IWURE: HEALING POWER OF PRAYER "Yemi Elébuibon The Araba of Ogogoo and rr THE ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY INTERNATIONAL “ABLCopyright © 2019 "Yemi Elgbuibon Allrights reserved. No part of this publigation may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means i, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or : rien permission of the copyright owner ISBN 978-978-951 -239-3 TWURE: HEALING POWER OF PRAYER Published! by ‘The Ancient Philosophy International (4.P.1.) Production P.O, Box 623, Osoghe ‘Osun State, Nigeria Phone: +234 803 5852524 Email: arabaosogbo |@gunail.com With publishing services assistance by Concept Publications Limited 77, Shipeclu Street, Palmgrove Lagos State, Nigeria. 4 8112 309 4010 & +1 469 655 1225 coneeprpublicatiansaajgmpil.com [email protected] Website: weew.conceptpublications.com US.A. 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Phone: +234 802 309 4010.& +1 469 655 1225- Contents Preface — viii Inmvoduction — xiii 1: iwdre: Prayer of Blessings 19 L.liwtre 19 1.2 Motives 24 1.3 Origin of All Evils 28 Endnotes 37 y Ase: The Vital Force 32 21 Ase 32 2.2 The Origin of Ase 38 2.3 Fire Energy 49 2.4 Energy of the Moon on the Sky 51 2.5 Energy of the Sun 53 Endnotes 35 we ‘ Obstacles to Prayer 58 3.1 Barriers to Prayer 58 3.1.1 Dishonesty and Uncleanliness 59 3.1.2 Misdeed 61 3.1.3 Curse (Epa) 63 3.1.4 Character 68vi a jware: Healing Power of Prayer 3.1.5 Sex 71 3.1.6 The Powerful Beings (Iyami) 16 3.2 Sin (Fsé) 81 3.3Smoke 87 2 3.4 Time as a Factor that can Obstruct Prayer 89 Endnotes 95 * Elements Used for Prayers 101 4.1 Water(Omi) 101 4,2 Kolanut (Ohi) and Its Origin 105 - 4.3 Liquor Drinks (Oli) =—-110 4.4 Alligator Pepper (Atare) 113 4.5 Biter Kola (Ordgbé) 115 Endnotes 119 + Homage and Prayer 122 5.1 Homage 122 5.2 Homage to the Ancestors . 124 9.3 Homage to Divine Spirits 127 5.3.1 Eg, Eléghara 130 53.2 Obatala 133 5.3.3 Orisa Trowh 139 3.3.4 Orisa Ogiyan 147 325 Orisa Oluofin 155 5.3.6 Ogun 163 3.3.7 Egingin Abala 171 5.3.8 Sango 175 53.9 OyaQkarA 183 5.3.10 Orinmila 191 Endnaies 197Pronunciation vii 6: Prayers for Specific Occasions and Purposes 203 6.1 Prayer forthe New Year 203 6.2 Prayer for Success or Accomplishment 206 6.3. Prayer for Uplifiment — 208 64 Prayeragainst Failure 209 6.5 Prayer for Restoration of Lost Glory 211 6.6 Prayer against Illness 212 6.7 When God Seems Far Away 214 6.8 Prayer for GloryandFame 214 6.9 Prayer to Overcome a Traitor 215 6.10 Prayer to Overcome Family Problem 216 6.11 Prayer to Avert Death 217 6.12 Prayer for Forgiveness 220 6.13 Prayer against Danger/Accident 222 6.14 Prayer against Poverty 225, 6.15 Prayer against Sorrow 227 6.16 Prayer on Litigalion 228 6.17 Prayer in Bitterness or Anger 230 6.18 Prayer to Have a House 231 6.19 Prayer for Prevention of Losses 232 6.20 Prayer against Ill-Luck or Failure 233 6.21 Prayer When ona Journey 235 6.22 Prayer for Pregnancy 237 Endnotes 238 oy Conclusion 243 Glossary 247 Elements Used for Prayers 255 Bibliography 258 Index 266Preface as 'N Ifa cosmology, Awise is the one that presides over prayer session at the temple. It means whatever he says is sacrosanct. Ever since I took the title of Awise of Osogho, it has occurred to me that a lot of responsibilities are attached to it, like every other title in Yoruba culture. Awise is the person that stamps and seals prayers in the Temple of Ifa. It means that whatever he says gains the accent of the gods, spirits and Olddimaré, the Supreme Being. As¢ is the final nod and acceptance granted to wishes that are expressed through prayers and sacrifice. do not use Amin ther, they S4Y e [ have the function, ! e audience id express Yorb traditional religion adherents or Amen after they say their prayers. Ra’ “Age,” meaning “may it be so.” Each tm opportunity to say a prayer at a public usually elicits positive responses from th While the Muslim and Christian clerics wou villPreface ix their prayers in Arabic or English, I would use standard Yoruba language in a way that would be meaningful to all and sundry. Each time, | would select a song lo accompany my prayers such as: Bi mo dir, bi mo wiire e Tre mi @ sai gha a Bi mo béreé, bi mo wire e ire mid sai gha oo If I stand to say my prayers The request will be granted If! bend to say my prayers The prayers will be answered This song has now become so popular that the audience would sing along with me. Sometimes, I conclude the prayer thus: Ase risa, enu mi o Ase orisd gnu mi Eyt ti mo ba wi Ni Olédtimaré yoo gha Ase orisd enu mi The blessing of the gods is in my mouth Whatever I say Ls what Almighty God will grant The blessing of the gods resides in my mouth In the 1980s, I had the privilege of presenting a television drama series on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) entitled: Ifa Olékun Asgrodayo. 