Ifá Initiation –What Initiation Stands For

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Many people yearn to get initiated into Ifá and other Orisa. Many sacrifice huge amounts of
time and resource in the process, and sometimes the result that some people get is
inversely proportionate to the effort and resource they incur in the process. What usually
accounts for this is that majority of people have attributed the term initiation to the ritual
and ceremonial part alone, without according due attention to the internal significance of
what initiation means and represents.

Initiation to Ifá or any Orisa energy goes beyond the physical, ceremonial or ritual rites;
rather it encompasses both physical and spiritual transformation of the person involved in
the process.

What does Initiation mean?

The dictionary meaning of initiation is the act of admitting someone into certain society or
group usually with certain rites or ritual.

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines initiation as rites, ceremonies, ordeals, or

instruction with wish one is made a member of a sect or society or is invested with
particular function or status.
Oxford dictionary defines initiation as act of admitting someone into a secret or obscure
society or group typically with ritual.

Laroses dictionary defines initiation as a process by which a person acquires the first
knowledge of a facet of life or activity that he does not know. Ritual to which is submitted a
person who is going to enter a group, sect or secret society.

Wikipedia gives an all-encompassing definition of Initiation as a rite of passage marking the

acceptance into a group or society, it could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a
community or one of its formal component. In an extended sense it can also signify a
transformation in which the initiate is reborn into a new role.
The term initiation itself is derived from the Latin phrase “in itiare" which means to go
inwards. It is the path, the path that an individual travels to the interior self. It is the
entrance to a new state of consciousness, which is not normally retrograded, that is why we
must differentiate between ceremony and initiation and understand that it is not the same.  

The first requisite that every aspirant to an initiation must have is a true desire for
knowledge, transformation and inner evolution. Without this desire, it is practically
impossible for the aspirant to be initiated in the real sense of the expression; that is, in the
esoteric sense (internal transformation) and non-esoteric (ritual-ceremony).

What does this mean? It means that only those who have a true desire for knowledge,
transformation and inner evolution are prepared to receive initiation. Those who access it
out of mere curiosity, as a “fashion” or as a means to snub others will never reach the goal
of initiation: the birth of a new person within themselves. If one wishes to be initiated with a
true desire, it will be. If one wishes to be initiated by curiosity or snobbery, he/she will not
succeed.

The will is another indispensable requirement for those who aspire to an initiation. The will,
in fact, is the "engine" that makes us evolve in the right direction and achieve success. A
human being with will can achieve much greater successes than a human being lacking the
same. The world today makes us believe that goals can be achieved without using the will,
which is not true.

Through Ifá Initiation (Itelodu) we will know the Odu that gives birth to us on earth and
through "its orientations, sacrifices, medicines, taboo, behaviours etc. that we must put into
practice" and in this way we will give a turn in positive sense to our life.
We must differentiate and know that a ceremony of initiation and internal initiation proper is
not the same.

Initiation is not something external, moral or social, but can be considered an internal
process, stimulated by a rite or a continuous initiatory work. Therefore, it will be difficult, if
not impossible, for a human being "if will" to be stimulated by a rite or ceremony and
receive an initiation that transforms it. Only human beings who have worked to overcome
their permanent "dream state" and who have overcome it by awakening their consciousness
are "awake" and ready to receive an initiation.
Odu Ifá Ogbe–Ate laid emphasis on this assertion.
Ko suhna kaji lowuro aye, ka ma mon Odu to bi ni
Dia fun Olupo Alaelu
To sunkun owo oun ko to ire
Ti ile aye le fun kokoko bi ota
Ebo ni won ni ko se, ko si tefa
O gbebo nbe o rubo
Ko i pe, ko i jina, e wa bani ni wowo ire gbogbo
Ifá de Alase
Ope a bi ise warawara
Translation:
It is not advisable for one to rise at the dawn of one's life, without knowing the Odú
which gives birth to one.
This was Ifá divination for Olupo Alaelu.
Who is in lamentations of his inability to get all good things in life.
He whom his life was as hard as stone.
He was advised to offer a sacrifice. And they also told him get initiated
He complied
Before long not very far every good thing in life comes to him in abundance
Here comes Ifá, the personification of Ase
The spirit of the palm tree ensures that these predictions will pass quickly.

