El Iyawo

IYAWO

What is Iyaworaje? Today, complaining to an iyawo is difficult. Every time you point out a mistake or try to teach them, they get upset with the teachings. They even think you're demanding things from them out of malice, with bad intentions, and so on. I don't know why, since we consecrated individuals already fulfill this requirement. What is required of an iyawo is for their own good.

The year-long purification period that the initiate undergoes in the Oosa is called Iyawo. In some lineages, the Ifá initiate is also called Iyawo Ifá, but,

Do we know the reason for this word? Do we know what it implies?

Currently, the word iyawo means wife, but this comes from a beautiful and educational story, which can be found in some Ifá books (one of them is that of Apola of the Ogbe of Solagbade Popoola), and which goes as follows: Ifá says that it foresees the arrival of a good wife for the person consulted, to whom Ogbe-Ìyònú is revealed.

Ifá says that the woman in question is the daughter of an important figure in society. Ifá says that the person consulted must be patient and must not allow themselves to be provoked to anger. Ifá also says that the parents of the woman in question will give him many tests. The entire test is intended to test his level of patience, to measure his willpower, and to ensure that he is patient enough to be a kind husband and capable of taking good care of his wife. Ifá says that with patience, he will be able to pass the test.

In this, Ogbe-Ìyònú says:

Inú bíbí Ò dá nnkan

Sùúrù ni baba ìwà

Àgbà tó ní sùúrù

Ohun gbogbo ló ní

Díá fun Òrúnmìlà

Baba n lo rèé fé Ìyà

Tíí is like Oníwòó

Wón ní kó sákáalè, ebo ní sise

Ó gbé'bo, Ó rúbo

Translation

Anger doesn't add up to anything fruitful.

Patience is the father of (good) character

The superior possesses everything These were the statements of the Oracle of Òrúnmìlà When he went to seek the hand of the Ìyà (suffering), the daughter of Oníwòò (king of Ìwò), was advised to offer a sacrifice.

He complied.

Ìyà was the daughter of the Oníwòò of Ìwò (king of Ìwò). She was beautiful and hardworking. She was very loved by her father, Oníwòò, so Oníwòò wanted to ensure that anyone who married his beloved daughter would be patient and not easily provoked. Consequently, he set various tests for those aspiring to marry his daughter. All of them failed.

Òrúnmìlà then went with some of his students to consult Ifá and determine if he would marry Ìyà, Oníwòó's daughter. He also wanted to know if the relationship would be fruitful and bring happiness to both of them. The students assured him that the relationship could be a reward for him. They advised him, however, to be very patient and not to be provoked. Thus, Òrúnmìlà was informed that Ìyà's parents were going to give him many tests to determine his patience and perseverance. They then advised him to offer a sacrifice of a rooster, palm oil, and money. He complied and set off on his journey. (The consultant also needs to perform an Ifá ritual with two rats, a fish, and money.)

When Òrúnmìlà arrived at Oníwòó's palace, he was warmly welcomed and given a room to sleep in. But the room turned out to be Oníwòó's pigsty, and Oníwòó's chickens were sleeping on top of him. For three days, Òrúnmìlà lived inside this room without food or water. As you can imagine, the smell in the room was intolerable, and the chickens defecated on Orúnmìlà. Orúnmìlà never left, never begged for food, and never asked for water to bathe his body. On the fourth day, Oníwòó summoned Orúnmìlà to his palace. Orúnmìlà arrived covered in feces and smelling terribly. Oníwòó asked Orúnmìlà if he had enjoyed his stay, to which Orúnmìlà replied that the room was like his own home.

Then the king moved Orúnmìlà to another room next to the kitchen, where the heat and smoke suffocated him. Orúnmìlà remained inside the room for another three days without food or drink. Again, on the fourth day, he was summoned to the palace before Oníwòó. Oníwòó asked Orunmila if he had enjoyed his stay in his room, to which Orúnmìlà replied that the room was very pleasant. Oníwòó, for the first time, asked for Orúnmìlà to be given food. He ate.

