Orunmila
Orunmila is the orisha of wisdom and the owner of the Ifa oracle, present at the allocation of destinies (ipin) and therefore called Eleri Ipin, the witness of destinies. He is not the giver of fate: he sees what was chosen and teaches what can be done about it.
The orishas are not a Western pantheon: Yoruba and Ifa tradition assigns them no planets, no zodiac signs and no Wiccan sabbats, and reckons time by the four-day traditional week. The planetary (Mercury), zodiacal (Sagittarius, Virgo), tarot (the Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, the High Priestess) and sabbat values in this entry are modern Western overlays, and the sabbat list is left empty. Orunmila's own account is that he witnessed the allocation of destinies and owns the Ifa oracle; the 256 odu are an oral corpus, not a book, and parts of it are not public, so a reading belongs with a trained diviner rather than with a printed list. He is not 'the god of fate', and the Christian gloss that makes Orula a Yoruba word for God is wrong; Eshu/Elegua carries the offering. The UNESCO dates are 2005 (proclamation) and 2008 (inscription). The weekday value is a modern diaspora convenience, not Yoruba tradition. The 'wise oracle' of popular esotericism is a flattening of a living initiatory office.
Correspondences
- Planetary Correspondence
- Mercury
- Zodiac Affinity
- SagittariusVirgo
Offerings
- Offerings
- Kola nutCoconutCornPalm oilRoosterTruth tellingThe study of the odu
Sacred timing
- Sacred Timing
Symbols and forms
- Alternate Names
- OrulaAgboniregunEleri IpinIfa
- Gender Expression
- Masculine
- Titles
- Eleri Ipin (Witness of Destinies)AgboniregunIbi keji Olodumare (Second to Olodumare)The One Who Knows the Way
- Symbols
- OponIkinIrokeOduOpele chain
Practice
- Invocation Approach
- ToneMeasured and exactAddressOrunmilaEleri IpinAgboniregunRelationshipThe witness who reads what was chosen before birthWarningHe does not predict in order to flatterResonanceThose at a decision those who keep a divination practice
- Modern Practice
Orunmila is approached through a babalawo and the divination instruments: the opele chain or the ikin palm nuts, the opon board and the iroke tapper. A reading ends in ebo, an offering carried out as the odu directs, and the practice is the discipline of asking, listening and acting on what is seen. The Cuban 'mano de Orula' marks the orisha's claim on a person's destiny.
Nature and meaning
- Domain
- DivinationDestinyWisdomTruthThe oral corpusCounselMemoryPatience
- Mythology Summary
Orunmila is the orisha of wisdom and the owner of the Ifa oracle, present at the allocation of destinies (ipin) and therefore called Eleri Ipin, the witness of destinies. He is not the giver of fate: he sees what was chosen and teaches what can be done about it, and the offering (ebo) that answers a reading is carried to Eshu. The Ifa divination system, with its 256 odu transmitted orally, was proclaimed a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity in 2005 and inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List in 2008. The babalawo is his priest, and the 'mano de Orula' is the Cuban initiation into his service.
Details
- Correspondences
- ColorsGreenYellowScentsSandalwood whiteCopal whiteCamphorMetalsBrassGoldAnimalsParrotTortoiseRooster
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Referenced by 14
Every entry that names Orunmila, grouped by the system it comes from.
‖ Ifá odu 8
- Ọ̀gbẹ̀ Meji (Ogbe) Orisha
- Ìwòrì Meji (Iwori) Orisha
- Ìrosùn Meji (Irosun) Orisha
- Òtúrá Meji (Otura) Orisha
- Ìrẹ̀tẹ̀ Meji (Irete) Orisha
- Òṣé Meji (Ose) Orisha
- Ìwòrì-Òṣé (Iwori-Ose) Orisha
- Òtúrá-Ìrẹ̀tẹ̀ (Otura-Irete) Orisha
⚒ Ritual tools 3
- Opele (divining chain) Associated Deities
- Ikin (palm nuts) Associated Deities
- Opon Ifá (divining board) Associated Deities
🧿 Folk magic 2
- Santería (Lucumí) Deity or saint
- Hoodoo's Relation to the Atlantic Traditions Deity or saint
☥ Deities 1
- Eshu Related Deities
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