1x — iware: Healing Power of Prayer used the song on the programme and for many weeks The programme was a crowd puller and it was enjoyed by people across religions, social classes, sexes and generations. The thrust of the programme was the exposition of deep philosophy and thoughts inherent in Ifa which viewers widely enjoyed. On several occasions, people wanted to know more about African traditional religion. Chief Adébayo Faléti, a one-time General Manager of NTA, explained to me that he had sent a television crew to record the worship at Osemeji Temple in Ibadan: but, to his surprise, he discovered that the worshippers had to mix their mode of worship with some elements of Christian liturgy. Today, African traditional religion has a place in the curriculum of many universities in Europe and America. It is, therefore, clear to those of us with experience and knowledge in the field to make these available to the wider world and for posterity. The right technical tools are needed for dealing with religion, by way of research and knowledge dissemination. One needs to commend, in this reg) the administration of QOgbéni Rauf Adésel- Arégbésola, the former Governor of the Stale ° Osun, who took an unprecedented step of givint support and recognition to practitioners of indigen™ religions in the state, In order to give recognilio?Preface = xi African religion, the government declared every 20th of August a public holiday and it is called Isése Day. The administration also made it mandatory that, at every public event, prayers by practitioners of indigenous religion should be accommodated along with those of Christians and Muslims. As Olikoni Adégoké observes, every race knows God, which is the main factor that makes them humans. They may not be able to call Him in a particular way as expected in a foreign language or religion, but God is no stranger to any race. In this wise, Yoruba people know God and how to call on Him to preserve them and grant their hearts’ desires. They do this in their own language and culture. It is true that God, in Yorlba cosmology, does not limit Himself to any religion, but He exists in the theology and integrated mysticisms of the people. Yoruba do not have any shrine for God, but they believe in Him. God is in the heart, not in the physical eyes (Black Race, p.3). It is believed that the Yoruba do not need to hire any prayer merchant for God to grant their tequests. As I once remarked: Orileedé tid ba ma sisé tie Isé anisé Vawon 6 ma se Twa oniwa ni won 6 md hit (Elébuibon, 2008, p. 155)xii lware: Healing Power of Prayer A race that is not proud of its own culture will be mired in the crises of other people’s culture. Every race must continue to think, reflect and speculate. No race is certified wrong in its thinking except it foolishly abandons its own culture, thoughts and culture (Elébuibon, Ogdta Ewi, 2007), At this juncture, we want the whole world to know that African religion has ils essence and import. Therefore, it is necessary for all of us, no matter what we believe, to recognise this timeless fact. lfayemi Elébuibgn The Araba of Osogboland. December 2018.Introduction N individual with Yoruba orientation does not see himself as a defenceless object of destiny in a situation where calamity occurs. He wants to put an end to a bad situation through prayers, atonements, rituals and protective medicine. In another culture or religion, whatever happens, either good or bad, is an act of Gad. This book explains the power of God and how it works through other elements such as fire, waler, sun, moon, and so on. It is essential to note that one may have to work to achieve whatever one wants in life. Therefore, human beings will have to assist their efforts with prayer which