Itelodu is advisable for anyone who wishes to do so according to their knowledge,

transformation and inner evolution that they wish to achieve and will (Ifá has no distinction
of race, sex, belief, etc). With the difference that initiation for women is not as detailed as
that of men, in the sense that a woman cannot see Odu while men are expected to see and
have Odú before it can be said that his Itelodu is complete. 

The Itelodu can be done after, during or before training. Anyone who wants to reach Itelodu
or who has already reached it should know that the door of their destiny will be opened. It
begins to be their responsibility to find their purpose in life, to follow it and to fulfill it.
There are many advantages that anyone can get from Itelodu, they are too numerous to
document, but some of the most important are:

 Itelodu allows one to discover one’s real identity e.g you will know your taboo, what is
compatible with your destiny, what colours or food is not good for your star, the kind of
women or man suitable for marriage etc.
 Having your personal Ifá provides spiritual guidance and protection.
 Itelodu gives the initiate the spiritual blueprint of his life. For example, it allows them to
ascertain compatible profession or career for them, it given them ability to know how
the future will look like, it serve as guiding compass on how to achieve their goal in life. 
 Initiation to allow the initiate to learn and practice Ifá as a diviner if he want to.
 Ifá may demand during divination that some people be initiated to get through
difficulties in life. 
 It brings direct connection to Orunmila and OLODUMARE 
 It serves as a compass to steer through the ocean called life.

It is instructive to keep in mind that the person who conducts Itelodu for you during the
ceremony is your Olúwo and any other person who trains you or teaches is your Baba-Ifá.   

Omo-Awo must honour his/her Baba-Ifá and his/her Olúwo even when the students are
older than the teachers. Itelodu is about becoming a changed person both in character and
wisdom. Lack of positive character transformation after the initiation process on the part of
the initiate who has undergone Itelodu is deemed to be a character transformation failure.

After Ifá initiation Odu Ifá teaches us that an initiate should re-initiate him/herself by
cultivating good habits; he or she should try to seek knowledge, be more prudent and
thoughtful than ever. Ifá initiation is meant to bring comfort to the initiate, not hardship, so
an Ifá initiate must learn how to avoid all taboo and social vices. That is when the initiate
can be said to have a spiritual rebirth or as re-initiate himself or herself in terms of
character and values. On this Odu Ifá Ogbe Irete have to say, Ifá says: 

Ogbe waa te k'ara o ro wa 

Mo gba mo te ni iregun Ifá 
Dia fun Orunmila 
Baba yoo te omo re n'Ifá 
 Won ni ko sakaale, ebo ni sise 
O gbe'bo nbe, O rubo 
Nigba ti mo gba 
Baba a mi si te mi 
Ailogbon ninu 
Amiero nikun 
Nii mu'nii wo igbdu leemeta 
Bi a ba te Ifá tan 
Eese ti oro Esu Odara fi ku, Ifá? 
Bi a ba te Ifá tan 
A kii fi ajaku igba a gun ope 
A kii be lu odo  lai mo we 
A kii ri iku nile ka tori boo 
A kii fe obinrin Awo 
A kii  gba aya isegun 
A o gbodo mu obinrin abore wole kelekele loo fe 
A o gbodo ba obinrin imule eni seke 
Oluwo eni kii bi ni loro ka se 
Koriko ti erin Te ki  gberi mo 
Orunmila lo te Akoda 
O te Aseda 
O te Araba 
Orunmila Agbonniregun  
Oun nikan soso la o mo eni to tee 
Nje bi a ba te mi tan 
Maa tun'ra mi te 
Eewo ti a ba ka fun mi 
Maa gbo 
Tite la te mi 
Maa tun'ra mi te o 
MA hu iwa rere lori Ile yii 
Eni hu iwa rere lawon Onile gbee. 
Translation: 
Ogbe, come and be initiated in order to be comfortable 
To take a hand of Ifá and then be fully initiated is the pride one has in Ifá devotees  
These were the declarations of Ifá for Orunmila 
When he planned to initiate his child 
Orunmila was advised to offer Ebo (Sacrifice)  
He complied 
When I received a hand of Ifá 
My father then performed Itelodu (Ifá initiation) for me 
It is lack of wisdom 
It is lack of deep thought 
These are what compel people to be initiated repeatedly on three occasions 
After being initiated 
The issue of Esu Odara needs to be taken seriously 
Why must Esu Odara be given extra considerations? 
After being initiated 
We must not use a worn out twisted rope to climb a palm tree 
We must not jump in the river without knowing how to swim 
We must not take undue risk which may cost life 
We must not snatch the wife of Awo 
We must not snatch the wife of medicine man 
We must not have ilicit carnal knowledge of a ritualists wife 
We must not plan evil against our friends
 with his wife 
We must not lie to our Oluwo (god father)  
Any matter that had been exhaustively addresses, we must not raise it again 
Orunmila was the person who initiated Akoda 
He also initiated Aseda 
He equally initiated Araba 
Only Orunmila Agboniregun Was the person we do not know who initiated 
Now, after I have been initiated 
I will complement it with self-initiation 
All those things that are my taboos I will surely avoid them 
I have been initiated 
I will re-initiate myself, by myself. 
I will be of good conduct on this land  
It is the person who is of good conduct, that the deities of land will favors.  
It is very clear from the sacred stanza of Ogbe Ate above that Ifá initiation is a journey of
spiritual rebirth of character, prudence, thoughtfulness, and exemplary moral virtue. Every
initiate and would-be initiate should let this Odu Ogbe Irete to be their motto. 