The next room Orúnmìlà stayed in was filled with stale water, worms, and insects. Consequently, he was unable to sleep for the three days he spent there. On the third day, he was asked to leave the room. Orúnmìlà had insect bites all over his body. When Oníwòó asked him if he had enjoyed his stay, Orúnmìlà replied affirmatively.

After three months, Òrúnmìlà went from one trial to another. He endured it all without complaint. Those three months included physical trials such as cutting down large trees in record time, clearing large tracts of land, and carrying heavy loads from one place to another. He did it all without complaint. After this, Oníwòó summoned Òrúnmìlà to a meeting and a bath, so that he could change into new clothes, a gift from Oníwòó.

Before he returned to the palace, Òrúnmìlà discovered that everyone was in a festive mood. Everyone was singing, dancing, and celebrating. Oníwòó asked Òrúnmìlà to sit beside him, and he did so. Oníwòó gave his daughter Îyà to Òrúnmìlà as his wife. Oníwòó praised Òrúnmìlà's patience, patience, and gentleness throughout his trials. He then asked Òrúnmìlà to take care of Ìyà, since he had shown that he was capable of caring for a woman.

Òrúnmìlà was overjoyed; he had succeeded where others had failed. Òrúnmìlà then decreed that from that day forward, all women upon marriage should be called Îyà-Ìwo or Ìyàwò (the suffering of the people of Ìwò). Òrúnmìlà said that the word Îyà-Ìwo would be referred to as the gain of the people of Ìwò for their suffering. From that day on, both Òrúnmìlà and everyone in that village called all the wives Ìyàwò. Inú bíbí Ò dá nnkan

Sùúrù ni baba ìwà

Àgbà tó ní sùúrù

Ohun gbogbo ló ní

Díá fun Òrúnmìlà

Baba n lo rèé fé Ìyà

Tíí is like Oníwòó

Wón ní kó sákáalè, ebo ní sise

Ó gbé'bo, Ó rúbo

Kò pé, kó jìnnà

E wá bá wa ní wòwó Ire

Ìyà ti Òrúnmìlà je ní Ìwó

Kó seé dele wí

E wa wo Ìyà-Ìwó!

Translation

Anger contributes to nothing fruitful.

Patience is the father of (good) character.

The superior possesses everything.

These were the statements of the Oracle of Orúnmìlà

when he went to seek the hand of the suffering Ìyà

the daughter of Oníwòò (king of Ìwò).

They advised him to offer a sacrifice.

He complied.

Before long, not too far, meet us in the midst of all the anger. The suffering that Orúnmìlà experienced at the Ìwó is not worth it. Look at my Ìyà-Ìwó (the reward of suffering for the Ìwó).

Ifá says that the seeker is following something very important for their life. Ifá says that if the person manages to secure what is coming to them, their life will change for the better. He or she must offer sacrifice, be patient, and be ready to endure suffering and undue provocation. What comes next could be a job, a position, a business contract, a promotion—anything or event that benefits the client. The more extreme the suffering, the more it will compensate for the suffering experienced before achieving the goal.

If we analyze this Ese Ifá, we can find many reasons that explain what an iyaworaje truly consists of. The sacrifices Òrúnmìlà endured to achieve his marriage with Îyà should be taken as an example for those seeking a spiritual marriage with their Orisa. In this way, anyone initiated will not be able to view the religion superficially.

Now, it's not that we all have to go through the same tests that Orunmila went through to achieve his goal, but we must be aware that if during the iyaworaje we face difficult trials, we must endure them without complaint. Just as Orunmila was tested to determine if he was capable of maintaining good behavior with his wife, we all, in some way, experience difficult trials that Orisa makes us go through, to determine how great our faith can be. Not because he has doubts, but because he knows that we often speak of love for the deities, but only if we are achieving prosperity and development.