is a plea, a supplication. If it pleases God, the prayer will be answered and the desire will be achieved. However, for a prayer that is unanswered, a reason (or some reasons) must exist for such outcome. Perhaps, the desire is not in the record of the Almighty. If it is written there, sometimes it may be xiiixiv ——hwure: Healing Power of Prayer delayed before He endorses it and sends it to the Command House (Tlé Ase). This book identifies, discusses and explicates al] obstructions to prayers in Yoruba cosmology. In some belief systems, it is only a sin that can hinder or block the fulfilment of prayers. Among the Yoruba, there are many factors that can stand between a human aspiration and its fulfilment. This notwithstanding, prayers and some items can be used to appease the gods and strengthen the efficacy of prayers. The items include: water, kalanut, smoked fish, dried rat, bitter kola, palm oil, and so on. As the saying goes: “Enu fifo, kd se na iké.” The translation gocs thus: You do not use an empty mouth to release the hunchback from his affliction. In some religions, it is fasting and prayer that are used to ensure the realisation of one’s goals. But in the Yoruba belief system, prayers are supported with atonements, propitiations and rituals. The prayers in this book contain some elements and ingredients of appeasement. If used with faith, they will work for you. The boat of life is not easy to paddle without strong prayers and diligence. It is also important to stress that, contrary to the assertions of some modem religions, there are many ways to pray to and worship God and continuously supplicate human demands from Him. There is no religion through which God 18Introduction = XW not capable of solving problems of those who are devoted to the belief of such a practice; otherwise. such a religion will have no basis for existence: as the essence of a religion is to give its practitioners succour from pain and hope for the future. I quite agree with Bolaji [dowu who observes that Man realises from the beginning that he has dual nature in his present existence in the world. [lowever, there is a living being to whom he is linked by reason of his essential personality and that is the Supreme Being. Thus, man is so constituted and conditioned in a way that establishes his dependence on God. If his life is to be real and worthwhile, it should be lived in accordance with God’s control and expectations. He is the pillar that sustains the universe, including all the beings within it, whether human or non-human. Religion, in its essence, is the means by which there is a communication between God as a spirit, and man as a mortal. It is a product of the relationship between God and Tis human creations as established from the beginning of life. The traditional prayers to divinities such as Ogtn, Obatdlé, Sango, Orimmila and Osun are indirectly to God, the Supreme Being. These deities are Tis ministers. Within the human socio-political setting, a minister can present a petition on behalf of a community or an individual at an executive meeting ofxvi iwure: Healing Power c* Prayer a state cabinet whereby the governor or president jg expected to consider it and grant the petition. The accent by the chief executive may be quickly given or delayed: thus, it becomes hard for a minister when the wish of the community that he represents is not granted, When the wish is granted by the govemor who represents God Almighty in this illustration, it becomes a thing of joy that calls for celebration. As a result, we would show appreciation to our representatives who are the divinities. So, when a client consults a priest of Ifa, the interpretation of odd by the priest is a means through which God communicates with the client. When the client then goes ahead to comply with instructions given by the priest, it is in order to ensure that, at the end, his or her desire is achieved. Thus, the client will praise the [fa priest while the priest will praise Ifa. [f{4, m turn, will also culogise Olédimare, the Almighty God. As the saying goes: On yin Awo, Awo n yin Ifa Ifa nda n yin Olédamaré As said earlicr, a prayer is a plea. We implore God to accept our petition, Therefore, it is the duty of everyone to abide by the dictates of God, so that our prayers