After being initiated (...) In this verse we can see how a person after having fulfilled the
process of initiation (Ifá Itelodu) stimulated by the ceremonial process or ritual acquires a
special Ase and then must continue with the process of initiation, which already it is not a
ritual proper, but an internal one, beginning with the ability to know his/her Odu that gave
birth to him, and putting into practice its orientations, sacrifices and taboo. It is the
knowledge that makes reference Ifá that all must handle and to know.

So what do we mean by Ifá Initiation proper?

Ifá initiation known as Itelodu/Itefa simply means the seven-day ceremony of rituals and
spiritual fortifications in which the initiate receives the sacred Ikin Ifá (the sacred palm nut
of Orunmila).

Normally initiation to Ifá is usually preceded by Isefa (Isefa is the preliminary 7-day rite of
getting the sacred palm nut tree from the forest in the name of the person to be initiated.
This Isefa preliminary stage is what makes genuine initiation to be difficult to be conducted
in some countries in diaspora where the Awo cannot go straight to the palm trees bearing
Ikin nut to collect the Ikin in name of the proposed person to be initiated). It is after Isefa
that the proper Itefa ceremony can then be started.

The initiation into Ifá is of various types and categories. Anybody in this world can be
initiated to Ifá, provided the person is of sound mind. There is no age or gender
discrimination in Ifá initiation but with the caveat that women can only be initiated into
Elegan categories of initiation in which during her initiation she will be prevented from
having eye to eye contact with Odu (Odu as revealed by different odu Ifá, Odu is a mythical
wife of Orunmila).

Odu in modern day is represented in the form of a sacred calabash used during initiation of
Awo Olodu which is different from Elegan initiation but women cannot aspire beyond the
Elegan stage, because aspiring further and see eye to eye with odu can turn them
masculine in terms of characters and destiny e.g such as refusing to marry, becoming
infertile and losing some of their feminine traits which is beneficial to them. So Elegan Ifá
initiation is a category of initiation that is meant for women.
Not everyone who is initiated is a competent diviner. We have Awo Olodu, Babalawo,
IyanIfá, Iyalase, Agbamate.

Awo Olodu are Babalawo (in most cases elderly priests) who are versed in practising Ifá
spirituality. They are usually the Supreme body that preside over Ifá ceremonies and
meetings. The Babalawo are initiated practising diviners who is verse in Ifá esoteric
knowledge.

The IyanIfá are initiated into Elegan category of Ifá initiation they also practice Ifá
spirituality if they undergo required training of identify and interpreting odu Ifá.

Iyalase are also Ifá worshipers they are devotee whose assistance is needed in Temple
during Ifá weekly services (oseIfá) but those who are Iyalase have no knowledge of Ifá
divination, they need the service of a competent Babalawo or IyanIfá to guide them.