This doesn't mean that all iyaworajes are difficult. Although we may encounter difficult trials, this doesn't mean that everyone has to go through the same things. There are people who have made previous sacrifices who are tested in the eyes of Orisa, and during iyaworaje, they will have a life as fresh as water. What happens in this religion is that by having an Orisa as a protector, we already have someone to complain to and ask for improvements in our lives. For example, a person may have never had luck in romantic relationships, but they couldn't blame anyone. Now, when they are consecrated to an Orisa, they immediately seek to blame their guardian angel for their bad luck. The deities can indeed help us with these problems, but they don't always have to do so by giving us luck to achieve stability. Since the deities know we are going to achieve stability, sometimes, through advice, they ask us to completely change our behavior. If a deity gives us luck in our relationships, even knowing we have an inappropriate character, they are rewarding our bad behavior.

Therefore, it is important for religious people to know what they should ask for, based on what they have managed to change. Only then can a person achieve true progress in their life. If an Iyawo is not capable of carrying out a good Iyaworaje, they cannot expect any reward, since no one can go and reap fruits that they never sowed.

If we analyze the life of plants, we can clearly see how sacrifice is necessary in order to later be bearers of good fortune. Just consider how a grain of corn, when planted (buried underground), germinates after a period of sacrifice and is capable of producing several ears of corn, each with many grains. All this is achieved with just one grain of corn, but of course, after we have sacrificed it. If we, instead of sacrificing it, use it as food, we are doing something completely safe, but those grains we use for food will never produce anything.

On the other hand, Ifá warns us that among the children of the divinities who came from heaven to earth was the son of Orúnmìlà. Orúnmìlà advised his son to pass by the temple of Ajala (a divinity considered the builder of heads) before coming down to earth, in order to fortify his head. Orúnmìlà's son listened to his father's advice and gathered the materials he had been advised to take to Ajala, so that with these, he could fortify his head. While this was happening, the sons of the other Orisa descended to earth without delay. They all arrived and took over as many lands, houses, and things as they could. They criticized Orúnmìlà's son, believing him to be so foolish as to have to fortify his head in order to come down to earth. They did not believe this was necessary and therefore mocked him.

For his part, Orúnmìlà's son, after having gone to Ajala and having his head fortified, decided to come down to earth. Upon arriving, the sons of the other Orisa showed him how much they had accomplished while he had wasted his time at Ajala's house. The son of Orúnmìlà, for his part, began to look for a place to live, while the others had large houses and immense lands. When the son of Orúnmìlà came down to earth, the rain had not yet fallen on it. A few days later, the day began to cloud over and behind it came a great downpour, which began to melt the heads of all the children of the other Orisas who had come down before Orúnmìlà. For this reason, they all returned to heaven and had to leave their belongings on earth, which remained as the property of the son of Orúnmìlà. This is the reason why, when we venerate our Orí (we pray for our head), we must not allow the sun, the dew, or the rain to reach us. If the rogation symbolically represents the act by which Ajala perfects our head, all the more reason should our Orí be preserved from the inclemencies of time.

When our Orí receives such an important consecration as the settlement of Oosa, an Iyawo must not allow the sun, the dew, the rain, etc., to reach his Orí, and he must not hide from his elders so that they do not see his shortcomings, because they themselves will be affected over time. That Orí who did not know how to remain patient in order to be fortified will never be able to expect the good fortune achieved by a person who has fully complied with the rigor of the Iyaworaje.

Another thing that is being questioned today is the fact that Iyawo dress in white for an entire year. This is not an Afro-Cuban invention. Our ancestors, despite living in deplorable conditions in most cases, knew how to maintain, with effort and sacrifice, even though it was very difficult to acquire white clothing, the tradition of wearing white clothing.

This is a tradition we must maintain, even when other respectable traditions do not. We must maintain the use of white clothing because it is a symbol of purity, but it is also a way of performing ébó to be recognized and achieve popularity, just as white clothing was. White fabric was chosen as the queen of all fabrics, as the following Ese Ifá explains:

When the white fabric performed ébó to be the most popular among the fabrics, Ifá says that he will stand out among his friends.