will be answered,Introduction xvii Endnotes Awise: He is a high priest of If4, who sanctions whatever is said in prayers at the Temple of fi Enu age: The mouth that possesses authority. Enu ofifo ko se na iké: You do not use an empty mouth to release the hunchback from his affliction. This means that the mouth has to be purified and the mind must be clean when one is saying a prayer. Enu ord: Potent mouth. Ifé Olokun As6rodayé: Title of a drama series presented on the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) in the early 1980s by the author. Ilé-Ase: House of authority, a place where all prayers are approved. Yoruba people believe that any prayer that enters the house of Asc is promptly answered. That is why they say “Ki Qlérun muu lo si ilé ase” which means, “may God take __ this prayer to the house of authority for approval.” Isége: Acknowledgement of the progenitor. A day tagged as isése is now celebrated in Nigeria and part of Spain as a festival for all the Yoruba deities. It holds on 20th of August of every year and it is observed as a public holiday . inthe State of Osun. Ogtin, Sango Obatala, Qranmila and Osun: These are all divinities who serve as ministers of God with different Portfolios. Ogiin is the minister of technology; Sango is in charge of justice and retribution; Obatalé is the artist in charge of human creation, He arranges all the body organs while Olédiimaré puts finishing touches to the clay and it becomes a human being, Orinmila is the prophet, the administrator of all divinities while Osun is the goddess of Water associated with fertility.CHAPTER LES; iwdre: Prayer of Blessings 1.1 iwire MONG the Yoruba practitioners of traditional religion, iw:re! is what we know as prayers that are said or declared while communicating with God at a shrine, temple or a public function. It is called adiia, or adtird?. It is “dua” in Arabic language. Prayer is for goodwill, to attain blessings. It has to come from the depth of the heart of the person that speaks the positive words, in order to ensure its fulfilment. Some people are of the opinion that ‘wire is a request to Olédiimaré’. Some also agree that it is a way of communication between man and God. wire is about what we want, and what we do not want, not only from God Almighty but also from all divine spirits — Ogtin’, Odsdla5, Qsun®, Sango,’ and others.20 |wiire: Healing Power of Prayer The belief is that these deitics are emissaries whom we, as human beings. send on errand to the Almighty God and they, in turn, take our pleas to Him. It is God Himself that will, therefore, bear these to the [/é Aye, where the prayers get stamped with divine authority. Once a prayer enters the Ilé Ase, it is assured that it will be answered. Many pleas, petitions and prayers do not even reach the domain of approval. But there is the hope that, one day, they are going to be answered. We shall discuss the power of Ase later in this book. It is true that one can pray wholeheartedly when one is happy or when one experiences something positive from fellow human beings. Sometimes, when an individual offers us a gift or helps or does us good, we would be moved to say a prayer. On the contrary, prayer could be used also to curse a fellow human being when somebody hurts us. This is the opposite of iwure. It is called épé®. According to Raji (1991), prayer is a good thing that one digs out of the land or mind. If one has to define iwtre, one may say it is istire. One can say: ¢ jé a stire (let us make istire), or wi ire (pronounce goodness). In essence, it is what one uses to get good or bad, whether it is we or wi. One stanza from Odi Ifa says: Awthiwili moye Awidiwili moyeiware: Preyer of Blessings 21 Tja agho ni t’eyin A difa fin Ewi Aye’ Abii fin Ew Orun Ewt Ayé ni Babaldwo Egha Orun"® lad pe Olddtunare Qhun tf Ewi Ayé ba wi Ohun ni Egba Orun gha Awthiwiti, a soft-spoken person Awitinwilii move, a smooth-speaking person The fight of a ram is by farce Ifé divination was performed for Ewi Ayé’ and Ewt Orun Ewi Ayé is the name of a diviner Egba Orun'” is the name of Olidiumare Whatever ihe Ewi Ayé utters out Is what Eghd Orun will accept. Ewi Ayé is only a priest of Ifa or any devotee of Orisa. He who makes people’s wishes to come to pass is Olédimaré, the Supreme Being, and the