“Ago Obi, Ago Obi, Ago Obi”
Prayers begin for Obi, the Yoruba religion’s binary divination system for “Yes” and “No” answers to questions at various levels of intensity and meaning. Crucial to all African religious concepts under the main heading of Ifa and its various levels of dilution under the Lukumi and Santeria categories, this system is a methodology of the ways in which Nigerian kola nuts (Obi Abata), meat of fresh coconut (give him the coconut) and four cowrie shells speak to us and are considered the ‘spokesmen’ of the Orichas. The Orichas, as they are known collectively, are gods and goddesses of nature of African origin who govern various places and elements of the world and are considered “guardian angels” of each and every one who inhabits the Earth. Each and every one of us is considered to have the “Ache” or “spirit” of that particular Deity and it is within the patakis, or stories of the Orichas’ interactions with each other and with the world, that the lesson is given. or the message is delivered. .
Obi’s spirit, once mortal on earth, ascended to Oricha once the good deeds were done, he fell from Grace because of the Ego. Descending to Earth, Obi’s spirit embodied the coconut palm tree. Although Obi cannot speak with the use of his tongue, he communicates through the white (“clean”) or brown (“dark”) side of the coconut flesh. If cowrie shells are used, it is the side that has been filed open to indicate “Yes” (“clean”) and the side closed with grooves indicating a “No” (“dark”) side of the response pattern that fell during the interrogation .
After ritual libations and prayers, Obi divination with coconut is used by some to answer questions during a divination reading in the presence of the client. Obi also clears up confusion regarding the cards’ message when used with cowrie shells in a tarot card reading for a client. Clients can ask Obi a question and the consultant or spiritual worker can also be asked to ask when the card layers on themselves are not associated with the clients dilemma. Obi divination is not to be taken lightly and is considered a tool to help humanity seek clarity in decision making, regardless of whether you are fully initiated into the religion or not. There are 5 intensity levels for Obi; two affirmative or positive answers to different degrees, two negative or “no” answers and a “maybe” answer that needs a second question to elicit a less ambiguous answer.
The five different shell patterns that will drop during a quiz session are as follows:
“Alafia” – “Yes with blessings!” – This is the most affirmative answer, but because you may be too anxious in your delivery, you must have a second launch to confirm and ensure the answer. The second drop of the snails must be another response “Alafia” or “Ejife” or “Etagua” to be taken as a “Yes” response.
“Ejife” – “Yes” (but without emphasis) – This affirmative answer is interpreted as a “Yes, and your World is balanced”, which means that what you have proposed or achieved (or are about to achieve) contributes balance to give and take. , yes/no, or contradictory struggles of the World to stay in harmony.
“Etagua” (or “Etawa”) – “Maybe” – This answer comes up when the question needs clarification (phrasing it in a way that you can get a “Yes” or “No” answer to begin with) or Oricha is pondering the whole question. situation and you need a second question that has been ‘modified’ to be able to answer. When Etagua appears, the second answer from the second toss of snails is the true answer. If another “Etagua” (Etagua-Meji) falls after the first, the meaning is “do not ask what you already know”.
“Okana”: means that darkness surrounds the client and a positive result cannot be obtained, perhaps without additional spiritual work. One open shell and three closed shells indicate focusing the small beam of light in the dark.
“Oyekun” – The most serious “No” answer, as it speaks of the client not being in touch with their spirituality and walking in the dark. This is a dire warning; It portends unforeseen troubles, accidents, fires and even portends death. Additional questions must be asked on behalf of clients to determine why Oyekun has come. Water must be sprinkled on Oyekun and if it appears more than once, the shells must be placed in water to ‘cool’ the response.
After the complete tarot card reading, the client has the opportunity to ask questions that were not addressed in the card reading. These may be for further clarity on the release of the original shell or other unrelated questions about relationships and business strategies. Once we begin to receive multiple “stuffs” to questions in an obvious pattern, this is an indication that the line of questioning needs to end as the client is asking obvious answer questions right in front of their face.
While not always an immediate response, Obi does give a glimpse of things to come. It’s no mystery that clients who return for a follow-up reading three months later will exclaim, “The shells were right! I just didn’t see (the situation) evolve before me!” and other statements indicating that Obi’s revelations of Truth come true. For me, as well as for more than 70 million devotees of this indigenous African religion, we know that Obi does not lie.