ESE IFÁ

O ni ofun bala

Ofun balá

Ofun bala bala ofun

Difá fun enlojo aso

Nwon ntode orún

Bo walé aiye

A difá fun aso funfun

Ti ntode orún bo walé aiye

E wo oríre e walà

Aso kan ti irada de o gbosin

O gbolà

E ro oríre e walà.

Translation

Broad Ofun.

Broad Ofun.

Ofun is broad, broad is Ofun.

This is the name of the Babalawos

who performed divination

for all the cloths.

When they came from heaven to earth,

they also performed divination for the white cloth.

When it came from heaven to earth.

Do you see the good fortune?

You are seeing the white cloth.

A cloth comes from the town of Irada

and it received worship and popularity.

You see the good fotune.

You are seeing the white cloth.

Explanation

Here are all the cloths (enlojo aso), who were told they had to perform ébó. This was so that they would be popular on earth. All the cloths said, upon arriving on Earth, "We are going to receive honors." Therefore, they performed ébo only to come to Earth; they didn't perform ébo to be popular or to receive honors. Only Aso funfun (the white cloth) stayed behind to perform ébo. Ifá said:

— If 200 cloths came out together and there is only one type of white cloth, it is only that white cloth that will attract people's attention; many people will notice it. This person has to perform ébo to be recognized.

The white cloth began to celebrate, thanking its Babalawos, its Babalawos to Ifá, and Ifá to Olódúmáré. Regardless of the reasons why white clothing is worn during the Iyaworaje, it is good for us to know that the white cloth is a symbol of recognition and ownership, as it performed ébo to be recognized among all the other colored cloths.

It is important to emphasize that an Iyawo should not look at themselves in the mirror. As I already mentioned, Orí is a very mystical deity, and when worshipping her, they should always be covered. If this is normally the case, it is even more important to keep them covered for a long period of time when aligning our Orí with our guardian Orisa. On the other hand, in Nigeria, the spiritual double (the one in the sky) is considered a faithful copy of ourselves. Therefore, seeing ourselves in the mirror is a symbol of seeing our spiritual double, something that would represent the union of the two Egbe: Egbe Aiye (us) and Egbe Orún (our celestial Egbe).

One is scheduled to go to heaven at an early age because their Egbe Orún is calling them. By seeking resources in Orisa consecration, we are evading our responsibility to return to heaven, sheltering ourselves under the mantle of Orisa. In other words, we are fleeing from what we agreed upon in heaven. It is not convenient to meet our celestial Egbe, so we try to avoid meeting him, while the Orisa consecration settles in our Orí and Egbe Orún allows us to remain on earth. Finally, in intimate life, the Iyawo can carry on with their normal relationships. Some have doubts about whether they can have relationships during the year. Yes, intimate life has no effect on the Iyawo.

These documents issued by the Yoruba society of Mexico have the sole purpose of preserving the values ​​of our beloved religion. With this, we hope to raise awareness about the respect we must have for every step or ceremony preserved in our religion and especially in our Afro-Cuban tradition.

Editor's Note: The context of this writing was again due to the attacks on our traditions by members of the Nigerian tradition. Leonel demonstrated to them, through his own Ese Ifá, what the Iyaworaje symbolizes in our tradition and why we wear white clothing for this important part of our consecration.

Our Afro-Cuban tradition is composed of many and varied lineages that arrived on the island. In fact, we maintain religious components from various Yoruba cultures, such as the Oyó, the Egbadó, the Ijesa, and many other ethnic groups that have enriched our culture through acculturation.

Our cultural richness surpasses that of any "traditional" lineage because they are based solely on the teachings of a single lineage, while Cuba served as a fusion ground for many lineages, as well as beliefs from other ethnic groups.

We must never allow our traditions to be vilified by elements who don't understand our culture, much less the one they claim to embrace. Leonel was a perpetual fighter for respect among traditions, but he never allowed ours to be trampled on by anyone.

Inspired by the writings of Leonel Gamez oshe Niwo and Aguila de Ifa