deities. Therefore, whatever we have in mind while we pray. which is wei ire or sti ire, is to make things work out for good. Each time we are making iwiire, it is the power of words that we explore. Utterances in the process of prayers are so powerful that they will travel lo anywhere and reach the person for whom we pray wherever he may be: Atégion kit f° a K6 md kan’ gi22 — |wire: Healing Power of Prayer The wind cannot blow Without reaching a tree, According to the belief of the Yoruba: Tlé gbogho ni efiifu wo There is no house that the wind cannot enter Tre timo n sii yil Ibikibi ti laghdjd bd wa Kiire o lo réé ba a The utterance I make today Wherever this person is Let the prayer reach him there Prayer is the master-key; it is used to open the door whenever the path of progress is blocked. Prayer is essential in every movement of our lives. That is why it is a core feature in worship at the shrine, temple, church and mosque, inside a house or a communlly. The most important attribute of prayer is efficacy: When a prayer is ineffective, something is wet This is observed in many religions and, as @ ee leaders in such settings keep hope alive while m@! if the prayers, but traditional African religion bas reat a made answers. After invocations and prayeTs *- fyind (obi) will be split which will come out Te “Yes” or “No”. It enables the priest ot Priest, 3 examine further where something went wrong what needs to be done.lire: Prayer of Blessings 23 There is no time that we cannot use were. It is part of every movement of our lives. In one of Yortba greetings, we do say: Wala lg re Waa bo re You will travel safely And return in peace There is nothing on earth that we cannot make iwure for. The important thing is free mind, honesty and faithfulness. For a prayer to be answered, one must abstain from any wrongdoing, which may serve as a hindrance. The factors that obstruct prayers in the divine realm are discussed further in this book. Fakayodé Fatandé, in his book on iwire, uses morphology (word formation) to analyse the word, iwtire. He identifics the root morpheme as “wit”. “Wi” is a verb, while the second root morpheme “ire” is a noun. It thus goes through a morphological or phonological process i+ wit ire = dwire Iwai + ire = /wa ire The process of wealth acquisition or accomplishment of fortune is not through the application of intense or strained energy. This is supported by The Holy Bible and The Holy Quran: “lbikin Qlérun nii mu’nii 1a24 lwure: Healing Power af Prayer Vai fi laala kun,” which means, /t is only God's grace that makes one rich without much hassles. 1.2. Motives Some people would ask: Why do we need prayers? What is the essence of prayers in our lives once we believe in God? Since God has given us a life to live and He has made all arrangements for all our needs, why do we still pray? Even those of us who believe in destiny-that what will be will be-why do we bother to do something to ensure the realisation of destiny? The fact of the matter is that we cannot rely on destiny as the basis for our decision not to work. If someone is sick, we always pray for the ailment to heal. However, if the person is destined to dic from the sickness, the prayer may not be answered. When it comes to the matter of destiny, human beings arc always at crossroads. According to a Yoruba saying: Ord ayanm¢”™ Ko tig yé eniyan The matier of a destiny Js not easily understood by anyone We pray for owd (money) in abundance to be able t use it for all our needs. In the absence of money: nothing can be achieved. We need diki (longevity): We need to live long so as to enjoy and sustain ou!Iwure: Prayer of Blessings 25 achievements. But those who have problems with their dydnmé (destiny) will keep struggling to the end. With prayers and work, they can achieve their aims. Even though their accomplishments may not be as much as those who have good luck, they still need to work with the assistance of prayers. It is just like a person who climbs a ladder to the top and suddenly wind begins to blow tempestuously and shakes the ladder. Such a fellow will resort to prayer to calm the wind: Bi emo ardyé be ji Won 6 ma woye eni nla Bikiwono subi Aint subs éniyan aa Od ‘wd Olédtunarée Elébiibon, 1984 Human beings always look forward To the fall af a