by Chief Oyeniyi Sango
Edited by house of ROYALTY
Ori is an Orisa of metaphysical concepts. Ori literal meaning is Head which refers to one's spiritual intuition and destiny. It is the deliberate glow of human consciousness ingrained into the human essence; therefore is often manifested as an Orisa. Ori is our direct connection to Olodumare, the Creator of us all. Ori is one of the first 201 Orisa and can never be exempted in life at all. Everyone that comes to Ile Aye (Earth) chooses our Ori before coming to Ile Aye from Orun (Heaven). More importantly, Obatala is the Orisa responsible for molding the human headstand. Obatala is the first father of us who molded our Ori which are all unique. We humans are responsible for selecting our destiny with Ori, and deciding what we will do in this Marketplace called Life. Ori can join us in two ways; we either choose our destiny ourselves, or destiny is preordained. Ori gives human beings the capability to heal themselves both spiritually and physically by working with the Orisa to manage a balanced character, in addition to maintaining an alignment with Ori or the divine self. Furthermore, we should consult Ori and we always need to feed our Ori to make sure everything is in our best destiny. For when our life shows challenges, Ori needs to be appeased. Appeasing and feeding Ori in our tradition is an important way to talk to our creator, Eleda Eni. As we mentioned before, we all came from Orun with their Ori; therefore we must to feed our Ori before any other Orisa because it is important that Ori assist our life and fulfilling our destiny. When Ori is neglected, people will see the repercussions. Some people may experience their problems from Egungun or other Orisa, since all Orisas are very important; however, Ori case is very important. It's always important to raise up every morning and say prayers to our Ori, so we may appease it.For whatever we become in this Marketplace, all comes with our Ori, also known as the Inner Creator or the Divine Inner Destiny. Obatala is the Orisha responsible for molding the human headstand. Obatala was the first father of us who Molde our Ori,and all Ori are not the same.
Throughout Isese L’agba (Yoruba Spiritual Way of Life), there are several different stories surrounding the science and mysteries of Ori. One version speaks of Olodumare creating the affirmative and compelling dominion of Orun, known as Irunmoles (the glorious and extremely affirmative divinities) led by the Orisa named Obatala. The first seventeen that descended to Ile Aye, at the request of Olodumare were Ifa Orunmila, Baba Agbonmiregun, Ogun, Osun, Sango, Esu, Oro and several others. However,Olodumare also formed in the beginning of Creation (Iwase), the opposition of the affirmative and glorious divinities. Olodumare created adverse spiritual forces called Ajogun Orun – The Vindictive Cavaliers of Heaven.
Ori is also symbolically represented by our head and references of our physical nature. In the natural world, Ori is responsible for all personalities that we demonstrate; our good character, bad character, our anxiety, self-confidence, faithfulness and irresponsibility. Our Ori is the main character for our spiritual and social nature; again it is extremely important to take good care of it. As mentioned previously, each of us has our own Ori whether resilient or not. Ori and human circumstance are aligned with time. Our destiny is our current reality. In addition, our fate determines what we are presumed to be and/or what we actual experience in our life. With this knowledge, there is no need to be despaired or anxious in our lives. More importantly, we are obligated to take care of our Ori by reverencing and speaking to it. As a result, we will always be at the right place and time for any specific moment, so our destiny can manifest positively.
Within this African spiritual tradition, we ultimately have control over our life. This inturn will not allow us to be too impulsive that will allow us to control our impatience. If we have more control over our own manifestation, we will also gain control over the outcomes that occur in our lives. When people respect, take care of and value their Ori, then possessing imbalance in their lives is not an option. We as people will be very harmonious. Essentially as we take care of our Ori means continuous care of our spiritual essence and greater harmony in life altogether.
Ori Worship
Since Ori is a divine energy, every morning we must embrace our Ori, by shaking and asking it for positive outcomes/resources in our lives. We must say this aloud and with a loving dedication. When this reverence is repetitious, we will find out how very capable we can be in our life. This is the simplest and initial way to reverence our Ori. Another more difficult method consists of asking ourselves how we can be more tolerant and gain inner peace in our lives. As spiritual advisors, we are always trying to educate people on ways to focus on their lives. We also always educate people about ways to practice additional values in our lives. The final way of worshiping Ori consists of sacrifices to the representative/icon that make us join with Our Creator is called Ile Ori. This method is much more complex because it involves certain steps that are only performed by certain ordained people who are qualified. Essentially through this ritual, we feed our personal Ori, honor and ask Ori to be favorable to us. Moreover we conduct this ritual for our Ori, so Ori will be present and aware in our life.
Let's listen to the word from Holy Odu of Ifa :
A bird never flies and forgets its head at home,
A fish does not wake up in the ocean without its head,
An elephant will not wake up in the forest without its heads, likewise with an antelope.
We don't sleep alone or wake up alone; even if we sleep alone, it's Olodumare and your Ori that wakes you up from sleep.
From the Holy Odu Odi Meji, Ifa advised to feed and appease Ori a lot
Ultimately, Ori will be at our service all time. Ori is of great importance and that we all possess, therefore in our Orisa philosophy, Ori will always be the first divine energy that we must worship.
