gratitude to the owner of the realm of the Ancestors Iba Olodumare Oba ajiki Homage to the Creator, Creator, the King who we praise first Iba Ogege, Oba ti ngb’ aiye gun 

Homage to Mother Earth, who sustains the Universal alignment of all things in nature Iba Onile Homage to the Spirit of the Earth Iba Elawori Homage to the Spirit of purity Iba’se ila Oorun 

Homage to the power of the East

 

Iba’se iwo Oorun 

Homage to the power of the West Iba’se Ariwa 

Homage to the power of the North Iba’se Guusu 

Homage to the power of the South Iba atiwo Orun Homage to all things that live in the invisible realm Iba Ori Homage to the Spirit of Consciousness Iba Ori inu Homage to the Spirit of the Inner Self Iba Iponri ti o wa l’Orun  

Homage to the Spirit of the Higher Self who lives l ives in the Invisible Realm of the Ancestors Orun Ori nile, e oo jiyin, e oo jabo oun ti e ri The Invisible Realm of the Ancestors is the permanent home of the Inner Self, it is there that the Inner Self accounts for what it has done during the Journey to Earth Iba Orunmila, Eleri ipin iku dudu atewo, oro to si gbogbo ona Homage to the Spirit of Destiny, Destiny, Witness to Creation, the averter of Death, the Power of the Word that opens all doors Iba Awo Akoda Homage to the Diviner named Akoda, the first student of Orunmila Iba Awo Aseda Homage to the Diviner named Aseda, the one who taught Ifa to the world Iba Egun, Egungun kiki Egungun Homage to the Ancestors, I give respect to the realm of the ancestors Iba Awon Iya Wa, Eleiye Homage to our Mothers, Owners of Birds Iba Esu Odara, Okunrin ori ita, ara Oke itase, ao fi ida re lale Homage to the Divine Messenger of Transformation, the Man of the Crossroads, from the Hill of Creation, we wil use your sword to touch the Earth Iba gbogbo Orisa Homage to all the Orisa Iba gbogbo Irunmole Homage to all the Irunmole Iba baba, Iba yeye Homage to my father and homage to my mother Iba’ase, Ibase, Ibase, O

 

Oriki Ori (Prayers To Ori)

Ori san mi, Ori san mi, Ori san mi Ori san igede Ori san igede Ori san igede Ori oto san mi ki nni owo lowo Ori tan san mi ki nbimo le mio Ori oto san mi ki nni ayaOri oto san mi ki nkole mole Ori ni ma sin Ori ni ma sin Ori ni ma sin Oloma ajiki Iwa’ ni mope 

Ase

Ori guide me Ori guide me Ori guide me Ori support me Ori support me Ori support me Ori support my abundance Ori support my future children Ori support my relationship Ori protect my house It is my Ori whom I shall worship, it is my Ori whom I shall worship, it is my Ori whom I shall worship Protector of the children, my inner character is thankful. Ase At this time, you should begin to present the offerings to your Ori. The offerings are always presented to the head starting with the “third eye” area, moving to the top of the head and

proceeding to the base of the skull.

As you present each offering, you should tell your Ori the reason for making that particular offering.

 

For instance: “Ori, as I give you honey for sweetness, please make my life li fe sweet and full of  joy..” “Ori, I give you this gin to bring strength and pleasurable experiences to my path.”   joy path.”  

This should be done for each offering as it is presented to the head. If the offering is something liquid or creamy like shea butter, butter, you use the middl middle e finger on your left hand starting between the eyes around the eyebrows and over the head to the base of the skull.

If it’ s a solid object, place it against your forehead. foreh ead. The offerings are not only pr presented esented to the head, but also to the navel (the place of the Ori Inu) and the big toe (a connection to one’s  

Ancestors).

Use the same finger for the navel and your index finger for your right big toe. While touching the navel with the offering(s), one may say the following prayer:

May my Ori Inu always work in harmony with my Ori. The offerings are then touched to the right big toe, and one may say the following prayer: May my feet not lead me astray. astray. May the wisdom of the Ancestors guide me toward my destiny. destiny. These offerings will ultimately be placed on the head, but if giving a lot of loose items (pieces of kola, orogbo, sugar cane, small bits of fruit, etc.) one may place pl ace the items on a white plate until they have all been presented.

Closing Ibori Ceremony

At this point, divine using Ikin or Opele to determine if all of the offerings have been accepted or to ascertain if your Ori requires anything else.  

Sometimes Ori may require additional offerings, increased quantities of a particular item, i tem, repeated recitation of prayers (Oriki) etc.

One should make sure that the ceremony is not closed until Ori has accepted the offerings made during the Ibori.

Once all of the offerings are accepted, some (like the coconut meat, honey honey,, ori butter b utter,, gin, etc.) may be placed on the crown of the head one at a time (if any items remain on the white plate).

After all of the offerings have been b een placed, the head should be wrapped with a clean white cloth used specifically for this purpose.

 

The cloth should secure the items on the head and prevent them from spilling out.

Important Note: The white cloth on the head is very important, as it deflects energy away

from your Ori. Your Ori is in a delicate state at this th is time and must be protected. The white headwrap or hat must be worn all day or all night. 

After doing Ibori, one must remain calm and cool for the rest of the day or evening (this is why it is best to do at night, before bed).

It is important to make every effort to keep one’s head “cool” and to avoid any heavy work

load. Additionally, Additionally, engaging in any form of sexual activity is strictly prohibited for the remainder of the evening.

It is important to rest and allow the ase presented to Ori to settle appropriately appropriately.. The offerings are left on the head overnight and are generally discarded the following morning.

Most people remove the offerings before showering shower ing in the morning. You can divine to ask where your Ori would like the items left – a river, river, forest, four junction…. etc. It is possible to simply discard the items in the trash if this thi s is confirmed through divination.