successful man Fram grace to grass Only God can rescue the successful man From the evil wishes 0. of human beings Therefore, prayer is essential in all aspects of oy lives. Ogindére Féyénmu, the popular 1jlé Ogtin™ chanter rightly affirms the significance of prayer When he says: A wa ju ang! lo rat it wd to Vighdi ni awa path of6 dni njé26 — iwure: Heeling Power of Prayer Yesterday is past Today is above us all We are still struggling with tomorrow The Holy Bible emphasises importance of constant prayers. Christians are enjoined to pray ceaselessly (ki a maa ghachira Idi sinmi). Therefore, since no one knows tomorrow, it is imperative that we should all work tenaciously to make it better in order to achieve our goals of better living. As Bolaji Idowd (1962:116- 117) observes, “The heart and centre of prayers in the religion of the Yoruba is a petition when the worship is congregational. The worshippers severally present their requests to the divinity through the priest where the worship is private. They do so immediately; the petitions are largely for what may be described technically as material blessings.” Their requests, most times, include protection from sickness and death, In their petition, they ask for gifts of longer life, prosperity in enterprises, victory over the enemy, and protection from all evil spirits and relatives, near and distant. They express desires for rectification of ill fate while seeking abundant provision of material things. Because the future is hazy and uncertain, prayer is needed to navigate the passage of time. As the sayiNg goes, “Yesterday is past, today is above us all.” Welwire: Prayer of Blessings 27 are all engaged in a struggle with tomorrow; no one knows what will happen in the next minute. This informs the plea with all divine spirits, including the Almighty Olédiimareé to allow our desires to come to pass. Aa toro An bebe lowe Olédiamare We are pleading We implore Olédimaré To grant our wishes Anyone who presents his prayer in a humble manner in the presence of Olédimaré, it will be granted him. One cannot use ego or arrogance to achieve his wishes. That is why it is usually said: A sérao se bi ohun ti Olprun Kb V6 w6 si It becomes difficult What God does not approve The state of our mind while making the prayers must be humble, honest and absolutely faithful; otherwise all efforts will be in vain. Yorib love iwire more than any other verbal discussion. They use iwdre to smoothen and calm Situations. They believe in destiny, apart from Ifa whom they regard as a witness to fate.28 iwure, Healing Power of Prayer 1.3 Origin of All Evils In the beginning of the universe, peace, order, joy ang harmony reigned supreme. The world was smooth after its creation by Olédimaré. According to Yoriby cosmology, Olddimaré, the creator, then put Oranmila’> in charge of the world as its administrator, However, shortly after, death started to strike, snatching away the young and the old, men and women. It was Orinmila’s strong desire to confer longer life (Aiki Kangiriy on Olddimaré’s creations. But this was vitiated by Ls Elégbara,"® because Qrinmila refused to make the sacrifice demanded. Qrinmila approached Olodimaré and explained that he would like Aiki Kangiri to follow him; but at the gate of Heaven, Elégbara withdrew Aiki. When Orinmila arrived on earth, he told his disciples that Est Odara promised to teach them several methods to prolong their lives but immortality is not sure. It was Elggbara that prevented Oranmila from conferring immortality on human beings. Men, and women would have been living etemally in the universe (Elébidibon, 1996:i) In another instance: Irg dori kbkd, irg pin Odt¢ koro, 6 j’prun lo Bée ni Ona orun oju re A d'ifii far Oranmila dun eniyan Fé 5'dré ld kp dale wiki fin p’omo eni (Ogunda aikai)!”wire: Prayer of Blessings 29 Falsehood lingers and stretches its neck to the limit Truth is bitter, yet it stretches beyond the horizon The road to heaven is noi easy to tread Ifa divination was performed for Oriinmila Who would like to be a friend of all human beings Human beings first betrayed the friendship That is why death is claiming them daily When death struck as a result of men’s betrayal of Orinmila’s friendship, the impact was severe and lasting. Then, human beings took their