Agbamate is the category of initiate that receive Ikin Ifá during initiation but they don't
learn or acquire full knowledge of Ifá practice. They can in most cases have knowledge to
propitiate their Ifá or maintain their Ikin Ifá. This category of initiate called Agbamate are
people who usually get initiated into Ifá not for practising as a Babalawo or IyanIfá but
either for protection against enemies, or to be prosperous in business, personal guidance in
life pursuit and host of others human needs. Some in this category of initiate do leave their
Ikin with Oluwo who initiate them for proper maintenance and guidance and can have it
with them and seek proper guidance from a competent Babalawo or their Oluwo from time
to time.

There are three types of Ifá initiation available to my humble knowledge. They are Onirele
Ifá initiation; Awo Elegan initiation; and Awo Olodu Ifá initiation, but Awo Elegan initiation is
the most common Itelodu in modern day because this is the only Ifá initiation category that
accommodates the initiation of women. Now I will explain each in turn: 

Onirele Ifá Initiation: This type of initiation is an age-old Ifá initiations for a group of
warriors who are preparing to go to battle. This Ifá initiation involves fortifications of these
warriors with charms and bring them into covenant not to betray their nation or town in the
battlefield. Men is the group of people usually initiate into this category of Ifá initiation
although some time young women who are virgins and ready to go to war along with their
male counterparts can be initiated as well and fortified. But this category of initiation is not
common nowadays. The type of initiation that would have resemble this age old traditional
initiation is Odua Peoplse Congress which equipped youth with some metaphysical power
and covenant to protects society from crime but it is not done in the way of old because it
only done inform of association.

Elegan Ifá Initiation: Elegan initiation is the initiation in which Odu is not present during
initiation ceremony (Odu are sacred calabash or effigy usually used to represent Odu the
mythical spiritual wife of Orunmila). The Elegan initiation is the type of initiation that
accommodates initiation of women. Although is some places despite spate of some level of
flexibility as regards women initiation some Babalawo still think it is not proper to initiate
women. The basis of Elegan initiation itself can be found in Odu Ifá Oturasa. In this Odu Ifá
says.

Ka fogbon jaye ni muni pe laye

Inu funfu o ran oran
DIfá fun Osofumilayo ti yi bi merin fi won senu ikofa
A bu fun Alapansiki  ti o ni ohun o te awodi nIfá 
Translation:
It is behaving wisely that makes one leave in longevity
Great annoyance don't settle dispute
Cast Ifá divination for Osofumilayo who will give birth to four children and devote
them to be an Ifá apprentice.

What actually happen in this Odu Ifá is that there is a woman called Osofumilayo; she gave
birth to four children after many years of infertility. She now devotes the four children to
learn Ifá from one Awo called Alapansiki. The names of the four children are Agbe, Aluko,
Odidere, and Awodi.

Alapansiki trained the four of them in Act of Ifá divination reading and mystical power.
Awodi did not wait for initiation when he left Alapansiki and as a result he didn't have a
thorough knowledge of initiation. He journey towards Eti okun where they need a Babalawo.
When he got to there, he started the act of divination, sacrifice, he initiated many people
using the method that pleases him. When Alapansiki heard of this he sent some of his
brothers to urge him to come home to perform his own initiation. The names of his brother
that were sent to Awodi that day are Agbe and Aluko.
When Agbe and Aluko get to Awodi instead of them persuading him to come home for
initiation, they accosted him for presenting himself as a Babalawo when he is not yet
initiated. Awodi who has become influential and rich because he has initiated many people,
order the warriors of the city to kill his brothers Agbe and Aluko for maligning his name.

When the news reaches Alapansiki and Odidere who is the only surviving brother, he consult
Ifá before visiting Awodi. Ifá instructed him to use persuasion and peace to implore Awodi
to come for initiation and not use force or any blasphemy. He did as Ifá instructed and he
succeeded in bringing Awodi for initiation. Awodi get initiated but never change the mode of
initiating people which he previously used. That was the beginning of Elegan initiation.

Awo Olodu initiation: in the third category the details of it is sacred and can't be revealed
unnecessarily for the uninitiated.