petition to ‘Olédimaré. The Supreme Being promised to send an administrator who would advise and teach human beings on what they would do in order to avoid the path of death. It was Ordnmila that God sent to the world for this purpose. Oranmila would divine and advise men to be cautious in all endeavours, and embrace moderation, honesty and endurance. He warned that life is fragile, and men should shun excesses and beware of material things of life. For those who desired wealth, he instructed them to offer eight pigeons as sacrifice and eight thousand cowries. Those who had problems getting spouses, he directed them to offer a goat and four cowries. All these people complied and they were blessed with Wealth, wives and children. However, amidst Prosperity, death and evil forces conspired and were Teady to engage human beings in a severe battle for Survival, Their plans were revealed to Orinmila in a30 wire: Healing Power of Prayer divination, because God put him in charge of human affairs and he was responsible for their well-being. He then advised them to offer one he-goat each and nine thousand cowries as sacrifice. Unfortunately, human beings did not heed his advice. Rather, they started questioning the rationale for always consulting Orinmila in all things they had to do. Orinmila then went to Olédimaré. He implored the Supreme Creator not to allow death to enter the universe and destroy his creation, in spite of people’s disobedience. This is because if iku'’ is allowed to enter the universe, all the people that God put in his care would be wiped away. Elégbara, however, allowed iku and evil to enter the world, since the people shunned Ordnmila’s counsel. That is why it is often said: Omp éniyan ni won ké da’le Ni iki fin pa omo eni Tuman beings first betrayed the friendship That is why death is claiming them daily. Elébuibon, 2013:14-15.lwure: Prayer of Blessings 34 Endnotes |. {wre is a prayer, a plea or petition to achieve our aims to avert evil. Adia or Adtra is Arabic word for prayer. Olédumare is Almighty God. Ogun is the minister of God for warfare, iron and steel. 5 Qdsdla or Obatald is the artist of Olodumaré, He is the one that moulds all organs of the human body. It is Olddimareé that puts finishing touches to the clay. ® Qsun is the goddess of water associated with fertility. She gives blessings of children to the barren. * Sango is the god of justice, thunder and lightning. & Epé is curse. It is an utterance that can cause a person under it to misbehave. ® Ewi ayé refers to the spokesperson on earth; a person who takes responsibility for helping others on earth. ‘©. Eeba orun is He who accepts our pleas in heaven. Ayanmé: destiny. % |jald Ogun: poetry voice of Ogun. 3. And: yesterday. Oni: today, : Ort mila; An ancient prophet. . Esa égbara: Law-enforcement agent. ‘s Ogtinda aiku: Name of minor Odi Ifa. * Tku: death, BenCHAPTER 2 __Ase: The Vital Force 2.1 Ase VERY prayer and petition must be directed to llé Ase. the powerhouse of prayers. It is the duty of Olédimaré to grant the requests of human beings expressed in prayers at Ilé Ase. It is there that all the pleas, wishes and requests are given affirmation. This informs the saying: Eyi ta wi pit . Ki Oléditmaré o miu lo silé Ase Ali our pleas and uiterances in prayers May it please God to take them to the powerhouse for affirmation Ase is the vital force of authority - utterances that come to pass. The power of the Almighty is given ! human beings to use and He still withholds sanctions: 32Ase: The Vital Force = 33. This is what the Yortiba call agg, According to R. R. Maret (1866 - 1943), it is called Adana, a Melanesian word which means “to be active”. Mana implies magical potency. It is the power to do extraordinary things. It is a dynamic force in human beings and God. According to the £nglish-Yoriba Dictionary published in 1858 by the American Missionary of Southern Baptist Convention, aye is the power and commandment of God to make something succeed or come to pass. The Dictionary of Yoruba Language, which was first published in 1913 by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) Bookshop in Lagos, also translates ase as “amen” and “law/order.” We find dase to be equivalent to authority and power under Alabaalase — He who proposes and sanctions. This praise name of Olérun (Owner of Heaven) is what devotees of Obatala use to praise Him: Oliwa Firt ofa ala Odd mo da yeyé Lord of everyone Mystery in a dream Creator of child and mother On each occasion, prayer in Yoruba language is Punctuated with the response: “Ase,” which means, ‘May it be so”, In Edo language, it is “Ise.”34 |wire: Healing Power of Prayer Every week day of Obatdla ati [fon Orold, in The State of Osun, the worshippers of Qbatald make prayers and ritual for the Olufon. iyd re 6 bag se A-a- 5¢ Baba re vo bio se A-a- $¢ Orire 6 bag se A-a- §¢ Olédimare 6 ba o se A-a-$¢ May your mother come to assist you May it be so May your father came to assist you May it be so May your head came to assist you May it be so . May Olédimare come to assist you May it be so oS Occasion, the response to prayers might be Yo6 déra fin ¢ Awise Yo6 tba. fiin ¢ Awise Mé re a roji Awise Ond re é rééya Awise, afo ghohinAse: The Vital Force 35 May it be goad for you Tt will come to pass May if be smooth for you Jt will come to pass Your household will be at peace The wishes shall come to pass Your path will be clear The wishes shail come to pass The things that can stand between man and fulfilment of prayers are dishonesty and wickedness. With these two however, no matter how much one prays, the vital foree of Ase will not approve it. Hence the saying: Bi é bd lopo oogtin Bo hd lekéé ko ni jé ifone is rich in charms And one is a liar, The charms will be ineffective The ancient palace of Qgni Ilé-Ifé had a place called Ilé Ase (the powerhouse), In those days, every palace of Yoriba monarchs had a sacred room (kaa) for Age and crown (adé), They also had kaa for all important deities of the town. In another instance, ese If rosin Méji explains the importance of Age in the ancient time and its functions. The king must be careful so as not to lose the potency of his authority which is Ase.36 — Iwire. Healing Power of Prayer Ttakin poole A difé fin Oodua atewonran n'[fe Eyt ti Olédimare kb okt ayé te low When Oodiia came to the earth, God gave him assignment to maintain the world To make life smooth, King Oodua invited the above. named [fi priest, Itaktin Polo, who divined for the ancient king. He prescribed items for sacrifice. The king complied, and a revelation from Odd Ifa warned the king that his close associate and members of his houschold should be careful. The royal household, it also said, should be honest in all their endeavours, otherwise they would be misled and this would cause havoc. The king was told to be careful so that the royal houschold would not destroy his life. Ope is the name of a servant for Edi and Arubi a slave of Odiduwa. Both of them were palm wine tappers. The juice from palm tree was used to prepatt Ase. One day, Arubi climbed the raffia tree of Ope. It was Ope who owned this raffia. When Ope discovered that someone had stolen the juice from the tree, he was surprised. Thus, Arubl continued to steal raffia wine that belonged to Ope- Meanwhile, all the stolen juice of raffia wine made the Ase ineffective. Odiduwa was unaware that 1t was his slave, Arubi, who was responsible forAse: The Vilal Force 37 ineffectiveness of Ase. The kingdom started sliding into one disaster alter another. One day, Edd brought down his divination tools. He ‘consulted the gods and it was revealed that he needed to appease Est. He made all the necessary sacrifices. This shows that all evil doers will be exposed. Edi later went to a tree of raffia wine and met Arubi while he was climbing the tee. Edd, at that point, discovered the truth and caught the thief. He told Arubi: ‘Hf you are the owner of the raffia wine tree and juice, you will come down, but if not, you will not be able to come down.’ And, truly, Arubi was unable to come down. Odiiduwa was expecting the slave in vain. A search party was sent and it was later discovered that Arubi went to steal the juice ftom another person. Later, they sent for Edi, and begged him. All the people got to know that it was Arubi who made life unbearable for them, Edi prescribed atonement ingredients for them, comprising sheep, dried fish and dried rat. They made propitiation at the bottom of raffia wine tree before Arubi could come down. Eje bale Arubi a dérp Blood touched the ground Arubi now came down